Who Moved the Tortoise?

This time we're joined by award-winning Series Director Joe Myerscough to talk about a seminal Dutch reality show from 2007 - De Grote Donorshow (The Big Donor Show). If you get the chance to watch this first then please do, because we give the game away about 15 mins in to this episode. And do watch it - it's a fantastic lesson in the power of television. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo...

This time, the Tortoises welcome specialist camera designer and director of photography Chris Watts to the studio to discuss his inspirational choice, the 2010 Werner Herzog film Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Phone home and tell everyone that the latest episode of Who Moved the Tortoise is here. This time we're talking about the 1982 Spielberg classic E.T with award-winning director Stephen Cooter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This might be the most interesting and important episode we've released so far. In this episode, Film maker and CEO of Deep Fusion Benjamin Field talks about his inspiration - the TikTok sensation Deepfake Tom Cruise, which took the internet by storm in 2021. It marks a watershed moment in Benjamin's career, and launched him headfirst into the world of AI. If you want a better understanding of AI;...

Every now and again we go back to a subject we've discussed before, and this time we're revisiting the BBC popular science series Bang Goes the Theory with production executive Lynette Slight. And with good reason - it's an important series that filled a hole left by Tomorrow's World, and brought the BBC's approach to popular science firmly into the 21st century. Along the way we talk about the im...

A long time ago, in a studio far-far away, Kate and Alex talked to Executive Producer Rob Liddell about his inspiration - the 1977 mega movie Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. Along the way we chat Westerns, Tomorrow's World, and what makes science TV so compelling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time, Kate and Alex are joined by VFX Producer Jay Balamurugan to talk about her inspiration, the 1999 BBC series Walking With Dinosaurs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second half of our two-part special in which we ask our previous guests - what are the TV industry's biggest problems, and how would you fix them? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the first of a two-part special in which we ask our previous guests - what are the TV industry's biggest problems, and how would you fix them? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back for series 3, and this time we're joined by Emmy award-winning wildlife producer/director John Capener. John's inspiration is the 1996 BBC natural history series Alien Empire, which looks at the world of bugs through the lens of science fiction. Along the way, we talk about John's journey from social work to television; what it's like to work with the people who inspired you; and why he...

We're wrapping up season 2 with another special! This time, a collection of unheard anecdotes from our previous guests about the craziest moments of their TV careers. From diving in shit to nearly killing the talent, it's a bit of a rollercoaster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This special episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Royal Institution on 14th April 2025. Kate and Alex are joined by a panel of guests to talk about the TV years of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. With David Dugan, David Coleman, Helen Czerski, Hugh Montgomery and Andy Marmery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time nothing is quite as it seems, as we chat to Exec Producer and ex Series Editor of Horizon Steve Crabtree. His inspiration is the 1981 Jeremy Beadle-fronted series The Deceivers, a bizarre but entertaining exploration of tricksters, cheats and swindlers. Along the way we discuss Steve's time painting nuclear submarines, how Stan Lee made him cry, and just how long it took him to watch all...

A first for the podcast this week. Or rather, a second. In this episode, sound wizard Phil Bax has brought in his inspiration - and it's a film we've discussed before. Fortunately, it's an absolute cracker - the remarkable BBC film Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives featuring Eels frontman Mark “E” Everett. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time, we visit Imperial College London to chat with Robert Sternberg, course leader of the Science Media Production MSc, a degree that has produced some of the industry's top science-specialist talent. Robert's inspiration is the 1984 Horizon episode Professor Bonner and the Slime Molds, a character study of a scientist working at the fascinating boundary between single-celled and multicellul...

This time, Kate and Alex are joined by science TV royalty as they chat to the multi-award-winning filmmaker and chairman of Windfall Films, David Dugan. On the menu for discussion, the 1977 short film Powers of Ten. This groundbreaking film plays with scale, first expanding out from the Earth until the entire universe is surveyed, then reducing inward until a single atom and its quarks are observe...

Nothing is quite as it seems this week as presenter, writer and podcaster Dallas Campbell joins us to talk about Ken Campbell's mind-bending series Reality on the Rocks. Along the way we talk about Dallas' career trajectory from actor to science presenter; the mad genius of Ken Campbell; and what it's like to dive in Mexico City's sewer system - an anecdote that's not for those of a weak dispositi...

This time, Kate and Alex talk to BAFTA and Emmy winning director Sophie Robinson about the film that inspired her - the powerful and moving Fourteen Days in May. This 1987 Grierson-winning film recounts the final days before the execution of Edward Earl Johnson, an American prisoner convicted of rape and murder and imprisoned in the Mississippi State Penitentiary. If you're in the UK, you can watc...

For the first episode of 2025, the Tortoises talk to wildlife producer and macro filmmaking wizard James Manisty. On the menu, the 1996 classic macro bug film Microcosmos. It's a deep dive into the world of the tiny, with chat about Micro Monsters 3D, Super/Natural, A Real Bugs Life and more. You can watch Microcosmos here - https://archive.org/details/Microcosmos-la-gente-de-la-hierba Hosted on A...

It's Christmas Eve and the Tortoise are tearing up the rulebook for one day, meaning there's no science or wildlife chat this time. Instead, we talk to our previous guests about their favourite Christmas films. It's a nostalgic dive through some absolute classics, so grab a mince pie and come and join us! There's also some big news about our first ever live recording, coming to the Royal Instituti...

This week the Tortoises are talking to series producer Simon Winchcombe about the show that kicked off his TV career - Jeremy's Clarkson's Great Britons episode on Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Along the way we talk about the genius of James Burke, changing careers in your 30s, and the cliche of presenters using a torch (trust me, it makes sense when you listen to it). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...

This week the Tortoises welcome location producer and friend of the pod Mariana Kneppers to talk about the science megaseries Mythbusters. Along the way we discuss the cultural minefield of being an American living in the UK: the challenges of starting out in TV; and ask whether productions are becoming more risk averse. With thanks to Talesmith for hosting this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast...

This week the Tortoises are talking to cross-bench peer and science communicator Alex Freeman, Baroness Freeman of Steventon . On the menu - Sir David Attenborough's seminal 1979 series Life on Earth. We take our usual meandering conversational route, discussing early career missteps; the importance of Carol Vorderman ( again ... it's becoming a habit); and rubbing shoulders with the crew of Ocean...

This week the Tortoises are turning the tables, as the subject of one of our early episodes becomes a guest. Writer and presenter Will Millard joins us to talk about a quintessentially British piece of television - The Man Who Eats Badgers and Other Strange Tales from Bodmin Moor, a 2008 episode of BBC 2's Wonderland. Along the way, we discuss the parallels between this film and the films that Wil...

“They were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should”. No, not a review of this podcast, but a quote from one of the greatest films of the 90s - Jurassic Park. The Tortoises are joined in the studio by BBC NHU Exec Producer Mike Davis, and they tear into this 1993 classic with all the appetite of a ravenous Dilophosaurus. It’s a deep dive into the worl...