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 Brits of a certain age, but the pair had been going long before The Stripper, long before Andre Previn, Angela Ripon, and Glenda Jackson, and The Intelligence Men is very much part of a different era.
As well as the film, we'll dive deep into Two of a Kind, the Morecambe and Wise ITV series of the 1960s. As if that wasn't enough, all three of us count down our top three British comedy double acts. All this, plus the culmination of the series four quiz. Join us for the first in a much lesser-known trilogy.
Morecambe and Wise - Two of a Kind with the Beatles
https://youtu.be/Qw9dJG8GnmY?si=5X1bUeXhjHpjRSZL
Morecambe and Wise - Two of a Kind with Roy CastleÂ
https://youtu.be/gC1XaYGGJVc?si=-0PD0oJrWfHZTNbu
She'll Have to Go - With Bob Monkhouse
https://youtu.be/BpvRcXADNXA?si=zPn8OD00B9yumRJu
Morecambe and Wise on The SweeneyÂ
https://youtu.be/yXuLlhOt1xk?si=mrI5ZcCGrKAFGsbr
Two Ronnies - MastermindÂ
https://youtu.be/QRhyc56aVb0?si=bPoG9lMJf7p3cL08
Morecambe and Wise - MastermindÂ
https://youtu.be/HEjdJszBbY8?si=93WNU3b8bHYa-FCk
Ellie and Natasia - Saturday KitchenÂ
https://youtu.be/XDVECscArVQ?si=G-CzJ9zFsuvI4fmF
Adam and Joe - Room For Change
https://youtu.be/b-d0RZKexNA?si=CJbwCMB1K5mRMvva
Derek and Clive - The Pope
https://youtu.be/RPcDREaxsu8?si=4ORwpEJdN5Pr_8cK
Vic and Bob - Hernia Hotline
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdBSmt9v/
Vic and Bob - The Club
https://youtu.be/LjjjVApPePw?si=YPZ-LIm6XiMkciJu
French and Saunders Go to the MoviesÂ
https://youtu.be/BczGvH60a38?si=aGjHp-_h6orIQ-iY
Derek and Clive - CancerÂ
https://youtu.be/KDerCtj3-RI?si=GqcvD16BqP8zUgvq
The Intelligence Men - Full MovieÂ
https://youtu.be/kGy5HRI8plg?si=NfDWYezPONaLSgYC
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1:47:39
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1:47:39
S04 E09 - Powder Room (2013)
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 and a Packet of Crisps.

The early 21st-century three-camera studio sitcom has been the butt of many a sneering industry joke, but was incredibly popular and ran for over a decade. Its creator, Susan Nickson, was something of a prodigy. She started writing Two Pints at the age of 18, having already seen success in short film competitions. An unsung heroine of British comedy, episode nine will do its best to honour an undeniable and prolific talent.
Susan Nickson on Channel 4's Lloyds Bank Film ChallengeÂ
https://youtu.be/iQ6qz4nyX0M?si=U7iSIUXz3_nOsTQi
Two Pints of Lager - Biscuit Rap
https://youtu.be/anRKT3hYz60?si=d5m5JoDntsBAN_5j
Two Pints of Lager - Phone MessagesÂ
https://youtu.be/m8IM-MFeKvk?si=gaxjVJOHeLsI-JfA
Newport State of Mind - Directed by MJ DelaneyÂ
https://youtu.be/Eijc2tGe-zM?si=MMhLXUeRLsqEPyhz
That One Guy Who's Always Preaching - Key and Peele
https://youtu.be/GrYbMbudILQ
Powder Room TrailerÂ
https://youtu.be/77Eb6NsLFqE?si=kY3j-hhxs3KYutwN
Powder Room - Bad Night
https://youtu.be/KlUG46H4W8o?si=iTee2ZuyYNIIIyfu
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1:29:26
S04 E08 - Take a Girl Like You (w/ Jain Edwards)
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.Â
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 Rob and Guy to assess the lasting impact of Beyond the Fringe, as well as the, let's say, dated attitudes of Take A Girl Like You.
