(This episode was recorded in November 2020)

Please forgive me. I'm so sorry, but I just had to do it...

Welcome to the first and last live commentary episode of Betamax, as John from the Trial Of A Time Lord podcast and I suffer the ordeal of 1978's TV disaster for the first and last time.

Listen live, and watch along with us: It is available on YouTube here https://youtu.be/6hH8rxarVG8?t=14 

This is being uploaded to the podcast feed in order to generate a video to go onto the Betamax YouTube channel, which will be the new home of the old and bonus episodes in 2022.

If you haven't already, check out my new podcast "Don't You Want Me" on all good podcast apps, where Catrin and I look at the relationships within movies such as Casino Royale, Superman and West Side Story.

Rich

"I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet... But your kids are going to love it"

One of the all-time greats finally arrives on Betamax - and we go all the way back to 1985 to revisit a lot of people's favourite movie. Due to poor planning it's not episode 88, but better early than late. Joining me in the podcasting Delorean is Beano cartoonist Andy Fanton.

Rich

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Executive producers: Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Ian Maddrell, Catrin Lowe, Mark Machin, Zoltan Vago, Simon Smith, Laury Curran, Wayne McNally, Darren Hodgkins, Dan Wellington, Alex Heale, Philip Rothenberger, Alan Fewings, Tom Carr, James Kennedy, Simon Pegg, Jo Harrison, Anita Singh, Jason Clarkson

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access, discounted Betamax Video Club merchandise and more.

"HEY YOU GUYS!!!!!"

Welcome to the biggest adventure on Betamax so far as I'm joined by two guests for the first time, Doug and Elly from the newish podcast Doug and Elly Watch Telly. They were surprisingly gentle with a movie that a lot of people will count as their favourite.

Thank you for the ongoing support - don't forget to share, rate and review the podcast. Plus, if you do enjoy it, then let me know - makes a huge difference.

Rich

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Executive producers: Gary West, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Ian Maddrell, Catrin Lowe, Mark Machin, Zoltan Vago, Simon Smith, Laury Curran, Wayne McNally, Darren Hodgkins, Dan Wellington, Alex Heale, Philip Rothenberger, Alan Fewings, Tom Carr, James Kennedy, Simon Pegg, Jo Harrison, Anita Singh, Jason Clarkson

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access, discounted Betamax Video Club merchandise and more.

"You dirt-eating piece of slime! You scum-sucking pig! You son of a motherless goat!"

We travel back in time to a golden age of cinema this week, as the infamous Graham Sibley returns for another film with an exclamation mark (after Airplane!, while Goal! does get mentioned...).

Thank you for the ongoing support, don't forget to leave a plethora of five star reviews on your podcast app of choice, tell your own amigos and if you can spare the pesos, click on the Patreon link below.

Rich

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Executive producers: Gary West, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Ian Maddrell, Catrin Lowe, Mark Machin, Zoltan Vago, Simon Smith, Laury Curran, Wayne McNally, Darren Hodgkins, Dan Wellington, Alex Heale, Philip Rothenberger, Alan Fewings, Tom Carr, James Kennedy, Simon Pegg, Jo Harrison, Anita Singh, Jason Clarkson

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access, discounted Betamax Video Club merchandise and more.

"His name is Blane? Oh! That's a major appliance, that's not a name!"

We remain in the classics section this time with one of the defining movies of the era, featuring the first lady of 80s cinema Molly Ringwald.

Joining me at the prom is The Telegraph's arts and entertainment editor Anita Singh - she even has a copy of the novelisation with the original ending so clearly an authority on the topic. She also suggests a very interesting companion film at the end...

Thanks again for the ongoing support

Rich

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Executive producers: Gary West, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Ian Maddrell, Catrin Lowe, Mark Machin, Zoltan Vago, Simon Smith, Laury Curran, Wayne McNally, Darren Hodgkins, Dan Wellington, Alex Heale, Philip Rothenberger, Alan Fewings, Tom Carr, James Kennedy, Simon Pegg, Jo Harrison, Anita Singh

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access, discounted Betamax Video Club merchandise and more.

