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Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode investigate whodunnits and murder mysteries on screen, ahead of the streaming release of new Knives Out mystery Glass Onion.Mark talks to Glass Onion director Rian Johnson about why whodunnits are so enduring, who left him star-struck on set, and the classic films and books that inspired his new mystery.And Ellen takes a deep dive into the camp 1973 cult whodunnit The Last of Sheila, written by actor Anthony Perkins and composer Stephen Sondheim following their own outlandish murder mystery parties. Ellen talks to writer Kyle Turner about Sondheim’s love of mysteries and the real life stories behind the film. She also speaks to the legendary Dyan Cannon about the larger-than-life Hollywood agent Sue Mengers who inspired her role in The Last of Sheila, and about the film's legacy as a cult classic.This week's Viewing Note is courtesy of actor and director Richard Benjamin. Producer: Jane Long A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode revisit Titanic in its 25th anniversary year, looking at James Cameron's epic blockbuster as both a disaster film and a story of immigration.Ellen explores the forgotten tales of immigration onboard the Titanic, talking to journalist Ray Hanania about the Syrian refugee stories only hinted at in the 1997 film. She also speaks to Sally El-Hosaini, director of new Netflix film The Swimmers. They discuss how immigration is depicted on screen and how Sally wanted to portray immigration in her own work.Inspired by the grand spectacle and ground breaking special effects of Titanic, Mark talks about disaster films with theme park ride designer Peter Alexander and legendary sound designer Randy Thom from Skywalker Sound. They discuss the 1974 film Earthquake, the theme park ride it inspired and the innovative Sensurround sound system created for the movie.This week’s Viewing Note is courtesy of Joanna Hogg, director of The Souvenir and the new A24 film, The Eternal Daughter, and disaster movie fan.Producer: Freya Hellier A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

From the melodramatic gestures of silent movies to the immersive, intricate performances made possible by 21st century technology, acting styles have gone in and out of fashion.But no acting technique is more mythologised or misunderstood than The Method.Mark Kermode and Ellen E Jones are getting under the skin of method acting to find out what it is, how it changed the face of American cinema, and why it’s not to blame for some truly weird on set behaviour.Ellen talks to writer and historian Isaac Butler to trace The Method’s roots back to the Russian actor, director and theorist Konstantin Stanislavski. They discuss The Method’s founding father in America Lee Strasberg, some key Method performances, and how acting is changing today. To learn what it’s like to study The Method, Ellen talks to British actor and writer Louise Brealey about her time at the Lee Strasberg institute, learning to laugh at yourself, and never giving in to bad behaviour.Mark talks to British actor Adeel Akhtar about how an opportunity to study method acting changed the course of his life, and not taking your character home at the end of the day.And in a moving discussion, Mark realises a long held ambition to interview Ellen Burstyn, who played - in a long and glittering career - Chris MacNeil in his favourite film, The Exorcist. Ellen studied The Method with Lee Strasberg himself and now, at the age of 89, she is co-President of the institution he led, The Actors Studio. Ellen shares her memories of Lee and brings his creative exercises back to life.In this week’s Viewing Notes, actor Jason Isaacs shares his favourite method performance.Produced by Freya HellierA Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

Inspired by the record-breaking success of huge action epic RRR, Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode explore the global popularity of contemporary Indian cinema, with the help of some of its key players. Ellen takes a closer look at the box office smash that is RRR. She talks to the film's director SS Rajamouli, who is responsible for three of the top five highest-grossing Indian films of all time. They discuss Rajamouli's role in the Pan-Indian Cinema movement and why he thinks RRR has become such a hit across the world. And Mark, with the help of British-Tamil film critic Ashanti Omkar and superstar composer AR Rahman, investigates how Indian cinema has gone global over the last two decades and asks whether it might be time to retire the term 'Bollywood'.Also, actor Nikesh Patel, star of hit romcom Starstruck, shares what he's been watching recently. Producer: Jane Long Editorial Consultant: Ashanti Omkar A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

Ellen and Mark take a turn into the exclusive gated community of housewives in cinema and television, ahead of the release of new film Don't Worry Darling. Ellen investigates why we're so drawn to housewives on screen, from original housewife satire The Stepford Wives to global reality TV phenomenon The Real Housewives, with the help of critic Anna Bogutskaya and Real Housewives exec producer Andy Cohen.And Mark celebrates director Todd Haynes' cult 1995 film Safe, starring Julianne Moore in her first lead role, as a housewife suffering from a mysterious ailment. He speaks to pioneering independent film producer and long-time Haynes collaborator Christine Vachon about the making of Safe, and hears from composer Gazelle Twin and director Desiree Akhavan about the personal and emotional responses both had to the film. This week's Viewing Note is courtesy of Olivier-nominated Home, I'm Darling star Katherine Parkinson.Producer: Jane Long A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

Ellen and Mark examine the legacy of the quintessential blonde bombshell ahead of the release of Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde.Mark speaks to Blonde’s director Andrew Dominik and US pop culture critic Angelica Jade Bastien about the very different personal connections both feel to Monroe and the reasons for her enduring star power. Meanwhile, Ellen explores some of the bombshells compared to Monroe on this side of the Atlantic. She speaks to Diana Dors biographer Anna Cale about how the label of 'the British Marilyn' affected Dors' varied and colourful time in the spotlight. And she learns about the elusive and often tragic careers of British starlets including Belinda Lee and Sabrina, with the help of Professor of British Cinema Steve Chibnall. Also, musician Warren Ellis talks about what he was watching while composing the score for Blonde with Nick Cave.Producer: Jane Long
 A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode celebrate 40 years of Film4 with a quartet of famous film-makers who have been part of its rich history and legacy.Founded in 1982, Film4 soon became an iconic and vital voice in British film. It has fostered a reputation for producing gritty, diverse stories from unheard voices as well as championing the more leftfield and experimental side of British cinema.Ellen looks at Film4's origins in conversation with Stephen Frears who directed the very first Film4 film, Walter. Walter stars Sir Ian McKellen as a young man with learning difficulties and the film documents his struggles in Margaret Thatcher's Britain. Frears continued to explore life in 80's Britain in the now iconic and still ground-breaking My Beautiful Laundrette. Stephen and Ellen discuss what the film meant at the time and why it remains relevant.Mark talks to Gurinder Chadha. In 1993 her Film4 produced debut, Bhaji on the Beach, became the first full-length feature film made by a British Asian Woman. Gurinder and Mark discuss the importance of Film4 in championing minorities and what the British film industry was like before and after Film4's emergence.Ellen chats with Ben Wheatley about Film4's response to his irreverent 2011 folk horror film Kill List as well as the multi-platform release of 2013's A Field in England. They talk about how Film4 has always made space for the more uncommercial and experimental side of British cinema.Finally, Mark talks to Clio Barnard about her 2013 Film4 debut, The Selfish Giant. A social realist adaptation of an Oscar Wilde story, Clio discusses how Film4 supported her as an artist and allowed her to share her unique and touching tale.This week's Viewing Note is courtesy of former Film4 head and veteran producer, Paul Webster.Producer: Hester Cant A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

Mark Kermode and Ellen E Jones celebrate Werner Herzog's 80th birthday by discussing his inspiring work, enduring appeal of Fitzcarraldo, and conspiracy theories surrounding a past incident. The podcast explores Herzog's unique filmmaking style, collaborations, and his supportive nature. With insights from a volcanologist, mockumentary director, and DJ, the episode offers a fascinating dive into the world of cinema's enigmatic character.

From the Old Testament to Captain Underpants, via Jane Austen and pulp fiction, the relationship between the page and the screen is unbreakable. But the journey from book to screenplay can be a long and winding road that is sometimes paved with gold, and often filled with detours and potholes.To get under the skin of literary adaptations, Mark Kermode and Ellen E Jones decamped to the Hay literary festival where the book world’s biggest names gather to enjoy discussion and sharing ideas.Cressida Cowell, author of the popular How To Train Your Dragon series, talks about the joyful process of seeing her characters come alive in a huge franchise comprising animated movies, TV series and a video game.When her first novel Brick Lane was turned into a film in 2007, Monica Ali was not involved in the adaptation. Now, 15 years later, Monica is writing the screenplay of her latest novel Love Marriage and she talks to Mark and Ellen about the new skills she has learned along the way.After many close calls with producers, Jennifer Egan (A Visit from the Goon Squad, The Candy House) knows about the mercurial nature of having work ‘optioned’. She discusses her favourite literary adaptations and shares a cinematic piece of writing by Arthur Conan Doyle.Also, broadcaster and writer Jeffrey Boakye takes a spin with an 80s classic movie to reveal the deeper issues at play in Dirty Dancing.Producer: Freya Hellier A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

Fifty years ago a break-in at the Watergate complex in Washington DC caused a cover-up that ultimately cost Richard Nixon the presidency. From the moment the hearings into the scandal were televised, there has been a massive audience for all things Watergate. There have been feature films, plays, podcasts, online comedy series, documentaries and TV dramas. Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode investigate the lasting legacy of Watergate on screen. Actor and comedian Harry Shearer has been playing Tricky Dicky since the very start of his career. He tells Mark about turning the president's tape recordings into verbatim comedy-drama Nixon's The One. Over a series of TV interviews the late Sir David Frost got President Nixon to admit that he had acted illegally and let the American people down. Mark talks to Michael Sheen who played the British broadcaster on both stage and screen in Frost/Nixon. Meanwhile, Ellen explores politically focused TV and film with the creator of The Thick of It and Veep, Armando Iannucci and screenwriter Liz Hannah, whose films The Post and Long Shot focus on journalism and politics.And journalist and broadcaster Martha Kearney gives her Viewing Notes.Producer: Marilyn RustA Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4