Britcom Goes To The Movies Guy Walker and Rob Heath

Anger, Pain, Fear, Aggression….Watercolours and laughs! As we know from our special on Britain’s Best Sitcom, Spaced is in both Guy and Rob’s top 5, so neither could contain their excitement when it came to talking about Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes and Edgar Wright’s seminal turn of the century pop-culture-reference-a-thon.
 
Skip to the end….but there’s more. Joining our very own Tim and Daisy was filmmaker Ross Birks, fresh from stealing a tank and trying to invade Paris, to lend his two penn’orth. We could have done a whole two hours on that, but of course, this is a movie podcast so what better than the film inspired by a short segment in an episode of Spaced, Shaun of the Dead?
 
The movie that spawned the genre Zom Rom Com was 20 years old at the time of recording and all three of our panelists made no secret of their love, quotability, and rewatchabilty of one of the most influential films of the 00s… despite itself making so many references to all three of the genres it drew from.
 
After a truly terrible showing in last week’s quiz, who would break the deadlock this week with Ross’ fiendishly difficult questions?
 
So let’s take the car. Go to Mum's. Kill Phil, grab Liz, go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, listen to Britcom Goes To the Movies, and wait for all of this to blow over.
 
Simon Pegg and Jessica Stephenson in Six Pairs of Pants
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-ZkItmbFiQ
 
Edgar Wright directed Asylum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhzHQfSkg0w
 
Mash & Peas – John Littlerichard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaGF5z4hyzY
 
Spaced – One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFoU_GG38Tc
 
Spaced – Clubbing Scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_wVOA_95QU
 
Spaced – The Matrix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5kLk9gfK_w
 
Comic Relief Blankety Blank
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUC4un_G5AA
 
Big Train – Billie Piper fanclub
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_3oU-Z4Vxo
 
Shaun of the Dead trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIfcaZ4pC-4
 
Shaun of the Dead record throwing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qHAOY7C1go
 
Shaun of the Dead – Prink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cJvDtF1ios
 
Edgar Wright’s Don’t
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czR4qJbkSuc

Over halfway through series two of Britcom Goes to the Movies we’re back to the 1960s....and the 50s as we look at Spike Milliagn, the Goon Show, and the Post-Apocalyptic surreal comedy The Bed Sitting Room. This is the first of our episodes in which we look at a radio show as our source material (if you don’t include Hancock’s Half Hour for The Rebel in series one).
 
This film contains two of the three (or is it four) Goons as well as a plethora of British comedy talent of the time. Many of whom we’ve seen appear in previous episodes, including Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Frank Thornton, and of course Arthur Lowe, who is the Britcom Goes to the Movies record appearance maker so far.In a series and a half, Rob and Guy have been fairly united on their approval or disapproval of a film, but this time there is some serious disagreement. What will this mean for the rankings and could the non-believer yet be brought round to reform his opinion? All the while, the quiz scores are delicately poised with Rob having a one-point lead. Join us for episode six.The Goon Show – The Dreaded Battered Pudding Hurlerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2Vg2S3S8W0The Goon Show – The Treasure of Loch Lomondhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsGwAJtZKEc
Tin Sandwich Anyone? The History of the Harmonicahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clsGakOc8AE
Roy Kinnear on Give Us A Cluehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKUvPSJfyn0
 
The Bed Sitting Room – Trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATVZcY53nVUThe Bed Sitting Room – Inside Leghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu-TjD7s-UY

As the Venga Boys once said, "We're going to Ibiza"... unfortunately the BritCom goes to the Movies budget didn't stretch as far as actually going to the Balearics, but via the magic of podcasting, we can transport you there by discussing Kevin and Perry Go Large.
 
Ben Clark joins Guy and Rob for this episode. The writer, director, and comedian is also one-third of Pappys and had, up until this moment, never seen the movie. Luckily he's still talking to us!
 
We talk about the origins of Kevin the teenager from Kevin the annoying little brother in Harry Enfield's Television Programme to Superstar DJ with sidekick Perry, played by the inimitable Kathy Burke. Kevin became the benchmark by which all millennial teenage boys were (rightly or wrongly) compared.
 
But as big a cultural phenomenon as Kevin and Perry were (along with many other of Enfield and Burke's characters) how did that translate to the big screen? How kind has the last quarter of a century been to the movie and of course, its memorable soundtrack packed with dance anthems. Join Rob, Guy, and Ben to find out.
 
Kevin the annoying little brother
https://youtu.be/WIhtPCyEDCY?si=t0Hox3WsE86aif-I
 
Kevin becomes a teenager
https://youtu.be/dLuEY6jN6gY?si=F-1K44boOCE1JTA3
 
Kevin washes the family car
https://youtu.be/-qUP3yHEpRw?si=TrEMvywKMm1EtJWd
 
Perry returns from Manchester
https://youtu.be/ZDKF8KkD7rE?si=RQS0wn9ypYPp4DCJ
 
Kevin the teenager Pillsbury Toaster Pockets
https://youtu.be/EuNTG1sOovU?si=Bf-dnR0gIO_onEGD
 
Ben Clark in Badults
https://youtu.be/R7w6y6snkzo?si=u8rY5f-BCmEHzKzm
 
Smashie and Nicey End of an Era
https://youtu.be/UP67GQoII5M?si=kDdkcNC-59ohvn53
 
Wobbly Randy Old Ladies
https://youtu.be/vPrI8rIcFSk?si=7CHDCGmk-W780lH6
 
Fast Show - Newlyweds
https://youtu.be/LXxgxXiqZZw?si=kM-b6r3m2VEDuSYI
 
Kevin and Perry Go Large Trailer
https://youtu.be/nENwy9GRyF0?si=aTI3i1P3n9rq4lkD
 
