The incredibly talented and incredibly charming Russell T Davies (Queer As Folk, A Very English Scandal, Years And Years and It's A Sin) spoke to Ali this week in honour of his new ITV (and ITVX) drama Nolly, all about Noele Gordon, the '70s and early '80s soap superstar who played the indomitable Meg Richardson in Crossroads, and how her seemingly unstoppable small screen success suddenly... stopped. Oh, and it should be mentioned: Helena Bonham Carter plays Noele. Yep, it's a good 'un. And wit...
Feb 04, 2023•28 min
Darren Aronofsky and Brendan Fraser talk to Ali this week about their critically-acclaimed drama The Whale, as well as The Mummy bumper stickers, screentesting, Stephen Sommers' incredible directorial tips and much, much more. Forgive Ali for being particularly smitten with Brendan on this one, he's a big fan.
Jan 29, 2023•23 min
The Fabelmans finally arrives on British shores this weekend, with Steven Spielberg's latest enjoying the awards nominations as a not-so-little boost to remind you that yes, yes indeed, Spielberg has made another motion picture, and this one is about... him. That's right, this is a semi-autobiographical film starring the likes of Michelle Williams (who you'll hear from on this podcast), Paul Dano, Judd Hirsch and newcomer Gabriel LaBelle (again, also on this podcast!). Here you hear from Michell...
Jan 28, 2023•23 min
There's a lot of big telly coming your way in 2023, so friend of the show - and all-round TV expert - Scott Bryan dropped by the Radio 1 studios to chat to Ali about what to look forward to, from Nolly to The Last Of Us to Loki to The Mandalorian to... The list goes on and on. As you'll hear!
Jan 22, 2023•52 min
Damien Chazelle is just 37 years old but he's already given us Whiplash, La La Land, First Man and now his 1920s Hollywood epic, Babylon. He's an outrageous talent. There, it's been said. Here he talks to Ali about his story so far, with some of his stars - including one Ms. Margot Robbie - chipping in here and there.
Jan 20, 2023•31 min
The Last Of Us TV show is finally with us, on HBO in the US and here in the UK through Sky Atlantic / NOW. At long, long last - so to speak - The Last Of Us is here. At last. In 2013 the first game came out on PS3 - remember that? - and now, a decade later, Naughty Dog's critically-adored post-apocalyptic zombie heartbreaker has finally been adapted for the small screen, and by Chernobyl's Craig Mazin no less, so that's how you know it'll be a laugh riot. Ahem. Talking to TLOU superfan Ali we ha...
Jan 13, 2023•29 min
There are "unbelievable stories", then there's the tale they're telling with Welcome To Chippendales, the latest Hulu drama to make its way over to the UK and land on Disney+ (alongside Welcome To Wrexham and, um, the Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie), inspired by a book that says a lot just in the title: 'Deadly Dance: The Chippendales Murders'. Best to say not too much more, eh? But! Kumail Nanjiani and Murray Bartlett play the two key figures in the incredible tale of how the all-male danci...
Jan 13, 2023•26 min
Gillian Anderson needs no introduction, but with this being the introduction part of the podcast, an introduction is what she shall have. An Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild (the list goes on and on, and quite rightly) award winner, Anderson is a veteran of the X-Files series - but of course - as well as, more recently, The Crown and Sex Education, not forgetting Bleak House, American Gods, Great Expectations and much, much more. Here she talks to a very chilly Ali over Zoom in honour of ...
Jan 08, 2023•22 min
2023 is here! And with it, Radio 1's Screen Time interview specials for you to listen to, you lucky, lucky things. First up is Blake Harrison, most recently seen in the second series of I Hate Suzie on Sky, but also in the likes of The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (a must watch if you're a David Cross fan), The Great, A Very English Scandal and some thing called - checks notes - The Inbetweeners, where of course he played the legendary Neil. Here Blake talks to Ali about all of t...
