Britcom Goes To The Movies

As we eagerly await Series Seven in the autumn, how about treating ourselves to a mini-series during the bank holiday? What could be more fun than watching British pop groups trying to crack the movies?

In our new mini-series, BritPop Goes To The Movies, Rob and Guy will be diving into exactly that over the next three days!

We kick off our series with a huge first episode, featuring a returning friend of the show. Tyler Adams from Goon Pod is back for his third appearance, ready to help us explore a film that truly...

Episode two of BritPOP Goes to the Movies sees Guy and Rob joined by Catrin Lowe to discuss Spice World: The Movie. Kim Fuller, brother of the mogul behind the Spice Girls, Simon Fuller, wanted to make a genuine homage to our previous film A Hard Day's Night, and to do that he wanted to make this just as cynical and rich with meta-textual, self-referential craziness. Cramming in celebrity cameos (too many for his script editor) and musical set-pieces.
Spice World certainly had that and a whole lot more. The film was put in motion before the five-piece...

Is the art of parody the sole reserve of Americans? Well, us Brits have had a few jolly good cracks at it. Most recently, Fackham Hall. The star-studded Downton Abbey send-up from 2025, written by the Dawson brothers (one of whom is an Inman) and the Carr brothers (one of whom is the UK’s biggest stand-up of the 21st century).
To round off the sixth series of BritCom Goes to the Movies, Rob and Guy tackle their most recent film to date and have paired it with the other most valiant BritCom ZAZ-style attempt, A Touch of Cloth. Th...

At BritCom Goes to the Movies, we are dipping back into the world of Armando Iannucci. Last we heard of him on this show, he’d just adapted his hit sitcom The Thick of It into big screen success In The Loop, and eight years later was turning his attention to a farcical retelling of an actual moment in history with The Death of Stalin.
Based on a French graphic novel telling of the Soviet dictator’s demise, Iannucci reassembled some of his most trusted writers and performers to tell this story in a very Thick of It way...

Get on your dancing shoes and join Guy and Rob (because it only takes two to tango) for 2014’s Cuban Fury. Something of a passion project for Nick Frost, who basically wanted to learn how to dance and probably wanted to be the main character in a wish-fulfillment Rom Com. There’s some transatlantic crossover here as Rashida Jones of The Office, Parks and Rec, and being the daughter of famous people, joined the mainly British and Irish cast.
We’ve covered Nick Frost before, of course, but never as a leading man, and while he teamed up with N...

Episode Seven began life as a thread on Bluesky by our guest Tim Worthington. The font of all obscure pop culture knowledge was discussing with followers what the most obscure BritCom they'd seen at the cinema was. Needless to say, a lot of the answers were on our long list, but not Tim's choice.
The Young Poisoner's Handbook is the darkest of all the dark comedies we've covered so far. Based on, but the filmmakers must stress, not a biopic of The Teacup Poisoner Graham Young, who killed several people in the 60s and 70s.
A film...

Last time Kat Hughes joined Rob and Guy, the horror writer and critic had the misfortune of dissecting the Christmas family mess Nativity! This time she’s much more in her wheelhouse as we discuss Bloodbath at the House of Death. A vehicle for Britain’s best loved DJ Kenny Everett to take his brand of spoofing, innuendo and larger than life characters to the big screen after the success on both ITV and BBC with his Video Show/Television Show.
It cannot be underestimated just what a huge cultural phenomenon Kenny Everett was. As one of Britain’s most...

Now that’s enough of the 1970s, let’s move this series into the 20th century. Well, actually, our story for this icon of BritCom begins at the end of the 20th. Harry Hill won the Perrier award in 1992 and was quickly on TV and radio soon after. Rob and Guy take a particular look at The Harry Hill Show…or rather just Harry Hill as it was known on Channel 4 in the late 90s.

To join the chaps is Harry Hill superfan, internet sensation, and comedy writer Ruth Husko. As it turns out, both Ruth and Rob sa...

We’re on a roll with the 70s sitcom spin-offs. Hot on the heels of George and Mildred and Mutiny On The Buses comes 1971’s Please Sir! This is, in no small part, down to our guest this week, Jason Hazeley, being the world’s loudest cheerleader for this film and its preceding sitcom. We didn’t even need to show him the list; he was straight in there for a personal favourite since his youth.

But never two to hold back, would Rob and Guy’s thoughts on Please Sir! align with Jason’s? Certainly, the ingredients...

After some time away, we’re ready to dip back into the On The Busesverse. Our resident expert in all things Butler and Blakey, John Rain, returns to discuss the Empire Strikes Back of the trilogy. It’s time for Mutiny on the Buses. A mere year after the first film and backed by a (slightly) bigger budget, none of which the actors saw, the Ronalds, Chesney, and Wolf had forged a screenplay with much more of a semblance of a plot and some new characters to boot.

There’s all the usual fun (at Bla...

Time to get our teeth into another straight spin-off. It’s a significant one at that. The final of the ITC/EMI/Hammer spin-offs of ITV sitcoms, which many credit as the death of the genre altogether. That’s right, it is the 1980 big-screen adaptation of the long-running sitcom that in itself was a spin-off. George and Mildred.