"Get away from her, you bitch!"

Returning after a 57 year absence, Simon Pegg joins me on LV-426 to talk about one of the most bold and exciting sequels to a very different masterpiece... 

Thank you again for the ongoing support. Mostly. If you like it, tell your friends, share the podcast, rate review and subscribe.

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Executive producers: Gary West, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Ian Maddrell, Catrin Lowe, Mark Machin, Zoltan Vago, Simon Smith, Laury Curran, Wayne McNally, Darren Hodgkins, Dan Wellington, Alex Heale, Philip Rothenberger, Alan Fewings, Peter Climie, Tom Carr, James Kennedy, Simon Pegg

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access, discounted Betamax Video Club merchandise and more.

"In time you'll drop dead and I'll come to your funeral in a red dress!"

Welcome back for a rare Oscar winning movie (three gongs) and a long overdue return for the fabulous Catrin Lowe. Again, I'd never seen the movie beforehand... But, Cher, Nicolas Cage, Frasier's dad, what more could you ask for?

Get involved, tell your friends, rate, review and subscribe!

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Executive producers: Gary West, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Ian Maddrell, Catrin Lowe, Mark Machin, Zoltan Vago, Simon Smith, Laury Curran, Wayne McNally, Darren Hodgkins, Dan Wellington, Alex Heale, Philip Rothenberger, Alan Fewings, Peter Climie, Tom Carr, James Kennedy

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access, discounted Betamax Video Club merchandise and more.

"I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said, "... I drank what?"

Welcome back to campus as I'm joined by the author Jenny Colgan as we explore science, nerd culture and Val Kilmer... We talk about the film and then move onto a bit about how we consume movies (and music) these days, sounding very old at why people don't make mixtapes anymore.

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Ian Maddrell, Catrin Lowe, Mark Machin, Zoltan Vago, Simon Smith, Laury Curran, Wayne McNally, Darren Hodgkins, Dan Wellington, Alex Heale, Philip Rothenberger, Alan Fewings

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access, discounted Betamax Video Club merchandise and more.

"Then I'm about to make the same mistake twice..."

Originally recorded in 2019, I've decided to release the full version of the episode on A View To A Kill, with an extra 50 minutes of Marty from Thunderballs and I talking about Roger Moore, Christopher Walken and various other gushing.

This episode has lived on Patreon but with the imminent farewell of Daniel Craig as Bond, let's reminisce for Roger's 1985 exit.

If Orlebar Brown are listening, we'd still like the jackets please.

Thunderballs is launching a new radio show in October 2021, with some very special guests talking about the music of James Bond along with some other insightful questions. 

"I'd buy that for a dollar!"

One of my favourite movies gets the Betamax treatment for the special 75th episode, with this delicious tale of corporate greed, graphic cop murder and cyborg technology.

Joining me in the executive bathroom of OCP is author James Montague, fresh from his appearance on The Running Man episode to talk about his new book 1312: Among The Ultras. 

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Ian Maddrell, Catrin Lowe, Mark Machin, Zoltan Vago, Simon Smith, Laury Curran, Wayne McNally, Darren Hodgkins, Dan Wellington, Alex Heale, Philip Rothenberger, Alan Fewings

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access, discounted Betamax Video Club merchandise and more.

"Are you a lesbian?"

Apologies for the slight delay with this. Time to explore what the New York Times called "That Madonna Movie"... Joining me to seek Susan is Absolute Radio royalty Claire Sturgess, returning to talk about dancing with Terence Trent D'arby, New York City and amnesia.

Coming soon, a bevy of 80s classics - Robocop, Real Genius and Moonstruck...

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Ian Maddrell, Catrin Lowe, Mark Machin, Zoltan Vago, Simon Smith, Laury Curran, Wayne McNally, Darren Hodgkins, Dan Wellington, Alex Heale, Philip Rothenberger, Alan Fewings

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access, discounted Betamax Video Club merchandise and more.