Jan 06, 2023•35 min
What is Ali's film of the year? You may be able to guess but just to maintain an air of mystery, let's say it's A BIG SURPRISE (it's not). Then there are the big movies of next year to look forward to - so many blockbusters it's almost unbelievable - plus a cheeky 'last interview of the year' with the stars of Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, namely Naomi Ackie and Stanley Tucci. And if you're reading this podcast description, let us just say... MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Dec 25, 2022•29 min
The cast of the new Witcher prequel series - four episodes hitting Netflix on Christmas Day, as you do - chat with Ali about baths, staffs, warhammers, regular hammers, shooting in Iceland, shooting in caves, the glory that is Michelle Yeoh as well as that pesky "Conjunction of the Spheres". Fair warning: Ali's a bit poorly, so he's even more eccentric than normal. Yeah... that's saying something, for sure.
Dec 23, 2022•29 min
Brian Tyree Henry is one of those actors, you know? Always good in everything he appears in, whether it's Atlanta, Boardwalk Empire, How To Get Away with Murder, This Is Us, If Beale Street Could Talk or even Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. He's just got that special X factor that lifts his characters up, and frankly, Ali may be a bit obsessed. Brian's getting rave reviews for his work in his latest effort, Causeway, and was kind enough to tell us all about it here...
Dec 18, 2022•17 min
2009's Avatar is - at the time of writing - the biggest film of all time. Ever. And now, 13 years later, its sequel is finally hitting cinemas, going by the name of Avatar: The Way Of Water. In this audio version of the BBC iPlayer programme, Ali speaks to the cast of the films - as well as producer Jon Landau and director (amongst many other things) James Cameron - to ask after the secret of the series' enormous success.
Dec 16, 2022•43 min
One of the very best things on Apple TV+ is Slow Horses, and one of the very best actors in Slow Horses is Jack Lowden - of Mary Queen Of Scots, Fighting With My Family and War And Peace fame - here playing alongside the legendary Gary Oldman in this thoroughly entertaining spy thriller series based on the books by Mick Herron. In this particular conversation, you'll hear Jack talking to Ali about meeting Sir Alex Ferguson, taking selfies with Mr. Oldman and what he's currently binging on TV. Pr...
Dec 11, 2022•33 min
With December chugging ever onwards and January and February just around the corner, what are the awards-worthy films we'll need to pretend we've seen in the new year? Friend of the show and Rotten Tomatoes' in-house awards expert Jacqueline Coley had a good old chat with Ali about the nature of modern film criticism as well as who's in the running for The Academy Awards 2023. The Whale, Tar, The Fabelmans, The Banshees of Inisherin, Women Talking... looks like we've got a lot of (very enjoyable...
Dec 09, 2022•51 min
Odds are if you listen to Radio 1's Screen Time - and if you're reading this, there's a decent chance you do - you're aware of the super soaraway podcast success that is No Such Thing As A Fish, where four QI elves get together to throw semi-incredible facts at each other. One of their number is Dan Schreiber, a friend of the show here at Screen Time, and he was kind enough to stop by Radio 1 recently to indulge in a fact-slinging match with Ali about troubled movie productions, inspired in part...
Dec 04, 2022•51 min
Kaya Scodelario stops by - through the magic of the internet, that is - the podcast this week to talk about her new Christmas movie called, um, This Is Christmas. It's very Christmassy. Elsewhere on the podcast, the first half is all about the amazing avalanche of movie and TV news that's been occurring of late, with trailers for Indiana Jones 5, Guardians 3 and more all arriving, plus bits and pieces on The Last Of Us adaptation, His Dark Materials and much more.
Dec 02, 2022•36 min
Ali is joined by comedian and friend of the show Jordan Gray for an extended, spoilerific, conversation all about one of the finest super hero movies ever, X2: X-Men United.
Nov 27, 2022•49 min
Ali chats with Willow star Warwick Davis as well as creator Jonathan Kasdan and vaious other other cast members.
Nov 26, 2022•29 min
Will Ferrell? In a Christmas film? Inconceivable! The artist sometimes known as Buddy the elf teams up with Ryan Reynolds for Apple TV+'s festive musical outing, Spirited, a toe-tapping take on the classic Christmas Carol story. Here you'll hear from Will himself as well as his co-star Octavia Spencer, not forgetting their director Sean Anders. Ho ho ho and so forth.
