Comfort Blanket

Writer John Finnemore (Cabin Pressure, Souvenir Programme) talks about the comforts of Alexander Mackendrick's classic 1955 Ealing comedy 'The Ladykillers', and explains how the film cleverly subverts the audience's expectations, while satisfying them at the same time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian John-Luke Roberts picks the 1990 LP by They Might Be Giants (the one that contains their hit single Birdhouse In Your Soul, and 18 other wildly inventive songs) and talks about the idea of ‘too much', of overwhelm, of an invigorating deluge of ideas, and how that connects the worlds of music and comedy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and comedian Robin Ince (The Infinite Monkey Cage, Cosmic Shambles Network) talks about the comforts of Carol Reed's masterpiece The Fallen Idol, the beautiful film he made between Odd Man Out and The Third Man, and touches on the links between film and our memories of loved ones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer Neil Forsyth (The Gold, Guilt, Bob Servant) talks about the comforts of Molly Dineen's 1989 fly-on-the-wall documentary 'Heart Of The Angel', a surprisingly deep study of the people working in a failing London Underground station.The documentary is available on the BBC iPlayer here:https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0074tkn/40-minutes-heart-of-the-angel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer Will Maclean (The Apparition Phase) talks about John Carpenter's classic 1982 sci-fi horror film The Thing, and why its tale of gruff short-tempered men failing to deal with an impossible situation in a pitiless white landscape is a comforting place to return to again and again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sunday Times bestselling author Beth Morrey (Saving Missy, Lucky Day) talks about Sue Townsend's definitive comic coming-of-age novel The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian and writer Sara Barron (Firecrotch & Normcore, They Like To Watch) celebrates the comforts of 30 Rock, Tina Fey's sitcom skewering of network TV, and the joy of seeing relatable character Liz Lemon surviving and thriving (even if she has lettuce in her hair). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedy producer Ed Morrish (Non-Censored, Soundheap, John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme) brings his personal comfort blanket, Ben Stokes' 2019 Ashes innings at Headingley against Australia (and more broadly "all sport") to try and persuade Comfort Blanket umpire Joel that it's allowed - and makes a case for sport as the perfect improvised long-form narrative. It's all about the story... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor, comedian and broadcaster Tom Price (Torchwood, Magic FM, My Mate Brought A Toaster) talks about the lifelong comfort he draws from Allo Allo, Perry & Lloyd's broad and shameless French resistance farce. Listen very carefully, we will say this only once: it's actually brilliant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer Naomi Alderman (The Power, The Future) chooses as her comfort blanket, the 1949 Ealing black comedy 'Kind Hearts And Coronets', with its mixture of revenge (served cold, of course), and vicious social satire, managing to possess, one might say, "all the exuberance of Chaucer, without, happily, any of the concomitant crudities of his period..." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second part of our two part look at definitive 1990s sitcom Friends, Larry Rickard (Ghosts, Horrible Histories) talks about how comedy reflects its times, how audiences want (and don't want) things to change for their favourite comedy characters, and when it's time to say goodbye.This is PART TWO of a two part episode. If you haven't heard PART ONE, please go back and start there... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and actor Larry Rickard (Ghosts, Horrible Histories) talks about his love for the smash hit 1990s sitcom Friends, and the craft of making warm, gag-filled, ensemble television comedy with your... er... friends.This is Part ONE of a two part episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and broadcaster Danny Robins (Uncanny, 2:22 A Ghost Story) talks about the unexpected comforts of Nic Roeg's classic 1973 supernatural thriller Don't Look Now, a masterful study of how humans try and make sense of life, death and the unexplained. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor and writer Jim Howick (Ghosts, Horrible Histories) talks about his love for Bruce Robinson's 1987 film 'Withnail & I', the studied debauchery of the striving, starving artist, its ache of regret for the 60s, and the strange, romantic comforts of desperation, booze and enormous herb-laced joints (lamb and otherwise). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor Rufus Wright (Rogue One, Quantum of Solace, The Audience) talks about the comfort he gets from the often overlooked 1974 debut album by Canadian heavy prog rock trio Rush, and we share our thoughts on the appeal of heavy metal for teenage boys, the gawky magic of school bands, and the sweet horror of adolescent lyrics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian and writer Bec Hill (Makeaway Takeaway, Horror Heights, A Problem Squared) talks about the comforts of Michael Schur's philosophical afterlife sitcom The Good Place, and how comedy can tackle the really, really big stuff. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second part of our 2-part celebration of the sound shorts of Laurel & Hardy, with journalist Andrew Male (Sight & Sound, Mojo, Sunday Times), talking about Towed In A Hole, Their First Mistake, Them Thar Hills, and its sequel, Tit For Tat.Please do listen to part one first! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist Andrew Male (Sight & Sound, Sunday Times, Mojo) talks about the sound shorts of Laurel & Hardy, and the leap forward in comedy instigated by their unique, warm double act adapting to the new technology of sound.Part one of two, dealing with Stan and Ollie's craft, and looking at their Oscar winning 1932 short, The Music Box. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PART TWO of actor and writer Carrie Quinlan talking about Spider-Man, and the endlessly retellable tale of the nerd-turned-neighbourhood superhero. This part talks in more depth about the latest Spider-Man film 'Across the Spiderverse'.If you haven't heard part one, please find it and start there!This is PART TWO of TWO. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor and writer Carrie Quinlan (Home, Agendum, John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme) talks about her love of the comic character Spider-Man, in all his (and her, and its) incarnations, and what enables the story of the teenage nerd turned neighbourhood crime fighter to be endlessly reinvented, to provide life-long comfort for alienated kids, teens and grown-ups.This is part ONE of TWO. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedy actor and podcaster Margaret Cabourn-Smith (Crushed, John Finnemore, Penny Dreadfuls) talks about the uplifting British comedy film Pride (2014) with its story of unlikely alliances and the power of unity, and the winner of an imaginary BAFTA for best White Writing At The End In A Motion Picture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian and YouTuber Jay Foreman (Map Men, Politics Unboring-ed) talks about the comforts of Goscinny and Uderzo's indomitable Asterix, about the sort of jokes and storytelling that can only work in comic form, and how good it is to read something from a neighbour's point of view. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author and journalist Daisy Buchanan (Insatiable, How To Be A Grown Up) talks about the comforts of Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding, and how book Bridget differs from the version we now think we know, how the book acts as a manual for self-acceptance, and how it might open a door to grown-up life if you read it when you're anxious and thirteen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian Michael Spicer (The Room Next Door, Mandy, The Mash Report) talks about the comforts of Monty Python's final, short and strange TV series (the one nobody really talks about), why sketch shows are all-hit-and-no-miss (provided you love them enough) and why enjoying the weird stuff is sometimes the most comforting part of being a fan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian and artist Jo Neary (Ideal, Man Down) on illustrator Ronald Searle, in particular his school satires: St Trinian's and the immortal Molesworth books, with Geoffrey Willans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and actor Abigail Burdess (Mother's Day, Mitchell & Webb) talks about the comforts of the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and talks about the invention of the romcom, and whether Jane Austen is the most successful comedy writer ever. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you like Comfort Blanket, we are launching a Patreon so you can join in and show your support.www.patreon.com/comfortblanketpodPatreon membership gives you early ad-free access to future episodes of Comfort Blanket, as well as our exclusive companion podcast 'Home Comforts'.Here's a sample episode to whet your Patreon appetite, with Julia picking Jennifer Saunders' classic sitcom 'Absolutely Fabulous'... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor Melanie Gutteridge (Salisbury Poisonings, Undeclared War, The Bill) talks about the comforts of the 2013 video game The Last of Us - recently adapted into the hit HBO series - the power of interactive fiction, and how video games are more like theatre than TV, how they tell their stories and emotionally affect us, and the differences between acting and acting-with-balls-all-over-a-wetsuit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are launching a Comfort Blanket Patreon. Please join and throw some coins in the lovely Patreon hat if you feel you want to support the podcast...www.patreon.com/comfortblanketpodYou'll get early ad-free access to forthcoming episodes, as well as EXCLUSIVE access to our companion podcast Home Comforts...Here's a sample episode, about what might be my favourite film of all time: Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A look back at some favourite moments from the first two series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author John Higgs (Love & Let Die, The KLF: Chaos Magic...) talks about the comforts of classic Doctor Who, and how a science fiction series for children seems to have almost willed itself into being as something far bigger, more powerful, and magical within our culture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist and broadcaster Samira Ahmed (Front Row) talks about the comfort she finds in 'Soul Food', the 1989 cookbook by Three Degrees singer Sheila Ferguson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian, games journalist and twitch streamer Ellie Gibson (Scummy Mummies, Go 8 Bit) talks about the comforts of Nintendo's gentle community-simulator video game 'Animal Crossing: New Horizons', and how it helped her, and millions of others, through the isolation of pandemic lockdown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor and writer Ben Willbond (Ghosts, Horrible Histories) chooses John Le Carre's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (in all its forms) and discusses how it comforts him by being a masterful attack on a very particular British form of cruelty and certainty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian and actor Paul Putner (Lee & Herring, Little Britain) talks about his lifelong love for one of Britain's best-loved pop bands Madness, and their unbeatably witty, inventive and, well, nutty promo videos. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian and writer Mike Wozniak (Man Down, Taskmaster, Three Bean Salad) talks about the influence and warmth of Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe's anything-goes 1950s radio programme The Goon Show, and the comforts of its self-contained, lunatic world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor and writer Jonathan Dryden Taylor (Mitchell & Webb, National Theatre) talks about the 1996 film 'Beautiful Thing', and the comforting message it offered: maybe there is another sort of rom-com that isn't just boy-meets-girl, and that maybe it's all going to be all right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second part of this two part episode, neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott talks about Michael Palin & Terry Jones' set of self-contained stirring Edwardian boys' story spoofs, and discusses the importance of shared laughter for humans.PART TWO of a two-part episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Sophie Scott (director of UCL's Dept of Cognitive Neuroscience) talks about the comforts of Ripping Yarns, Michael Palin & Terry Jones' hilarious and lavish post-Python anthology series of Edwardian adventure story spoofs, and how comedy always needs to be taken extremely seriously...PART ONE of a two-part episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor and comedian Ingrid Oliver (Doctor Who, Watson & Oliver) talks about the comforts of the ultimate 80s kids' adventure movie The Goonies, with its magic combination of Richard Donner, Chris Columbus and Steven Spielberg, plus the infectious can-do confidence of America's finest unstoppable junior adventurers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of our deep dive into the repeat-watch comforts of Lawrence Gordon Clark's 1970s Ghost Stories For Christmas, writer Will Maclean talks about how these sort of tales weave their uneasy magic spell. (And this time we don't skip any of them for being too scary.)This is the second of two parts, in which we discuss The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, The Ash Tree, The Signalman and Stigma. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and ghost story enthusiast Will Maclean (The Apparition Phase) talks about the close-the-curtains-and-shiver comforts of Lawrence Gordon Clark's astonishing run of 1970s BBC Ghost Stories For Christmas.This is part one of a two part Halloween Special, covering The Stalls Of Barchester, A Warning To The Curious, and Lost Hearts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL! Journalist and broadcaster Julia Raeside talks about the comforts of the classic 1945 Ealing film 'Dead of Night', the peculiar comforts of the creepy, and why she loves it even though she hates horror films...[SPOILER NOTICE: Though Dead of Night was released in 1945, and all its plot elements are pretty much in the public domain, if you haven't seen the film, and are super spoiler sensitive, maybe drop out before the last five or ten minutes where we discuss the ending.] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian and writer Isy Suttie (Peep Show, Jane Is Trying) talks about the comforts of one of the most successful film musicals of all time, toe-tapping, potty-mouthed high-school nostalgia-bomb 'Grease'.This episode was recorded LIVE at the London Podcast Festival, September 10th, 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comfort Blanket LIVE at the London Podcast Festival, September 10th 2022, 7pm.https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/comfort-blanket/Comfort Blanket LIVE at the Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival, October 9th, 12 noon.https://www.cheerfulearful.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BY PUBLIC REQUEST! A bonus episode to act as a companion to the 'Better Call Saul' Comfort Blanket episode.Writer Will Maclean returns to discuss the finale of the critically acclaimed series, now that both of us have seen it, and asks whether it achieves the seemingly impossible task of ending a longform 'box set' series in a way that actually satisfies its fans...WARNING: This episode obviously does contain spoilers for the Better Call Saul season 6 finale. So do not listen if you are following the story and have yet to see the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a special bonus episode, recorded one week before the finale of the show, writer Will Maclean (The Apparition Phase) talks about Breaking Bad prequel 'Better Call Saul' and asks what comfort we find in the suspense of a long-form premium drama, and whether we can ever revisit it for the same comfort again.PSA: Obviously this episode is about a six-season storyline and though we've edited out as many “spoilers” as possible (and a prequel is technically hard to spoil) there are references to plot. You may prefer not to listen if you're saving Better Call Saul to watch later. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and comedian Sarah Kendall (Frayed, Australian Trilogy, Taskmaster) talks about the comforts of PJ Hogan's smash hit 1994 comedy film Muriel's Wedding and the art of telling authentic, affecting stories using big, stupid jokes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author and journalist Marianne Levy talks about the warm-stone-and-fine-cheese comforts of Peter Mayle's 1989 travel writing blockbuster A Year In Provence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Novelist Jenny Colgan talks about the killer-robot comforts of The Terminator, the original and best, and how underneath its kick-ass action movie surface, there are some surprising mechanisms at work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artist Zarah Hussain talks about finding comfort for herself (and her kids) in sophisticated 90s sitcom Frasier, and the universal lessons that lurk beneath the surface Seattle snobbery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.