"Isn't it awfully nice to have a penis?"

Exploring one of the most profound questions in all of time, Betamax finally looks for the meaning of life with those Monty Python scamps. Joining me on the journey through time and space (and vomit) is Sophie Davies, host of the Smashed Prawns In A Milky Basket podcast as well as the brand new It's An S Pod Thing.

Got some very exciting episodes heading your way soon, keep your ears peeled.

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Andy Elliott, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Ian Maddrell, Catrin Lowe, Mark Machin, Zoltan Vago, Simon Smith, Matt Lee, Laury Curran, Wayne McNally, Darren Hodgkins, Dan Wellington

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access and more.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast on iTunes.

 "Do you lose as gracefully as you win?" "I don't know, I've never lost."

James Bond returns for his final Betamax appearance (on the main podcast) in a movie born out of lawsuits and arguments, but also giving a(nother) swansong to Sean Connery. Not an official Bond movie, but it features Connery as 007, so that'll do for me.

Joining me for a nice friendly game of Domination is ITV anchorman Steve Clamp. You can find Steve on Twitter here and on ITV in most of Central England.

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Andy Elliott, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Ian Maddrell, Catrin Lowe, Mark Machin, Zoltan Vago, Simon Smith, Matt Lee, Laury Curran, Wayne McNally, Darren Hodgkins, Dan Wellington

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access and more.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast on iTunes.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Steve Guttenberg makes his long overdue Betamax debut in the Leonard Nimoy-directed opus Three Men And A Baby. Guttenberg is joined by Tom Selleck and Ted Danson as three New York bachelors who become guardians of a baby left on their doorstep.

There is also a plot about heroin dealers which I really didn't notice when I was a kid...

Joining me to judge everyone involved is Jenny Morrill.

Ludicrous speed! GO!

Spaceballs the Movie is now available on Betamax from Mr Rental - joining me on the bridge of Spaceball 1 is Becky Lea, film writer and Spaceballs enthusiast.

Stay safe and buckle up (ah buckle this!)

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Andy Elliott, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Ian Maddrell, Catrin Lowe, Mark Machin, Zoltan Vago, Simon Smith, Matt Lee, Laury Curran

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access and more, including this episode at ludicrous speed...

Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast on iTunes.

"You improvise, adapt, overcome"

Clint Eastwood makes his Betamax debut in the US Marine story where he plays a grumpy hero being mostly grumpy against young people, middle aged people and old people.

My guest for the episode was Simon Smith, former soldier and curator of a fine Twitter feed (lots of dogs) and provider of a wide range of aerial and audio-visual service at Ascent Aerials...

Apologies my side was slightly quiet, I had a stinking cold. Not coronavirus...

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Andy Elliott, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Ian Maddrell, Catrin Lowe, Mark Machin, Zoltan Vago, Simon Smith, Matt Lee

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access and more.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast on iTunes.

"Acting head sunshine - and if you ask me, you're acting like a complete arsehole!"

Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan finally make their full Betamax debuts in this tense Cold War thriller set in East Anglia.

One scene that was mentioned is on Twitter here (Michael Caine catching a train)

My guest for the episode is Jonathan Sothcott, movie producer and CEO of Shogun Films, and big fan of Caine (and Roger Moore). Jonathan is working on some fantastic British movie projects this year.

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Andy Elliott, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Laury Curran, Ian Maddrell

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access and more.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast on iTunes.

"I ask you to kill Superman, and you're telling me you couldn't even do that one, simple thing."

One of my favourite movies as a kid gets the Betamax treatment - Superman III! Flawed but still wonderful, mainly for the three performances of Christopher Reeve, I'm joined by author Mark O'Connell on this journey through time, space and Guildford.

Mark's book Watching Skies is referenced throughout, while his other book Catching Bullets will be of particular interest to James Bond fans.

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Andy Elliott, Chris Hopkins

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access and more.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast on iTunes.

