Britcom Goes To The Movies

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Guy Walker and Rob Heath are on a quest to find out if successful British TV comedies should make the jump to the big screen. A proud part of the Film Stories Podcast Network: www.filmstories.co.uk

  1. 4D AGO

    Special: Our Top Ten Favourite Sketches

    Here at BritCom Goes to the Movies, we love each and every one of our listeners. That is why we’re giving you this Valentine’s present. Rob & Guy discuss their favourite British sketches of all time. To make sure there were no clashes, notes were compared before, duplicates removed, and of course, the arbitrary rule of no more than one sketch from one show per host.  These two top-ten lists have a little something for everyone. A good mixture of styles, eras, tones, and formats. So settle in for nearly two hours of discussion of some of the greatest sketches in the history of British comedy! Of course, there are some obvious omissions, and some of you may want to take to the socials to share your favourites or give us grief for ours. Both are encouraged! You can find links to every sketch discussed below, but of course, these are in no particular order to avoid spoilers. Bit of a Chat - Peter Cook & Dudley Moore  https://videopress.com/v/IBVjIA8I ⁠ Dirty Fork - Monty Python  https://youtu.be/Z9VLwV48OHs?si=rYfeDwrAXXrrzwkc Jackson Jeffrey Jackson - The Fast Show  https://youtu.be/LwbJ-N8rrek?si=U0qdYsRvlkKwOF4r Tory Conference - Not The Nine O’clock News  https://youtu.be/qB0ZOu_EZ2M?si=lpBupRZ8w36a7Gsb Billie Piper - Big Train  https://youtu.be/4_3oU-Z4Vxo?si=Hva6PalUR40g82-h Yoker - Limmy  https://youtu.be/0YfRbNipdOg?si=ON_QecbOTrcnKXgs Wedding Registry - Smack The Pony  https://www.facebook.com/Channel4Homes/videos/1101703119964373/?vh=e&fs=e&mibextid=wwXIfr Credit Card Application - Armstrong & Miller  https://youtu.be/loaP46f8Lhw?si=7YILcGPHTANVCHxu Vape Doms - Ellie & Natasia https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0c9983q/ellie-natasia-series-1-episode-4 Balham Gateway to the South - Peter Sellers https://youtu.be/8RTWk9QIKS0?si=ABCE1fZbTsR3QgxG French and Saunders - Silence of the Lambs.  https://share.google/xvd7XeKyrdR2O0d2R The Two Ninnies - not the 9 o clock news https://youtu.be/IbC3Fdv5wKU?si=MPY4UulwEDyfBvZs Adam and Joe - People Place  https://youtu.be/s1myCos0xXI?si=Ge42ZkfXXHrTY-Xb Goodness Gracious Me - Going for an English  https://youtu.be/H-uEx_hEXAM?si=wG8IWxZzjWSL0KhG Brass Eye - Oh Me Oh Myra  https://youtu.be/wVibsNPXBx0?si=ySFCFVmy2LiMBtf_ Alistair Green - Punk Squirrel IPA  https://youtu.be/-wP3BjTdogY?si=G_jh4OGM7Up8OMDe The Peter serafinowicz show - Brian Butterfield diet plan https://youtu.be/1NjTWvl8x-U?si=TSC31Jkk3JLvyFyK Vic and Bob - BBC licence advert https://youtu.be/xhPVP8cghN4?si=hasgqfSIRU8Gzy8V Two Ronnies - Mastermind  https://youtu.be/y0C59pI_ypQ?si=7krxJroa1tFKxi4X Fast Show - Monkfish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_ohQ7yP0-I&list=PLu_1AWOleoaWWstu62EEnWzDGhOwo1GtD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 53m

  2. 12/24/2025

    S05 E11 - Nativity! *Christmas Special* (w/ Kat Hughes)

