Hamnet: premise and background

Some exciting news—The Take is now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/kermodeandmayo. Become a Vanguardista or an Ultra Vanguardista to get video episodes of Take Two every week, plus member‑only chat rooms, polls and submissions to influence the show, behind‑the‑scenes photos and videos, the monthly Redactor’s Roundup newsletter, and access to a new fortnightly LIVE show—a raucous, unfiltered lunchtime special with the Good Doctors, new features, and live chat so you can heckle, vote, and have your questions read out in real time.

It’s a New Year’s correspondence special this week on the Take. Simon and Mark will be breaking open our bursting postbag and cracking into your excellent emergency mails from across the holiday period. We’ll be hearing your top takes on the films that made your festive breaks—and one repentant confession from the poor soul who made the mistake of watching The Lighthouse with their granny...

We’ve got reviews of the freshest films from 2026’s first week too. First up it’s Becoming Victoria Wood, a documentary looking for the true personality behind the comedy persona of the national treasure. Plus you’ll hear Mark’s verdict on the new British boxing drama GIANT—which follows the true story of ring star Naseem Hamed (Amir El-Masry) and his fractious relationship with trainer Brendan Ingle, played by Pierce Brosnan.

Not forgetting the much-anticipated Hamnet—the Chloé Zhao-directed biopic of William Shakespeare and his family during a period of personal turmoil and tragedy—based on Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel. It’s already tipped for awards success—especially for lead performances by Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal—but do the Good Doctors believe the hype?

Timecodes with YT clip codes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free)

Becoming Victoria Wood review – 15:46

BO10 – 31:11

Hamnet review – 55:25

Laughter Lift – 1:10:25

GIANT review – 1:13:51

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