Knock knock!

One of the greatest movies of all time makes it's way to the podcast, the ultimate action/sci-fi/slasher hybrid with Schwarzenegger, Weathers, Ventura, Duke and a woman. Oh, and a little bit of Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Stephen Graham (Masters Of The Universe, Scrooged) returns for his hat-trick appearance. Since his last visit, he has started his own podcast called Faces Of Fascism, a fascinating look at that period in history.

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Andy Elliott, Chris Hopkins

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access and more.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast on iTunes.

Bella bella!

Betamax is back with Gregory's Girl, the movie dubbed "This has to be the match of the day"... There's football, teenage issues, suburban Scotland and plenty of tremendous hair.

My guest was writer Anna Cale, whose words about film can be found in some of the finest publications around.

Coming soon - Predator...

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Andy Elliott, Chris Hopkins

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access and more.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast on iTunes.

This is Walter!

Welcome back to The 'Burbs, where everything is not quite how it seems...

Joining me for a trip to Averageville USA is film writer/fan Jimi Fletcher, whose work can be found at Fletch Talks and VHS Revival. Randomly, this was recorded and edited before the recent trailer for the upcoming Tom Hanks movie about "Mr Rogers", so this featuring a clip of Mr Rogers is very random indeed.

There is a very slight "lo-fi" quality to my side of the record, owing to a dodgy back-up mic. Help me out by looking below...

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Christian Deas, Andy Elliott.

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access and more.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast on iTunes.

MAGNOLIAS ASSEMBLE!

A change of pace for the pod as Gabriela (aka Noir_Or_Never) joins me to discuss a film about women, directed by a man and written by a different man. Plenty to discuss though, with a group of friends going through various life issues.

Gabriela also writes about films at Pale Writer, looking at numerous classic and horror movies.

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access and more.

"Intuitive improvisation is the secret of genius"

Don your finest Fila velour tracksuit jacket, pick up a woman half your age and climb up the Golden Gate Bridge to celebrate Roger Moore's final Bond film. Joining me up the Eiffel Tower is Marty MacKillop, one of the brains behind Thunderballs.org, the most comprehensive archive of James Bond photographs on the web.

This is a shorter version for general consumption - despite the length of this episode, this was cut right down from the full cut which is 50 minutes longer. The full cut will be available on the Betamax Patreon page from Monday 1st July - patrons at all tiers will get access to this.

James Bond (and the podcast) will return for The Living Daylights...

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

You can find out more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub

Episode 50!

David Hartrick rejoins the Video Club to discuss one of our favourites - Beverly Hills Cop. Plenty of clips and nostalgia going on. Dave also talks about his Beyond The Touchline podcast at the end, expect a collaboration soon...

Thank you very much to everyone who has downloaded, shared and rated the podcast. Without any marketing, we rely on word of mouth to get about. I appreciate it so much. Here's to the next 50!

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

You can find out more about bonus episodes, early access to episodes and more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub.

"The world meets nobody halfway"

A truck driver arm-wrestles his way towards custody of his estranged son. It can only be the Cannon classic OVER THE TOP, the movie that Sylvester Stallone said no to so many times yet proved every man has a price by saying yes to $11m.

Joining me on the road to Las Vegas is Fergus Higginson, the man behind the hugely successful Manchester Classic Films, bringing movie greats (and Over The Top) to big screens in the Greater Manchester area. Follow at Facebook and Twitter.

At the time of publishing, the film is available in good quality on YouTube here. Go on, treat yourself.

Episode 50 is next... And Betamax is rolling into Beverly Hills...

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

You can find out more about credits, early access and bonus episodes at https://www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub

THE WEST IS DECADENT!

Bond is back in 1983's Octopussy - the year that pitched Moore against Connery (Moore won of course) and a crazy plot involving clowns, Faberge eggs and the Soviet Union invading the west.