    Merry Christmas to our beloved BritCom Goes to the Movies listeners! Thanks for seeing in the festive period with us. This is our third Christmas episode, and while our previous two were a bit of a mixed bag, we’ve finally found a film we can all agree on: the 2009 classic, Nativity! Writer and director Debbie Isitt was already the pride of the West Midlands theatre scene before turning to film. Her previous feature, Confetti, boasted the cream of British comic talent, even if some of the cast later tried to disavow the experience! For her first festive foray, Isitt enlisted everyone’s favourite wise-cracking sitcom star, Martin Freeman, at a point in his career where he was firmly transitioning into a leading man. He’s joined by oddball comedian Marc Wootton as Mr. Poppy, Extras star Ashley Jensen and a whole host of familiar British faces, as well as an ocean of charming, non-theatre-school kids. Joining Guy and Rob to discuss Nativity! (and Martin Freeman’s forgotten early-2000s sitcom Hardware) is writer and film critic Kat Hughes. Kat is the co-host of Movies with Mummy—the podcast where she and her daughter watch films together. But does Nativity! have what it takes to meet their high standards? We also have the thrilling climax to our Quiz Season. With the scores currently deadlocked at 24-24, it’s all to play for! So, join us for some "Ho-Ho-Hos" and a whole lot of sparkle and shine. Merry Christmas! Bruiser - A Level Geography  https://youtu.be/pHmcBFxgov4?si=pNC_rUWx7atIUPrU Bruiser - Martin Freeman  https://youtu.be/8w55vM3jwuA?si=Z3rgT1xTas8zMsxM Robert Webb on Confetti https://youtu.be/16xLrzEuLoM?si=uwIRD78sQFGSZ7YI Hardware - Student  https://youtu.be/EMDwINZmwp4?si=g68dvIPmkfsnx348 Hardware - S1e1 Dailymotion https://share.google/BACweRPsFHozyTy7o Martin Freeman argues with Tim Lovejoy  https://youtu.be/cqK-i6KSY88?si=Mmi2JUZ-5usxeNNW Nativity! - Trailer  https://youtu.be/6DaaTsSQktk?si=-tOiWjTSdavTjoaP Nativity! - Sparkle and Shine  https://youtu.be/dO6qmNNiAts?si=NUKNVKIv49MFZZir Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 24m

  3. 12/17/2025

    S05 E10 - True Identity (w/ Doom Generation)

    1991 was the year for beloved British comedy performers to try and make their names stateside.  We already heard about Rik Mayall’s experience with Drop Dead Fred, but the same year, Lenny Henry, riding high off the success of Live & Unleashed, was able to take advantage of a spot on a high-concept comedy caper vacated by Eddie Murphy (and others) called True Identity.  Were the Americans ready for Lenny? Well, as it turned out, no, they weren’t. But that wasn’t necessarily down to him, as we’ll find out in this episode. It was a troubled production with rather large amounts of meddling from Disney execs, throwing Henry and his director, the highly sought-after Charles Lane, under a bus. (One of those big American school buses, no doubt.)  For an American take on this British hope gone wrong, we invited the incomparable Tessa and Nicole from Doom Generation, themselves huge fans of British comedy, to join us and discuss not just this film, but Lenny Henry’s career leading up to it. New territory for the Doom Dames, who had never heard of our Lenny before.  there’s also the closest ending to a quiz series we’ve had, with the scores locked at 23-23, so join the four of us as we dive headlong into True Identity.  Lenny Henry Show - Thriller https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jfXzx1SHsY Lenny Henry Show - Prince https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zmSn8tnJtA Lenny Henry Show - Sitcom ep1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWcBsaWpQQY EMF Unbelievable Andrew Dice Clay Samples https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QQCDE1Uy__c Lenny Henry - Live & Unleashed Intro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3W17Z7ZTVM True Identity - Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyHLV90D8pY True Identity - Transformation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heP9g22t_m Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 34m

  4. 12/11/2025

    S05 E09 - Cemetery Junction (2010)

