From Hammer Horror to James Bond, Sinbad to The Cellar Club – a very special conversation with one of British cinema's most beloved stars.

For this special edition of the Talking Pictures TV Podcast, Mel and Scott are delighted to welcome a genuine icon of British cinema, the wonderful Caroline Munro.

With a career spanning more than six decades, Caroline has become one of the most recognisable and much-loved faces in British horror, fantasy and adventure cinema. From her early modelling days to her unforgettable appearances in some of the most celebrated genre films of the 1960s and 1970s, hers is a story packed with fascinating encounters, legendary filmmakers and more than a few cinematic monsters.

Caroline takes us on a journey through her extraordinary career, recalling her time working with Hammer Films, her memorable roles in Dracula A.D. 1972 and Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter, and her adventures in the fantastical worlds of Ray Harryhausen, including the much-loved The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.

Naturally, there's also time to revisit her appearance as the glamorous and deadly Naomi in the James Bond classic The Spy Who Loved Me, where she made quite an impression on Roger Moore's 007, even if their airborne encounter didn't end particularly well for her character!

Along the way, we celebrate Caroline's enduring popularity with generations of film fans, her experiences working alongside some of cinema's greatest personalities, and her infectious enthusiasm for the industry that has been such a huge part of her life.

And, of course, we couldn't let her go without discussing The Cellar Club, her wonderfully atmospheric Friday-night home on Talking Pictures TV, where she introduces a deliciously entertaining selection of horror classics, cult favourites and forgotten cinematic curiosities.

Warm, funny, wonderfully down-to-earth and full of delightful memories, Caroline proves every bit as charming off screen as she has been on it.

Whether you're a devoted Hammer Horror enthusiast, a Bond aficionado, a lifelong admirer of Ray Harryhausen's creations or simply someone who appreciates the magic of classic cinema, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Listen to this special interview and catch up with every previous episode of the Talking Pictures TV Podcast here:

https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/talkingpicturestvpodcast

#TalkingPicturesTV #TalkingPicturesTVPodcast #CarolineMunro #TheCellarClub #HammerHorror #HammerFilms #JamesBond #TheSpyWhoLovedMe #RayHarryhausen #GoldenVoyageOfSinbad #CaptainKronos #BritishCinema #ClassicCinema #CultCinema #ClassicHorror #FilmPodcast

A Special Talking Pictures TV Podcast Bonus Episode

This week, we're offering something a little different on the Talking Pictures TV Podcast, as we venture into the fascinating world of vintage British science fiction.

Regular listeners will know that our very own Gareth is also the man behind Very British Futures, a wonderful podcast dedicated to exploring the rich, occasionally eccentric and often overlooked history of British science fiction television.

Earlier this year, Mel, Daniel and Scott joined Gareth for a thoroughly enjoyable discussion about the television phenomenon that was Thunderbirds. Now it's Sarah's turn to step into the world of Very British Futures, joining Gareth to revisit a largely forgotten curiosity from the 1960s: Object Z.

Once part of Britain's thriving television science fiction landscape, Object Z is one of those intriguing productions that has slipped quietly from public memory. But thanks to Talking Pictures TV, audiences now have an opportunity to discover, or perhaps rediscover, this fascinating piece of television history.

With Object Z returning to our screens as part of the channel's much-loved Saturday Morning Pictures strand, we're delighted to share Gareth and Sarah's conversation as a special bonus episode.

Together, they explore the programme, its place in the history of British television and what makes these vintage science fiction adventures so appealing to audiences more than sixty years later.

Whether you're a lifelong enthusiast of classic British science fiction or simply curious about a programme you may never have encountered before, this is a lovely opportunity to travel back to a time when television imagination could stretch far beyond the limitations of its budget.

Discover more from Very British Futures

If you enjoy Gareth and Sarah's conversation, there's plenty more where that came from! You can explore previous episodes of Very British Futures, celebrating the weird, wonderful and sometimes downright peculiar world of British science fiction television, at:

https://garethpreston.blog/

And don't forget to tune in to Talking Pictures TV for the return of Object Z as part of Saturday Morning Pictures.

So, settle back, prepare for a little nostalgic television time travel, and join Gareth and Sarah as they rediscover Object Z.

#TalkingPicturesTV #TPTVPodcast #VeryBritishFutures #ObjectZ #BritishScienceFiction #ClassicSciFi #VintageTelevision #BritishTV #RetroTV #SaturdayMorningPictures #TelevisionHistory #ClassicTelevision #SciFiPodcast

Possible poisoning, brandy smuggling and attempts to get into a safe with disastrous consequences - all sorts of shenanigans are happening on Talking Pictures TV soon, and we're here to guide you through them.

Babysitters, Robots, Monsters and Dick Turpin.....It Must Be Talking Pictures TV

This week on the Talking Pictures TV Podcast, we've once again been let loose on the schedules to pick out some of the films coming up over the next three weeks on the nation's favourite archive TV and movie channel.

