Made in England

Ralph Fiennes plays Dennis Cleg, a schizophrenic who moves into a halfway house where he remembers and relives the traumas of his 1950s childhood, in David Cronenberg’s Spider (2002). Violet Lucca, author of David Cronenberg: Clinical Trials, joins to discuss the film. Find Violet on Substack, Twitter and Instagram. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Violet Lucca Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Breaking Glass (1980) follows new wave singer Kate (Hazel O’Connor) as she rises from the gritty punk scene to pop stardom. Flanked by aspiring manager Danny (Phil Daniels), she tries to hold on to her ideals (and her sanity) as she navigates the perils of the music industry. Music journalist Wesley Doyle joins to discuss the film. His new book Spellbound A Gothic Rock Compendium is published by Ruffian Books. https://wesleydoylewrites.substack.com/ Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Wesley Doyle Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf

Anthony Newley stars as a nightclub compere who has just a few hours to raise £300 to pay a gambling debt or face the violent consequences in The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963). Writer and journalist Darren Richman joins to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Darren Richman Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf

Decades after the outbreak of the rage virus, the UK is quarantined from the rest of Europe and overrun with zombie-like Infected (and worse) in... 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026). Writer Alex Garland and director Danny Boyle started the series in 2002 with 28 Days Later and returned in 2025 for 28 Years Later, which starred Alfie Williams as Spike, a teenager coming of age in post-apocalyptic Britain, and Ralph Fiennes as doctor-turned-mortician Dr Kelson. Nia Da Costa takes over the reins for the second part of a planned new trilogy, and Jack O’Connell joins the cast as Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal. Tom Allen joins to discuss the film. (02:40) 28 Days Later (09:38) 28 Weeks Later (17:25) 2012 Olympics opening ceremony (30:13) 28 Years Later (1:07:10) 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Tom Allen Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf

The Dashwood sisters find their prospects of marriage suddenly diminished by their family loss of fortune, in Emma Thompson’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility (1995). Thompson won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and is also part of the stellar cast, which includes Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant and Hugh Laurie. Ang Lee directed what is widely considered to be among the very best Jane Austen adaptations. Writer and illustrator Lizzy Stewart joins to discuss the film. Lizzy is the author of Alison and There’s a Tiger in the Garden which won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and a World Illustration Award. Her new book, The Wreck, is available now from Jonathan Cape. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Lizzy Stewart Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Tom Cruise is forced to live, die, repeat in the sci-fi action thriller Edge of Tomorrow (2014). Adapted from Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s light novel All You Need Is Kill, the film was directed by Doug Liman from a script by Jez and John Henry Butterworth and regular Cruise collaborator Christopher McQuarrie. Journalist Drew Taylor and filmmaker Charles Hood, who together are Light the Fuse: the official Mission Impossible podcast, join to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Drew Taylor and Charles Hood Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@madeinenglandpodcast Instagram: instagram.com/SLHC https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Richard Widmark stars as Harry Fabian, a conman trying to rustle up a few quid to break into wrestling promotion, in Night and the City (1950). Based on Gerald Kersh’s novel of the London underworld, the film was made in England with American money, produced by Twentieth Century Fox and directed by the blacklisted Jules Dassin. Night and the City is atmospheric, exciting and gritty, and according to my guest, ‘may well be the definitive noir film’. Film historian Foster Hirsch joins to discuss the film. Foster is the author of many books, including The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir and Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Foster Hirsch Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Love is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998) stars Derek Jacobi in the title role and Daniel Craig as George Dyer, Bacon’s lover and muse. Directed by John Maybury. Writer, historian and broadcaster Sir Christopher Frayling joins to discuss the film. Christopher’s latest book, The Hollywood History of Art, which features this film, is available now from reelartpress.com. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Christopher Frayling Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Charles Laughton stars as Rembrandt (1936), in Alexander Korda’s biopic of the Dutch old master. Writer, historian and broadcaster Sir Christopher Frayling joins to discuss the film. Christopher’s latest book, The Hollywood History of Art, which features this film, is available now from reelartpress.com. Christopher will also appear on the next episode of Made in England, talking about Love is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998). Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Christopher Frayling Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