    There are a few entries from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant on our long list at Britcom Goes to the Movies, but we start with perhaps their least remembered and least successful offering, the period coming-of-age comedy/drama Cemetery Junction. In contrast, the pair’s second sitcom offering, Extras, is in the annals of the all-time great British comedy shows. A by-product of a newfound celebrity and the connections it brought with it in 2005. Guest stars galore and a version of what might have been if The Office didn’t have the freedom to be itself. Cemetery Junction was Gervais and Merchant’s first foray into cinema after Extras and is still the only film they have co-written and directed. Based on an idea they’d had for a 70s set sitcom, Ricky and Steve turned “The Men At The Pru” into a feature-length offering, with only small roles for themselves and focussing on the journeys of three young men in 1970s Berkshire. They made it clear as possible that this would be a departure and for audiences to expect the hilarity of Extras and The Office. The result, it failed to penetrate the UK Box Office Top 10, but was that because it wasn’t any good? Stay tuned to find out what Rob and Guy made of it and a lengthy discussion about Extras as well. Ricky Gervais on the 11 o Clock Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl_gS0FsIsM The Ricky Gervais Show - Monkey News - Russian Chat Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikvq0wZAFLM Extras - Les Dennis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytDCab8ZoIM Extras - Ronnie Corbett Bloopers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2FNaXLe_ro Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant - Finding Leo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHdTve2PpeI Gervais and Merchant on Mark Kermode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz3MTwufC5s&t=104s Cemetery Junction - Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYDeHIszUqA Cemetery Junction - Snork performs Cum on Feel the Noize https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTRyiNVl_G0 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 37m

  5. 12/03/2025

    S05 E08 - Two Way Stretch (w/ Neil Mullarkey)

    We follow up a Goon-centric episodewith another Goon-centric episode! Hot on the heels of Spike Milligan’s Postman’s Knock comes Peter Sellers’ Two Way Stretch from 1960. A prison heist movie (our second after Get Santa), which has a little whiff of Porridge, just 15 years before. This is our 50th film profiled on the main series, and we couldn’t let such an important landmark go past without enlisting the help of a very special guest. Step forward, Neil Mullarkey! Neil is a comedy writer, performer, and improv king with a big love for all things Sellers, especially this film, which he’d watched relentlessly as a child and young man. We also spoke about Sellers’ 1959 album Songs for Swinging Sellers, which came out just before this film and, of course, before superstardom beckoned with Dr Strangelove. Join Rob, Guy, and Neil, who talk all things not only Sellers but also a cast with an abundance of comic talent, including Lionel Jeffries, Irene Handl, Bernard Cribbins, and, of course, Wilfred Hyde-White. Also, there’s the small matter of the quiz. It is now the business end of the series, and Guy still holds a slender lead. Neil Mullarkey in 6 Pairs of Pants https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-ZkItmbFiQ Songs For Swingin’ Sellers - Full Album https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wogie3WEhwg Two Way Stretch - Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3BOsDoG29w Lionel Jeffries in Two Way Stretch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irnfVwdYv1Q Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 20m

  6. 11/26/2025

    S05 E07 - Postman's Knock (w/ Goon Pod)

    On Britcom Goes to the Movies, you are never too far from the next Goon-related movie. We last spoke in depth about Spike Milligan on our episode about The Bed Sitting Room. We’re going full Milligan again for his first starring role in a British movie, Postman’s Knock, and it is quite the departure for Spike. A role that perhaps you might expect somebody of the more Norman Wisdom persuasion to be inhabiting. This 1962 crime caper farce was the first of what was meant to be a five-picture British MGM deal for Spike. Even the sound of the word “Wisdom”, even knowing that he wasn’t in the film, was enough to send a shiver down Guy’s spine, so to help us dissect this oddity, we brought back the Goon Oracle, Tyler Adams. This is the second appearance of the host of Goon Pod to share his all-encompassing knowledge and love for all things Milligan and lend this episode that little bit more authenticity. As well as Postman’s Knock, we discuss Spike’s Australian radio show, Idiot Weekly, not to be confused with The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d, the ITV sketch show, which we mentioned the last time Tyler was on this show to talk about The Mouse That Roared. Generally, Milligan’s time down under was a mixed bag. Rob still trails Guy hideously in the quiz stakes and is running out of time to put things right, so check out episode 7 to see how it all unfolds! The Idiot Weekly; The Ashes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Bh8Q6JToU&t=323s Postman's Knock Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw92zbex4bw What a Whopper - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgWlOpsuuPw The Adventures of Barry McKenzie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiLyKEYOOJQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 32m