A standout cast of Hayley Mills and Oliver Reed, as well as supporting roles of the British kings of satire John Bird and John Fortune, this sex comedy couldn't be all that bad... could it?!
Oliver Reed on the Word
https://youtu.be/EvCh6bbSQDg?si=6W7dHB7jmAqRkiCb
Hayley Mills at DisneyÂ
https://youtu.be/zeAmQ2zmVoY?si=M1XVL-Jbll6_r3t1
Hayley Mills in Twisted Nerve - TrailerÂ
https://youtu.be/BWoMM6-fpAA?si=dp1BF04ormKHe5aZ
Beyond the FringeÂ
https://youtu.be/KUd1OxPbKk4?si=k4QDTCsOkVAgwYgJ
One legged TarzanÂ
https://youtu.be/lbnkY1tBvMU?si=Tbv38-0BRHtOZzP4
Take a Girl Like You - trailer
https://youtu.be/AZzpyfJZwMs?si=s-GiYaSW1UQn6qkb
Take a Girl Like You - Dick ThompsonÂ
https://youtu.be/KF5pXwpwEH4?si=G4UVv8kutnrW_aao
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1:34:45
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1:34:45
S04 E07 - Wicked Little Letters (w/ Tracy Milnes)
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 Church of Wicked Little Letters? There'll be plenty of Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley and Timothy Spall chat and some suspicious quiz scoring. Check out episode seven!
Johnny Sweet in When Boris met Dave
https://youtu.be/KiM3uUqsO7E?si=VzIXB-87kVDhMITv
Olivia Colman in bruiser
https://youtu.be/MA6ksn6oNYk?si=daNVOzPUw6tc5r1z
 Olivia Colman in Peep Show
https://youtu.be/3l1mbCSUw-0?si=mq5-7M5mtj-nJqTc
Olivia Colman in Look Around You
https://youtu.be/g7JrUGhfcTI?si=K8N0npre5iAlnunS
Jessie Buckley in I'd Do Anything
https://youtu.be/yKiCTEf6Xn0?si=hhUGfPlA-onr26Dv
Jessie Buckley in Beast
https://youtu.be/cdzfnve-10A?si=L4cV6If2bc5RW2Ik
Jessie Buckley in ChernobylÂ
https://youtu.be/xqbUJYgd8_E?si=p_aNMcjvdsCuPo23
Chickens Episode 1
https://youtu.be/B6ydb5Nb__Y?si=WrN5PyhYhADTmWlJ
Wicked Little Letters Trailer
https://youtu.be/SeTeCWbF8KY?si=9FF89S2vkxsxFJkb
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1:32:34
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1:32:34
S04 E06 - The Lovers (1973)
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 the age of 50 anyway) is not as widely lauded as many of its 1970s contemporaries, and we get right to the heart of just whether that’s fair or not.
After two series, there was the inevitable 1973 movie spin-off. With a lavish premiere, sweeping rooftop shots of the Manchester skyline, and a liberal amount of Old Trafford football and cricket stadiums, this adaptation took the sitcom from its more humble studio roots to show off the burgeoning metropolis in which it was set and the talents of its two central stars.
But, would the movie version fall foul of the number one mistake nearly every other spin-off we have seen so far on this podcast and not live up to its small-screen counterpart? Well, you’ll have to tune in to find out. There’s Percy Filth Galore as we take on The Lovers!
The Lovers – SE1EP1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_SGqWcSRdQ
Ms Jones & Son – SE1EP1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHj5TxGSMiY
The Family Way - Trailer
https://youtu.be/p2azcOdkRbU
The George Best Boutique
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wndQC483D7s
The Lovers! – Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku9vQ2ERD9s
The Lovers – Old Trafford
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Ci5lWFGbY
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Guy Walker and Rob Heath are on a quest to find out if successful British TV comedies should make the jump to the big screen.
A proud part of the Film Stories Podcast Network: www.filmstories.co.uk
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