Reel Britannia

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism. And a huge welcome to Hal, contributer of wonderful reviews at the official Talking Pictures Podcast as well as host of his very own show Couple Indemnity. Back to 1965 this week and a hilarious crime caper featuring a host of well known and well loved British comedy stars The Big Job (1965)   Get ready for a cheeky caper full of wit, charm, and some truly hapless criminal antics! The Big Job is a delightful 1965 British comedy about a gang of bumbling bank robbers, led by the lovable but inept George the Brain (played by Sid James). When their heist goes hilariously awry, the crew ends up stashing their loot in the hollow of a tree, only to be swiftly arrested. Fast forward 15 years, and they're finally out of prison—ready to reclaim their spoils. But there's a catch: their precious hiding spot now stands smack dab in the middle of a residential housing development! Cue the chaos as George and

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism. Back to 1946 this week and a murder mystery with a difference starring the wonderful Alastair Sim Green For Danger (1946)   Set against the backdrop of World War II, Green for Danger unfolds within the tense confines of a rural English hospital serving as an emergency medical facility. As bombs rain down during the Blitz, the hospital staff work tirelessly to treat the injured, but the strains of war expose hidden tensions and personal conflicts among them. The story begins with a routine surgical operation that takes a sinister turn, resulting in an unexpected death. What initially appears to be a tragic accident soon reveals darker undercurrents, as suspicion of foul play arises. Enter Inspector Cockrill, a quirky yet sharp-witted detective whose seemingly casual demeanour masks a razor-sharp mind. Tasked with unravelling the mystery, he dives into a web of secrets, rivalries, and decei

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism   This week...more from the great Hammer studios as we continue our Hammer horror retrospective   Kiss Of The Vampire (1963) Honeymooning couple Gerald and Marianne Harcourt find themselves stranded in a remote little villiage in eastern Europe when their car runs out of petrol. Forced to stay in a semi-derelict inn where they are greeted with suspicion, they receive a surprise invitation to dine at the nearby castle with Dr. Ravna and his two grown children. The head of the local aristocratic family offers his assistance with dire consequences.   "I will not say that she has not changed in any way, Mr. Harcourt. She has, as you may put it, grown up. Tasted the more sophisticated, more exotic fruits of... life."   You can find this and all our previous episodes everywhere you download your podcasts   Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod   email: reelbritannia@gmail.com   #podcast #britmovie #reelbritannia

Reel Britannia podcast - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism. Scott and Steven are joined this week by their dear friend Mark, host of The Good, The Bad and The Odd podcast, to chat about a touching, bittersweet journey of friendship and regret, as four old friends fulfill a promise to scatter their late friend's ashes. Last Orders (2001)   "Last Orders" (2001), directed by Fred Schepisi, is a poignant drama centered around a group of lifelong friends fulfilling their deceased friend's final wish. The story revolves around four aging men—Ray (Bob Hoskins), Lenny (David Hemmings), Vic (Tom Courtenay), and Vince (Ray Winstone)—who embark on a journey to scatter the ashes of their friend Jack Dodds (Michael Caine) in the sea at Margate, following his last orders. Jack, a butcher and a pub regular, left behind his widow, Amy (Helen Mirren), who is still grappling with the loss and her own regrets. As the men travel from Bermondsey to Margate, they make several

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism. Back to 1984 this week and a classic from Hand Made Films starring Michael Palin and the wonderful Maggie Smith A Private Function (1984) In the summer of 1947, Britain prepares to commemorate the wedding of Princess Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. To get around food-rationing laws, Dr. Charles Swaby (Denholm Elliott), accountant Henry Allardyce (Richard Griffiths) and solicitor Frank Lockwood (John Normington) are fattening a black-market pig for the big day. Egged on by his wife (Maggie Smith), meek Gilbert Chilvers (Michael Palin) steals the swine, but the couple must conceal it from inspector Morris Wormold (Bill Paterson).     "I think sexual intercourse is in order, Gilbert."   This and previous episodes can be found everywhere you download your podcasts Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod    Thanks for listening   Scott and Steven

  Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism      This week, an episode that has been eleven years in the making.  At last, our dear friend Maurice, host of See Hear and Love That Album joins Scott and Steven via Skype from Melbourne Also joining us are Scott's co hosts from The Stinking Pause podcast, Paul and Charlie A word of warning, Scott has manged to bleep out most of the profanity... but this episode is still a little bit sweary!   McVicar (1980)     John McVicar (Roger Daltrey) is an English career criminal locked up with all the other lifers in the dreaded E Wing of Durham Prison. Between riots and constant prison guard brutality, McVicar and fellow inmate Walter Probyn (Adam Faith) gradually dig a tunnel that enables their escape. Once on the outside, McVicar does his best to lie low and re-enter the lives of his wife (Cheryl Campbell) and infant son, despite the fact that police have labeled him "Public Enemy Number One."   "I supp

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism   This week...more from the great Hammer studios as we continue our Hammer horror retrospective   The Damned (1962) The brutality of modern society is fast encroaching on the picturesque seaside town of Weymouth. American tourist Simon Wells (Macdonald Carey) is looking for a relaxing holiday but he is mugged by the psychopatic King (Oliver Reed) and his gang of thugs. Wells escapes with King's sister, Joanie (Shirley Anne Field), and they stumble upon a sinister establishment where nine ice-cold children are being subjected to a horrifying experiment. The shadowy authorities in control of the base will stop at nothing to safeguard their secret, but it is the mysterious children who will doom them all...   "I'm strange, all right! I'll show you just how strange I am!"   You can find this and all our previous episodes everywhere you download your podcasts   Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod   email: ree

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism.    Back to the seedy side of sixties Soho this week featuring a powerful performance from Anthony Newley This week, Scott and Steven are joined by Anthony, the host of the Film Gold podcast    The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963) The Small World of Sammy Lee is a 1963 British crime drama film directed by Ken Hughes. The story unfolds in the seedy underbelly of London's Soho district, focusing on the life of Sammy Lee, a strip club compere and hustler who finds himself in dire straits. Sammy Lee, played by Anthony Newley, is a charismatic but desperate man. He owes £300 to a local bookie named Connor and has only five hours to pay off his debt. If he fails, the consequences will be severe, as Connor’s enforcers are known for their ruthless methods. The film begins with Sammy receiving a phone call informing him that his time is running out, setting off a frantic race against the clock. As Sa

Reel Britannia podcast - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism. Scott and Steven are joined this week by their dear friend Mark, host of The Good, The Bad and The Odd podcast, to discuss an overlooked movie from 1972 starring Oliver Reed, Edward Woodward, Ian McShane, Frank Finlay, Freddie Jones and Jill St John. Revenge, car chases, prison escapes...what more you could ask for?   Sitting Target (1972) A killer has one more victim on his hit list – his faithless wife! Oliver Reed snarls and seethes his way through a brute-force 70’s crime thriller in the tradition of Get Carter. Douglas Hickox, who would go on to helm such memorable films as Theatre of Blood and Zulu Dawn, brings his filmmaking intensity to a story of revenge set in a London as bleak and brooding as the prison from which convicted killer Harry Lomart (Reed) and his fellow inmate (Ian McShane) escape. Once free, Harry sets out to exterminate his seductive wife (Jill St. John), who carries anoth

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism. Back to 1956 this week and some classic comedy featuring Norman Wisdom   Up In The World (1956) Norman is a window cleaner who has to clean a manor house with hundreds of windows. He is distracted by the son of the house who persuades him to go into town. When some villains try and kidnap the young heir Norman fights them off but the heir has banged his head and can’t remember Norman’s heroic stand   Norman: "I'm Norman. The new window cleaner." Maj. Willoughby: "You should have been here at 9 o'clock this morning!" Norman: "Why? What happened?"   You can find this and all our previous episodes everywhere you download your podcasts Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod email: reelbritannia@gmail.com #britmovie #reelbritannia #normanwisdom #1956 #movie #podcast Thanks for listening! Scott and Steven  