Back for refilling is Elizabeth Howlett, aka Bloggy Balboa. We do reference her previous appearance a few times (Cocktail), while Pierce Brosnan also returns. WARNING: CONTAINS PIERCE BROSNAN SINGING.

The episode photograph is a behind the scenes shot where Christopher Reeve visited the set of the circus scene. Reeve was filming Superman III at Pinewood Studios at the same time on the 007 stage.

Coming soon... A View To A Kill!

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster.

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

You can find out more about bonus episodes, early access to future shows and more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub

REGULATORS!

For this 80s movie podcast, we travel back to the 1880s with some of the hottest young stars of the period. Emilio Estevez as Billy The Kid leads the Young Guns to avenge the death of their father figure.

Caution: There is a lot of gushing about Kiefer Sutherland.

My guest is Jan Bilton, regular pundit from the Sound Of Football podcast.

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson, Keith Foster

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

You can see your name here, along with access to bonus episodes, by going to https://www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub

LOS ANGELES - NOVEMBER 2019

This is the final cut of Blade Runner, Betamax style. At the second attempt, here it is. I hadn't seen any version of Blade Runner until last year. We discuss the various cuts of the film and how wildly different they are, along with the recent sequel.

My guest is Richard Johnson of The Football Attic, returning for the first time since episode one, for another 80s film that's not set in the 80s.

Apologies if my voice gets a bit croaky, I was full of cold.

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Executive producers: Gary West, Fergus Higginson

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Find out more about credits, early access and bonus episodes over at www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub

Roll out!

My guest for episode 41 was Paul Abbott, host of the Hark! The 87th Precinct Podcast, to discuss the film that made a million kids cry about some old toys being phased out for some new ones, before the old ones coming back anyway.

The Orson Wells wine advert that was used is from this Youtube clip here https://youtu.be/Fs5YwFONswQ 

Paul will return in the future for UHF...

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Executive producers: Gary West and Fergus Higginson

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

You can contribute to the running of the page, get early access to episodes, and listen to bonus podcasts by clicking on https://www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub

Merry New Year!

The final pod of 2018 brings the nature vs nurture masterpiece Trading Places, another festive special.

Returning to be the Louis to my Billy Ray is Emma Burnell, star of the When Harry Met Sally episode. Emma is usually found over at the Zeitgeist Tapes podcast.

Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the show. I'll be back in the New Year with new episodes and new guests!

Bah humbug, we're back for another Christmas episode! This time it's Bill Murray in Scrooged, an adaptation of A Christmas Carol.

Returning to guest is Stephen Graham, fresh from his appearance on Masters Of The Universe. Stephen will return sometime in 2019. There is at least mention of Pigboy...

Don't forget to subscribe and review, spread that Christmas cheer! The final festive episode of 2018 will be Trading Places.

Ho ho ho!

It's still Christmas, so here is one of my favourite festive movies, the third in the Griswold Vacation saga.

Returning guest is Ben Baker, author of The Festive Double Issue - Forty Years Of Christmas TV and The Long Quiz Goodnight. Ben's previous appearance was on the Garbage Pail Kids episode, no come back, don't go!

The film wasn't released in UK cinemas so the number one song was the Band Aid 2 one which was Christmas number one in 1989.

It's one of the ones I've been looking forward to most - one of the least mentioned Christmas movies, it's the film that ended the Cold War - Rocky IV!

Joining me is David Hartrick, oft heard at the Football Fives and The Stiles Council podcasts, for a show we had originally planned in the summer of 2017.

There are large portions of the soundtrack in the background, including replacing the number one song which was "The Sun Always Shines On TV" by a-Ha - sorry but it's Rocky IV.

Dave will be back soon for Beverly Hills Cop and a few others later down the line.

Don't forget to rate, review, like, subscribe, follow, whatever your podcatcher allows you to do.

Apparently it is Thanksgiving, so it's time for the awesome Planes, Trains And Automobiles, another John Hughes winner.

