The Discourse

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Carl and Tony discuss soaps via the lens of Coronation Street - where did they come from? When were they at their best? And have they lost the plot? Plus! Carl loves his YouGov polls and this one asks what previous decade we were happiest in. They discuss the nostalgic era they would choose, and whether...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Tony and Carl use Carrie Coon mentioning her husband's 10,000 strong bluray collection to discuss the ongoing rise of physical media once more, and inadvertantly kickstart a new section. Plus! Rolling Stone just released an article - 50 Terrible Movies by Great Directors - so we ask: are these directors...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Tony and Carl talk Star Trek, and specifically how modern writers of the show are tackling societal change in comparison to older series. Have they gone too far? Plus! Every 5 years, the BBFC do a survey about what audiences are okay with in modern movies, and it suggests a snapshot of where Britain is a...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Carl and Tony try and figure out why old TV shows, some going back decades, are doing way better than new content on streaming. Plus! Following a piece about the 'death' of prestige TV, they look at the fascinating subject of modern television and how the landscape has changed. And finally, with an impor...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Carl and Tony tackle a piece reappreciating The Phantom Menace and wonder about tackling less beloved films with distance and how they might be reexamined. Plus! With teenagers no longer having seen The Matrix or even The Dark Knight, they discuss how films age and how the perception of them as iconic or...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Tony and Carl discuss how Gen Z seem to have turned books 'sexy', but why are they so obsessed with reading and is it performative or genuine? Plus! Amazon are being bastards with this new ad tier and an increasingly poor user experience, so they discuss the so-called 'enshittification' of the overall st...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Tony and Carl tackle the recent BAFTA Awards 2024, discussing the winners and some of the viral episodes around it - Barry Keoghan's 'prosthetics' and the random Oppenheimer winner on stage. Plus! Martin Scorsese has been railing a bit against so-called 'immersive cinema', 3D, 4DX and so on, so they ask...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Carl and Tony discuss a fascinating recent article by Ellen E. Jones calling for 'white cinema' to become a recognised term, citing filmmakers like Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola. They examine the argument. Plus! With copyright on major comic-book figures like Superman & Batman set to expire in the not t...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Carl and Tony discuss the major Oscar nominations of 2024, unpicking who should win, who might win, and if there's anything to the Barbie controversy. Plus! Thanks to a guest note from listener Sam Stokes, they pontificate over the cinema of 2023 and quite where the movie landscape is right now. And fina...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Tony and Carl get into their first Bond Corner of 2024, here discussing the BFI's decision to put trigger warnings in front of old Bond movies. Woke tosh? Progressive historical engagement? Or somewhere in the middle? Your favourite centrist Dad's ponder...Plus! Kate Hudson wants more men to star in romc...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Tony and Carl talk about the biggest news story of the year - the British post office scandal, and the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office that exposed it. What is the power of television to change our politics? Plus! Is British TV weird and unique enough anymore? We get into some modern and older exam...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Carl and Tony wrap up their analysis of the final season of The Crown - did it stick the landing? Plus! Carl is back with some polls, this time of the voting intentions of British TV watchers and podcast listeners, and there are some surprises. And finally, after a social media discussion about 'filler'...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In our first episode of 2024, Carl and Tony preview 2024 in film, TV and broader popular culture, discussing what they're looking forward to. Plus! They take a glance back at 2023, at some of the popular culture they enjoyed, and some of the stranger things that happened...--Remember: subscribe to THE DISCOURSE+ for earl...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, with Tony absent, Carl introduces another sneak peak at a recent Discourse+ bonus episode, in which Carl and Tony discuss the recent revelation that modern men constantly think about Ancient Rome, so Carl tests Tony on his Roman knowledge...--Remember: subscribe to THE DISCOURSE+ for early access, ad-fre...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, with Tony absent, Carl introduces a sneak peak at a recent Discourse+ bonus episode, in which Carl and Tony allow Chat GPT to write a script for the show, and ponder just how this new artificial intelligence could change everything...--Remember: subscribe to THE DISCOURSE+ for early access, ad-free liste...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Carl and Tony discuss the joy of Sir Ridley Scott on his Napoleon press tour, challenging accusations of historical inaccuracy - is he right? Plus! As collectors reveal they are anxious about returning long lost Doctor Who episodes to the BBC for fear of prosecution, they chat the phenomena of lost Briti...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Carl and Tony celebrate the return of The Crown for its sixth and final season, digging deep into the first four episodes, where it still is good TV, and whether Diana's 'ghost' is a bridge too far! Plus! As populist politician and agitator Nigel Farage enters the jungle, they discuss whether I'm a Celeb...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, in Bond Corner, Tony & Carl discuss Amazon Prime's new James Bond gameshow, 007: Road to a Million, and just how bloody strange it all is! Plus! Following a recent article about TV trailblazers in history (see below for a link), they discuss their personal favourites and what they signify. And finally, w...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Tony & Carl discuss the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike after months of turmoil, considering the fate of the entertainment industry beyond. Plus! They tackle the box office failure of The Marvels, what it means for Marvel Studios, superhero fatigue, and wider cinematic trends. And finally, they zoom in on Da...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Carl & Tony pick their three favourites from a recent Rolling Stone ranking of the 100 Greatest Film Books of all time. Plus! They discuss the recent revival of Hammer and Amicus horror film studios, and what impact this might have on the British film industry. And finally, they look at a Guardian list o...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Carl & Tony hear the blues a'callin as they discuss the new reboot of Frasier, and whether it lives up to the classic original. Plus! They get into the strange new studio tactic of releasing movies as mini-series, such as Blackberry and Australia. What's motivating this? And finally, they mourn the sad l...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this Halloween flavoured episode, the second of a two-parter, Tony & Carl pick out 10 of their favourite horror movies and dissect them. Films on the mortuary slab in this episode include The Blair Witch Project, The Innocents, The Shining and many more...--Remember: subscribe to THE DISCOURSE+ for early access, ad-fr...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this Halloween flavoured episode, the first of a two-parter, Tony & Carl pick out 10 of their favourite horror movies and dissect them. Films on the mortuary slab in this episode include Halloween, Psycho, Get Out and many more...--Remember: subscribe to THE DISCOURSE+ for early access, ad-free listening and bonus epi...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this special episode, Tony & Carl discuss Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, recently released in cinemas. They examine the film in spoilery and non-spoilery terms, analyse the initial box office, and question many of the moral and political questions it presents.--Remember: subscribe to THE DISCOURSE+ for...

Welcome back to THE DISCOURSE, a podcast about film, entertainment & culture. In this episode, Carl and Tony chat about the contentious issue of Jewish casting in upcoming films Golda and Maestro. Should gentiles like Helen Mirren & Bradley Cooper be playing Jewish people and what does that say for representation, especially in the current febrile climate? Plus! Following a ScreenCrush article abo...