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism.    Classic kitchen sink drama this week featuring a powerful performance from Albert Finney This week, Scott and Steven are joined by Anthony, the host of the Film Gold podcast    Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)  Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, released in 1960, still remains one of the finest of the Angry Young Men movies that emanated from England in the late 1950s and ’60s.  In his first starring role, Albert Finney played a charismatic man who seems destined to follow in his parents’ and grandparents’ footsteps by pursuing a mundane, working-class lifestyle.  Employed as a lathe operator in a Midlands factory, Finney’s Arthur Seaton lives for the weekend, when he drinks and womanizes to excess. However, when he has an affair with a coworker’s wife, he finds himself facing decisions he never expected to have to make.  Saturday Night and Sunday Morning was based on

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism   This week...more from the great Hammer studios as we continue our Hammer horror retrospective   The Phantom of the Opera (1962) Composer Lord Ambrose D'Arcy (Michael Gough) and his backer, Harry Hunter (Edward De Souza), struggle to find a replacement for the female lead in their new opera after she quits in the wake of a gruesome murder. When a new prospect, the nubile Christine Charles (Heather Sears), disappears, Harry cautiously investigates. Meanwhile, a mysterious masked man (Herbert Lom) who is eerily familiar with the opera holds Christine captive and offers to groom her to play the part.    "I caught a couple o' beauties tonight. Fat. Like young puppies they are."   You can find this and all our previous episodes everywhere you download your podcasts   Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod   email: reelbritannia@gmail.com   #podcast #britmovie #reelbritannia #hammerhorror    Thanks for listening

Reel Britannia podcast - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism.   Scott and Steven are joined this week by Antony, host of Film Gold, Glass Onion : On John Lennon, and Life and Life Only to discuss one of the great movies from the legendary Hammer studios for our 150th episode.   The Nanny (1965) A nanny (Bette Davis) is hired to look after a ten-year-old who has just returned from a mental institution. The boy's mother has just been poisoned and he believes the nanny is to blame. When his aunt arrives and hears the boy's accusations she sides with the nanny, claiming the boy is making it all up.   "That's what I'm here for, to look after all of you."   This and previous episodes can be found everywhere you download your podcasts Follow us on Twitter @rb_podcast   Glass Onion: On John Lennon https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/glass-onion-on-john-lennon/id1473867166  Life And Life Only https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/  Film Gold https://podcasts.apple.

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism. Back to 1955 this week and a classic starring Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall The Constant Husband (1955) Charles Hathaway (Sir Rex Harrison) wakes up in West Wales with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. With the help of a Cardiff specialist, he traces his life back to his gorgeous wife and their large London house, so all seems well with the world. But more detective work starts to uncover an alarming chain of further stunning wives and a way of going on that the new Charles finds pretty unacceptable.   "Let me put the issue simply before you. The question really is whether you now say you now believe you were, when you committed these crimes, the man you were before you became the man you say you are now. Is that quite clear?" You can find this and all our previous episodes everywhere you download your podcasts Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod email: reelbritannia@gmail.com #

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism   This week...more from the great Hammer studios as we continue our Hammer horror retrospective   The Curse Of The Werewolf (1961) A man with brutal and macabre origins, Leon Corledo (Oliver Reed) was raised in the home of Don Alfredo Corledo (Clifford Evans), his kind and loving adopted father. When he leaves Don Alfredo to find work, Leon discovers that he has increasingly violent urges. Although these tendencies are calmed by Leon's love for the beautiful Christina (Catherine Feller), he ultimately cannot contain his curse and transforms into a werewolf, terrorizing the Spanish countryside.   "Father, the bullet. Pepe the watchman has a silver bullet. Get it and use it. Use it on me, father! You must use it -- do you hear? You must use it! You must!"   You can find this and all our previous episodes everywhere you download your podcasts   Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod   email: reelbritannia@gmail