The Wicked Witch of the West gets to tell her side of the story in the Wizard of Oz prequel, Wicked (2024). Adapted from the hit stage musical, Wicked follows Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) on their journey from Shiz University to the Emerald City. Tamiko Dooley, composer lyricist and poet, joins to discuss the film. Tamiko is the creator of Flyology, a new musical. Follow Flyology on Instagram and Tiktok. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Tamiko Dooley Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Naked (1993) stars David Thewlis as Johnny, a charming and articulate but vicious misfit, drifting around London on a nocturnal odyssey, colliding with a succession of desperate and dispossessed characters. Mike Leigh’s script is scintillating and it’s arguably his best directorial work too. The film won the best director and best actor prizes at the Cannes Film Festival. Alonso Ruizpalacios, writer-director of Gueros (2014), Museo (2018), A Cop Movie (2021) and La Cocina (2024), joins to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Alonso Ruizpalacios Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

A married man starts an ‘affair’ with two schoolgirls in bawdy Thatcher-era comedy, Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987). Written by Andrea Dunbar based on her own play, directed by Alan Clarke, and starring Siobhan Finneran, Michelle Holmes and George Costigan. Film writer Adam Lowes joins to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Adam Lowes Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

At 9.30pm on 23rd September 1984, with the Cold War still ongoing, the BBC broadcast nuclear fallout drama Threads. Written by Barry Hines and directed and produced by Mick Jackson, the film went well beyond looking at the effect of a nuclear bomb on buildings and people, it examined, in unrelenting and unflinching detail, what it would do to the very fabric of society. The Cold War may be over, but Threads, which is available to watch on BBC iPlayer, remains as terrifying and horrifying as when it was first shown. Illustrator Rebecca Strickson joins to discuss the film. Buy Becky’s work at https://rebeccastrickson.bigcartel.com. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Rebecca Strickson Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Hitmen Jay (Neil Maskell) and Gal (Michael Smiley) take on a new assignment, but what starts as an easy task soon unravels, revealing darker things beneath, in Ben Wheatley’s Kill List (2011). Heather Parry, author of Orpheus Builds A Girl and Carrion Crow, joins to discuss the film. Heather writes about film (and other things) at https://heatherparry.substack.com Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Heather Parry Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Steve Coogan stars as Tony Wilson in Michael Winterbottom’s comedy music biopic about the rise and fall of Factory Records, 24 Hour Party People (2002). Writer and editor Paul Wilson (no relation) joins to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Paul Wilson Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Two brothers, Aston (Robert Shaw) and Mick (Alan Bates), take in a tramp (Donald Pleasence) and offer him the role of caretaker in their run down flat, in Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker (1963). Barney Farmer, novelist and writer Viz comic strip Drunken Bakers, joins to discuss the film. Barney’s books are available from Wrecking Ball Press: https://wreckingballpress.com/authors/barney-farmer/ Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Barney Farmer Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Brian, a lonely inventor in rural Wales, builds himself a robot out of an old washing machine, but what happens when his companion wants to move on? Brian and Charles (2022) is written by and starring David Earl and Charles Hayward, and directed by Jim Archer. Artist Babak Ganjei joins to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Babak Ganjei Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Moviedrome premiered on BBC 2 in May 1988, on a mission to show cult films to counter ‘the abysmal drek that passes for entertainment in contemporary cinema’. The show was hosted by Alex Cox, director of Repo Man and Sid & Nancy, who offered balanced and thoughtful intros to the films. A new season at the BFI brings some of Moviedrome’s most popular selections to the big screen and BFI player, with introductions from Alex Cox, producer Nick Freand Jones and others. Alex Cox returns to Made in England to talk about the show, the season and his upcoming film, Dead Souls. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Alex Cox Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

November 1932: A group of wealthy guests and their servants gather in an English country house for dinner, music, and, inevitably, murder, in Robert Altman’s upstairs-downstairs comedy mystery, Gosford Park (2001). The film was a hit with critics and audiences, becoming Altman’s biggest hit since M*A*S*H, and won several awards, including an Oscar for screenwriter Julian Fellowes. One of the most impressive ensemble casts ever put together, includes Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Kristin Scott Thomas, Bob Balaban, Kelly Macdonald, Clive Owen, Ryan Phillipee, Emily Waton, Alan Bates, Charles Dance, Richard E Grant, Derek Jakobi, and Stephen Fry. Crime novelist Nicolás Obregón joins to discuss the film. Nic’s latest book, The Sugar Man (Penguin Michael Joseph), is out now and https://obregonbooks.com/ You can listen to his podcast, Faceless, here: https://linktr.ee/facelesspod Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Nicolás Obregón Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

