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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. 1D AGO

    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

  2. JAN 2

    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

  3. 12/16/2025

    Jane Austen

    2025 marks 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen, the English writer whose finely tuned observations of Regency life shaped the modern novel. But perhaps more notably for Screenshot, it’s also 30 years since Colin Firth walked out of a lake and straight into the nation’s hearts, in the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice miniseries. Three decades on from the ‘Austenmania’ of 1995, Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode explore Jane Austen adaptations past and present. Do screen versions of novels like Emma and Sense and Sensibility offer a cosy retreat from the modern world - or do they still have something to say in the present moment? Mark speaks to film writer and researcher Lillian Crawford about various Austen triumphs and missteps on screen, from numerous incarnations of Emma, to Netflix’s recent update on her last novel, Persuasion. He also speaks to playwright Nick Dear about an adaptation many Austen experts consider a high-water mark - the 1995 version of Persuasion, written by Dear and directed by Roger Michell for the BBC’s Screen Two strand. Meanwhile, Ellen talks to Amy Heckerling, writer and director of the classic 1995 comedy Clueless, which transplants Austen’s novel Emma to a Beverly Hills high school. And she also speaks to writer-director Celine Song, whose recent film Materialists stars Dakota Johnson as a professional matchmaker - and unmistakably bears the influence of Austen. Producer: Jane Long A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

    43 min

  4. 11/07/2025

    Melodrama

    Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode explore a once-popular genre of cinema which flourished in the mid-20th Century with films like Now Voyager, Mildred Pierce and All That Heaven Allows, and is still alive and kicking today - albeit often in unexpected ways. Ellen speaks to film critic Pamela Hutchinson about the melodramatic women's pictures of the 1930s, 40s and 50s, and about why the melodrama genre may be thriving in the current day, in the form of the male melodrama. Meanwhile, Mark talks to two directors from either side of the Atlantic, both well acquainted with the 21st century melodrama. British-Moroccan director Fyzal Boulifa talks about the influence of a 1950s Joan Crawford melodrama noir on his 2022 indie film The Damned Don't Cry, and about the post-revolutionary roots of the melodrama form. And American indie darling Todd Haynes discusses how melodrama runs through his filmography, from 2002's Far From Heaven, which reimagined the world of director Douglas Sirk for a 21st Century audience, to the ‘queer-melodrama’ classic Carol. Producer: Jane Long A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

    42 min

  5. 10/31/2025

    Frankenstein

    Ellen and Mark explore the enduring appeal of Frankenstein. Mark speaks to director Guillermo Del Toro on his new adaptation of the classic novel and why the Frankenstein story has had such an influence on his career. Ellen then talks to critic Anne Billson about the history of Frankenstein throughout cinema history as well as speaking to director Bomani J. Story on his interpretation in his film, The Angry Black Girl and her Monster. Producer: Queenie Qureshi-Wales A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

    42 min

  6. 10/24/2025

    The Naked Civil Servant

    Mark and Ellen celebrate 50 years of the ground breaking TV drama, The Naked Civil Servant. Mark speaks to Rob Halford of Judas Priest about how The Naked Civil Servant changed his life. Mark then talks to filmmaker and drag queen Amrou Al-Kadhi about how forward thinking the show was and its influence on their own work. Ellen talks to historian Stephen Bourne about the impact of The Naked Civil Servant on British television. Producer: Jane Long A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

    43 min

  7. 10/17/2025

    Translation

    This week, Ellen and Mark read between the lines, and find out what can get lost in translation. Mark speaks to the film critic, Manuela Lazic, who discusses the impossibility of translation, and her experiences of watching films and television across languages. Next, the translator and film critic, Irina Margareta Nistor details her role in overdubbing bootlegged VHS tapes during the Ceaușescu dictatorship in Romania. During the 1980s, her work allowed local audiences an escape from the regime through the medium of foreign cinema. Meanwhile, Ellen discusses the poetry of translation with Darcy Paquet. The translator has produced subtitles with collaborators including the South Korean film director, Bong Joon Ho, on the Oscar award winning film, Parasite. Darcy shares the challenges found in a set character count, and some of the cultural specificities he's noted along the way. Producer: Mae-Li Evans A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

    42 min

  8. 10/10/2025

    Death

    Viewers are so used to seeing death and dying on screen, often in dramatic or unrealistic ways. Ellen and Mark explore how films and TV are drawn to personifications of death, why we need more realistic depictions and who is making them.  Mark speaks to film critic Kim Newman about the way in which personifications of death have been portrayed throughout cinema history, from The Seventh Seal to the Final Destination series. Mark then talks to director Kristen Johnson about her film, Dick Johnson is Dead. Ellen talks to academic Michele Aaron about how death and dying has been depicted in film and if we need more realistic depictions. Producer: Hester Cant A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

    43 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.6
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    111
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2026
  • Show Website
    Screenshot

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