Long-time listeners will know that in the first series, Rob and Guy were pleasantly surprised by Man About the House...if not the movie, the sitcom itself. So there’s every chance that George and Mildred could follow suit. As we...

No sooner are we gone than we’re back with a brand-new series. In series six, we’ll pass 60 films viewed and reviewed for a project that still has plenty of legs in it yet! But we begin this brand new series by embracing the familiar. Tom Salinsky returns to BritCom Goes to the Movies for the first time since episode six, and not only does he join for a film all three of us have seen before, all three of us love it!

The film in question is the 1955 classic Ealing comedy, The Ladykillers, a real cont...

Happy St David’s Day! To mark the occasion here at Britcom Goes to the Movies, we are celebrating one of Wales’ most beloved comedy sons, Rob Brydon, and…actually, it is just a ham-fisted way of doing a round table episode on Cruise of the Gods!

This TV film was written by Tim Firth (remember him from our Blackball episode?) and contained not only some Britcom heavyweights of the time, but also ground zero for the careers of some of the most controversial Britcommers of the 21st century, including Russell Brand, David Walliams, and Ja...

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 discu...

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 tr...

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 troub...

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 i...

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 thin...

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.

Ev...

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 so...

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...

You all know the rules by now, here’s your Starter for Ten. What could be more British than University Challenge? One of the longest-running quiz shows ever on British TV, it has associations of class, difficulty, and unmitigated stress. The perfect setting for a rom-com then, or at least David Nicholls thought so. Long before One Day, the screenwriter was floundering somewhat with the small screen and so turned his attentions to the page. Always a fan of University Challenge, Nicholls penned a semi-autobiographical novel set around a 1980s University of Bristol team and a central coming-of-age rom-com co...

Who fancies a Piltdown Glory?

Guy and Rob return to Tony Hancock territory for a second time, and this time they’re joined by some proper experts. Tim Elms, Martin Gibbons, and Jon Street from the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society, as well as the presenters of the Very Nearly An Armful official Tony Hancock podcast, join us to discuss The Punch and Judy Man, the 1963 film that marked a significant departure for Hancock. For the first time, The Lad is not The Lad. Hancock plays the titular puppeteer, not named Tony Hancock, but Wally Pinner.

This d...

Could we finally have a contender for bottom of the league? Bottom of the barrel? Most certainly. Keith Lemon: The Film is widely regarded by critics as one of the worst British comedy movies of all time. Completely mauled upon its release and a disappointment at the box office in 2012, Leigh Francis (AKA Keith Lemon) was nevertheless and remains one of the most popular comedians on the small screen.

So what went wrong? To discuss this in great length with Rob and Guy is one of the funniest people on social media, Nina Buckley...

How time flies. It doesn’t seem feasible that we should be on series five already, but here we are. We begin with a huge figure in the British comedy landscape, The Banana Box. You may know it as Rising Damp, but Eric Chappel’s beloved sitcom began life as a stage play with this rather more visceral title. Indeed, everyone’s (least) favourite landlord Rigsby, although always portrayed by the magnificent Leonard Rossiter from stage to small screen to big screen, was originally known as Rooksby.

Rob and Guy have had mixed experiences with 1...

On the 17th Sep 25, an event happened of such earth-shattering proportions that it would shatter the earth to its very core. Yes, BritCom goes to the Movies, did a Smashie and Nicey: End of an Era mid-season special.

Harry Enfield's beloved characters (well, not by Radio 1 DJs) were to be retired after a changing of the guard at the BBC's flagship music station rendered their very specific brand of satire almost irrelevant. Some of these new DJs coming through the door at the broadcasting house were so young they were still in their thirties...

Here we are at the end of our St Trinian's bank holiday treat. The final episode sees Rob and Guy tackle the reboot(s) of the mid-00s. A kind of back to basics, borrowing heavily from Belles but with an updated 00s sensibility, which depressingly probably means more sexism if anything.

An embarrassment of riches of a cast. Early roles for the likes of Gemma Arterton and Juno Temple, plus old hands like Colin Firth and Rupert Everett. All tied together with the rather large elephant in the room of Russell Brand as...

Hot on the heels of the Belles for St Trinian's, Rob and Guy are back and have skipped through the next two movies of the franchise (Blue Murder at St Trinian's and The Pure Hell of St Trinian's) to 12 years later and the midst of the Swinging Sixties for The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery. 

This just so happens to be a childhood favourite of Mr Film Stories Podcast Network A.J. Black, so Tony joined us once more to discuss a new breed of St Trinian's students, the new Headmistress, played by Dora B...

The St Trinian's films were one of the first names on the long list when we first came up with the concept of this podcast, but even with the most tenuous and creative of thinking, we weren't able to link them to the small screen. So much like Carry On last summer, we decided a three-episode mini-series would be the best way to tackle the issue.

We start at the very beginning with the first St Trinian's films, The Belle's of St Trinian's from 1954 with Alastair Sim popularising what could now be known as...

We're at the end of series four already. Our second series as part of The Film Stories Podcast Network, so to celebrate we're joined by Mr FSPN himself, A.J. Black, to talk about one of the biggest BritCom institutions ever, Morecambe and Wise.

