Kermode & Mayo’s Take

Happy New Year from Mark, Simon, The Redactor and the rest of us on the Take Team! We’re kicking off 2025 with a top-drawer guest—’Nosferatu’ director Robert Eggers. He tells Simon about his new remake of the1922 silent classic, originally by German expressionist director F.W. Murnau, in which Bill Skarsgård’s vampire nobleman terrorises a town in pursuit of Lily-Rose Depp’s Ellen, the object of his desires. They chat about his longtime fascination with the story, creating a monster for a modern vampire movie, and a sprinkling of the occult... Will Nosferatu meet Mark’s high standards for horror? Find out if he thinks it has bite—or whether it’s just a little bloodless? More reviews too of ‘‘We Live in Time’, the time slip rom-com starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh that crashes its lovers into each other’s lives (literally)—and ‘Nickel Boys’, a formally innovative new drama charting the friendship of two young inmates at a sinister reform school in Jim Crow era Florida. Listen back to last week’s episode to hear Simon’s interview with its director, RaMell Ross. Plus another chance to hear the best of our guests from the year behind us, and the best of Mark’s reviews from the drooling raves to the Kermodean rants for the ages. Looking at you ‘Megalopolis’.... Review: Nickel Boys – 03:03 Review: We Live In Time – 49:39 Best of the guests: 09:51 Best of the reviews: 54:14 Interview: Robert Eggers – 23:19 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s Boxing Day, but we’ve got more than just leftovers in today’s show—we're just as stuffed full of gourmet goodies as we hope you are right now... A fresh new guest interview this week with RaMell Ross, director of the awards-tipped ‘Nickel Boys’. Based on the Pulitzer prize winning novel by Colson Whitehead, it follows the growing friendship between two boys in racially segregated 1960s Florida, Ellwood and Turner, who find themselves unwillingly enrolled in an abusive reform school. Simon sits down with RaMell to talk about his innovative filmmaking approach—and we think you’ll be hearing plenty more from him in the future... Reviews of ‘Better Man’, the Robbie Wiliams biopic from ‘Greatest Showman’ director Michael Gracey that chronicles the pop superstar’s infamous monkeying around by making him an actual chimp; ‘The Order’, the 80s-set thriller starring Jude Law as a neo-Nazi-hunting FBI agent; and ‘How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies’, the Thai comedy-drama in which broke university dropout M cozies up to his ailing grandmother in the hope of inheriting her massive fortune. Plus Mark’s top 5 films of the year—and bottom 5 cinematic stinkers too. Merry Christmas one and all—wishing you much festive film-watching... Review: How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies – 08:20 Interview: RaMell Ross – 17:15 Review: The Order – 33:09 Review: Better Man – 40:06 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wassail Wassail Wassail! Christmas is almost upon us, and we’ve got a gift of a guest for you this week: Barry Jenkins, AKA Mr. Moonlight. He chats to Simon about ‘Mufasa’, the origin story for Simba’s father and the long-awaited prequel to 2016’s live action animation Lion King. When a flood washes the cub-Mufasa away from his homeland and parents, he finds himself an outsider in an altogether new territory—where he stumbles across young lion Taka and begins a life-changing new journey to becoming the King of the Pride Lands we all know and love. Simon asks the Oscar winning indie director how he ended up helming this huge Disney musical, and what he’s learned from the four-year journey to its release. We’ll hear Mark’s take on ‘Mufasa’ too, along with reviews of two more animation releases this week. We’ve got ‘Sonic 3’, where the speedy blue hedgehog and friends face new adversary Shadow—and Aardman’s Christmas gift to us all, the new Wallace & Gromit adventure ‘Vengeance Most Fowl’. The nation’s favourite plasticine pair are up against their old glove-headed adversary Feathers McGraw in this noirish stop-motion treat. You can hear Mark and Simon in conversation with co-directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham in last week’s episode, recorded live at our Christmas Spectacular. Plus one more review of ‘Alien Onstage’—a gloriously oddball documentary about a group of Dorset bus drivers creating a theatrical version of the 1979 sci-fi film classic. We absolutely promise this is the wholesome if slightly madcap holiday viewing you didn’t know you needed—but you really, really do. Top correspondence from you all as usual—including this year’s bespoke Christmas wassail number – don’t miss it! Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free): Review: Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – 08:13 Review: Alien on Stage – 58:09 Review: Sonic The Hedgehog 3 – 52:59 Interview: Barry Jenkins – 26:10 And normally this is just for the Vanguardistas, but as we’re feeling festive – here are 50 Christmas TV films of the holidays for everyone: WATCHLIST: FREE FESTIVE FIFTY 1. Easter Parade – December 23, 9.25am BBC TWO 2. Meet Me in St Louis – December 23, 11.05am BBC TWO 3. Coco – December 23, 3.15pm BBC ONE 4. Ghostbusters (1984) – December 23, 4.50pm BBC ONE 5. Chicken Run – December 24, 10am BBC ONE 6. Close Encounters of the Third Kind – December 24, 11.25am CHANNEL 4 7. A Christmas Carol (1984) – December 24, 2.10pm CHANNEL 4 8. White Christmas – December 24, 2.15pm BBC TWO 9. Moana – December 24, 2.20pm BBC ONE 10. It's a Wonderful Life – December 24, 2.30pm ITV 11. The Snowman - Christmas Eve – 3pm CHANNEL 4 12. Shrek – December 24, 3.55pm BBC ONE 13. Home Alone – December 24, 6.05pm CHANNEL 4 14. Beetlejuice – December 24, 10.45pm BBC TWO 15. The Rocky Horror Picture Show – December 25, 00.15am BBC TWO 16. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – December 25, 6.10pm BBC ONE 17. Toy Story 3 – December 25, 11.20am BBC ONE 18. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York – December 25, 3.10pm ITV 19. North by Northwest – December 25, 5.05pm BBC TWO 20. On Her Majesty's Secret Service – December 26, 9.25am ITV For the remaining films on the list, go to 33:10 in Take 2 and listen for Mark's pick and reaction as well! You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. < Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Presenting a new feature on the Take Channel. ANORA has been one of the most talked-about films of 2024 so we sent supersub BEN BAILEY SMITH to speak to director Sean Baker. In this interview you can hear Ben talk to Sean about how he judges his own work, his love of Chihuahuas, that home invasion scene, little Orphan Annie, and of course Ben asked him about the Take That needledrop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our Christmas Spectacular, recorded live at London’s Prince Edward Theatre is now available in your ears! On our festive guestlist this week we have Wallce & Gromit creator Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, who co-direct the famous plasticine pair’s latest adventure Vengeance Most Fowl. They talk us through what happened when Aardman went noir for this festive film treat, share stop motion secrets, and tell us why it was the right time to bring back dastardly glove-headed supervillain Feathers McGraw. Check out our socials for photos of the real A-Listers on the bill though—actual Wallace and actual Gromit, who also joined us onstage. They were a little shy on the mic... but you can watch them in Vengeance Most Fowl on BBC 1 and iPlayer on Christmas Day at 6:10pm, and on Netflix outside of the UK from 3rd January. Plus a flying visit from someone we’re always happy to being saying hello to—Jason Isaacs himself! If you were one of our fabulous, talented and exceptionally good-looking live audience members then we’ve got some backstage extras in this episode for you too. London cinema tour guide extraordinaire Nigel Smith gives Simon and Mark the lowdown on our venue the Prince Edward’s history as a Cinerama. Plus a bonus backstage review of ‘The Bibi Files’—Alexis Bloom’s documentary expose on Benajamin Netanyahu and the corruptions scandals surrounding his government. Hear Mark’s take on ‘Queer’—Luca Guadagnino’s much-anticipated adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ novel, starring Daniel Craig as the autobiographical lead William Lee. And—from one former Bond to another—he also reviews ‘From Roger Moore With Love’, a charming celebration of the eyebrow-arching national treasure. You listeners bust out your film-buff smarts too, as two of our live audience take to the stage for a game of ‘(Simon and) Markstermind’... Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free): Bibi Files Review: 08:32 Queer Review: 24:04 From Roger Moore with Love Review: 39:26 Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham Interview: 48:16 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ‘Rumours’ are true... screen superstar Cate Blanchett and director Guy Maddin are joining Simon this week to give us the gossip on their surreal new satire—once they’ve finished fangirling over the music of Sparks, that is. Following decades of avant garde work that’s made him one of Canada’s most celebrated filmmakers, ‘Rumours’ is the biggest movie to date from the Winnipeg weirdo—its star-studded cast featuring Charles Dance and Alicia Vikander alongside Blanchett. Set at a G7 summit called to address an ‘unnamed-crisis’, it follows the hapless world leaders as they are beleaguered by bronze-age bog bodies come to life in some sort of apocalypse situation. There’s also a giant brain. It’s as odd as it sounds. Mark reviews this bizarre object of a film, along with ‘Merchant Ivory’, a documentary deep dive on the filmmakers responsible for all those most quintessentially British of period dramas from ‘Room With A View’ to ‘The Remains of the Day’—and ‘Nightbitch’, Marielle Heller’s dark comedy where Amy Adams plays a new mother at her wits end who transforms into a dog. The Christmas Spectacular is almost upon us! Mark and Simon will be live onstage at London’s Prince Edward theatre this Sunday 8th December. We’re all sold out now, and you can find the event info here: https://www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free): Merchant Ivory Review: 06:09 Cate Blanchett and Guy Maddin Interview: 25:53 Rumours Review: 40:18 Nightbitch Review: 56:11 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two divine guests this week as Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci join Simon to discuss ‘Conclave’, the papal political thriller from ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ director Edward Berger. Set in the Vatican’s pontific conclave, where cardinals are sequestered during the selection of the new Pope, the film follows the taut power struggle as these men of the cloth vie for the Catholic Church’s top job. The pair talk faith and doubt, Isabella Rossellini, and whether those robes can possibly be comfortable??? We find out whether Mark thought the film was a spiritual experience, or should be atoning for cinema sins... As well as Conclave we’ve got reviews this week of ‘Moana 2’, sequel to the 2016 Disney smash where this time the Polynesian not-a-princess must journey to the lost land of Motufetū to lift a curse from her island community—and ‘Your Monster’, the comedy-horror-musical mash-up that sees dumped and depressed actress Laura unexpectedly reunited with the childhood monster from under her bed. Plus your stellar correspondence adds more names to the overly-polite Brits abroad league table, and we’ve got more on Galdiator II space monkeys too. Our Christmas Spectacular with Mark and Simon live onstage at London’s Prince Edward theatre is now sold out! Event info here: https://www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo Timecodes (for our ad-free Vanguardistas): Moana 2 Review: 06:35 Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci Interview: 24:08 Conclave Review: 41:16 Your Monster Review: 53:36 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thomasin McKenzie is this week’s guest—star of Edgar Wright’s ‘Last Night in Soho’, Mark’s film of the year 2018 ‘Leave No Trace’—and now ‘Joy’, a new Netflix drama about the development of IVF treatment at Oldham hospital in the 1970s. Written by Jack Thorne, the film’s medical miracle story is focalised through McKenzie’s character Jean Purdy—a talented embryologist whose work was key to the team’s breakthrough discovery, but whose name was left out of the history books. She chats to Simon about putting Jean back in the picture in this latest in a line of meaty and challenging roles for the young actor. Reviews this week of ‘Blink’, a poignant documentary following a family determined to travel the world and create precious visual memories for their three children, who are losing their sight—and Amrou Al-Kadhi's debut drag queen drama ‘Layla’, which follows the story of the titular performer (Bilal Hasna) as they discover their confidence and creativity whilst navigating their queer Arab identity. Plus the much-anticipated stage-to-screen musical ‘Wicked’. The Wizard of Oz prequel stars Cynthia Erivo as green-skinned misfit Elphaba, and Ariana Grande as glam girl Galinda, both still witches-to-be as they forge an unlikely and rocky friendship at university. We find out if Mark thinks it’s going to be ‘Pop-u-lar'... Plus top quality correspondence from you and typical witterings from the Good Doctors as per. Our Christmas Spectacular with Mark and Simon live onstage at London’s Prince Edward theatre is now sold out! Event info here: https://www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo Timecodes (for our ad-free Vanguardistas): Blink Review: 09:30 Thomasin McKenzie Interview: 30:18 Layla Review: ~47:49 Wicked Review: ~57:00 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘Gladiator II’ director and legendary one-man blockbuster factory Ridley Scott is our guest this week. He joins Simon to discuss the long-awaited sequel to 2000’s modern classic, in which this time Paul Mescal plays Lucius, the long-exiled son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus. He finds himself back in Rome as a prisoner from his now-conquered adopted homeland, and must outfight and outwit his opponents and captors whilst guarding the secret of his ancestry. Simon talks to Ridley about swords, sandals, CGI and how he knew Paul Mescal would make a great Roman. We find out what Mark makes of the high-octane epic– do its mega action sequences jump the (Coliseum-swimming) shark? Plus we’ve got two more reviews of ‘The Last Dance’, a punchy drama set amidst the Hong Kong funeral business from director Anselm Chan—and ‘Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point’, a kooky indie holiday comedy with an ensemble cast including Matilda Fleming, Michael Cera and Francesca Scorsese. Spoiler alert – if a catastrophic weather event happened at Miller’s Point, Mark wouldn’t mourn its disappearance. More top takes from the Good Doctors. To our LTLs and newbies alike: strength and honour! Catch Mark and Simon live at our Christmas Spectacular – final tickets available here: https://www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo Timecodes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free): The Last Dance Review: 09:48 Sir Ridley Scott Interview: 28:23 Gladiator II Review: 44:19 Christmas Eve In Miller’s Point Review: 58:00 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Simon goes on a leafy adventure with Hugh Bonneville to talk ‘Paddington In Peru’, the latest addition to the most kind and polite of all cinematic universes—and for those of us who need cheering up this week, their conversation is just the tonic. The film sees Britain’s favourite bear journey back to his native land with the Brown family on a quest to visit Aunt Lucy. Pass the marmalade sandwiches. Plus, Mark reviews ‘Blitz’, Steve McQueen’s wartime drama starring Saoirse Ronan as a mother attempting to navigate a bombarded London with her young son; Andrea Arnold’s free-spirited social realist drama ‘Bird’ starring Barry Keoghan; and, as we enter the Christmas Corridor, ‘Red One’ in which the North Pole’s head of Security (played by Dwayne Johnson) teams up with an infamous bounty hunter (Chris Evans) to save a kidnapped Santa Claus. Another week of top takes from Mark & Simon! A