The devil is unearthed in 18th Century England, inspiring the village youth to rape, murder and satanic worship, in one of the granddaddies of folk horror, The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971). Dean Puckett, writer-director and lecturer at Falmouth University, joins to discuss the film. Dean’s feature debut The Severed Sun is at select cinemas and streaming on demand in the US from 16 May. There will be a screening of the film followed by a Q & A with Dean on 25th May at Genesis Cinema in East London. Tickets here: https://www.genesiscinema.co.uk/event/98321 Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Dean Puckett Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

With his former boss about to be released from jail, an East End mobster reflects on a life of crime, obsession and betrayal, in Gangster No. 1 (2000). Malcolm McDowell and Paul Bettany both play the titular role at different stages of life, ih a cast that includes David Thewlis, Saffron Burrows and Eddie Marsan. From the writers of Sexy Beast and director Paul McGuigan. Gareth Simms, co-host of 10TB Hard Drive podcast, joins to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Gareth Simms Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

It’s a double bill of Molly Dineen documentaries: Heart of the Angel (1989) about the inner workings of Angel tube station for BBC’s 40 Minutes strand, and Geri (1999), a portrait of Geri Halliwell following her departure from the Spice Girls. Leo Leigh, writer-director of Sweet Sue, joins to discuss the films. You can see Leo’s documentaries and shorts on his website. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Leo Leigh Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Gina McKee, Molly Parker and Shirley Henderson are sisters searching for connection and direction in Michael Winterbottom’s tapestry of urban melancholy, Wonderland (1999). Michael Nyman’s score and Sean Bobbit’s cinematography make it one of the most atmospheric and memorable films of its era. Filmmaker and curator Nia Childs joins to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Nia Childs Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Dirk Bogarde stars as Melville Farr, a barrister targeted by blackmailers, in noir thriller Victim (1961). Made at a time when it was illegal to be gay, Victim challenged the British film censors with an empathetic depiction of London’s gay community, and is the first film to use the word ‘homosexual’. John Airlie, Associate Lecturer in Film and Media at Birkbeck College, University of London, joins to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: John Airlie Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

In wartime England, three modern day pilgrims - a melancholy ‘land girl’, a plainspoken American GI, and a resourceful British sergeant - are waylaid in the English countryside where they have to solve a bizarre local mystery before going on to Canterbury to get the blessings they seek, in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s A Canterbury Tale (1944). Writer, journalist and podcaster Dan Kois joins to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Dan Kois Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Two young lovers, reeling from recent breakups, connect over the course of an eventful day in South London, in the award-winning romantic comedy, Rye Lane (2023). Corrina Antrobus, author of I Love Romcoms and I Am A Feminist, joins to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Corrina Antrobus Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Tom Hardy plays Britain’s most notorious prisoner in Nicolas Winding Refn’s English language breakthrough film, Bronson (2008). Joe Greenwood, host of 10TB Hard Drive podcast, joins to discuss the film, and Refn’s career. Listen to 10TB Hard Drive on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Acast. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Joe Greenwood Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

When his wife admits to having fantasies about another man, Dr Bill Harford becomes obsessively jealous and finds himself on a psychosexual odyssey through an erotic underworld in Stanley Kubrick’s final film, Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Kubrick cast married couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman and recreated New York City on a Pinewood studios backlot in the longest shoot in film history. Eyes Wide Shut confounded many on its initial release, but over time has proven to be worthy of as much study and acclaim as any of Kubrick’s masterpieces. Jonathan Lethem, author of Motherless Brooklyn and Fortress of Solitude, joins to discuss the film. Jonathan’s latest book, Cellophane Bricks: A Life in Visual Culture, is available now from Ze Books. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Jonathan Lethem Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