Precious Bratz presents Kevin and Perry - Big Girl
https://youtu.be/iEk-bUC1sGs?si=wo7dT__R3NdZIDdo
 
Fragma - Toca's Miracle
https://youtu.be/zlDn4_sMUtg?si=xvql3LC73XHwa_8G
 
Kevin and Perry Go Large - Turd in the sea
https://youtu.be/_nETL4r2mrc?si=bvgZgsj_4ma5Eqxg

Four episodes deep into our difficult second series, and to make it a little easier, we’ve enlisted the help of an expert. It’s fair to say Rob and Guy had probably never really considered the impact of the world of Psychotherapy, early 90s favourite Drop Dead Fred had...but it did! In a big way and to help us get to grips with that we enlisted Psychotherapist Charlotte White to talk not only about the significance of imaginary friends but also the roles of women and girls in cinema and abusive relationships.Don’t worry, this is a comedy...or Is it? This film tests both aspects of the criteria of our podcast in that it is arguably neither British nor comedy! But how can you have British Cinema without Working Title and how can you say a film starring Rik Mayall is not a comedy? As our source material, we go back to the beginning of TV for Rik and talk about The Young Ones, a seminal piece of British comedy history. It changed the British Sitcom forever (while maintaining a laughter track) influencing the entire generation of comedians that came after it, not to mention its admiration across the pond, becoming the first non-musical show to be broadcast on MTV. But was it any good and has it held up over time? Find out what we think about The Young Ones and Drop Dead Fred in episode 4.
 
Our list continues to grow. We’ve already had a new number one in this series, could there be another? The quiz is hotting up this series, with Rob leveling the scores at 7-7 in episode three, with Charlotte writing the questions this time, who could take the lead after four episodes?Young Ones – Opening TitlesTHE YOUNG ONES - Intro (youtube.com)The Young Ones – BambiThe Young Ones Bambi (youtube.com)Rik Mayall – Legend of Zelda Advert Link’s Awakening Nintendo Gameboy Zelda Link's Awakening TV advert - 1993 - Rik Mayall (youtube.com)Rik Mayall in Man Downrik mayall man down romantic story (youtube.com)Drop Dead Fred Trailer🎥 DROP DEAD FRED (1991) | Trailer | Full HD | 1080p (youtube.com)Drop Dead Fred – Dog PooDrop Dead Fred - Got Some Dog Poo (youtube.com)

Episode three of series two sees us tackle our most recent film. The Covid-delayed darkly comic and borderline (if not out and out) psychological horror, All My Friends Hate Me by the Toms (Stourton and Palmer). Here’s a movie that tackles alienation, anxiety, and (like most good British comedies) the class system.
 
Rob and Guy discuss all those topics, plus the university experience, the leg-up in the industry that is public schools, and of course Sandstorm by Darude. That’s not to mention our (kind of) source material, the cringe-core sitcom Siblings, starring Stourton and Charlotte Richie.
 
The quiz scores are starting to take shape as well. Can Rob claw back his two-point deficit, or will Guy pull even further ahead?
 
Siblings Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4hW0OAD0ps
 
Totally Tom - People’s Houses 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG3jvfd_ZDQ
 
High Renaissance Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJY73GgkvWg
 
Cardinal Burns Episode 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7caUGv6yY8k
 
All My Friends Hate Me - Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcLusCip1Gs
 
All my friends hate me - Norman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Odbe6AcFHKc

Episode 2 of Series 2 sees another crossover with the Best Pick Podcast as another of its hosts Jessica Regan (our second guest after Tom Salinsky) joins to talk about the 2012 darkest of dark comedies Sightseers. Jess provided unparalleled insight into director Ben Wheatley’s process, starring as she did in his 2009 sketch show The Wrong Door.
We take a closer look at The Wrong Door, a show in which dinosaurs are dates, Pirates hijack commuter trains and Matt Berry puts John Virgo’s trick shots in the shade, as well as a deep dive into Wheatley’s third feature-length film, which became the first big screen starring roles for comedy collaborators Steve Oram and Alice Lowe.
It helped to have a voice of Irish sanity to help assess a movie that so precisely captures a slice of English eccentricity, repressed anger and downright insanity! We also take a look at the use of double, double pop covers for needle drops and a supporting cast of some of the British movie industry’s very best bit players.
How would Guy and Rob get on with Jess’ questions on the Oram and Lowe and could we have a new contender for the top spot? Find out in episode two.The Wrong Door Episode one - The Wrong Door S01E01 The World's Most Annoying Creature (youtube.com)
The Wrong Door – Train Pirates starring Jessica Regan 2008 The Wrong Door. The Train Pirates! (youtube.com)
Alice Lowe and Steve Oram interviewed by Alan Partridge - EM 10004 Video NA RunEscape GunShot TsktpkV15 Nor Q F NA EN PC A bluedemo (youtube.com)A Dark Song Trailer A Dark Song - Official Trailer I HD I IFC Midnight (youtube.com)Sightseers Trailer Sightseers trailer (youtube.com)Sightseers – Report that to the National Trust - SIGHTSEERS - National Trust - Film Clip (youtube.com)