Joining me was comedian James Gill - James is MC at "Always Be Comedy", a regular show held at the Tommyfield pub in Kennington, South London, featuring a number of household names. The podcast was recorded in the corridor of the pub before a show back in August 2018, hence the slight echo and the numerous Police cars in the background - well, it is South London... There was also a slight issue with my microphone - luckily James is far funnier than I, and came out a lot clearer on the pod. Because we spent so long gassing, I've added the number one song intro at the end.

Don't forget to rate and review the show on your podcast app of choice.

Episode 32 and it's time to play truant with Matthew Broderick's iconic little fucker Ferris Bueller. Joining me on this adventure is actor and comedian Alison Ward.

Alison can also be found on YouTube in a series of short videos called The Secret Garden.

Apologies in advance if Ferris is your hero, he gets a bit of a rough ride here. Doesn't mean we didn't really enjoy the film...

Don't forget to like, subscribe, rate, review, whatever your podcast app allows.

Another film which has fallen through the gaps for many - 1984's Runaway. Released in the same year as The Terminator, with more killer robots, alas Tom Selleck's moustache didn't do enough lifting.

This episode was recorded in July 2018, but delayed due to the obvious sound issues. My guest was the returning Dean Newman from The Daily Jaws.

The number one song at the end was You'll Never Walk Alone, but this was a charity single in aid of the Bradford City fire of 1985.

Don't forget to subscribe, share, rate, like, review, whatever your podcatcher lets you do!

From the director of Life of Brian! Starring John Cleese! It's...

Erik The Viking!

Tim Robbins has had enough of rape, violence and Viking stuff and seeks to lead a bunch of British character actors to Valhalla without having to die in battle.

Author and former video shop owner Jon Spira joins me to discuss a film that seems to have been forgotten by many, despite the obvious potential.

There are also mentions for Jon's new book Videosyncratic, which is available on Amazon with a foreword from Suzie Dent off Countdown, one of Jon's former customers.

It's the first birthday of Betamax! A year to the day since episode one was published, here we are.

This is Splash, a film about a man falling in love with a mermaid. Yep.

Joining me is Taylor Glenn, writer, comedian and regular on the hilarious Drunk Women Solving Crime podcast.

There is a fair bit of smut within, particularly where we discuss the dynamics of how they, y'know, do it...

Enjoy.

Curator of bad films Ti Singh joins me to discuss an early Arnie classic, the dialogue-light, snake-heavy Conan The Barbarian. Ti also discusses his new book, Born To Be Bad, where he speaks to some of the most memorable villains in cinema, some of whom are regular Betamax antagonists. You can buy the book on Amazon here.

The episode was recorded in late July 2018, so there are a couple of dated references and don't include mentions of Ti winning the jackpot on BBC quiz show Pointless. This is the third Schwarzenegger film I've done so far (not the fourth), while I'm hoping to have two Stallone films up before the end of the year.

There are a few sound issues where I've had to re-record my end due to teething problems with new laptop. Apologies. Again...

Another podcast, another film I'd never seen before. I imagine this one is more fondly remembered than The Garbage Pail Kids Movie...

I was joined by James King, film critic and author, to discuss a film that didn't just do well, it potentially launched MTV and ushered film soundtracks into a new era after Saturday Night Fever.

We talk about James's book throughout, it's called Fast Times And Excellent Adventures and is available in all the usual places - here are the links on Amazon and Little Brown.

Some of you may have noticed that the sound from my end was a little off. Believe me, the first listen sounded like a ransom phonecall.

A special treat for the quarter-century, it's a movie often listed as the worst of all time. It's "The Garbage Pail Kids" and I'm joined by writer Ben Baker, whose books can be found here.

Again, some slight technical gremlins meant some extra editing towards the end. And yes, this film is utter crap and deserves all the disdain.

There is quite a lot of swearing in the podcast, including a couple of clips including the C word. I'd say I'm sorry, but...

"Two dollars!"

No, not another Patreon plug, but if you've seen the movie, you know the score...

