In this episode of Blacklisted with Matt Black, Matt welcomes Matt Richards (Family Shield Financial) and Pete Tarbuck (Lead Magpie) to go head-to-head across five rounds of pettiness, hot takes and modern-life moans, with Radio Ed popping up throughout. Only one nomination per round gets banished to the blacklist, and the guest with the most “wins” takes the title (and the unwanted T-shirt).
Key Takeaways
The Game Plan: Five rounds — Films, Quotes, Nostalgia, Black Mirror Moments, and Songs. One blacklist per round; most round-wins = Blacklister of the Week.
Round 1 – Films: Matt wants to wipe Fast & Furious after the third film off the planet (cars in space, submarines on ice, “Avengers with engines”). Pete controversially goes for The Shawshank Redemption (the tunnel/poster logic).
Round 2 – Quotes: Pete nominates “If you know, you know” (lazy, exclusionary, meaningless). Matt nominates “We all have the same 24 hours” (hustle-culture nonsense that ignores real life).
Round 3 – Nostalgia: Matt brings in incubated toy aliens (the true crime is the schoolyard rumour that they “give birth”). Pete nominates the childhood lie “Don’t sit too close to the TV — you’ll get square eyes.”
Round 4 – Black Mirror Moments: Pete attacks staged short-form videos with fake laughs and obvious setups. Matt goes for motion sensor bins (oversensitive, battery-hungry, and forcing you to “dance” just to throw something away).
Round 5 – Songs: Matt nominates Mariah Carey — “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (played too early, everywhere, and always when you’re trapped shopping). Pete nominates “Sweet Caroline” (overused stadium/pubs anthem).
Best Moments
Matt Black to Matt Richards: insurance sellers can be so dull they “use their personality as birth control.”
Pete’s Shawshank logic grenade: “How the **** did that [poster] get back on there?”
The greatest dad comeback ever: “Well, get a round telly then.”
Radio Ed’s accidental character confession: “Hi, everybody, I’m Pancake Pete…” (followed by immediate regret).
The episode’s unofficial life advice: “Dance in front of your bin and chill out.”
About the guest - Pete Tarbuck
Pete Tarbuck is the founder of Lead Magpie, helping businesses generate consistent, high-quality leads through smart marketing systems and clear messaging. Known for straight-talking advice and practical strategy, he supports companies to attract the right enquiries, improve conversion and build predictable pipelines without gimmicks. With a sharp eye for what actually works, Pete combines creativity with data-led thinking to turn attention into action and marketing into measurable growth.
About the guest - Matt Richards
Matt Richards is a financial adviser at Family Shield Financial, supporting individuals, families and business owners with clear, practical guidance on protection, mortgages and long-term financial planning. Known for a down-to-earth approach, he helps clients understand their options, make confident decisions and put safeguards in place for the things that matter most. Matt focuses on building lasting relationships, tailoring solutions to real life and ensuring people feel informed, supported and properly protected.
About the host - Matt Black
Raised in sunny Shrewsbury, he moved to the Black Country in 1999, living in Cannock and now Walsall. Married, divorced and remarried, he has four children, making family life busy and joyful. Matt is a charity trustee and seasoned sales professional.
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