Insiders: The TV Podcast

Monty Python’s Flying Circus, The Benny Hill Show or Morecambe & Wise — what is Britain’s greatest sketch show? TV Insiders Jimmy Mulville and Peter Fincham rank the best British sketch shows, from That Mitchell and Webb Look and The Two Ronnies to The Fast Show, Spitting Image, French & Saunders, Goodness Gracious Me! and more…

In this episode:
Morecambe & Wise’s incredible castings
The Two Ronnies, Four Candles and the “dull in Hull” weather forecast
How Not the Nine O’Clock News made Rowan Atkinson a star
The Fast Show, Caroline Aherne and sketches made for the YouTube age
A Bit of Fry & Laurie and the privatised police sketch
That Mitchell and Webb Look’s “Are we the baddies?”
Why Benny Hill was left off the list
Spitting Image, David Owen, David Steel and the puppets that punctured political careers
French & Saunders and their brilliant Bananarama parody
Goodness Gracious Me!’s “Going for an English”
Armstrong and Miller and whether sketch shows should ever be revived
How Monty Python’s Flying Circus changed sketch shows
PLUS: The League of Gentlemen, Little Britain, Smack the Pony and more

Chapters:
00:00 Intro and the rules
03:50 A Bit of Fry & Laurie
05:40 The Two Ronnies
07:55 Not the Nine O’Clock News
11:05 The Fast Show
13:25 That Mitchell and Webb Look
14:45 The Benny Hill Show
17:05 Spitting Image
20:15 French & Saunders
21:35 The Morecambe and Wise Show
23:45 Goodness Gracious Me!
26:40 Monty Python’s Flying Circus

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email us at podcasts@hattrick.com.
If you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe and share the podcast with a friend — it really helps us grow.
#BritishTV #SketchShows #BritishComedy #MontyPython #MorecambeAndWise #TheTwoRonnies #TheFastShow #SpittingImage #FrenchAndSaunders #BennyHill #FryAndLaurie #MitchellAndWebb #GoodnessGraciousMe #NotTheNineOClockNews #RowanAtkinson #FourCandles #AreWeTheBaddies #SmackThePony #LittleBritain #The League of Gentlemen #ArmstrongAndMiller #BritishTelevision #TVPodcast #InsidersTV

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News for You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered and Episodes. In the US, Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway? in 1997, which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows, including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson’s Farm and Alma’s Not Normal.

New episodes every Friday.

YouTube: @insiderstvpodcast
Email: podcasts@hattrick.com
Instagram: @InsidersTVPod
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Traitors almost went to Costa Rica with bikinis and hot tubs with BBC editorial policy suggested avoiding the words “murder” and “kill”.

Now the show’s commissioner, Syeda Irtizaali joins TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville to reveal the decisions, disagreements and casting choices behind the hit show…

In this episode:
How the Dutch format became The Traitors on the BBC
Why Syeda pushed for a Scottish castle instead of Costa Rica
The BBC’s concerns about “murder” and “kill” and why she rejected the advice
The A-list star who was almost in Celebrity Traitors Series 2
Claudia Winkleman’s worries about the first big twist
Why the original series launched with ordinary people, not celebrities
The fan test used to cast Celebrity Traitors
Can Netflix create its own nation-gripping reality hit?
“Prestige reality”, Netflix: Will You Marry Me? and the future of unscripted TV
PLUS: The Big Breakfast, a beer-stained job application and secretly training Denise Van Outen

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email podcasts@hattrick.com.

