Radio 1's Screen Time

It’s awards season! Poor Things came out last week, The Holdovers is out this week and All Of Strangers is out next week - so it’s a great time to be a film fan (moreso than ever). But here’s something just a smidge different for you: a fun and fact-filled chat with two of the human beings behind one of Ali’s films of the year, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, those loveable geniuses Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. So as long as you don’t mind a wee bit of strong language (and a spoiler or two), this is the interview special for you.

After checking his calendar a couple of times, Ali is pretty sure that 2024 is finally, definitely, absolutely here, and with it some very exciting films for us to all look forward to. But with Screen Time being a film *and* TV podcast, joining the party this week is TV expert (and BBC 5 Live's very own) Scott Bryan, who stopped by to talk about some of the big small screen releases - if that makes sense - that are on their way this particular 12 months. Plus, a reminder of Poor Things' arrival in cinemas and a few other bits and bobs.

Radio 1’s Screen Time welcomes in 2024 with a truly lovely interview with Dan Levy: writer, director, producer and star of Good Grief, a comedy-drama motion picture you can watch on Netflix, well, right about now. Chances are, you know Dan from playing David Rose on a certain Canadian sitcom megahit by the name of Schitt's Creek (which he also co-created and wrote) - so that does come up a little bit - as does professional people-pleasing anxiety (in a fun way!) and the fine art of taking a compliment successfully. And, as a little new year bonus, we've also got a brief round-up of the biggest releases coming out this month, because we're nice.

Is Die Hard a Christmas film? It's a question seemingly as old as the movie itself - first came out in 1988, fact fans - but whatever your thoughts on that controversial pub conversation question, December seemed like the perfect time to bring friend of the podcast (and Empire Magazine editor, as it goes) Nick de Semlyen on to chat about just why we love John McClane so much - and how the film changed the landscape of action cinema forever. A word to the wise, by the way: as you might imagine with this being a spoiler special about Die Hard, this podcast contains both, well, spoilers and, um, swear words. You know, there's a line in this movie, and... yeah. Fair warning!

There’s something very very exciting going on on your televisions this Christmas time - and that’s Ncuti Gatwa’s first fully-fledged standalone outing as The Doctor, Doctor Who, on BBC One. The Christmas special is called 'The Church On Ruby Road' and you can watch it on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK from 5.55pm on December 25th. To celebrate that fact, here's an interview with Ncuti where Ali tries to talk about the character of The Doctor, about how he got the role, about what it all means to him... without giving away spoilers, because boy oh boy do spoilers abound.

Friends of the show Clarisse Loughrey (The Independent's chief film critic) and Dan Layton (film and TV reviewer extraordinaire) join Ali once again to try and do justice to the year that was/is 2023, discussing their five favourite films and trying to wrap their heads around what's been "slept on" in the past 12 months. Colin From Accounts? Slow Horses? Rye Lane? The list goes on and on - you may want to whip out your notepad, a lot of possible new favourites are going to be coming your way. Plus! As a little bonus, Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz and Shailene Woodley make a brief appearance at the end to talk Ferrari (out next week, fact fans).

If you were to cast a young Willy Wonka, who'd be your first choice for the role? Why it'd have to be Timothée Chalamet - but of course - just the sort of person who can sing and dance and charm his way around a delightful musical confection from the mind of Paddington(s) director Paul King. In this interview special podcast, Ali talks to pretty much the whole cast of the film, including the likes of Olivia Colman, Tom Davis, Keegan-Michael Key (to name but a few), but the emphasis is very much on Paul King himself and this Timothée Chalamet fellow, so if you're a fan of either - and well you might be - this is just the golden ticket.

It's beginning to look a lot like... December! Because, well, it is December - which means you can now officially (according to Ali, anyway) watch as many Christmas films, Christmas TV specials, Christmas musical extravaganzas as you jolly well wish. To celebrate this joyous occasion, Ali has spoken to two human beings who know a thing or two about the festive spirit, namely Hannah Waddingham (of Ted Lasso and now 'Home For Christmas' fame) and Otis Milburn himself, Asa Butterfield, the star of both Your Christmas Or Mine? and Your Christmas Or Mine 2 (out December 8th, fact fans).

Vanessa Kirby plays Josephine in Ridley Scott’s latest, Napoleon, finally out in cinemas this weekend, and, well, what do you know, with the strikes lifted she was able to join Ali for a conversation all about it which you’ll be able to listen to on this here podcast. Plus! Ali offers up a quick recap of some of the biggest releases in cinemas this weekend, including Disney’s 100th birthday animation, Wish.

Have you heard? The SAG AFTRA actors strikes are over, which means there be actors in these here podcasts: namely Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer and Josh Andrés Rivera, the stars of the new Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Joining them is their director, Panem veteran Francis Lawrence, as they talk about returning to The Capitol and what makes their take different to what we've seen before with that Jennifer Lawrence character.