After the Oscar success of A Room With A View, Merchant-Ivory followed up with another E.M. Forster adaptation, Maurice (1987). Maurice Hall (James Wilby) comes to terms with his sexuality in repressed Edwardian England, embarking on affairs with the aristocratic Clive Durham (Hugh Grant making his feature debut) and working class gamekeeper Alec Scudder (Rupert Graves). Directed and co-written by James Ivory, who would go on to win an Oscar for Call Me By Your Name, this is a landmark film in the history of gay cinema. Director-producer Stephen Soucy joins to discuss the film, as well as his new documentary, Merchant Ivory, which will be in UK cinemas in December. Visit merchantivoryfilm.com for information and bonus content. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Stephen Soucy Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Ricky Tomlinson plays the first football manager from the lower leagues to get the England job in Mike Bassett: England Manager (2001). Lapsed football journalist Hugo Greenhalgh joins to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Hugo Greenhalgh Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

After the radio and television success of Hancock’s Half Hour, Tony Hancock made his big screen debut with The Rebel (1961), playing a bored office clerk who trades the City of London for the Paris art scene. Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, directed by Robert Day. Director Michael Cumming (Brass Eye, Toast of London) joins to discuss the film. Michael will be on tour with his film, Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye Tapes, in October and November. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Michael Cumming Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ Get Mubi free for 30 days: https://mubi.com/t/web/global/qrb2jfqf https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

John Boorman’s Excalibur (1981) is an epic retelling of the King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table myth with plenty of sex, violence and sumptuous visuals. Filmmaking duo David and Nathan Zellner, whose movies include Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (2014) and Sasquatch Sunet (2024), join to discuss the film. Bonus chat with the Zellner brothers about directing Showtime’s The Curse, is on the Made in England YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@madeinenglandpodcast Host: Jack McInroy Guest: David and Nathan Zellner Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

What if you woke up one day and nobody in the world could remember the Beatles except you? That is the premise of Yesterday (2019), the film that united two of British cinema’s biggest names, director Danny Boyle’s and screenwriter Richard Curtis. With the Fab Four’s entire songbook at his disposal, can struggling singer-songwriter Jack Malick finally make it big? Stephen Graham, musicologist based at Goldsmiths and author of Becoming Noise Music, joins to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Stephen Graham Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

The Elephant Man (1980) tells the story of John Merrick (John Hurt), a severely deformed man in Victorian-era London, saved from a freak show and brought into the care of Dr Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) at the London Hospital. The film was nominated for eight Oscars. Directed by David Lynch following his debut film Eraserhead, The Elephant Man is sometimes seen as an outlier in his career, but there are themes and motifs that appear throughout Lynch’s filmography. Screenwriter and journalist Jeff Jensen joins to discuss the film. Jeff wrote on the HBO series Watchmen, Disney’s Tomorrowland, and the Eisner-winning graphic novel, Green River Killer, as well as co-hosting Entertainment Weekly’s Twin Peaks podcast. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Jeff Jensen Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Vivian Stanshall returned Rawlinson End, his influential comedy opus, throughout his career, first recording it as a BBC radio series in 1975, then as a record in 1978. The 1980 film adaptation, Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, stars Trevor Howard as the titular Sir Henry, an eccentric custodian of a crumbling British country estate who is trying to exorcise the trouserless ghost of his brother. S.J. Harris, author of the graphic novel Eustace, joins to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: S.J. Harris Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Cinema was born at the end of the nineteenth century and the early period saw great technical and artistic leaps. Georges Méliès, the Lumiere brothers and Thomas Edison are well known, but there are also a number of English pioneers were equally important. We discuss the works and technical innovations of the likes of R.W. Paul, G.A. Smith and Cecil Hepworth. Novelist and film historian Christian Hayes is the guest. Films covered: A Rough Sea At Dover (1895) Blackfriars Bridge (1896) Upside Down; or, the Human Flies (1899) The Kiss in the Tunnel (1899) Grandma's Reading Glass (1900) How It Feels to Be Run Over (1900) Attack on a China Mission (1900) Army Life; or, How Soldiers Are Made: Mounted Infantry (1900) Cheese Mites; or, Lilliputians in a London Restaurant (1901) The Big Swallow (1901) Fire! (1901) Undressing Extraordinary (1901) The Countryman and the Cinematograph (1901) Rescued by Rover (1905) The ? Motorist (1906) Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Christian Hayes Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Lindsay Anderson made his TV debut in 1979 with The Old Crowd, an Alan Bennett-scripted satire about an upper-middle class dinner party where cracks are appearing in the walls of George and Betty’s upper-middle class home, and in society at large. Alex Cox, writer-director of Repo Man and Sid & Nancy, and original Moviedrome presenter, joins Jack McInroy to discuss the film. Alex is currently crowdfunding what he’s billing as his last film, a western adaptation of Gogol’s Dead Souls. You can back the project here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alexcoxfilms/my-last-movie Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Alex Cox Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

