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BBC Radio 4

Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode guide us through the expanding universe of the moving image revealing fascinating links and hidden gems from cinema and TV to streaming and beyond.

  1. 1 DAG SIDEN

    Telephones

    Alexander Graham Bell made the first ever telephone call 150 years ago this spring. That single moment of connection would transform communication - and provide storytellers with a rich device for drama, comedy, intimacy and tension. Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode trace the history of the phone on screen, and examine how the movies have handled the thorny problem of the smartphone. Mark speaks to author and critic Kim Newman about some of the most iconic telephone calls in cinema, from Dr Strangelove to Scream. Meanwhile, Ellen delves into how film and TV are responding to the smartphone age, with the help of critic Kayleigh Donaldson. And she speaks to American filmmaker Janicza Bravo, whose 2015 film Zola made inventive use of the cellphone. Producer: Jane Long A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

    42 min.

  2. 3. APR.

    Fishing

    Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode swap film reels for fishing reels, to ponder why fishing onscreen has got us hooked. The net is cast wide to consider everything from industrial scale fleets showcased in films like The Perfect Storm and long running series, Deadliest Catch, to more leisurely endeavours like The River Runs Through It, and the BBC’s Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. With guests, Mark Jenkin, John Lurie and Gagga Jónsdóttir. Mark speaks to Cornish film director Mark Jenkin about why fishing has continued to have such a strong presence in his films, and how the industry has often been romanticised onscreen. Jenkins 2019 feature debut Bait dramatised clashes between tourists and locals in a once flourishing fishing village, and in his newest film, Rose of Nevada, a fishing vessel lost for 30 years mysteriously reappears in a derelict harbour. The actor, painter and frequent Jim Jarmusch collaborator, John Lurie, shares with Ellen how his 90s cult TV show, Fishing With John, hauled away the conventions of late night cable fishing shows, and what it was like onboard with the actors, Dennis Hopper and Willem Defoe. Ellen also talks to the Icelandic writer-director, Gagga Jónsdóttir, about her documentary, Strengur, and some of her unexpected cinematic sources of inspiration. The film follows the journey of four teenage girls challenging traditional gender roles on the River Laxá, as seventh generation angling guides. Producer: Mae-Li Evans A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

    43 min.

  3. 6. FEB.

    Yorkshire

    As a new adaptation of Emily Bronte's Yorkshire-set novel Wuthering Heights hits cinemas, Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode look at how the area known as God's Own Country has been depicted in film and television. Mark speaks to Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker about his love for the 1969 Ken Loach film Kes, and about why the city of Sheffield was the perfect setting for the post-apocalyptic TV drama Threads. And Mark also speaks to Clio Barnard - the writer-director behind such acclaimed films as The Arbor, The Selfish Giant and Ali & Ava - about why she is repeatedly drawn to Yorkshire in her film-making. Meanwhile, Ellen talks to Sally Wainwright, the prolific TV writer who has made her name with a series of insightful, essential television dramas set in Yorkshire, from At Home with the Braithwaites to Riot Women. Producer: Jane Long A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

    43 min.

  4. 30. JAN.

    New Iranian Cinema

    For more than six decades, in the face of censorship and even imprisonment, Iranian filmmakers have produced some of the world’s best-loved cinema. And now, with the legendary Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s latest film It Was Just An Accident up for Oscar and BAFTA Awards, Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode review this extraordinarily rich and unique cinema history. Mark speaks to the British-Iranian director Babak Anvari about his supernatural-thriller film Under the Shadow, inspired by his experiences growing up during the Iran-Iraq War, and how and why Iranian cinema has had such a huge impact on film culture. Ellen talks to Sepideh Farsi, who was forced to leave Iran for Paris as a teenager, about her 2009 documentary, Tehran Without Permission, which she made entirely independently on a Nokia cameraphone. And Ellen also meets Hassan Nazer, an Aberdeen-based Iranian director who came to the UK as a refugee and whose 2022 film Winners is a love-letter to his country’s film-making tradition. Producer: Artemis Irvine A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

    42 min.

  5. 23. JAN.