Reel Britannia podcast - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism.   Scott and Steven are joined this week by Antony, host of Film Gold, Glass Onion : On John Lennon, and Life and Life Only to discuss one of the greatest British movies of all time.   Brighton Rock (1948) Pinkie's a small-town hood who's trying to carve out a place for his gang in the Brighton rackets. When he murders a journalist he believes was responsible for the death of a fellow gang-member, Ida Arnold, who was with the man just before he died, sets out to find the truth.   "You asked me to make a record of me voice. Well, here it is. What you want me to say is, 'I love you.' Here's the truth. I hate you, you little slut. You make me sick."   This and previous episodes can be found everywhere you download your podcasts Follow us on Twitter @rb_podcast   Glass Onion: On John Lennon https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/glass-onion-on-john-lennon/id1473867166  Life And Life Only https://life

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism. Back to 1959 this week and a classic starring Horst Buchholz and John and Hayley Mills Tiger Bay (1959) Rough-and-tumble street urchin Gillie (Hayley Mills) witnesses the brutal killing of a young woman at the hands of visiting Polish sailor Korchinsky (Horst Buchholz). Instead of reporting the crime to the authorities, Gillie merely pockets a prize for herself -- Korchinsky's shiny black revolver -- and flees the scene. When Welsh Detective Graham (John Mills) discovers that Gillie has the murder weapon, the fiery young girl weaves a web of lies to throw him off course.   "It'll be all right, he says. A fat lot of good the police are. We've got one in the house and a murder's done right under his nose and now here's a child whose got hold of a gun and they don't even know where she is!" You can find this and all our previous episodes everywhere you download your podcasts Follow us on Twitter @

Reel Britannia - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism   This week...more from the great Hammer studios as we continue our Hammer horror retrospective   The Two Faces Of Dr Jeckyll (1960)   Dr. Henry Jekyll is a dull, bookish scientist who spends more time with his lab animals testing theories of alternate personalities than with his beautiful, young wife. Kitty Jekyll has given up trying to find any passion in her distant, preoccupied husband and is involved in an affair with one of Jekyll's old 'friends,' Paul Allen, a weak slacker and wastrel who relies on Jekyll to pay his numerous gambling debts. After experimenting on himself, the bearded, tweedy Jekyll transforms himself into the young, dynamic, and self-confidant Edward Hyde. In his new character he befriends Allen, who has no idea that this clean-cut, handsome playboy prone to outbursts of violence is really Jekyll. As Hyde, he encourages Allen to introduce him to the dark underbelly of London's night

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism. Classic eighties comedy this week from the superb Bill Forsyth Local Hero (1983) Up-and-coming Houston oil executive "Mac" MacIntyre (Peter Riegert) gets more than he bargained for when a seemingly simple business trip to Scotland changes his outlook on life. Sent by his colourful boss (Burt Lancaster) to the small village of Ferness, Mac is looking to quickly buy out the townspeople so his company can build a new refinery. But after a taste of country life Mac begins to question whether he is on the right side of this transaction.   "Keep watching the sky, MacIntyre."   You can find this and all our previous episodes everywhere you download your podcasts Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod email: reelbritannia@gmail.com #britmovie #reelbritannia #localhero #burtlancaster #billforsyth #movie #podcast Thanks for listening! Scott and Steven  

Reel Britannia podcast - a very British podcast about very British movies...with just a hint of professionalism.   Scott and Steven are joined this week by Antony, host of Film Gold, Glass Onion : On John Lennon, and Life and Life Only to discuss something of a departure for Richard Burton.   Villain (1971) Hailing from East London, Vic Dakin dotes on his aged and largely bedridden mother. He is also the leader of a criminal gang whose proceeds are largely from the regular collection of "protection money" from their victims. Vic often uses brutal violence against enemies as well as "friends" to prove a point, the violence in and of itself which he seems to relish. While not a regular means to money, Vic decides that his gang will work on a tip to rob a factory payroll, which, somewhat against his wants, will entail working with fellow criminal Frank Fletcher, who understands such a job better than Vic or anyone on his team. Making the job more complex at this time are: the police being after Vic for the vici