few extra tickets for our Live Christmas Spectacular have dropped – snap them up here before they go: https://www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo Timecodes (for Vanguardistas, who also listen ad-free): Bird review: 08:25 Blitz Review: 13:53 Hugh Bonneville Interview: 28:59 Paddington In Peru Review: 45:35 Red One Review: 56:32 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Simon is joined by the one and only Billy Crystal to talk all about his starring role in the Apple TV+ psychological thriller series ‘Before’, which sees a child psychiatrist who, having tragically lost his wife to suicide, encounters a troubled young boy who seems to have a haunting connection to his past. Their conversation is intelligent, insightful and so long that we had to put some of it in Take 2. Truly, one for the K&M ages! Meanwhile, Mark reviews ‘Small Things Like These’, a period drama that sees Cillian Murphy play a devoted father who uncovers disturbing secrets at the local convent, which leads him to discover shocking truths about his own past; ‘Heretic’, a Hugh Grant-starring horror about two mormon missionaries who attempt to convert a seemingly normal man, only to find themselves fighting for their lives in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse; and ‘Anora’, the Palme D’Or-winning latest from Sean Baker, which sees a young sex worker impulsively marry the son of an oligarch, only to have her fairytale threatened when the news reaches his family. Another stellar week at the Take. We’ll have what Simon’s having! Plus, get your tickets to our Live Christmas Spectacular here: https://www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): Small Things Like These Review: 08:53 Billy Crystal Interview: 26:26 Heretic Review: 42:23 Anora Review: 53:24 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Simon and Mark interrupt Ben Wheatley’s breakfast (sadly not Wheaties) to about his new comedy horror miniseries ‘Generation Z’, which sees an army truck crash outside a care home, infecting the residents and leaving four teenage friends to deal with the deadly consequences. Mark also weighs in on the show, as well as giving his take on ‘Emilia Pérez’, Jacques Audiard’s musical-comedy, which looks set to be an Awards contender, and sees a Mexican lawyer offered an unusual job to help a notorious cartel boss retire and transition into living as a woman; ‘The Room Next Door’, Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar’s full-length English-language debut following Tilda Swinton as a dying journalist trying to reconnect with her best friend; and ‘Venom: The Last Dance’, the third instalment in the Tom Hardy-starring superhero franchise, which sees Eddie Brock and the symbiote Venom go on the run when they are hunted by both of their worlds. Another tasty week of cinematic nourishment at The Take! Plus, get your tickets to our Live Christmas Spectacular here: https://www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): Emilia Pérez Review: 08:31 Ben Wheatley Interview: 29:42 Generation Z Review: 44:58 The Room Next Door Review: 50:50 Venom: The Last Dance Review: 56:47 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Mark is joined by Ben Bailey Smith to give you the lowdown on the week’s cinematic releases. Ben chats to Naomi Scott about her tour-de-force performance in ‘Smile 2’, the second outing for the smash-hit horror-thriller franchise. It’s a big week for Mark as two of his favourite interests converge – reviewing films and Donald Trump – in ‘The Apprentice’, the Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong-starring story of how a young Donald Trump started his real-estate business in 1970s and ‘80s New York with the helping hand of his infamous lawyer Roy Cohn. He also gives his take on ‘The Wild Robot’, a starry animated sci-fi survival film, which sees a robot shipwrecked on a deserted island and forced to adapt to its new surroundings, developing a parental bond with an orphaned gosling in the process. Strap in for some stellar takes! Plus, get your tickets to our Live Christmas Spectacular here: https://www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): The Wild Robot Review: 07:21 Naomi Scott Interview: 24:35 Smile 2 Review: 39:49 The Apprentice Review: 52:02 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest is everyone’s favourite foul-mouthed politico-cum-Time Lord. That’s right, Peter Capaldi is on the show to tell Simon all about Season 2 of his time-bending, psychological thriller show ‘The Devil’s Hour’. Mark reviews ‘Transformers One’, an animated sci-fi action film based on the Hasbro toy line, which explores the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cyberton forever; ‘Salem’s Lot’, the latest adaptation of Stephen King’s classic supernatural horror novel, which sees an author return to his childhood home in search for some inspiration for his next book, only to discover that people are mysteriously turning into blood-sucking vampires; and ‘Timestalker’, a historical sci-fi romantic comedy in which a hapless woman falls for the wrong guy, dies a grim death and is reincarnated a century later. As she experiences romantic misfortune through different eras of history, she seeks to avoid repeat mistakes and finally break the cycle. What will be Mark’s film of the week? Listen and see! Plus, get tickets to our Live Christmas Spectacular here: https://www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo And vote for us for Best Co-Host Team at the prestigious Signal Awards here. Let’s win this thing!: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/shows/craft/best-co-host-team-pop-culture-podcasts Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): Transformers One Review: 06:21 Peter Capaldi Interview: 27:55 Salem’s Lot Review: 45:20 Timestalker Review: 54:08 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mark and Simon think you'll love Origins with Cush Jumbo. In this podcast, Cush meets some of the stars of stage and screen, and so they're giving you a little taster of what you can expect to hear. Here's an exert from Cush's episode with David Schwimmer, a master of comedy, who we all feel we know insideout as Ross Geller. He appeared in 236 episodes of Friends, runs his own theatre company (for the last 36 years!), is a dad and also a great friend of Cush's. They discuss his early jobs before Friends, and a serious role he had to turn down decades ago, that might have changed everything. If you enjoy this teaser, head over to https://pod.link/1761431583 and follow the show so you don't miss an episode. A Sony Music Entertainment production Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us at @sonypodcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guests are Take fave Joaquin Phoenix and writer-director Todd Phillips, who tell Simon all about ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’, their musical thriller follow-up to the 2019 smash hit ‘Joker’, which sees failed comedian Arthur Fleck meeting the love of his life, Harley Quinn, while incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital. Mark also gives his take on the film, as well as offering his thoughts on various new releases, including ‘Harder Than the Rock’, a documentary exploring the overlooked impact and influence of the UK’s first reggae band, Cimarons, as they persevere against all odds and follow their dream of playing to live audiences one last time; and ‘A Different Man’, a black comedy psychological thriller, which sees an aspiring actor undergo a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance, only for this new dream face to turn into a nightmare when he becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost. An interesting companion piece with ‘The Substance’, we reckon. Another brilliant session with the Good Doctors. Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): Harder Than The Rock Review: 08:05 Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips Interview: 32:11 Joker: Folie À Deux Review: 48:13 A Different Man Review: 58:39 We're doing a LIVE show: Kermode and Mayo's Christmas Movie Spectacular - December 8th at 2.30pm at the Prince Edward Theatre in London. Tickets are selling fast at www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guests are Saoirse Ronan and Paapa Essiedu, who are on the show to tell Simon all about their addiction recovery drama ‘The Outrun’, which sees Ronan star as a young woman fresh out of rehab, as she returns home to the wild Orkney Islands after more than a decade away. The pair discuss everything from their characters’ chemistry to Stephen Graham’s influence on Ronan’s performance – and there’s even more in Take 2! Mark also weighs in on the film, as well as giving his take on various new releases, including ‘My Old Ass’, which sees a girl’s 18-birthday magic mushroom trip bring her face-to-face with her wise-cracking 39-year-old self. And brace yourself for one of Mark’s finest hours of criticism with his take on Francis Ford Coppola’s long-awaited ‘Megalopolis’. You’ll be replaying this one, that’s for sure. Another great week at the Take! Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): My Old Ass Review – 10:19 Saoirse Ronan and Paapa Essiedu Interview – 32:58 The Outrun Review – 46:47 Megalopolis Review – 56:52 We're doing a LIVE show: Kermode and Mayo's Christmas Movie Spectacular - December 8th at 2.30pm at the Prince Edward Theatre in London. Tickets are selling fast at www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're excited to announce the xmas show, click here for an exclusive chance to secure your tickets: www.fane.co.uk/kermode-and-mayo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest is Kathryn Hahn, who talks to Simon about her starring role in ‘WandaVision’ spinoff ‘Agatha All Along’, a dark comedy superhero miniseries, which follows witch Agatha Harkness, as she recruits some unlikely allies on her quest to regain her former powers. Mark gives his thoughts on the show, as well as reviewing various new releases: ‘The Goldman Case’, a French-language courtroom drama based on the real-life trial of left-wing revolutionary Pierre Goldman, who was accused of several armed robberies and the death of two chemists; “Girls Will Be Girls’, an Indo-French coming-of-age drama and Sundance hit, which follows 16-year-old Mira as she discovers desire and romance, only to have her rebellious sexual awakening disrupted by her mother, who never got to come of age herself; and ‘The Substance’, the much-talked about Demi Moore-starring body horror, which sees an aging aerobics star, who, after being fired on her 50th birthday, takes an experimental substance that promises to transform her into a ‘better’ version of herself – with horrifying consequences. Mark’s gonna have a field day with this one, we’re sure! Enjoy! Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): The Goldman Case Review – 08:49 Kathryn Hahn Interview – 28:38 Agatha All Along Review– 43:51 Girls Will Be Girls Review – 51:23 The Substance Evil – 56:39 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] And to find out more about Sony’s new show Origins with Cush Jumbo, click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the last episode of this season, team STB gets real with those pesky inner monologues (as promised in the Carrie: Sex and the City episode). Plus, what's the connection between 80s comedy-thriller Lovejoy and The Matrix? We explore actors who have come back from obscurity with aplomb. We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest is the one and only Sir Ian McKellen, who is on the show to very eloquently tell Simon all about his starring role in ‘The Critic’, a period thriller in which a powerful – and pompous – London theatre critic lures a struggling actress into a blackmail scheme that has deadly consequences. Mark also weighs in on the film, as well as reviewing ‘Lee’, a Kate Winslet-starring biopic of photographer Elizabeth ‘Lee’ Miller, a fashion model who became an acclaimed war correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II; ‘Speak No Evil’, a psychological thriller with James McAvoy, which sees an American family’s dream holiday turn into a living nightmare when they spend a weekend at a British family’s idyllic country estate; and ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’, the long-awaited sequel to Tim Burton’s beloved 1988 comedy horror classic, which sees the mischievous poltergeist Beetlejuice return for more supernatural chaos, as a new family stumbles upon his bizarre afterlife realm. By all accounts, a stellar week! Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): Lee Review – 06:00 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – 22:37 Sir Ian McKellen Interview – 29:11 The Critic Review – 43:41 Speak No Evil – 54:56 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In our final character episode of this season, we put Carrie from Sex and the City on the couch. Nemone looks at why Sex and the City hasn’t aged well, and Ben talks about diversity in the privileged, white world of the show. We get into Carrie’s shopping habit, low self-esteem, and why everyone in the show is SO obsessed with relationships, even though the women really have no need for them. We also get a primer on the Bechdel test, and how you can tell if a show is sexist without knowing it. And if you want to check out more on the patriarchy and diversity, have a listen to our episodes on Sydney from The Bear. We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] Find how to view the shows we’ve talked about here. CREDITS We used clips from episodes of Sex and the City. It’s available to watch on NOWTV/SKY. Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker – Carrie Bradshaw Cynthia Nixon – Miranda Hobbs Kim Cattrall – Samatha Jones Kristin Davis – Charlotte York Created by: Darren Star Candace Bushnell Directed by: Susan Seidalman Nicole Holofcener Alison Maclean Michael Fields Darren Star Produced by: Darren Star Michael Patrick King John P. Melfi Jenny Bicks Sarah Jessica Parker Cindy Chupack We would love to hear your theories: [email protected] A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have a fantastic selection of new releases and nostalgia for you this week. First of all, we look at Meryl Streep’s best films and put it to you to pick one. The final result was almost too tight to call - around 52/48%, if that number sounds terribly familiar... We also look at brand new releases Starve Acre and Robot Dreams, as well as looking forward to next week, when we’ll review Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Of course we didn’t forget! Starve Acre is a chilling tale of British folk horror at its finest, while Robot Dreams is a touching animation which anyone in the world could watch and still understand – just one of those things animation does. Finally, we get to the bottom of why all these Spiderman releases have happened in the same year, as well as Mark looking at the “best” deaths in cinema history – if you can call them that. Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): Meryl Streep World Cup – 06:36 Starve Acre Review – 10:51 Spiderman: Homecoming Review – 19:34 Robot Dreams Review – 34:46 Meryl Streep Cup Final – 42:36 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben and Nemone put Jackson Lamb from Slow Horses on the couch. Gary Oldman’s version of Mick Herron’s character has become household name, and you can see why. A man with many layers, a million secrets, and a lightning rod for other’s emotions – perhaps he is the perfect Freudian analyst. Nemone gives us a crash course in transference and counter-transference, looks at why people mask and create false selves, and what drives people into a career where they hide their true selves from everyone, including themselves. This is the PERFECT watching companion to Season 4 of Slow Horses, coming 4th September on AppleTV+! And if you want to look at false selves, then listen back to our episode on The Morning Show’s Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City (selected episodes) CREDITS We used clips from Season 1 of Slow Horses. It’s available to watch on AppleTV+. Starring: Gary Oldman - Jackson Lamb Jack Lowden - River Cartwright Kristin Scott Thomas - Diana Taverner Saskia Reeves - Catherine Standish Rosalind Eleazar - Louisa Guy Christopher Chung - Roddy Ho Created by: Mick Herron Will