Joining me at the top of the mountain in Jonathan Foster, host of The Pod Charles Cinecast, the podcast of the incredible Prince Charles Cinema. We have a good old natter about cinemas, streaming, home video and the such.

Thank you.

Rich

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Executive producers: Keith Foster, Jimi Fletcher, Mark Drakes, Matt Cunnington, Chris Hopkins, Omar Zambon, Ian Maddrell, Catrin Lowe, Mark Machin, Zoltan Vago, Simon Smith, Wayne McNally, Darren Hodgkins, Dan Wellington, Alex Heale, Philip Rothenberger, Alan Fewings, Tom Carr, James Kennedy, Simon Pegg, Jo Harrison, Anita Singh, Jason Clarkson, Doug Grant

Associate producer: Chris Oakley

Visit www.patreon.com/BetamaxVideoClub for more information about bonus episodes, early access, discounted Betamax Video Club merchandise and more.

It's another returning guest, as Looks Unfamiliar host Tim Worthington is back, and he's brought some Morons From Outer Space with him. Directed by Mike Hodges, who also brought us Get Carter, a very different movie.

Starring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys-Jones, there are lots of comparisons with other British TV comedians and the numerous sci-fi films that this film rips off and perhaps inspired.

During the pod, I reference a BFI piece about the movie, including a video interview with the director. Here's the link: http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/why-i-love-morons-outer-space

Hopefully Tim will return to discuss some more movies - in the meantime, his podcast is essential listening and is one of a number of nostalgia goldmines on his website https://timworthington.org/looksunfamiliar/

For episode 21, I'm joined by my friend Ian Callaghan to talk about one of the cult kids films of the 80s, Flight Of The Navigator.

We probably libel ourselves talking about Pee-Wee Herman, discuss the criminal activities of the child star and query why NASA force people to watch Jeopardy in their own homes.

Ian has two projects running on Instagram which are good fun to follow, the first is taking a photo a day of his various activities (https://www.instagram.com/supercally/) and the other where he takes some alternative looks at buildings and structures (https://www.instagram.com/_buildingsetc/).

We do make reference to a previous recording - this was done earlier in 2018 but the tech gremlins ballsed it up so this was recorded in his living room.

Unfortunately not episode 11, I'm joined by Absolute Radio DJ and voiceover artist Claire Sturgess to talk about the most famous mockumentary of all - This Is Spinal Tap.

There are anecdotes, name-drops and suggestions throughout, as well as a couple of clips from the film.

Note the cover of the podcast had to be changed as some podcast carriers refused to post it, so I've gone black - how much more black could this be? None.

I'm jumping on the World Cup bandwagon with a look at the official FIFA films of the World Cups of 1982 and 1986.

G'Ole, about the tournament in Spain in 1982, was narrated by Sean Connery. Hero, based on Mexico 86, was narrated by Michael Caine. Both had soundtracks provided by Rick Wakeman.

Returning to the club is Chris Oakley, brains behind Kitbliss, who are doing a World Cup of World Cup Kits, well worth getting involved in.

A Cannon classic here, as I'm joined by Stephen Graham (PlopGazette on Twitter) to discuss a film about He-Man without mentioning He-Man very much - we talk more about a competition winner playing a role with no lines...

As always, any shares, feedback or reviews are hugely appreciated.

I'm joined by Edward Carter, aka Dotmund, for this episode - a parody of Blaxploitation films by Keenen Ivory Wayans, director of White Chicks...

It's quite silly, and this podcast includes a couple of clips from the film. The film was not released in UK cinemas, so rather than the usual number one song, I've included a poem by "Flyguy", recited at the Pimp Of The Year competition.

Ed will be back for future episodes, looking at The Terminator and Beverly Hills Cop 2.

A 12-year-old boy wishes he was big (didn't we all) and wakes up as Tom Hanks...

I'm joined by Chris Oakley, designer of the podcast logo and also from the excellent Kitbliss website, to talk about a body swap fantasy involving an arcade wish machine and when being "on top" with a woman means the top bunk.