The Empire Film Podcast

In this week's bumper-sized (so much so, in fact, we're wondering if we should have split it into two parts like last week) Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt chats to Armando Iannucci, the co-writer/director of The Personal History Of David Copperfield about discovering optimism, and how hard it is to write comedy in the middle of a pandemic. And John Nugent talks to Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the latter returns to our screens with gripping plane hijack thriller, 7500. In the remote podbooth, Chris is then joined by James Dyer and Helen O'Hara, as per usual. But the rotating fourth chair this week is occupied by Dave Corkery and Cathy Cullen, the married couple who host one of our favourite podcasts, The Cinemile. Together, this intrepid quintet tackle the Film Fact section, answer questions about graduation speeches and non-trilogy trilogies (it'll make sense when you listen), discuss the planned return of cinemas in the UK, and review 7500, Dating Amber, Resistance, and Radioactive. We can see now why this is bumper-sized. Enjoy, if just for the Irish accents of four-fifths of the team getting increasingly thicker as the pod goes on. Wee buns!

On the second part of this week's podcast, you'll find the podteam — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and James Dyer — discussing the week's movie news, plugging the heck out of the latest issue of Empire magazine, celebrating our cinemas in the, erm, Celebrate Our Cinemas section, and reviewing Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods, Judd Apatow's The King Of Staten Island, and Kenneth Branagh's Artemis Fowl. On the interview front, Chris hears from Rosamund Pike about her incredible light-up lockdown mask and her new film, Radioactive, in which she plays Marie Curie; and talks to Judd Apatow about The King Of Staten Island, and his comedy aesthetic. The latter is funnier than it sounds, honest. Enjoy.

How jam-packed is this week's episode of the Empire Podcast? How bumper-sized is it? Well, it's so huge — bursting at the seams with four — count 'em, FOUR! — interviews — that we have, for the first time ever (we think!), had to split the pod into two parts. In this, Parte The Firste, Chris Hewitt chats to British actors David Thewlis and Richard Armitage (both of whom have their own microphones, throwing down the gauntlet to other thesps everywhere) about, respectively, Atom Egoyan's Guest Of Honour and new audiobook, The Chekhov Collection Of Short Stories. Plus, they natter on about guitars, decapitation, midlife crises, Captain America, and building a fort at home. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and James Dyer to answer a couple of listener questions about filmic fruit and movie cops, while the film fact segment — aka Love Factually — takes an unexpected turn. Enjoy. There's more to come!

On the latest locked-down episode of the Empire Podcast, Simon Bird — former Inbetweener, current Friday Night Dinnerer — tells Chris Hewitt all about Days Of The Bagnold Summer, the charming comedy that marks Bird's directorial debut. It's an interview that features more Guess Who? chat than you could shake a stick wearing glasses, a hat, and a beard at. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and James Dyer as they get serious (for about five minutes) and discuss the Black Lives Matter protests that have been happening all around the world. Plus, the film fact segment returns and controversy abounds, they answer listeners' questions, discuss the week's movie news including Ryan Gosling playing the Wolfman, and review Days Of The Bagnold Summer, The County, Banana Split, and Atom Egoyan's Guest Of Honour. Sorry for the delay in this going up — enjoy.

On the latest locked down slice of Empire Podcast goodness, we welcome Eliza Hittman, director of the excellent Never Rarely Sometimes Always, who joins Helen O'Hara for a transatlantic chat about the acclaimed drama. Then Helen joins Chris Hewitt and James Dyer for an episode in which they answer several listener questions, anoint some of the greatest visually impaired characters in the history of film, discuss the week's movie news, from the new Tenet trailer to rumours of Henry Cavill's return to the Superman cape, and then review The Vast Of Night, The High Note, and Only The Animals. And, in our regular #CelebrateOurCinemas section, Chris gives shout-outs to cinemas around the world that need our, and your, help. All aboard for the pod with a record-breaking number of mentions of a certain English town. Find out which one within. Enjoy.

This week's slab of locked down, self-isolated, quarantined Empire Podcast sees the team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer — joined in the revolving fourth chair by one of our favourite people, the amazing anecdote machine that is Jason Isaacs. Jason joins the gang to talk about his new movie, Scoob!, life under lockdown as an actor, and reel off an array of incredible stories about his career. He also joins in with the new weekly film fact section, answers listener questions, and discusses movie news with the team, including Luca Guadagnino's remake of Scarface, and the confirmation that Zack Snyder's Justice League cut is finally going to see the light of day. Elsewhere, on the show, Chris, Helen and James review The Lovebirds, The Half Of It, and All Day And A Night, Chris lists a bunch of cinemas that need your support, and he has a fun natter with The Lovebirds star, Kumail Nanjiani, in which they talk about working out and eating lots of pies. Mmm... pies. Enjoy.

Our latest load of locked down, socially distanced pod sees Chris Hewitt's accent get progressively thicker as he sits down for a chat over Squadcast with fellow Northern Irishman, Michael Smiley. The two of them talk about Smiley's work with Edgar Wright and Ben Wheatley, his Easter egg preferences (it was recorded a while ago!), and his delivery of the best movie line of the year (so far!) in the gory Elijah Wood-starrer, Come To Daddy. Then, in the remotely recorded podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis for an episode that takes in some incredible film facts, an in-depth discussion of Daniel Day-Lewis' track record, the weekly dollop of film news (including Boba Fett cropping up in The Mandalorian, and the team banging on about Hamilton again), and reviews of Never Rarely Sometimes Always, The Wrong Missy, and Infinite Football. Enjoy.

This week's episode of The Empire Podcast: Mistakes Were Made sees Chris Hewitt have a chat with Tom McCarthy, the Oscar-winning director of Spotlight and the Disney+ film, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. And a right good old chat it is, too, as they talk about everything from Portland to Pixar. Then, back in the remote, socially distant, virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis for a rip-roaring episode that takes in everything from fatally cold film shoots to the week's movie news (sequels ahoy!), and post-credit stings that aren't on the end of Marvel movies. They also review the Michelle Obama documentary, Becoming, and the Willem Dafoe dog-umentary, Togo. Oh, and Chris is trying a different sound mix this week, so let us know your feedback. Have mistakes been made? Almost certainly. But we hope you enjoy.

It's another locked down, remotely recorded Empire Podcast this week, folks. But it's a cracker of a show (in our humble etc.), as Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and Alex Godfrey dazzle each other with arcane film facts, discuss (in depth, so Martin Scorsese best skip this one) the Marvel Cinematic Universe's post-credit stings, talk about the week's movie news, and review The Assistant, Astronaut, and Ema. And Chris chats this week to Kitty Green, the writer/director of the excellent The Assistant, and Dave Filoni, the gentle genius behind Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which is about to end its run next week. Just in time for Star Wars Day, in fact. Must be a coincidence. Enjoy.

Gareth Evans, the directorial mastermind behind The Raid, The Raid 2 and Apostle, turns his attention to the small screen this week, with the launch of his blistering, bruising, bloody crime saga, Gangs Of London. And to celebrate on the show's launch day he became a member of a very different gang — the Empire Podteam, joining Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer for most of this week's show. And he even brought a fact for our brand new weekly segment. What a legend. Along the way, the team discuss kidnapping, getting chilling phone calls from Christopher Lee, the week's movie news (and there is some! Saints, and The Saint, be praised!), and their cinematic blind spots. The results may shock you. In particular, Chris and Gareth both make confessions that could see them forced to hand in their movie fan credentials. Then, when Gareth has left the building, Chris, James and Helen review Extraction and Beastie Boys Story. Enjoy.