Nov 20, 2022•33 min
The Menu hits cinemas this weekend, a thriller-horror-psychological... food film, you might say? As in, a film about food. Ralph Fiennes plays an all-powerful chef who invites a select group of foodies to a night they'll never forget at his remote island restaurant. Here stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult tell us all about it - as well as Mad Max Fury Road and much, much more...
Nov 18, 2022•21 min
Connor Swindells may be best known for his performance as Adam Groff in Sex Education, but his new role as SAS founder David Stirling in the BBC's SAS Rogue Heroes may take over that prized position. Here's a chat with the charming so-and-so that touches on what to expect from Sex Ed series 4 and how to best survive a desert shoot in the baking heat when sand gets absolutely everywhere. Top tip: turn the air con off. Seriously. Now you know.
Nov 13, 2022•25 min
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is finally here: the 30th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the long-awaited follow-up to the box office-busting worldwide cultural phenomenon that was the first Black Panther, which came out back in 2018. This is an interview special in honour of the film - featuring writer-director Ryan Coogler as well as some of his cast, including Winston Duke, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o and more - touches on the passing of the late, great Chadwick Boseman as well a...
Nov 11, 2022•36 min
A short and sweet conversation with Aimee Lou Wood - of Sex Education fame, sure, but she was in The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, let's not forget, and lots of theatre too - for you this Sunday, as we celebrate her first lead role in a motion picture: Living. A remake of the Japanese classic Ikiru, it stars Bill Nighy as a bureaucrat with a terminal illness, and Aimee as his work colleague that starts to bring him out of his shell. It's a real winner this one, well worth seeking out, as Aimee ...
Nov 06, 2022•16 min
The cast for the Enola Holmes movies on Netflix, well, it's a little bit ridiculous. Eleven herself, Millie Bobby Brown, might have been enough, but you've also got Henry Cavill (as Sherlock, no less), Helena Bonham Carter, David Thewlis and Sam Claflin (in the first film, at least). Speaking from New York last week - just after that big Superman news dropped - both Millie and Henry were on great form, getting very geeky about reality TV shows and fantasy novels. Wonder if you can guess who was ...
Nov 04, 2022•32 min
House Of The Dragon has wrapped up its first series and now all us Game Of Thrones fans are left waiting well over a year for the next episode to land in - gulp - 2024. To help assuage the pain, Ali has teamed up with friend of the podcast Steffan Powell (formerly of Radio 1's Newsbeat, now the BBC's Gaming Reporter) for a bit of low-on-expertise-but-high-on-enthusiasm spoilerific chat about the GoT prequel. You know, just the way we like it here at Radio 1's Screen Time, eh?
Oct 29, 2022•54 min
Ali is back, back, back and now he's now longer feeling unwell, hooray! To celebrate, here's a cheeky little Friday episode of Radio 1's Screen Time, featuring a short but sweet news section before a delightful conversation with Bros stars Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane. If you've not heard much about Billy "Billy On The Street" Eichner's gay rom-com, well, things are about to change as Ali is a FAN and this gloriously giddy interview very much proves it.
Oct 28, 2022•27 min
Baz Luhrmann is the visionary, legendary, incomparable director behind Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, Australia, The Great Gatsby and this year's Elvis, starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. Ali was lucky enough to talk to Baz face to face for a good half hour, touching on everything from 'Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)' to his favourite shots in his own films. So if you love films - and let's be honest, it's a pretty safe bet you do if you're reading this - don't think ...
Oct 21, 2022•35 min
Ali is joined by comedian, writer and super friend of the show Kiri Pritchard-McLean to talk about their mutual love for Australian psychological horror, The Babadook.
Oct 14, 2022•51 min
The most incredible cast - truly - has been assembled for Amsterdam, featuring Chris Rock, Zoe Saldana, Mike Myers, John David Washington, Anya Taylor Joy, Taylor Goshdarn Swift and many more... including our interviewees today, Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and Rami Malek. Here you'll hear about glass eyes, early plastic surgery and singing with one of the biggest popstars in the world.
Oct 07, 2022•37 min