And it's quite a line-up.

Daniel turns up the temperature with Night of the Big Heat (1967), complete with Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and a Scottish island experiencing weather that definitely wasn't in the forecast.

Gareth goes for the gloriously pulpy sci-fi horror of Watchers (1988), where genetic experiments, mysterious creatures and one very unusual dog all combine to make life considerably more complicated than it needs to be.

Hal heads to Marseille with The French Connection II (1975), as Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle continues his pursuit of drug kingpin Alain Charnier in a sequel that swaps New York grit for French sunshine without becoming remotely relaxing.

Mel takes us back to one of the great classics of science fiction with The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), featuring flying saucers, a mysterious visitor, a giant robot and a message for humanity that still has something to say more than seventy years later.

Sarah keeps the tension high with Fright (1971), a very British tale of babysitting, unwanted visitors and the sort of evening that would make anyone reconsider accepting a few quid to watch somebody else's children.

And your host, Scott takes a little time to remember Richard O'Sullivan, following his recent death, by looking back fondly at his much-loved turn as the swashbuckling highwayman in ITV's Dick Turpin. For many of us, O'Sullivan was simply part of the fabric of British television, and this feels like a fitting opportunity to remember one of his most enjoyable and slightly less obvious roles.

So, this week we've got aliens, monsters, murderers, narcotics, extreme weather, one very nervous babysitter and a highwayman thrown in for good measure.

Pretty standard fare for Talking Pictures TV, then.

This episode, along with all our previous shows, is available here:

https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/talkingpicturestvpodcast

#TalkingPicturesTV #TalkingPicturesTVPodcast #ClassicFilm #BritishCinema #CultCinema #NightOfTheBigHeat #Watchers #TheFrenchConnectionII #TheDayTheEarthStoodStill #Fright #RichardOSullivan #DickTurpin

Three films, three reviewers, three weeks of Talking Pictures TV.

We're back with another trawl through the Talking Pictures TV schedules, picking out some of the films we think deserve a place on your watchlist over the next three weeks.

Mel gets things underway with Noël Coward's supernatural comedy Blithe Spirit (1945), directed by David Lean and starring Rex Harrison, Constance Cummings, Kay Hammond and the magnificent Margaret Rutherford. Ghostly goings-on, marital complications and one of cinema's most memorable mediums combine in a wonderfully British mixture of wit, exasperation and paranormal domestic chaos.

Hal, meanwhile, heads for Paris with Charade (1963), Stanley Donen's enormously entertaining blend of romance, comedy, mystery and Hitchcock-style thriller. Audrey Hepburn finds herself surrounded by suspicious characters, missing money and several people who appear to be telling her rather less than the truth, while Cary Grant demonstrates once again that being impossibly charming can get you through almost anything.

And Sarah takes us back to post-war Britain with The Guinea Pig (1948), starring Richard Attenborough as a working-class boy suddenly transplanted into the unfamiliar world of an English public school. Adapted from Warren Chetham-Strode's successful play, it mixes comedy and drama while taking a look at class, education and the social barriers that were beginning to shift in Britain after the war.

As ever, expect recommendations, memories, trivia, diversions and plenty of affectionate appreciation for the films, actors and unexpected discoveries that make Talking Pictures TV such an essential destination for lovers of classic cinema.

So settle down, make yourself comfortable and join Mel, Hal and Sarah as they rummage through another three weeks of the schedules and attempt to persuade you to add just a few more films to that increasingly unmanageable watchlist.

This episode, and every previous edition of the Talking Pictures TV Podcast, is available here:

https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/talkingpicturestvpodcast

Or wherever you download your podcasts.

#TalkingPicturesTV #TalkingPicturesTVPodcast #ClassicFilm #BritishCinema #BlitheSpirit #Charade #TheGuineaPig #DavidLean #NoelCoward #CaryGrant #AudreyHepburn #RichardAttenborough #MargaretRutherford #ClassicMovies #FilmPodcast

Five films, four reviewers, three weeks of Talking Pictures TV – and one very special guest.

We're back with another trawl through the Talking Pictures TV schedules, picking out some of the films we think deserve a place on your watchlist over the next three weeks.

Mel kicks things off with the glorious screwball comedy My Man Godfrey (1936), starring William Powell and Carole Lombard – a wonderfully sharp, funny tale of the idle rich, an unexpected butler and a family with rather more money than sense.

Scott heads into altogether more sobering waters with A Night to Remember (1958), Roy Ward Baker's superbly restrained account of the sinking of the Titanic. Still one of the finest British disaster films ever made, and proof that sometimes understatement can be far more powerful than spectacle.

Gareth, meanwhile, has clearly been spending too much time near the shoreline and brings us Behemoth the Sea Monster (1959) – a wonderfully enjoyable slice of British monster-movie mayhem involving radiation, destruction and a very large creature making a terrible nuisance of itself.