  7. 11/19/2025

    S05 E06 - Seize Them (2024)

    What can you do during Covid Lockdown if you want some outdoor time but need to isolate? Go Medieval! That’s what Andy Riley, writer of Year of the Rabbit, Veep, and books such as the Bunny Suicides and Action Dude did, and guess what? It led directly to his first solo feature film screenplay, Seize Them! Riley, who had forged an incredibly successful writing partnership with Kevin Cecil, went it alone on this one. The script was lapped up by Britcom super-producer Damian Jones, and with a cast of established comedy stars and some of the hottest recent talent, what could go wrong? Join Guy and Rob as they discuss Riley and Cecil’s Victorian cop comedy, Year of the Rabbit, with Matt Berry, and get into the newest of our films so far, Seize Them! We’re also now six episodes in, and Guy is looking good in the series quiz stakes. What can Rob do to turn the tide? Find out by having a listen! Year of the Rabbit - The Elephant Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3-hPr4HQsI Year of the Rabbit - Prince and Princess of Bulgaria https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo2Mxhg4www Dave Gorman - Lady in the Van https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhr-CSq1sx8 Seize Them! - Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBMib2Nfu8A Seize Them! - Bobick’s Guide to Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMYvrystyrk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 18m

  8. 11/12/2025

    S05 E05 - Stella Street (2004)

    Where can you find the cream of Hollywood, rock and roll, and football punditry all on one suburban street? Surbiton, that’s where…or at least Shepherd’s Bush masquerading as Surbiton. We’re taking a trip to Stella Street on Britcom Goes to the Movies! That’s right, this late 90s cult, small-budget, and even smaller cast-list comedy had a 2004 big-screen adaptation! Something that seemed to pass a lot of British comedy fans by, not least Rob Heath. The genius mind of Peter Richardson, that brought us Comic Strip Presents, was busy in 1997 harnessing the comedy and impersonation talents of the then little-known Phil Cornwell and John Sessions to make an anarchic, foul-mouthed, and downright hilarious mockusoap about some huge stars descending on suburban London. Stella Street saw Michael Caine narrating, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards running the local corner shop, as well as Joe Pesci putting the Psycho in Psychotherapy. Cornwell and Sessions would play all manner of celebrity inhabitants as well as some less-famous but equally hilarious recurring characters such as Mrs Huggett and Len the arsonist gardener. In 2004, whilst also busy with Churchill: The Hollywood Years, Richardson made a feature-length version of his cult hit show for the Aspen Film Festival. The cast would grow by 33.3% with the addition of impressionist of the moment Ronni Ancona,  but the premise remained the same. We revisit themes of direct spin-offs, recycling of material, and in some cases footage and some dodgy filmmaking, but did any of that matter given the essence of Stella Street was and remains to this day one of the unsung gems of British comedy? Find out by having a listen! Stella Street Se1 Ep1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI5vEevmbvQ Stella Street - Brando and Bowie Fight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqDKQ6vfEnc Stella Street - Bowie and Roger Moore exchange Christmas presents https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbsmqeIdtTg John Sessions - Whose Line is it Anyway https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb_v6ha1blI Phil Cornwell as Gilbert The Alien https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYyBi2Bgfvg Stella Street Film Trailer https://www.imdb.com/video/vi1384841497/?ref_=ttvg_vi_3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 21m
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About

Guy Walker and Rob Heath are on a quest to find out if successful British TV comedies should make the jump to the big screen. A proud part of the Film Stories Podcast Network: www.filmstories.co.uk

Information

  • Creator
    Film Stories
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.

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