The inimitable double act made three movies before joining the BBC from ITV, and we'll start at the beginning with the first instalment, the spy pastiche, Intelligence Men. It is hard to imagine Morecambe and Wise before the BBC series and Christmas specials that endure in the memories of all...

It's only from 12 years ago, yet Powder Room is not a British indie that sticks in the memory. Indeed, it didn't exactly perform at the box office. Only 2,100 people went to see it in British cinemas, making it the least successful film we've profiled so far.  A micro-budget adaptation of a hit Edinburgh play, starring some big and up-and-coming names from British TV, as well as a pop star! But chief amongst Powder Room's cast was Sheridan Smith. Now a huge West End and television star, but at the time, she was known primarily for Two Pints of Lager an...

It's another visit back to the old school this week. We go all the way back to 1970 for a rom-com...of sorts. The Jonathan Miller-directed Take A Girl Like You. 

As it is directed by Miller, we're also going to talk about his comedy breakthrough Beyond the Fringe. A show without which we might not have any modern comedy. So for extreme old-school source material, it made sense to have a new school comedian on the show to discuss the origins of her craft.

The hilarious Jain Edwards joined R...

For episode seven, we have another movie from 2024. Wicked Little Letters is Jonny Sweet's retelling of the curious case of the Littlehampton Letters. A falling out involving some incredibly creative, foul-mouthed penwomanship.

As the film is written by Jonny Sweet, it made sense to also talk about his similar time-period sitcom Chickens, which he co-wrote with Simon Bird and Joe Thomas.

Joining Guy and Rob to discuss both these works was Tracy Milnes. Herself already a big fan of the film, could she convert Rob and Guy to the...

Time for a good old-fashioned Rom-Com, although not as old-fashioned as you’d think from a 1970s spin-off. Rob and Guy delve deep into ITV sitcom The Lovers, a show neither of our hosts knew much, if anything, about before the other week! A very young Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox landed their first leading TV roles in a will-they/won’t-they kitchen sink sitcom, set against the permissive society making its way to Manchester.

Written by Coronation Street writer and creator of London’s Burning Jack Rosenthal, this forgotten gem (well, by anyone under...

Episode five and time to talk about a BritCom legend. Paul Kaye was at the cutting edge of a new wave of punk comedy in the 90s thanks to his unforgettable character Dennis Pennis, who was incredibly first seen by audiences in the middle of the ruddy day on BBC2's The Sunday Show.

A few specials later and Pennis was on everyone's lips (Yeah, that's right.) Before jumping the shark, Kaye ditched the character that allowed him to hit the big time, in favour of branching out. We discuss one such role, his...

As we near the midway point of series four, it's time to really step up our punctuality with a good time keeper's worst nightmare. Yes, Rob and Guy have taken a trip to 1986 for the Michael Frayn farce Clockwise.

We've enlisted the help of co-hosts of the wonderful, Don't You Want Me podcast: Catrin Lowe and Rich Nelson to not only run the rule over Clockwise, but arguably Britain's best-loved sitcom Fawlty Towers.

We'll hear how a Fawlty film was close to production (something that would have suited this...

As we hit episode three of the series, Rob and Guy tackle their most recent film to date, 2024’s Swede Caroline. Starring mainstay of British film and television Jo Hartley, and supported by a talented array of comedians, thesps, and character actors. The film looks at the world of competitive giant vegetable-growing and what happens when proceedings are rocked by scandal. 

We also take a look at forgotten sitcom Bliss starring Stephen Mangan, Hartley, and Heather Graham. The show was created by American comedian David Cross and followed the trials and tribulations of a man...

For episode two, we fast-forward two decades to 2017 and Mindhorn. Written by and starring Julian Barrett and frequent collaborator Simon Farnaby. If you're a fan of Bergerac, you'll love Mindhorn, the 80s sci-fi cop who can see the truth.

Someone who is a big fan of this film is musician, producer, and podcaster Ricardo Autobahn, AKA John Matthews, who joined us to discuss his love for the Isle-of-Man-com.

As well as Mindhorn, we chatted at length about 00s cult sitcom Nathan Barley, which, of course, starred Julian Barrett and...

It’s series 4 and we are back with a transatlantic bang. Joining Rob and Guy to kick us off is a legend of comedy writing. Bill Oakley was writer and showrunner on The Simpsons throughout the golden period and has gone on to create more such greats as Mission Hill and Space 1969.

But Bill, like a lot of American comedy writers, is also a huge fan of British comedy. From the early days of Python and Benny Hill, through Blackadder and surprisingly perhaps an avid watcher of Gogglebox!

But wh...

It’s Red Nose Day! The 40th anniversary of Comic Relief, no less, so Rob and Guy took time from their busy schedule prepping series 4 of Britcom Goes to the Movies to release a Red Nose Day special in which they run down their top five Comic Relief comedy moments.

There have been so many great sketches and live comedy moments over the course of the last 40 years since Richard Curtis and Lenny Henry set up the charity. Who can forget Dawn French snogging Hugh Grant, Billy Connolly dancing around Trafalgar Square in the bu...