Smith Directed by: James Hawes Jeremy Lovering Saul Metzstein Produced by: Iain Canning Hakan Kousetta Jamie Laurenson Gail Mutrux et al. We would love to hear your theories: [email protected] A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we put all the heavyweights from cinema’s best year – 1984 – into the ring, and see who comes out victorious. Think Terminator, Dune, Stop Making Sense, Beverly Hills Cop – I mean, there’s nowhere near enough space to list them all. But who will win...? Mark also gives his take on the re-release of Amazing Spiderman 2, with future Oscar-winner Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield in the lead roles now. Mark explains why we’re getting so many of these films back in cinema, too, for those wondering... We hear his thoughts on the new Netflix big hitter, KAOS, featuring Jeff Goldblum, everyone’s favourite piano-playing god. Plus, we review Paradise is Burning, a touching Swedish comedy drama that follows young Laura and her two sisters who, without their mother there, run amok until a call threatens to put them in foster care and undo the unique life they’ve built for themselves. Mark has some big decisions to make. Film of the week, plus film of the year (alright, 40 years ago, but still...) Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): World Cup of 1984 Qualifying – 7:46 Amazing Spiderman 2 Review – 11:27 Paradise is Burning Review – 29:11 KAOS Review – 38:20 World Cup of 1984 Final – 49:18 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben and Nemone put Raymond Holt on the couch. We look at how this trailblazing policeman (the first black, gay police captain in the force) stands out from the rest of the precinct. We learn how family dynamics inform behaviour and what it takes to be a great leader. Nemone looks at a diagnosis of ASD or Asperger’s Syndrome for the captain, and Ben gives a heartwarming tribute to the great actor who played him, André Braugher. We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here Jackson Lamb, Slow Horses (Season 1) Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City (selected episodes) CREDITS We used clips from episodes of Brooklyn 99. It’s available to watch on Netflix. Starring: Andy Samberg - Jacob "Jake" Peralta Stephanie Beatriz - Rosa Diaz Terry Crews - Terrence "Terry" JeffordsMelissa Fumero - Amy Santiago Joe Lo Truglio - Charles Boyle Chelsea Peretti - Regina "Gina" Linetti Andre Braugher - Raymond Holt Dirk Blocker as Michael Hitchcock and Joel McKinnon Miller as Norm Scully Created by: Dan Goor Michael Schur Directed by: Craig Zisk Julie Ann Robinson Troy Miller Dean Holland Jason Ensler Produced by: Dan Goor Michael Schur David Miner Phil Lord Christopher Miller (both; pilot) Luke Del Tredici David Phillips We would love to hear your theories: [email protected] A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week Mark is joined by another Take fave Ben Bailey Smith to talk all things cinema. Mark also gives his take on a swathe of new releases, including ‘Kneecap’, a comedy-drama based on true events that sees fate bring together a Belfast teacher and two self-confessed down-and-outs – the real musicians playing themselves – to form a hip-hop trio that rises to global fame; ‘Between the Temples’, which sees a cantor in a crisis of faith have his world turned upside town when his grade school music teacher reenters his life as his new adult bat mitzvah student; and ‘Blink Twice’, a psychological thriller and actress Zoe Kravitz’s directorial debut, which sees two cocktail waitresses invited on a dream vacation to a tech billionaire’s private island, only for strange events to leave them questioning their reality. A great week in new releases! What will be Mark’s pick of the week? Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): Kneecap Review – 05:20 Box Office Top Ten – 13:52 Close to You Review – 26:30 Between The Temples Review – 35:20 Blink Twice Review – 41:00 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben and Nemone put Moira Rose on the couch and take a deep dive into her narcissistic tendencies, and what effect that has on the rest of the Schitts. Nemone explains how narcissism is not as easy to spot as its widespread use would have you believe. We also discuss the collection of wigs that Moira keeps in her closet and why they are transitional objects. And if you’re interested in hearing more on narcissism, then check out our episode on Game of Thrones’ Cersei Lannister. We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here Raymond Holt, Brooklyn 99 (selected episodes) Jackson Lamb, Slow Horses (Season 1) Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City (selected episodes) CREDITS We used clips from episodes of Schitt’s Creek. It’s available to watch on Netflix. Starring: Eugene Levy - Johnny Rose Catherine O'Hara - Moira Rose Daniel Levy - David Rose Annie Murphy - Alexis Rose Created by: Daniel Levy Eugene Levy Directed by: Jerry Ciccoritti Paul Fox Produced by: Eugene Levy Dan Levy Fred Levy Andrew Barnsley Ben Feigin Kevin White David West Read We would love to hear your theories: [email protected] A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we have an extra special treat, as Take fave Sanjeev Bhaskar joins Mark in the host’s seat to deliver a funny and insightful episode. Mark reviews various new releases, including ‘Only the River Flows’, a Chinese neo-noir crime thriller, which sees an ambitious police detective attempt to solve a series of murders from a disused cinema; ‘Swan Song’, an immersive documentary following The National Ballet of Canada as it mounts a legacy-defining new production of Swan Lake; and ‘Alien: Romulus’, a new addition to the sci-fi horror franchise, which sees space colonisers come face-to-face with the most terrifying life-form in the universe while scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station. Will Mark like it, love it, hate it? Listen to find out! Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): Only The River Flows Review – 06:46 Box Office Top Ten – 13:14 Swan Song Review – 35:53 Alien: Romulus – 45:33 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If characters in ‘trapped’ dramas escape, is that the end of the show? Ben and Nemone explore The Handmaid’s Tale and Severance as examples. Plus, Ben reacts to a listener’s ‘constructive’ feedback and Nemone explores Polyvagal Theory to explain why we might react in the way we do from childhood trauma. We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here Raymond Holt, Brooklyn 99 (selected episodes) Jackson Lamb, Slow Horses (Season 1) Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City (selected episodes) Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have a VERY special guest this week. The legendary thrill-maker M Night Shyamalan comes on to talk all things Exorcist, family and his process behind his new release, Trap, starring Josh Hartnett. This was a great chat, so there’s even more in our premium episode. Plus, we review Caligula’s re-issue and get into some more results from our World Cups of Tom Hanks and 1984. Meryl Streep to come next week... also a special guest appearance from The Redactor. We also review the cracking Sky Peals, a head-twister in which a gas station attendant starts to believe he’s descended from an alien race. Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): Caligula Review – 12:03 M Night Shyamalan interview – 26:07 Sky Peals Review – 44:32 Rebel Moon Part II: The Scargiver Review – 50:19 World Cup of 1984 Results – 57:53 Tom Hanks World Cup Results 1:00:35 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben and Nemone discuss The Wire’s ‘Bubbles’ aka Reginald Collins. An informant and heroin user, a man with a fragile support network who finds himself stranded while trying to forge closer bonds with those around him. Nemone tells Ben how unconditional love is the hardest thing to give an addict, and the key to helping them start their journey to sobriety. Plus we hear wisdom from Gabor Maté. Our episode on the Queen’s Gambit has great insights into addiction if you’re looking for even more on this subject. We talked about AA, Al Anon and Samaritans in the show. Here are links: AA: https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/ Al Anon: https://al-anonuk.org.uk/ Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/ We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here Moira Rose, Schitt's Creek (Season 1) Raymond Holt, Brooklyn 99 (selected episodes) Jackson Lamb, Slow Horses (Season 1) Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City (selected episodes) CREDITS We used clips from Seasons 1 of The Wire. It’s available to watch on NOWTV. Starring: Dominic West - Jimmy McNulty Idris Elba - Stringer Bell Lawrence Gilliard Jr. - D’Angelo Barskdale Wood Harris - Avon Barksdale Deirdre Lovejoy - Rhonda Pearlman Wendell Pierce - Detective Bunk Lance Reddick - Cpt. Cedric Daniels Andre Royo – Reginald Collins, aka Bubbles Sonja Sohn - Kima Greggs Created by: David Simon Directed by: Clark Johnson Peter Medak Clement Virgo Ed Bianchi Gloria Muzo Produced by: Karen L. Thorson Ed Burns Joe Chappelle George Pelecanos Eric Overmyer David Simon Robert F. Colesberry Nina Kostroff Noble We would love to hear your theories: [email protected] A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a bumper week for reviews, with Mark giving his thoughts on a raft of releases, including ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’, Frank Cottrell-Boyce's adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s beloved novel about a young boy swept overboard and stranded on a desert island with a mysterious stranger; ‘My Neighbour Totoro’, the classic Japanese animation about two sisters who move to the country to be near their ailing mother only to find themselves in an adventure with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby; and Sam Raimi’s much-loved Spider-Man trilogy, which is back in cinemas this summer. Simon reveals the results of the World Cup of Tom Hanks, along with the 1984 draw. Will Mark be able to predict the winners? Plus, a special gift for all you Take devotees; Mark sits down to rewatch one of his absolute favourites, ‘Sex and the City 2’. You’re welcome! Mwahahaha! Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): Kensuke's Kingdom Review – 7:10 World Cup of Tom Hanks Draw – 18:02 My Neighbour Totoro Review – 27:03 Spider-Man Trilogy Review – 35:58 Sex and the City 2 Review – 47:21 World Cup of 1984 Draw – 59:36 You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben and Nemone discuss Helen McCrory’s iconic Poly Shelby from Peaky Blinders. She’s a devout Catholic, but up to her neck in the murky world of bootlegging and murder. Nemone gets into the thorny question of how she might match those up, and reveals how each of us has a ‘silent observer’ inside. We also dive into the history of women’s rights in 1920s England. Look out for some killer lines from our Polly, too. If you like this, you’ll love our look at Cersei Lannister and how to lead violent men using more than physical force, and the toll that takes. We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins, The Wire (Season 1) Moira Rose, Schitt's Creek (Season 1) Raymond Holt, Brooklyn 99 (selected episodes) Jackson Lamb, Slow Horses (Season 1) Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City (selected episodes) CREDITS We used clips from Seasons 1&2 of Peaky Blinders. It’s available to watch on BBC iPlayer. Starring: Tommy Shelby - Cillian Murphy Polly Gray - Helen McCrory Arthur Shelby - Paul Anderson Ada Shelby - Sophie Rundle Finn Shelby - Harry Kirton Lizzie Shelby - Natasha O'Keeffe Linda Shelby - Kate Phillips Created by: Steven Knight Directed by: Otto Bathurst Tom Harper Colm McCarthy Produced by: Katie Swinden Laurie Borg We would love to hear your theories: [email protected] A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest is novelist and screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who tells Simon all about ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’, his adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s beloved novel, which sees a boy become stranded on a desert island after being swept overboard during a storm on a sailing trip with his family. The conversation is so good that we’ve got more in Take 2! Mark will be reviewing the film next week. The Good Doctor Kermode gives his thoughts on various new releases, including ‘The Echo’, a Mexican-German docufiction film, which blends detached observation with incisive commentary to capture the rhythms of life in the traditional Mexican village of El Echo; ‘About Dry Grasses’, a Turkish-language drama about a disillusioned teacher in a remote village who, facing allegations of sexual misconduct, meets a colleague who may help make sense of the challenges at hand; and ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’, which sees Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman don their superhero costumes and join forces for another Marvel outing in which Wolverine, recovering from his injuries, crosses paths with the loudmouth Deadpool, reluctantly teaming up to defeat a common enemy. Expect some A+ witterings from Simon and Mark, who bravely and boldly ask: how can we be more ‘Brat’ this summer? You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben and Nemone discuss Tasha Jefferson, aka Taystee, from Orange is the New Black. We get fascinating insights into child states and how difficult they are to escape; attachment theory and why prison can be a better alternative to living in the outside world. Expect to laugh and cry while reliving one of the early bingeable series on Netflix. And if you’re interested in looking further into issues of adoption and racism, check out our episode on The Queen’s Gambit, from Season 1. We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here Polly, Peaky Blinders (seasons 1&2) Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins, The Wire (Season 1) Moira Rose, Schitt's Creek (Season 1) Raymond Holt, Brooklyn 99 (selected episodes) Jackson Lamb, Slow Horses (Season 1) Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City (selected episodes) CREDITS We used clips from Season 1 of Orange is the New Black. It’s available to watch on Netflix. Starring: Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman Laura Prepon as Alex Vause, Michael Harney as Sam Healy Michelle Hurst as Miss Claudette Pelage Kate Mulgrew as Galina "Red" Reznikov Jason Biggs as Larry Bloom Uzo Aduba as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren Danielle Brooks as Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson Natasha Lyonne as Nicky Nichols Taryn Manning as Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett Selenis Leyva as Gloria Mendoza Adrienne C. Moore as Cynthia "Black Cindy" Hayes Dascha Polanco as Dayanara "Daya" Diaz Created by: Jenji Kohan Directed by: Michael Trim Andrew McCarthy Uta Briesewitz Jodie Foster Matthew Penn Produced by: Jenji Kohan Sara Hess Tara Herrmann Lisa Vinnecour Neri Kyle Tannenbaum Mark A. Burley We would love to hear your theories: [email protected] A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Another guestless week but that just means more musings, fun and general nonsense from your favourite Good Doctors. Mark gives his thoughts on various new releases, including ‘Blur: To The End’, a documentary depicting the comeback of the classic Britpop band; ‘Thelma’, a June Squibb-starring comedy about a 93-year-old who gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, prompting her to set out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her; ‘Chuck Chuck Baby’, an emotionally charged musical drama in which a chicken factory worker sees her dreary life interrupted when her schoolgirl crush arrives back in town; and ‘Twisters’, a sequel to the 1996 Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton-starring disaster film, which sees a retired tornado-chaser and meteorologist persuaded to return to Oklahoma to work with a new team and new technologies. A packed-out week of new movies and takes for your listening pleasure! Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): 11:44 - Blur: To The End Review 16:48 - BO10 28:58 - Thelma Review 36:26 - Chuck Chuck Baby Review 44:52 - Twisters Review You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben and Nemone put Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon’s The Morning Show characters, Alex and Bradley, on the couch. We ask how a person creates a false self at work, what makes Bradley break the mould and find out how Alex could ever have respect for her male boss in the middle of a #MeToo scandal. Stay tuned for more on false selves in our upcoming episodes on Jackson Lamb and Polly Shelby too! We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here Tasha, Orange is the New Black (season 2) Polly, Peaky Blinders (seasons 1&2) Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins, The Wire (Season 1) Moira Rose, Schitt's Creek (Season 1) Raymond Holt, Brooklyn 99 (selected episodes) Jackson Lamb, Slow Horses (Season 1) CREDITS We used clips from Season 1 of The Morning Show. It’s available to watch on AppleTV+. Starring: Jennifer Aniston as Alexandra "Alex" Levy Reese Witherspoon as Bradley Jackson Billy Crudup as Cory Ellison Mark Duplass as Charlie "Chip" Black Néstor Carbonell as Yanko Flores Karen Pittman as Mia Jordan Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Hannah Shoenfeld Bel Powley as Claire Conway Desean Terry as Daniel Henderson Jack Davenport as Jason Craig Steve Carell as Mitch Kessler Created by: Jay Carson Directed by: David Frankel Lynn Shelton Roxann Dawson Tucker Gates Produced by: Jennifer Aniston Reese Witherspoon Kerry Ehrin Michael Ellenberg Mimi Leder We would love to hear your theories: [email protected] A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

No guest this week, but that just means more from your favourite professional witterers – and a whole load of reviews! Mark gives his thoughts on various new releases including ‘Fly Me to the Moon’, a romantic comedy-drama starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, which sees sparks fly between a marketing executive and a NASA official as he makes preparations for the Apollo 11 moon landing; ‘Hundreds of Beavers’, a zany slapstick comedy in which a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero to become North America’s greatest fur trapper by defeating, you guessed it, hundreds of beavers; and ‘Longlegs’, a serial killer horror in which Nicolas Cage plays the eponymous homicidal maniac. Mark also gives his take on ‘Despicable Me 4’, the fourth instalment of the animated comedy franchise, replete with his beloved minions, which, this time, sees Gru, having just welcomed a new member to the family, have his peaceful existence threatened when criminal mastermind Maxime Le Mal escapes from prison and vows revenge against him. A chocka-block week, indeed! Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): 08:19 – Hundreds Of Beavers Review 11:56 – Box Office Top Ten 29:33 – Fly Me To The Moon Review 37:30 – Longlegs Review 48:44 – Despicable Me 4 Review You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben and Nemone answer your questions and explore your suggestions. They talk about whether they have any friends who are spies and explore some brilliant female led comedies you've either missed or forgotten. We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here Michael, Office (USA. Season 1) Chandler, Friends (selected episodes) Sydney, The Bear (season 2) Tyrion, Game of Thrones (seasons 1&2). Alex and Bradley, The Morning Show (Season 1) Tasha, Orange is the New Black (season 2) CREDITS We used a clip from Girls, Series 6. Starring (in the clip we used): Lena Dunham as Hannah Horvath Adam Driver as Adam Sackler. Created by: Lena Dunham. Written by Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow. Directed by: Jesse Peretz Produced by: Home Box Office. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest is director Ti West, who is on the show to tell Mark all about ‘Maxxxine’, the hotly-anticipated third instalment of his cult horror trilogy made in collaboration with its star Mia Goth, which sees the action taken to the adult film scene in seedy 1980s Hollywood. With Mark and Ti geeking out over all things horror, the chat is just too good to cut it down, so head to Take 2 for more! Mark also gives his thoughts on the film, as well as reviewing ‘Blue Lock The Movie – Episode Nagi’, a feature-length extrapolation of the popular manga and anime set in a football training academy, which explores the origin story of football prodigy Seishiro Nagi. The big review of the week is ‘Kill’, an Indian action-thriller, which sees a pair of commandos face an army of invading bandits on a train trip to New Delhi. Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): 07:50 – Blue Lock The Movie – Episode Nagi Review 14:06 - Box Office Top Ten 28:29 – Ti West interview 40:21 - Kinds of Kindness Review 50:39 - Kill Review You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben and Nemone put Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones on the couch. Tyrion doesn’t conform to society’s norms. How does he use that to his advantage? He’s booksmart, cunning and the most open-minded man in Westeros. This ‘half-man’ is, in fact, three times as impressive as any of his peers. We look into difference, diversity and skulduggery in this latest episode. Don’t miss it! We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here Alex and Bradley, The Morning Show (Season 1) Tasha, Orange is the New Black (season 2) Polly, Peaky Blinders (seasons 1&2) Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins, The Wire (Season 1) Moira Rose, Schitt's Creek (Season 1) Raymond Holt, Brooklyn 99 (selected episodes) CREDITS We used clips from Season 1 of Game of Thrones. It’s available to watch on NOWTV. Starring: Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister Sean Bean as Eddard Stark Mark Addy as Robert Baratheon Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister Michelle Fairley as Catelyn Stark Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen Iain Glen as Jorah Mormont Aidan Gillen as Petyr Baelish Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen Kit Harington as Jon Snow Created by: George R.R. Martin (based on novels by) David Benioff (adapted for screen by) D.B. Weiss (adapted for screen by) Directed by: Mark Mylod Alan Taylor David Benioff D.B. Weiss et al. Produced by: Christopher Newman Mark Huffam Greg Spence Lisa McAtackney Duncan Muggoch For HBO We would love to hear your theories: [email protected] A Sony Music Entertainment production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guests are the red-hot actor and director duo, Jesse Plemons and Yorgos Lanthimos. They’re on to talk about their film ‘Kinds of Kindness’, which is released on 28th June, among tons of other things. It’s one you won’t want to miss. Mark also gives his take on the film, as well as reviewing ‘Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1’. This is Kevin Costner’s epic Western drama, which shows people drawn to the new west during the Civil War (the original one, not the Alex Garland one). Currently, the film is planned to have a whopping three sequels. The big review of the week is ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’, the next instalment in Simon’s favourite movie series. This one takes us back to the origins of the saga, showing the moment that earth fell quiet. Did it make Mark and Simon hoot and holler with praise? Find out in the show. Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): 07:28 - Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 Review 16:08 - Box Office Top Ten 27:46 - Jesse Plemons and Yorgos Lanthimos interview 43:00 Kinds of Kindness Review 50:17 A Quiet Place: Day One Review You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben and Nemone put sous-chef Sydney Adamu from The Bear into therapy. She helps whip the team at the restaurant into shape, she’s nurturing but anxious and riddled with self-doubt, not to mention a person of colour with the highest of ambitions in a profession dominated by white men. Mouthwatering, no? We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here Tyrion, Game of Thrones (seasons 1&2). Alex and Bradley, The Morning Show (Season 1) Tasha, Orange is the New Black (season 2) Polly, Peaky Blinders (seasons 1&2) Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins, The Wire (Season 1) Moira Rose, Schitt's Creek (Season 1) Raymond Holt, Brooklyn 99 (selected episodes) CREDITS We used clips from season 2 of The Bear, available on Disney+. Starring Jeremy Allen White as Carmen Berzatto Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard Jerimovich Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu Lionel Boyce as Marcus Liza Colón-Zayas as Tina Edwin Lee Gibson as Ebraheim Corey Hendrix as Gary Woods Richard Esteras as Manny Jose M. Cervantes as Angel Abby Elliott as Natalie Berzatto Created by: Christopher Storer Written by: Karen Joseph Adcock, Joanna Calo, Rene Gube, Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, Alex O'Keefe, Catherine Schetina, Christopher Storer Directed by: Alan Myerson, Peter Bonerz, James Burrows, Kevin S. Bright Produced by: FX/Hulu/Disney+ We would love to hear your theories: [email protected] A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guests are documentarian Asif Kapadia and videographer Joe Sabia, the co-directors of ‘Federer: Twelve Final Days’, an intimate look at the tennis legend as he approaches his retirement. Mark also gives his take on the film, as well as reviewing ‘Something in the Water’, a thriller which sees five girlfriends, reunited for a destination wedding, get stranded in open water, finding themselves in a fight for their lives against circling sharks and the elements; and ‘The Exorcism’, a horror that sees Russell Crowe play a troubled actor who begins to exhibit disruptive behaviour while shooting a horror film, causing his estranged daughter to wonder: is he slipping back into past addictions or is there something more sinister at play? The big review of the week is 'The Bikeriders’, Jeff Nichol’s long-awaited, star-studded crime drama about a Midwestern motorcycle club’s evolution from a gathering place for local outsiders to a sinister gang. Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): 05:44 – Green Border Review 11:54 – Box Office Top Ten 26:54 – Asif Kapadia Review 39:10 – Federer Twelve Final Days Review 42:49 – The Exorcism Review 51:20 – The Bikeriders Review You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben and Nemone put Chandler from Friends on the famous Central Perk couch to talk about his phobia of commitment, his attachment patterns and how he feels about mum AND dad putting on a black dress and trying to seduce one of your best friends. Expect doses of sarcasm, celebrity cameos and Janice’s laughter peppered throughout. We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here Sydney, The Bear (season 2) Tyrion, Game of Thrones (seasons 1&2). Alex and Bradley, The Morning Show (Season 1) Tasha, Orange is the New Black (season 2) Polly, Peaky Blinders (seasons 1&2) Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins, The Wire (Season 1) CREDITS We used clips from all seasons of Friends, available on Netflix. Starring Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing David Schwimmer as Ross Geller Courtney Cox as Monica Geller Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani Created by: David Crane and Marta Kauffman Written by: Ted Cohen and Andrew Reich, David Crane, Marta Kauffman, Scott Silveri, Shana Goldberg-Meehan et al. Directed by: Alan Myerson, Peter Bonerz, James Burrows, Kevin S. Bright Produced by: Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions and Warner Bros. Television Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest is writer-director Jeff Nichols, who is on the show to tell Simon all about his long-awaited, star-studded crime drama ‘The Bikeriders’, which stars Simon’s fave Austin Butler, and tells a fictional story inspired by the 1967 photo-book of the same name, which depicts the lives of the Outlaws MC, a motorcycle club founded in McCook, Illinois. Mark will give his thoughts on the film when it comes out next week. He also reviews ‘Freud’s Last Session’, an Anthony Hopkins-starring drama based on the play of the same name, which sees the legendary psychoanalyst invite iconic author C.S. Lewis to debate the existence of God; and ‘Arcadian’, a post-apocalyptic action horror, which sees Nicolas Cage play a father living with his twin teenage sons as they fight to survive in a remote farmhouse at the end of the end of the world. The big review of the week is ‘Inside Out 2’, the follow-up to the now-classic children’s movie, which sees Riley, now a teenager, encountering new, difficult emotions like Anxiety. Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): 07:07 – Freud’s Last Session 12:24 – Box Office Top Ten 25:58 – Jeff Nichols Interview 41:26 – Arcadian Review 47:31 – Inside Out 2 Review You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben and Nemone stroll into The Office (USA). They consider the differences between Michael Scott and David Brent, explore ego and ask why some people think they’re funny (when they’re just not). We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here Chandler, Friends (selected episodes) Sydney, The Bear (season 2) Tyrion, Game of Thrones (seasons 1&2). Alex and Bradley, The Morning Show (Season 1) Tasha, Orange is the New Black (season 2) Polly, Peaky Blinders (seasons 1&2) CREDITS We used clips from The Office USA, series 1 on Netflix. Starring Steve Carell as Michael Scott, Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute John Krasinski as Jim Halpert Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly Created by: Greg Daniels, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Written by: reg Daniels, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Mindy Kaling, B.J Novak, Directed by: Ken Kwapis, Ken Whittingham, Greg Daniels. Produced by: Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille Productions and NBC Universal. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest is one of America’s most beloved auteurs, and arguably the most laid-back director working today, Richard Linklater, who is on the show to tell Simon all about his latest black romantic comedy ‘Hit Man’, which sees a professor moonlighting as a hitman descend into dangerous, dubious territory when he finds himself attracted to a woman who enlists his services. Mark also gives his thoughts on the film, as well as reviewing ‘The Dead Don’t Hurt’, Viggo Mortensen’s directorial debut which sees a Franco Canadian woman and a Danish immigrant fall in love in 1860s San Francisco only to be separated by the American Civil War. The big review of the week is ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’, the fourth instalment of the Will Smith and Martin Lawrence buddy cop action series, which sees the duo’s late police captain get linked to drug cartels, prompting them to embark on a dangerous mission to clear his name. Timecodes (relevant only for the Vanguard - who are also ad-free!): 06:36 – The Dead Don’t Hurt Review 12:20 – Box Office Top Ten 23:15 – Richard Linklater Interview 38:55 – Hit Man Review 46:35 – Bad Boys: Ride or Die Review You can contact the show by emailing [email protected] or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/take Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts To advertise on this show contact: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben and Nemone answer your questions and explore your suggestions. They talk about whether they have any friends who are spies and explore some brilliant female led comedies you've either missed or forgotten. We want to hear about any theories we might have missed, what you’ve thought of the show so far and your character suggestions. Please drop the team an email (which may be part of the show): [email protected] NEXT CLIENTS ON THE COUCH. Find out how to view here Michael, Office (USA. Season 1) Chandler, Friends (selected episodes) Sydney, The Bear (season 2) Tyrion, Game of Thrones (seasons 1&2). Alex and Bradley, The Morning Show (Season 1) Tasha, Orange is the New Black (season 2) CREDITS We used a clip from Girls, Series 6. Starring (in the clip we used): Lena Dunham as Hannah Horvath Adam Driver as Adam Sackler. Created by: Lena Dunham. Written by Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow. Directed by: Jesse Peretz Produced by: Home Box Office. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices