The Empire Film Podcast

This week's Empire Podcast ably fills the gap in your lives that you didn't even know was there: the experience of listening to a film director speed-carving a pumpkin on a podcast. Yes, this episode sees the Empire Podtour juggernaut roll into Brighton, where Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Terri White discuss the week's movie news (Marty vs the MCU), review American Woman, Gemini Man, and The Day Shall Come, and answer audience Q&As. Oh, and local heroes Ben Wheatley and Corin Hardy drop by - and Corin shows off his speed-carving prowess in a genuine podcast world first. This episode also contains a fun studio interview between Chris and Sienna Miller, talking about her phenomenal performance in American Woman, and her desire to play Catwoman. Enjoy.

We love the BFI London Film Festival round here at Empire Towers. So, with this year's festival still in full swing, we were delighted to host our first ever Empire Podcast roundtable, in which Chris Hewitt talks to three actors who each have films showing at the festival. In this engrossing, frank, and often hilarious chat, Ben Mendelsohn (star of The King and Babyteeth), Morfydd Clark (star of Eternal Beauty, The Personal History Of David Copperfield, and Saint Maud), and Jimmie Fails (star of and inspiration for The Last Black Man In San Francisco) pull back the curtain on what it means to be an actor, their various films in the festival, and how to avoid being a complete A-hole. Enjoy.

This week sees the first-ever Empire Podcast tour roll into Chris Hewitt's spiritual home, Liverpool. And, in a fun-packed show at FACT in front of a sold-out audience, Chris, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer discuss the week's movie news (including Spidey's return to the MCU), review Joker, Judy, and Good Posture, and take a whole heap of audience Qs. They're also joined by Dolly Wells, actor-turned-director, whose train got into Liverpool just in time for her to talk about her first film behind the camera, the rather wonderful Good Posture. Plus, back in the studio, John Nugent talks to some bloke called Joaquin Phoenix about some movie in which he plays a clown. Sounds like a laugh. Everyone loves clowns. And after last week's sound snafu in York, you'll be delighted to know this one sounds better, although some mic hiss does intrude towards the end. Hopefully it won't spoil your experience too much. Enjoy.

Do you like scary movies? What's your favourite scary movie? Two questions that have dominated conversations since the dawn of cinema, when people were terrified by the sight of a train coming straight at them. And, in this very special edition of the Empire Podcast, brought to you by Sky Cinema, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Absolute Radio's Dave Berry, and Sky Cinema's Alex Zane attempt to answer those questions, and one more for good measure: what is the scariest movie of all time? From Halloween to, erm, Halloween (but not Halloween), our fearless foursome discuss everything from slashers to supernatural horrors, and reveal the movies that make sure they sleep with the lights on. Oh, and there's a fair amount of terrible impressions and loud noises as per. And if, after hearing their choices, you want to check out some of the movies they talk about, the Halloween Collection is available now on Sky Cinema. Enjoy - if you dare!

So, this week's Empire Podcast was meant to be the recording of our latest live show, in front of a wonderful, sold-out audience at CityScreen in York. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, the sound quality of the recording just wasn't good enough. So, instead, Chris Hewitt and James Dyer - just back from York - bundled into the podbooth at Empire Towers to record an emergency pod, along with John Nugent. In it, they discuss several of the audience questions from the night before, review a whole bunch of films including The Last Tree, Ready Or Not, Hotel Mumbai, and The Goldfinch, and discuss the week's movie news. You'll also hear from David Koepp, the screenwriter of Jurassic Park and author of the new thriller, Cold Storage. And we've managed to salvage most of the interview with the wonderful Craig Roberts, writer/director of Eternal Beauty, who was our guest in York. But be warned: the sound quality might indicate why we're loathe to run the whole show. Enjoy.

This week's episode sees the first-ever Empire Podcast tour roll into Edinburgh for a fun-packed show at the venerable venue, the Cameo, as part of the Edinburgh International Magazine Festival. Join Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Terri White as they discuss the week's movie news, review Ad Astra, The Farewell, and The Kitchen, and answer a series of questions from the sell-out audience. Also, local hero Jack Lowden, star of Dunkirk, Fighting With My Family, and Mary Queen Of Scots, drops in to talk about doing a Trainspotting live read, why he considers acting to be a 'sadistic' profession, and wanting to be Del Boy. It's all here in your latest slice of (recorded as) live film-related fun. NB: as it was recorded live, there's a slight hum throughout. Do let us know your feedback on the feedback. And, as ever, enjoy.

This week's episode is a live show which sees the Empire Podteam - Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Terri White - embark upon their first-ever tour, starting in the far-flung city of... London. Kings Place, to be precise, just around the corner from the Empire office. Not exactly clocking up the air miles, huh. Recorded as part of the London Podcast Festival, this typically raucous live show sees the quartet review Downton Abbey, For Sama, and Hustlers (complete with eye-watering tale of real live strip clubs), then discuss the week's movie news, before being joined by a brand-new member of the team: director Colin Trevorrow. There might be talk of his brand-new Jurassic World short film, Battle At Big Rock. And he might even stick around for the audience Q&A. We couldn't possibly say either way. Please accept our apologies in advance. Enjoy.

You are cordially invited to this week's Empire Podcast, in which Mr. Ian Freer, of Empire Towers, is granted an audience with Mr. Hugh Bonneville, Miss Laura Carmichael, and Miss Michelle Dockery, stars of the new motion picture extravaganza, Downton Abbey, based on the popular televisual entertainment of the same name. Either side of that, you are invited to listen to the rest of the episode, in which Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and podcast newcomer Jeremy Dylan, a gentleman of Australian origin, discuss several listener questions, varying accents, the week's movie news, and review It Chapter 2 and Rojo. Carriages at 2am. Do, please, enjoy.

A long time ago, in a podbooth far, far away... four brave and hardy souls tackle a question that has long had Rebels and Imperial types scratching their heads: who are the greatest Star Wars characters of all time? In the second instalment of The Greatest, an Empire Podcast limited series brought to you by Sky Cinema, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Sky Cinema's very own Alex Zane, and Absolute Radio's Dave Berry each launch an impassioned defence of their three favourite Star Wars characters. There will be bad impressions. There will be bad jokes. And there will be some choices that you won't see coming. And if, after listening to this, you fancy watching a cheeky Star War, the Star Wars Collection is available on Sky Cinema right now, all the way through to September 15. May the Force be with us all.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast features two very different directors. First up, Chris Hewitt chats to Louis Leterrier about his experiences directing the new 10-episode Netflix series, The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance, and switching from live-action to puppets. They also talk about Leterrier's experiences making The Incredible Hulk, the nature of directorial compromise, and dousing Mark Strong in gallons of fake elephant stuff for Grimsby. Then, Ian Freer has a chat with the great British director, Joanna Hogg, about her new movie, The Souvenir, her time as a film student in London, and directing Eastenders. Meanwhile, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Ian, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer for discussion of the news that came from D23, the Breaking Bad movie El Camino, reviews of the week's movies, and try to get their heads around a certain Hollywood director having 20,000 sexual partners. Not all at once, surely? Enjoy.

This! Is! Butler! This week's episode sees one of our favourite recurring guests, Gerard 'Gerry' Butler, pop by the podbooth to tell Chris Hewitt all about his new movie, Angel Has Fallen. Along the way they discuss Nick Nolte, the five stages of movie stardom, and Gerry tells an eyewatering story that has great pedigree, chum. Also this week, Chris talks to Norwegian director Andre Ovredal about Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, the Guillermo del Toro-produced horror flick that's set to make people scream on both sides of the Atlantic. And in the podbooth proper, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis to discuss American actors doing English accents, the week's movie news (including Bond 25, the passing of Peter Fonda, and the Spider-shenanigans), and review the latest releases, including Crawl and Pain And Glory. Enjoy.

It's a question as old as time. Perhaps even older. Who is the greatest DC big screen hero: the Caped Crusader, Batman, or the Man Of Steel, Superman? In this very special edition of the Empire Podcast, brought to you by Sky Cinema, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Sky Cinema's very own Alex Zane, and Absolute Radio's Dave Berry venture into the Empire Podcave and hash it out. It's all here over the course of a very fun 60 minutes, from impassioned paeans to Christopher Reeve to rigorous discussion of Batcreditcards. And a host of terrible impressions that may be the Bane of your life. Oh, and at some point, our heroic quartet may even get round to answering the question. If you fancy settling this for yourself, you'll be delighted to know that all the Batman and Superman films discussed here, and tons of films featuring other heroes, are available right now in Sky Cinema's Superheroes Collection. Enjoy.

Former Never Mind The Buzzcocks host Simon Amstell, who used to host Never Mind The Buzzcocks, pops by the podbooth this week for an interview in which his stint on Never Mind The Buzzcocks isn't mentioned once. (Sorry about that, we're aiming for that SEO sweet spot). Instead, he tells Chris Hewitt about how he made his new film, Benjamin, and along the way they attempt the world's first director's commentary entirely from memory. It doesn't go well. Then, back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and Amon Warmann for a fun episode in which they talk prime numbers, the newly-announced Empire Podcast tour (tickets on sale now!), discuss the week's movie news, fun movie-related roommates, Henry Golding, and more. Then they review Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Good Boys, and Dora And The Lost City Of Gold. Enjoy 23 times. That's a prime number. Fact.

On this week's show, we invite Gurinder Chadha and Viveik Kalra onto the pod to wax lyrical about The Boss or, more specifically, their new film Blinded By The Light - guaranteed to put a Springsteen in your step. Meanwhile, Chris, James and Helen stand up in defence of some underappreciated classics (love Kurt Wimmer's Equilibrium or GTFO) and Chris gives us his reaction to news of the upcoming Event Horizon TV series ("Do you see? DO YOU SEE?!"). Plus we review this week's film releases and, in a podcast first, actually manage to finish when we say we will. Enjoy.

It doesn't happen often, but this week sees the Empire Podbooth doors thrown open to allow the great Nick Frost - star of The Cornetto Trilogy, Paul, Cuban Fury, Fighting With My Family, and now Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten Romans - to pull double duty as both our star guest and a colleague of such lethal cunning. So, this week Nick sits in with Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer as they answer a number of listener questions, discuss Nick's career, find out how not to be starstruck in front of Steven Spielberg, and discuss the week's movie news. Then, when Nick exits stage left, the podteam remain to review Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, Animals, and The Angry Birds Movie 2. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees James Dyer take a rare break from banging on about TV to sit down for a lovely chat with Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat, stars of the rollicking Dublin-set comedy-drama, Animals. Then, in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt is joined by James, Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis to talk about movie heatwaves, discuss the week's film-related news*, including the Picard trailer and the sad death of the great Rutger Hauer, and review The Current War. Lie back, turn on the fans, whack the headphones up, and enjoy. * Not including discussion of the Marvel Studios panel. That can be found in a podcast special, also available now.

Because (four of) you demanded it, and because we finally found some free time to record it, and because we didn't want to bang on for ages about Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on this week's regular podcast, here is a relatively short podcast in which Team Empire - Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis - react to and mull over all the big news from the Marvel Studios panel at last week's San Diego Comic-Con. It's all here: discussion of Black Widow, The Eternals, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, Thor: Love And Thunder, the Disney+ shows, the casting of Mahershala Ali as Blade, bad impressions of Dara O Briain and much, much more. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is all about cats, jellicle and otherwise. Chris Hewitt has a lovely in-depth chat with the wonderful Jon 'Favs' Favreau, who's a cool cat, about his new movie as director, the live-action adaptation of The Lion King, which is about big cats, and there's a little of MCU business thrown in for good measure as well. Because Chris. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to answer a slew of listeners' questions, review The Lion King, Varda By Agnes, and Tell It To The Bees, and discuss the week's movie news, including a Comic-Con preview, speculation about the future of 007, and some trailers. Including the trailer for Tom Hooper's Cats, which they talk about. For a bit. And then a bit more. Because... well. Remember - Jellicles can and Jellicles do! Enjoy.

He's a good egg, that Corin Hardy. He wrapped filming on Gangs Of London, the Gareth Evans-created TV show for which he's directed several episodes, on Thursday, and still found the time and energy to pop into the podbooth for a chat with Chris Hewitt about his... well, actually, Corin doesn't have anything to plug. So, instead, he and Chris talk about life for Corin post-Nun, working on Gangs, and do an impromptu John Carpenter episode of The Ranking. [0:50:33 - 01:20:03] Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis to talk the Harry Potter studio tour, tie-in novelisations, the new issue of Empire, the week's movie news [0:23:50 - 0:48:46], and review Pavarotti, The Dead Don't Die, Annabelle Come Home, and Stuber [01:20:03]. Enjoy.

We've been big fans of Will Poulter at the Empire Podcast, especially since he agreed to be one of the guests on our very first live show back in 2014. So we're delighted to welcome him back for this week's episode, which sees Ben Travis chat to Will about his new film, Midsommar, and much more besides. Then, back in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt is joined by Ben and Helen O'Hara for an episode that takes in The Play That Goes Wrong, great movie weddings, the week's movie news (and there's a lot of it), and reviews of Midsommar, Don't Look Now, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Again. We might review it next week as well. We see this as an absolute win. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down with Himesh Patel, the former Eastender (as in, he was on Eastenders) who stars in this week's Beatle-centric rom-com, Yesterday, and they discover a shared connection. Plus, John Nugent has a chat with the wonderful director, Peter Strickland, about his new movie, In Fabric, in which fashion is, literally, killer. Then, back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by James Dyer and Ian Freer to discuss production companies that changed their lives, the re-release of Avengers: Endgame, the week's movie news, and review Spider-Man: Far From Home, Yesterday, and In Fabric. It's all happening on the movie podcast that couldn't cope without The Beatles' songs. Well, maybe Don't Pass Me By. Enjoy.

This week's episode sees Chris Hewitt welcome Swedish actress Noomi Rapace - the original Lisbeth Salander - into the Empire Podbooth for a fun, frank, and often filthy chat about her new movie, The Captor, her surprising taste in music, life as a Londoner, and much more. Also in this episode, John Nugent chats to Josh Cooley, director of Toy Story 4, about giving audiences a huge Buzz. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to talk about their favourite condiments, discuss the week's movie news, review Toy Story 4, Child's Play and Brightburn, and - in a segment already being hailed as 'too long' - imagine every single film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Keanu Reeves in a starring role. Excellent. Madness, and much talk of big ding-dongs, lies within. Enjoy.

Here it is - the full and unexpurgated (well, a little expurgated) recording of the time a couple of weeks ago when Kevin Smith chose to spend his morning off in London, following a successful live Hollywood Babble-On show at The O2, by coming into the Empire Podbooth to have a good old natter with Chris Hewitt and Ben Travis. The first thirteen minutes of this ran on the Empire Podcast a couple of weeks ago, so if you want to get to the new stuff, skip past that. Otherwise, this is nearly 47 minutes of no-holds-barred chat, and typically sweary chat, with Smith, in which he discusses his life, career, his upcoming movie, Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, that Stan Lee cameo in Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame and, of course, the heart attack that so nearly killed him last year. We're glad it didn't. Not just because we had a blast with him as he popped his Empire podcherry, but because the world's a better place for having Kevin Smith in it. We hope you enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees the wonderful Asif Kapadia pop by the podbooth to have an in-depth natter with Chris Hewitt about his new documentary, Diego Maradona. No prizes for guessing what it's about - a tumultuous period in the life of one of the most brilliant, but controversial, figures modern sport has ever seen. And if you're wondering if Chris and Asif, two massive Liverpool fans, end up talking about a certain recent Champions League final win, well... yes. But it's early, so non-Reds can skip that bit. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Terri White, James Dyer, and Helen O'Hara for an unexpectedly sexy episode that sees them review Diego Maradona and Men In Black International, discuss the week's movie news, reveal Chris' username on Marvel Puzzle Quest, and ask the biggest question of them all: just who the hell is Bic Pentameter? Enjoy.

James McAvoy is always welcome on the Empire Podcast, and this week he returns to talk to Chris Hewitt about the role he's played most often in his illustrious career: Professor Charles Xavier. It's a role McAvoy is playing for the last time in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and he runs through his Charley X Hall Of Fame in a fun interview. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Nick de Semlyen to talk about watching versions originale in France, discuss the week's movie news, from the Le Mans '66 trailer to further R-Battziness, and review Dark Phoenix and Late Night. Oh, and they have a chat with Nick about his first book, the 80s comedy-centric Wild And Crazy Guys. Enjoy!

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters may feature all kinds of mammoth monsters, but none are as impressive or towering as the great Charles Dance, who has a nice chat with Ben Travis about his new movie, working with Arnie on Last Action Hero, and more. [00.14.50 - 00.32.00] Our second guest this week, Thunder Road star/writer/director Jim Cummings, has a fun and frank chat with Chris Hewitt about working on a bargain budget, recording his script as a podcast (top hint), and sending a cheque to Bruce Springsteen. [00.48.47 - 01.16.47] Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss their ideal musical biopic, pore over the week's movie news, and review Booksmart, Thunder Road, and Godzilla: King Of The Monsters in a bumper-sized reviews that takes in all sorts, from toxic fandom to indie box office woes. Oh, and Chris tries to persuade us that Joel Kinnaman is NOT his nemesis. Enjoy!

On this week's episode of the award-losing Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt finds that Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher has the Dwight Stuff as they talk all things Elton John. Plus our fearless leader Terri White sits down for a fun chat with Booksmart stars, Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis to discuss spoiler culture, review Aladdin and Rocketman, discuss R-Battz and the new Chris Nolan film, and then shill like crazy for Champions League final tickets. Well, one member of the team does anyway. No prizes for guessing who. Enjoy.

This week's episode sees the host of the best damn movie podcast in the world sit down... with Kevin Smith. Just a little joke, there. No, we were delighted that the legendary Mr. Smith, in town following a sell-out live edition of Hollywood Babble-On at the O2, no less, found time to drop by our newly-built studio for a chat with Chris Hewitt and Ben Travis. This is just the tip of the iceberg - a longer version of this interview will be up as a special in a couple of days. Then, Chris - a man whose idea of hardcore music is that Crowded House song where Neil Finn uses fuzzy guitar - also talks to Brian Welsh and Lorn Macdonald, star of this week's excellent Beats, a movie about Scottish rave culture in 1994. And back in the podbooth, he sits down with James Dyer and Ben Travis to talk about the week's movie news, review John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, and answer the burning question on absolutely nobody's lips: which Muppet would be the tastiest?

This week's Empire Podcast goes full arthouse, as legendary French director Claire Denis talks to Empire's Editor-In-Chief, Terri White, about her new film, High Life. And then, because nothing can touch the Empire Podcast without being corrupted, there's a bit where they both repeatedly say the word, 'f**kbox'. [00:35:29 - 00:56-09] Then back in the f**kbox - sorry, podbooth - Chris Hewitt is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, right at the end, John Nugent to discuss their favourite movie memorabilia, talk about how Disney has planned out the next seven years, dig into the new Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer (that's also a mini-Avengers: Endgame spoiler special, so be warned), and review High Life, Arctic, and Pokemon Detective Pikachu. Enjoy!

We haven't seen Nicholas Hoult on the Empire Podcast for a while, so we jumped at the chance to talk Tolkien with him this week, sending Chris Hewitt along for a good old natter about Hoult's new movie, in which he plays the celebrated author, J.R.R. Tolkien. Along the way they talk about Hoult's handwriting, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and much, much more. Then, back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer as they decide which animated movie casts they'd like to see in a live-action film, review Long Shot, Tolkien, and Vox Lux, and discuss the week's movie news, including the huge success of Avengers: Endgame, and the sad deaths of John Singleton and Peter Mayhew. Oh, and this week's episode is a tad on the rude side. You have been warned.

We may be in the Endgame now, but don't expect to hear any spoilers from Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of the latest Avengers movie, and this week's Empire Podcast guests. Instead, they sit down for a chat with Chris Hewitt about the rigours of making a movie that's widely expected to be one of the biggest of all time, and their future non-MCU plans. Then, back in the podbooth, Helen O'Hara takes the reins and is joined by James Dyer and Chris, who ran to the studio straight from a plane from LA, as they talk about cancelled movies they'd like to revive, discuss the week's movie news, and review the latest releases. And yes, they're into Endgame now. Enjoy!

Helen is in the driving seat once again on this week's podcast (although Supernatural nipple chat was mercifully kept to a minimum) as we dive into the *last* Empire podcast before the team sees Avengers: Endgame. And to celebrate that fact we not only sit down with everyone's favourite sexy priest, Andrew Scott, to talk about his new film Steel Country, but we also invite director Neil Jordan on board to discuss sex. And also Greta. Nick De Semlyen and James Dyer round out this week's lethally cunning lineup and discuss everything from the latest Hobbs And Shaw trailer to the virtues (or lack thereof) of midnight screenings.

Yesterday saw both the first teaser trailer and the announcement of the title of the ninth, and final, film in the main Star Wars saga. That title was The Rise Of Skywalker, and that teaser was a bit of a belter, reintroducing beloved characters, and posing plenty of big questions. Just as a teaser should. And with Team Empire unable to gather in the podbooth yesterday, we had to wait until today - the morning after the night before - to assemble in Helen O'Hara's living room for an impromptu reaction pod, in which Chris Hewitt, Helen, James White and James Dyer - appearing via hologram from Chicago, where he's attending Star Wars Celebration on behalf of Empire - chew the fat over the teaser's various hints and teases. FYI: James was dialling in digitally, so there's a faint delay when he speaks. Hope it doesn't bother you too much. Enjoy!

In this week's episode of the award-non-minated (that's the technical term for a show that isn't nominated for an award) Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt has a good old natter with the wonderful Irish actor and singer Jessie Buckley, who is on sensational form as a Glaswegian country singer in this week's Wild Rose. Then, either side of that, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis to talk semi-nude Jude Law, discuss the week's movie news, review Wild Rose, Hellboy, and Mid90s, and -- because this is Chris' last show this side of Avengers: Endgame -- answer a bunch of your Endgame questions in a quickfire special. Enjoy!

Stanley Kubrick's controversial, thought-provoking, tremendously stylish A Clockwork Orange, now a mere 48 years young, bludgeons its way back into cinemas this weekend. And so Chris Hewitt jumped at the chance to interview its star - the king of the Droogs himself, Malcolm McDowell. In this extended interview, they discuss McDowell's complicated and ever-changing relationship with the film, and with Kubrick himself; why Gene Kelly gave McDowell the cold shoulder; and what it's like to get a real injection up the bum on camera. Hint: painful. Then, they briefly discuss McDowell's Time After Time, before - because Chris can't resist - getting deep into McDowell's lifelong support of Liverpool FC. Poddy well, my brothers and sisters. Poddy well.

On this week's Empire Podcast, we say the magic word - Bangilybang! - and, lo and behold, Zachary Levi, star of this week's DC Comics adaptation, Shazam!, appears. He has a lovely chat with Chris Hewitt about grabbing his second chance at superhero stardom with both hands. Back in the podcave, with Chris waylaid by that nefarious villain, Unforeseen Circumstances, Helen O'Hara leads James Dyer and Ben Travis in a spirited discussion of the week's movie news (Endgame footage! Joker trailer!), review Shazam!, Pet Sematary, and The Sisters Brothers, and assess which small screen star they'd like to see bag a movie career. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast features two bona fide legends of Hollywood, California, both having a chat with that bona fide buffoon of a town not too far away from Holywood, Northern Ireland, Chris Hewitt. First off, Chris travels to Madrid for an audience with Elliot Ness/Wyatt Earp/Jim Garrison/We Could Do This All Day [delete as applicable], Kevin Costner, star of Netflix film, The Highwaymen. Then, back in a London hotel room, Chris comes face to face with the wild, weird, and wacky imagination of the great Tim Burton, director of Dumbo. And back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by the returning Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss the death of Supernatural, talk about the week's movie news, review Dumbo and The Highwaymen, and talk about a very serious issue: the sanctioning of buffoonery. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees something of a first for the show. No, it's not coherent - you should know by now that that is but a mere pipe dream. Instead, it's the first time (we think; we may be wrong) that we've featured a translator on the show, as Nick de Semlyen chats to The White Crow's director, Ralph Fiennes, its star, Oleg Ivenko... and Oleg's lovely translator. Then, Chris Hewitt has an in-depth chat about Us and Black Panther with the wonderful Winston Duke, before heading back into the podbooth to have a good old natter about the week's big movie happenings with James Dyer and John Nugent. They discuss James Gunn returning to Guardians 3, Dune casting news (of course), the Disney takeover of Fox, review Us and The White Crow, and go potty for Alan Partridge's Irish doppelgänger, Martin Brennan. Oh, and James pronounces 'psychopathy' in a way that will rock your world. Enjoy.

Since he stopped being the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield has largely taken a step back from the big screen. But he returns this week with David Robert Mitchell's gonzo noir, Under The Silver Lake, and on the latest Empire Podcast he has a nice old natter with Ben Travis about that movie, Scorsese, and Stan Lee. 'Nuff said, True Believers. Then, back in the podbooth, with Chris Hewitt absolutely, positively not available for recording, Helen O'Hara steps ably into the breach, reviewing the week's releases with John Nugent and James Dyer (but let's face it, mainly John Nugent), discussing big news concerning the current Spider-Man, Tom Holland (no, not that one), and tackle a listener question about non-superhero-based comic book movies. Enjoy.

Because (somewhere around a dozen of) you demanded it, here it is: a podcast about a trailer. But not just any trailer. In this very special episode, Chris Hewitt and Helen O'Hara pop into the podbooth to discuss and dissect the second, and final trailer, for Avengers: Endgame. Along the way they come up with all kinds of harebrained theories about what Joe and Anthony Russo may have in store for us when the movie opens next month, call Thanos all kinds of rude names, and discover the meaning of life. Oh, and Chris shills desperately for a brand-name speaker system. Enjoy.

It's like an episode of Extras on the Empire Podcast this week, as Ricky Gervais - star, writer, director of the new Netflix show, After Life - and Captain Marvel star, Samuel L. Jackson - old Nick Fury himself - pop by to have a good old natter with Chris Hewitt about a great many things, from getting advice from Jerry Seinfeld to why Jackson doesn't tweet about Liverpool FC anymore. Then, in the podbooth itself, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to talk about great movie pets, discuss the week's news, including Idris Elba joining The Suicide Squad, figure out whether Sam Jackson has made more MCU appearances than Robert Downey Jr., and review Captain Marvel and dark Swedish fantasy, Border. Oh, and James mansplains the female experience to Helen, which is nice. Do, please, enjoy.

For this week's pod, the team journeyed North to bonnie Scotland to record live at the Glasgow Film Festival - mainly so we could eat our own bodyweight in Irn-Bru sweets, which one listener was kind enough to provide. We also found the time to sit down with Sir Michael Palin, who reminisced with Chris Hewitt about The Holy Grail, Doon Castle and new documentary Final Ascent. Plus all the usual movie news and nonsense, including Helen's analysis of all things Oscars and only the tiniest bit of Dune tedium from James.

"Stop getting Alan wrong!" That could well be what you shout at a couple of points in this very special Empire Podcast appreciation of all things Alan Partridge, as Alan anoraks (Alanoraks?) Chris Hewitt, Nick de Semlyen and Pilot TV's Boyd Hilton get together for a solid 49 minutes of scorching Alan-based chat... and end up misquoting him on several occasions. The authorities have been informed. But that's not all. Chris also sits down for a chat with Neil and Rob Gibbons, the clever flucking clunts who have, for the last few years, been getting Alan right, as writers (and now directors) of Mid-Morning Matters, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, and his triumphant return to the BBC with This Time with Alan Partridge. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll pierce your foot on a spike -- not our words, Carol, but the words of... oh, no, those are our words, actually. Enjoy.

Due to another incredible scheduling snafu by Chris 'What's a spreadsheet' Hewitt, this week's episode of the Empire Podcast features a veritable cavalcade of star guests. There's a Fighting With My Family double bill, as John Nugent talks to that film's director, Stephen Merchant, and its star, Florence Pugh. Then a very tired Chris meets a very jetlagged Jason Clarke, star of The Aftermath, and they end up talking about David O'Leary. In the podbooth, Chris is joined by Nick de Semlyen and James Dyer to discuss the week's movie news, share their battle tips for surviving an Oscars all-nighter, and review Capernaum, On The Basis Of Sex, and Cold Pursuit. Oh, and discuss creme eggs, and the consumption thereof. Enjoy!

Empire's 30th birthday celebrations continue unabated with this very special podcast documentary - or, if you will, podumentary - exploring the biggest film of all time: James Cameron's Avatar. Host Chris Hewitt dips into the Empire archives, and also sits down for a brand-new chat with Cameron, the film's writer-producer-editor-director, to tell the story of how Cameron's groundbreaking visit to Pandora came to be. It's packed with info about Cameron's Eureka! moment, how he nearly chose to direct what would become Alita: Battle Angel instead, and some very interesting revelations about casting the film's hero, Jake Sully. Enjoy.

Holy delayed podcast, Batman! Yes, it's finally here - the Batman edition of The Ranking, the podcast/magazine crossover in which four Empire writers - Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Dan Jolin, and Olly Richards - argue the toss over a series of movies. In this case, it's the Batfilms. All the Batfilms. Yes, even the rubbish ones. So settle in for an hour of feverish Batdebate that features Helen and Dan arguing about the politics of The Dark Knight Rises, fewer impressions of Bane than you might expect, and the final, Empirical Batman Top 10. It just might surprise you. This pod needs an enema!

After the lunacy of last week's live episode, the Empire Podcast settles down this week, with an actual knight, and R&B royalty. First, Ben Travis has an audience with the wondrous Mary J. Blige, chatting about her new Netflix show, The Umbrella Academy, and much, much more. Then Chris Hewitt chats to not one, but two Merlins, as The Kid Who Would Be King stars, Sir Patrick Stewart and Angus Imrie, drop by the podbooth. We feel we should warn you - there is more discussion of @SirPatStew nudity in this than your average podcast interview. Either side of those, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Nick de Semlyen, and James Dyer for much discussion of the week's movie news. They also run their eye over The Kid Who Would Be King and A Private War, and finally answer the question that has been gripping us all for years: who is the best Hollywood Chris - Hemsworth, Evans, Pratt, or Pine? The answer might surprise you. It won't.

Actor. Writer. Director. Producer. Joel Edgerton is the very definition of a multi-hyphenate, in front of and behind the camera. He performs all four duties admirably on Boy Erased, which opens in the UK this week. A drama starring Lucas Hedges as a young man sent to a gay conversion therapy centre by his Baptist parents (Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman), where he struggles with the strict methods of Edgerton's counsellor, it's a fine follow-up to the Australian's directorial debut, The Gift. When he came to London recently, we sent John Nugent along to have a bit of a natter with him, about Boy Erased and many, many other things. Enjoy.

Can it really be seven years since four giggling idiots walked into a studio in London, and decided to inflict their godawful opinions about movies upon unsuspecting members of the public? Apparently it can, for this is the 350th episode of the Empire Podcast. And to celebrate it in style, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Empire's Editor-in-Chief, Terri White, were joined by a sell-out crowd at Kings Place in London earlier this week for a raucous live podcast. There will be movie reviews. There will be a bit where Terri hides under a desk. There will be discussion of the week's big movie news. There will be (lots of) swearing. And there will be more listener questions than you can shake a stick at. But that's not all. The podteam are also joined by special guests, The Kid Who Would Be King director Joe Cornish, and Zawe Ashton, star of Wanderlust, Fresh Meat, and the Netflix Original Film, Velvet Buzzsaw. Get ready to have a bangily-banging time. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is the kind of bumper edition you might need to book a flight in order to have time to listen to it all. We have three - count 'em, THREE - incredible guests. First, Helen O'Hara talks to Alita herself, Rosa Salazar, the star of Alita: Battle Angel. Then, Ben Travis talks with Dean DeBlois, director of all three How To Train Your Dragon movies, as he brings the trilogy to a close with The Hidden World. Finally, waiting at the very end of the pod as a lovely reward, Nick de Semlyen has a long but rather wonderful interview with freshly-minted Oscar nominee, Richard E. Grant. Back in the podbooth, host Chris Hewitt is joined by Helen and James Dyer to talk their favourite Monty Python sketches, wade through tons of movie news (Batman! Zombies! Batzombies?), and review Green Book, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, and Can You Ever Forgive Me? And don't forget - next week sees our 350th episode. Tell your friends. Tell your family. Enjoy!