If you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe, and share the podcast with a friend—it really helps us grow.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome and meet Syeda Irtizaali
01:20 Celebrity Traitors and the unnamed A-list star
03:30 How The Traitors came to the BBC
07:50 Costa Rica, hot tubs and the Scottish castle
09:10 Why the BBC questioned “murder” and “kill”
11:20 Claudia Winkleman and the first big twist
13:50 Why The Traitors started without celebrities
16:50 Celebrity Traitors and the casting fan test
18:10 Can Netflix create the next big reality hit?
19:30 Netflix: Will You Marry Me?
20:50 What is “prestige reality”?
22:20 Moving from the BBC to Netflix
24:00 The future of the BBC and Channel 4
27:10 Getting into television and The Big Breakfast
30:30 Secretly training Denise Van Outen
31:20 Something for the Weekend’s outrageous dating segment
32:20 Becoming a Channel 4 commissioner
34:35 Final thoughts and goodbye

New episodes every Friday.

YouTube: @insiderstvpodcast
Instagram: @InsidersTVPod
Email: podcasts@hattrick.com

#TheTraitors #CelebrityTraitors #ClaudiaWinkleman #Netflix #BBC #SyedaIrtizaali #DeniseVanOuten #TheBigBreakfast #RealityTV #TVPodcast #InsidersTVPodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville discuss proposed cuts to BBC Three and BBC Scotland, the extraordinary success of The Traitors, Channel 4’s new programming structure and the possible impact on British comedy. They also remember Esther Rantzen and the unforgettable television moment involving Nicholas Winton.

In this episode:
Why The Traitors is still able to dominate television viewing
Richard E. Grant, James Acaster and Amol Rajan’s early exit
Early exits of Robert Kilroy Silk, Noel Edmonds and Susannah Constantine from I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here
Why BBC Three’s online-only future is so complicated
The debate over BBC acquisitions including Suits, Schitt’s Creek and Scooby-Doo
Whether the BBC should charge audiences overseas
What longer iPlayer availability could mean for producers and programme rights
Could BBC iPlayer become a home for Channel 4 and other public-service content?
Why the BBC should consider advertising around some of its archive programming
Whether YouTube should give UK public-service broadcasters greater prominence
The BBC World Service and Britain’s soft power
BBC MediaTech cuts and staff’s emojis reaction to the announcement
David Brindley’s appointment at Channel 4
Why merging Channel 4’s comedy and drama teams could be bad news for comedy
Esther Rantzen, That’s Life! and the television legacy of Nicholas Winton

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on YouTube or Spotify, find us on social media at @InsidersTVPod, or email podcasts@hattrick.com.

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe and share the podcast with a friend — it really helps us grow.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:40 Why The Traitors is still a television phenomenon
06:40 BBC cuts and the future of BBC Three
11:00 Proposals to reform the BBC licence fee
22:40 BBC MediaTech cuts and the emoji backlash
24:40 Why merging comedy and drama could hurt Channel 4
27:20 Remembering Esther Rantzen

#BBC #BBCThree #BBCScotland #TheTraitors #Channel4 #BBCiPlayer #Television #BritishTV #TVIndustry #TVNews #TVProduction #Comedy #Broadcasting #EstherRantzen #ThatsLife #NicholasWinton #YouTube #Streaming #PublicServiceBroadcasting #Podcast

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes. In the US Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then he was Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as the co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson's Farm and Alma's Not Normal. New episodes every Friday.

YouTube: / @insiderstvpodcast
Email: podcasts@hattrick.com
Instagram: @InsidersTVPod
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Morse, Vera or Prime Suspect — who is Britain’s greatest TV detective? TV Insiders Jimmy Mulville and Peter Fincham rank the best British detectives, from Inspector Morse and Prime Suspect to Poirot, Sherlock, Midsomer Murders, The Sweeney and more…

In this episode:
Whether Ludwig could eventually join the great British detective pantheon
Why Helen Mirren’s Jane Tennison remains one of television’s strongest detectives
Brenda Blethyn’s defining performance as Vera Stanhope
David Suchet’s iconic Hercule Poirot
Benedict Cumberbatch and Steven Moffat’s modern Sherlock
Why A Touch of Frost doesn’t compare with the rest of the list
The Sweeney, John Thaw and the difference between action-led policing and puzzle-solving
How Midsomer Murders replaced John Nettles with Neil Dudgeon
Why Bergerac gives John Nettles two iconic TV detectives
The strange appeal of Van der Valk’s canals and Dutch names
Why a great detective does not need to be likeable
The “eureka” moment that makes detective dramas so reassuring
Why the best mysteries were often 90 minutes long
How ITV is the home of the great detectives

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email us at podcasts@hattrick.com.