A British pilot falls in love with an American radio operator in the moments before his plane crashlands, and his survival causes turmoil in the heavenly realm. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s World War II fantasy-romance A Matter of Life and Death (1946) is one of the most beloved British films ever made, ranking 78th in Sight & Sound magazine’s poll of the greatest films ever made. Documentary filmmaker Jeanie Finlay (Your Fat Friend, Seahorse, Orion: The Man Who Would Be King) joins Jack McInroy to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Jeanie Finlay Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Up the Junction, Nell Dunn’s 1963 short story collection about contemporary life in working class Battersea has been adapted twice, first by Ken Loach for the BBC’s Wednesday Play, broadcast in 1965, then as a big screen romantic drama for Paramount Pictures in 1968. While both films retain much of Dunn’s dialogue and the harrowing social issues she highlighted, the story and aesthetics between the versions are very different. Jack McInroy is joined by author and illustrator Lizzy Stewart to discuss both films. Lizzy’s books include the prose-comics hybrids Alison and Walking Tall, and the children’s picture book There’s A Tiger in the Garden, which won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and a World Illustration Award. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Lizzy Stewart Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

After the cult success of The Football Factory, writer-director Nick Love and star Danny Dyer reunited for The Business (2005), a crime thriller about cockney gangsters living in Spain’s Costa del Sol. Beloved by lads’ mags, the film is as much a time capsule of the mid-00s UK as it of 1980s, when it's set. Jack McInroy is joined by novelist Nicolás Obregón to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Nicolás Obregón Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) is a rare example of a British noir film and a pioneering social drama where working class people take centre stage. Googie Withers plays Rose Sandigate, a frustrated housewife whose world is turned upside down when her former lover escapes from prison and seeks her help. Writer and journalist Darren Richman joins host Jack McInroy to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Darren Richman Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Burning an Illusion (1981), written and directed by Menelik Shabazz, is a landmark of UK cinema, often billed as the first British film to give a central voice to a black woman. The film follows 22-year-old Pat as she navigates relationship struggles, societal pressures and systemic racism. 30 years later, Steve McQueen’s film Lovers Rock would draw from a similar milieu. Film curator Tega Okiti, who voted for this film in the 2022 Sight & Sound magazine poll of the greatest films ever made, joins Jack McInroy to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Tega Okiti Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

The Guns of Navarone (1961) is a World War II adventure film that was a hit with audiences and Oscar voters alike. Gregory Peck heads a ragtag group of commandos, including David Niven, Anthony Quinn and Stanley Baker, on a mission to destroy Nazi guns on an island in the Aegean Sea. Jack McInroy is joined by illustrator and comics writer Owen Pomery to discuss the film. Owen’s latest book, The Hard Switch, is available now. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Owen Pomery Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Dead Man’s Shoes (2004) is Shane Meadows’ and Paddy Considine’s back-to-basics revenge thriller about a soldier who heads back to his home town in the Derbyshire countryside to deal with the bullies who mistreated his brother. As the film celebrates its 20th anniversary, Jack McInroy is joined by arts journalist Paul Wilson to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: Paul Wilson Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Two Way Stretch (1960) is not an Ealing comedy, but its sharp script, big laughs and magnetic Peter Sellers performance make it worthy of being ranked alongside the best of them. Jack McInroy is joined by comedian and podcaster Nathaniel Metcalfe to discuss the film.

All of Us Strangers (2023) is written and directed by Andrew Haigh (Weekend, 45 Years) and stars Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell and Claire Foy. Jack McInroy is joined by John Grindrod, author of Iconicon, Outskirts and Concretopia, to discuss the film. Host: Jack McInroy Guest: John Grindrod Theme music: Harlow Family Group Films featured on upcoming episodes of Made in England: https://letterboxd.com/saintjackmc/list/made-in-england-upcoming-episodes/ https://www.holdfastnetwork.com/madeinengland

Coming soon: Made in England, a new podcast delving into the history of English cinema, one film at a time. Hosted by Jack McInroy.