    The Older Woman

    From Norma Desmond to Mrs Robinson, the older woman has long been a provocative icon of cinema. And older woman-younger man relationships are still raising eyebrows and garnering headlines, thanks to recent films like Babygirl, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy and Marty Supreme. Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode look at what happens when the woman is older in an age gap relationship, and ask - why is the older woman still such a provocative proposition? Ellen speaks to critic and cosmopolitan older woman Anne Billson about the evolution of the older woman through film history, from Sunset Boulevard to Something's Gotta Give. Mark talks to actor Anne Reid about her controversial first lead film role, in 2003's The Mother - about a sexagenarian grandmother who starts a relationship with her daughter's boyfriend, played by Daniel Craig. And Mark also talks to Matt Greenhalgh, the screenwriter behind Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool, which told the story of Hollywood star Gloria Grahame's real late-in-life romance with the 28-year-old Liverpudlian actor Peter Turner. Producer: Jane Long A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

    42 min.

  6. 16. JAN.

    Survival

    Whether marooned on a desert island or stranded by a plane crash, countless stories of survival are found onscreen. In both dramatic reimagining and reality television formats, these narratives showcase ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. But why are these feats of human endurance so compelling to watch? Ellen E Jones speaks to Ray Mears, wilderness guide, bushcraft expert, and broadcaster who has spent his life teaching people how to stay alive in some of the most remote parts of the world. He shares what film and television gets wrong about survival - and why the witchetty grub deserves more reverence. Debra Granik, director of the 2018 film Leave No Trace, reflects on how sessions with a primitive skills instructor and Youtube shelter building tutorials informed her approach to filming. She also describes why survival can often include economic survival in some regions of the USA, and why a certain skillset is vital for everyday living, as evidenced in her 2010 film Winter's Bone. Mark talks to the daring wanderer and survivor Werner Herzog, a filmmaker with decades of experience in perilous scenarios. Werner details his fascination with the survival narratives found in his documentaries, Wings of Hope and Little Dieter Needs to Fly - and why finding yourself back from the brink of existence can lead to a greater appreciation of life. Producer: Mae-Li Evans A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

    42 min.

  7. 9. JAN.

    Stephen King

    Fifty years on from the release of the film Carrie, directed by Brian DePalma and based on the first novel by Stephen King, Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode look at King adaptations on screen, from The Shawshank Redemption to The Shining. Why is the work of the modern horror maestro so often adapted? And what is the best ever Stephen King adaptation? Ellen hears from US critic and writer Maitland McDonagh, who has been a front-row witness to King on screen for five decades, about her favourite adaptations of his work - from Misery to The Monkey. And Ellen speaks to Edgar Wright - the director of Shaun Of The Dead, Baby Driver and the most recent King adaptation to reach cinema screens - The Running Man. Meanwhile, Mark talks to Mike Flanagan - the filmmaker who, perhaps more than any other in recent years, has helped keep King's work vividly alive on screen, with adaptations of Gerald's Game, Doctor Sleep, The Life of Chuck and a forthcoming new take on Carrie. Producer: Jane Long A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

    42 min.

  8. 2. JAN.

    Courtroom Drama

    Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode look at one of the most beloved screen genres of them all - the courtroom drama. From classics like 12 Angry Men and A Few Good Men, to modern examples such as Saint Omer and Anatomy Of A Fall  - what are the tricks and tropes of trials in cinema and TV? Mark speaks to film critic and programmer, Christina Newland, about the history of the genre. They discuss everything from To Kill a Mockingbird to Legally Blonde as they examine how the genre has evolved. Ellen then speaks to critic Kim Newman about how TV courtroom dramas and reality TV turn audiences into jurors themselves. Ellen also speaks to Ronald Gladden, the star of the TV show, Jury Duty.  Producer: Queenie Qureshi-Wales A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

    43 min.
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Om

Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode guide us through the expanding universe of the moving image revealing fascinating links and hidden gems from cinema and TV to streaming and beyond.

Oplysninger

  • Skaber
    BBC Radio 4
  • Aktive år
    2021 - 2026
  • Episoder
    117
  • Vurdering
    Anstødeligt
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2026
  • Websted for serie
    Screenshot
  • Leverandør

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