If you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe and share the podcast with a friend — it really helps us grow.

Chapters
00:00 Intro and rules
01:21 Could Ludwig become a classic detective?
03:37 Ranking begins with Hercule Poirot
06:38 Sherlock Holmes and Benedict Cumberbatch
07:52 A Touch of Frost
11:14 The Sweeney
13:10 Miss Marple
13:39 Midsomer Murders and the Barnaby succession
17:37 Van der Valk
18:39 Vera and Brenda Blethyn
22:40 Inspector Morse
25:47 Prime Suspect and Helen Mirren
27:43 Bergerac

#BritishTV #BritishDetectives #DetectiveShows #InspectorMorse #Morse #Vera #PrimeSuspect #HelenMirren #BrendaBlethyn #JohnThaw #Sherlock #BenedictCumberbatch #Poirot #DavidSuchet #MidsomerMurders #Ludwig #DavidMitchell #TheSweeney #Bergerac #VanDerValk #CrimeDrama #ITV #BBC #BritishTelevision #TVPodcast #InsidersTV

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News for You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered and Episodes. In the US, Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway? in 1997, which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows, including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson’s Farm and Alma’s Not Normal.

New episodes every Friday.
YouTube: @insiderstvpodcast
Email: podcasts@hattrick.com
Instagram: @InsidersTVPod
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville debate the BBC’s decision to remove potentially offensive sketches from That Mitchell and Webb Look, asking whether modern comedy can still break taboos without being censored. They also discuss Trump TV & press freedom, Strictly Come Dancing and why some television formats survive their stars.

In this episode:
Why the BBC is reviewing That Mitchell and Webb Look before its iPlayer return
The controversy around the The Civil War sketch, blackface and the limits of contextual comedy
Why some sketches involving Gary Rhodes, Bill Oddie and Jimmy Savile may have been removed
How Brass Eye used irony to challenge media attitudes
The Real Housewives of ISIS sketch and Jimmy’s police warning
Peter time at Talkback and the alleged threat connected to the Krays
Donald Trump’s new 24/7 Trump TV channel and its production values… or lack thereof
Whether YouTube could become the future home of political satire
Does changing presenters can make or break a television format?
What Strictly Come Dancing, The Great British Bake Off, The Grand Tour and Top Gear reveal about presenter changes
The Apprentice’s decision to keep Alan Sugar as its central figure
The TV-am “Famous Five” and the dangers of putting too many stars together
The Generation Game, Bruce Forsyth, Larry Grayson and the importance of a strong format
Nigella Lawson and Peter’s most unexpected television regret

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on YouTube, find us on social media @InsidersTVPod, or email us at podcasts@hattrick.com.

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe and share the podcast with a friend — it really helps us grow.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:40 Why BBC cut 11 sketches from That Mitchell and Webb Look
16:17 Trump bans news outlets and launches Trump TV
24:36 Will Strictly Come Dancing survive new presenters?

#ThatMitchellAndWebbLook #MitchellAndWebb #BBC #BBCiPlayer #Comedy #BritishComedy #ComedyCensorship #PoliticalSatire #BrassEye #TrumpTV #Television #TVProduction #TVFormats #StrictlyComeDancing #TheApprentice #TopGear #TheGreatBritishBakeOff #PeterFincham #JimmyMulville #InsidersTVPod

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered and Episodes. In the US, Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway? in 1997, which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced major shows including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson’s Farm and Alma’s Not Normal. New episodes every Friday.

YouTube: @insiderstvpodcast
Email: podcasts@hattrick.com
Instagram: @InsidersTVPod
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.