And Sarah ventures down into The Cellar Club with Caroline Munro, choosing the first two films in its latest season: Hammer's gloriously strange Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971) and Michael Powell's disturbing, controversial and now rightly celebrated Peeping Tom (1960).

Expect the usual mixture of recommendations, memories, trivia, disagreements, diversions and affectionate appreciation of the films that make Talking Pictures TV such an essential destination for lovers of classic cinema.

And don't switch off when the main episode finishes. We've got a very special feature immediately afterwards as Sarah chats with Ian Ogilvy about his latest movie, along with a look back at a remarkable career that has taken him through some memorable corners of British film and television.

This episode, and every previous edition of the Talking Pictures TV Podcast, is available here:

https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/talkingpicturestvpodcast

#TalkingPicturesTV #TalkingPicturesTVPodcast #ClassicFilm #BritishCinema #MyManGodfrey #ANightToRemember #BehemothTheSeaMonster #DrJekyllAndSisterHyde #PeepingTom #TheCellarClub #CarolineMunro #IanOgilvy #ClassicMovies #FilmPodcast

No Mel or Sarah this week, so the boys have been left unsupervised with the Talking Pictures TV schedules. What could possibly go wrong?

With three weeks of cinematic treasures to choose from, Scott, Hal, Daniel and this week's host, Gareth, have each been rummaging through the listings in search of something they think deserves a place on your watchlist.

Scott has selected Tomorrow at Ten, Lance Comfort's cracking 1963 British thriller starring John Gregson, Alec Clunes and a splendidly sinister Robert Shaw. Shaw plays Marlow, a kidnapper whose scheme involving the young son of a wealthy businessman comes with a particularly nasty ticking deadline. John Gregson is the detective faced with finding the boy before time runs out.

Lean, tense and running at around 80 minutes, it is the sort of economical British thriller that gets on with the job without feeling the need to hang around for another half-hour explaining itself.

Daniel, meanwhile, has gone for Green for Danger, Sidney Gilliat's marvellous 1946 murder mystery set in a wartime hospital during the Blitz.

When a patient dies on the operating table, the arrival of Scotland Yard's Inspector Cockrill, played with enormous relish by Alastair Sim, suggests that something rather more sinister than medical misfortune may be involved.

Trevor Howard, Sally Gray, Rosamund John and Leo Genn are among the suspects in a film adapted from Christianna Brand's novel and combining a proper murder mystery with a wonderfully dry streak of British humour.

And apparently one Alastair Sim film wasn't enough.

Hal has selected The Green Man, the gloriously dark 1956 comedy in which Sim plays Harry Hawkins, an outwardly respectable watchmaker who has found a rather more lucrative sideline as a professional assassin.

Unfortunately for Hawkins, his latest carefully arranged murder keeps being interrupted by George Cole's enthusiastic vacuum cleaner salesman.

Add Terry-Thomas, Jill Adams, Raymond Huntley, Dora Bryan, Arthur Lowe and Richard Wattis to the proceedings and you have ninety minutes of beautifully controlled comic chaos.

Directed by Robert Day and written by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, it also gives this week's choices a neat little connection with Green for Danger.

Finally, Gareth has decided that Britain simply isn't big enough for him this week and has gone continental with Georges Franju's extraordinary Les Yeux sans visage, better known as Eyes Without a Face.

Made in 1960 and starring Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli and Edith Scob, Franju's French horror classic concerns a brilliant surgeon desperately trying to restore the face of his disfigured daughter.

Unfortunately, his chosen method of doing so makes even the most questionable private cosmetic clinic look reassuringly respectable.

Beautiful, eerie and genuinely unsettling, it mixes fairy-tale imagery, medical horror and dreamlike black-and-white photography into something that still feels strikingly modern more than sixty years later.

So that's four films, two Alastair Sims, one psychopathic Robert Shaw, a professional hitman, a deeply worrying surgeon and a vacuum cleaner salesman.

Just another perfectly normal week at The Official Talking Pictures TV Podcast.

Join Mel and the team as they discuss the best of what's coming your way on Talking Pictures TV, the nation's favourite archive TV and movie channel.

Daniel kicks things off with 'Flic Story' from 1975. A true story of murder, madness, and the manhunt of a lifetime starring the legendary Alain Delon.

Scott's next with the wonderful Waris Hussein directed 'Melody ' from 1971. Puppy love, playground politics, and a full-scale classroom rebellion - starring Mark Lester and Jack Wild.

Sarah's choice is the classic 'Carve Her Name With Pride ' (1958) starring Virginia McKenna. The true story of the London shopgirl who became one of the war's greatest heroes.

And last, but not least, Mel brings us ' The Winslow Boy' (1948) starring Robert Donat. A five-shilling theft. A national scandal. One family's relentless fight for the truth.