Any wittertainee's out there..?

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000 · 23-09-2016 11:16pm #1

Well. Where are you? I've got the official iwittr app that makes a tonne or money for kermode and mayo that tells me there's loads of ye in Ireland....

Hello to Jason Isaac's.

thisistough · 24-09-2016 6:28pm

How do you find a fellow Wittertainee...?

The Black Oil · 24-09-2016 6:54pm

thisistough wrote: »

How do you find a fellow Wittertainee...?

Get tickets for the cruise, of course.

mrsdewinter · 25-09-2016 6:45pm

I'm not even a movie buff and I'm a wittertainee. Love the show. Its appeal has very little to do with movies.

tigger123 · 25-09-2016 7:01pm

Am a wittertainee!

Goodshape · 25-09-2016 7:42pm

thisistough wrote: »

How do you find a fellow Wittertainee...?

Well, clearly, you just find a fellow Wittertainee.

pinkypinky · 25-09-2016 7:58pm

Wassup....

Dont be at yourself · 25-09-2016 8:03pm

Used to listen to it religously years ago but then it slowly became consumed by in-jokes, too much time given to reading listeners' letters about how great they are, and the dreaded live shows.

pinkypinky · 25-09-2016 8:11pm

I think it would be quite impenetrable these days for new people. Listening about 4 years. Am two weeks behind at the moments so watch the spoilers please!

S.M.B. · 25-09-2016 8:35pm

Dont be at yourself wrote: »

Used to listen to it religously years ago but then it slowly became consumed by in-jokes, too much time given to reading listeners' letters about how great they are, and the dreaded live shows.

This.

They extended the format and padded it with relentless in jokes. I can't think of any other media offering that I turned my back on so quickly.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000 · 25-09-2016 10:52pm

Dont be at yourself wrote: »

Used to listen to it religously years ago but then it slowly became consumed by in-jokes, too much time given to reading listeners' letters about how great they are, and the dreaded live shows.

I think that's the whole point of it... Well it's what I enjoy about it anyway, the in jokes, the jokes that go on from one week to another and on for weeks and months afterwards... Genuinely think kermode is a brilliant critic and he nearly always gets it right. It's a movie podcast that's not really about movies. I've gotten my gf to listen to it for the last few months and now she asks for me to put on the podcast with "the two boys having the craic" . It's light entertainment of the highest order.

doubledown · 26-09-2016 9:01am

I am a long-time listener. Love it. Kermode is my favourite film critic by far.

Noise Annoys · 26-09-2016 2:19pm

Yeah, been listening for a couple of years now. Although I tend to listen to the podcast in bed and fall asleep after about 20 minutes, so it takes a few nights to get through it.

I usually skip the interviews with Hollywood stars.

The Black Oil · 26-09-2016 7:15pm

With the hour format I think they struggled a little to fit in all of the reviews. In doubling that there's the padding, as mentioned above. But, imo, the letters, backslapping, etc, are driven by the audience more so than the producers. The email address isn't mentioned all that often, at least not on the podcast.

Also, I think Mayo is a very good interviewer.

FunLover18 · 26-09-2016 11:09pm

The cruise was so good this year!!

Arghus · 27-09-2016 1:38am

When I first started listening to podcasts, a good few years ago, I wouldn't have missed a single episode of the show. I listened to it every week for three or four years.

It happened gradually, but I eventually came to tire of being told to say hello to Jason Issacs, by that stage I irrationally hated Jason Issacs, especially the sound of his name. And the phrase "listener's e-mails" used to get my gag reflex going bad. All that "wittertainment" became too much. I wanted to hear them talk movies - not about the fate of listener's cats. Or children. Or anything to do with listeners at all.

This wasn't the single pivotal moment when I said "that's enough now" but I do remember them interviewing John Landis at some stage, either 2011-2012. He and Kermode were talking about the horror trope of society breaking down and riots in the street or such. I remember Kermode and Mayo then both, laughingly and - it must be said - condescendingly, chiming together with a remark of "like in GREECE!" - in the manner of a smug punchline. Landis, to his credit, was quick to remind them that, even if they'd completely forgotten all about it, Britain had it's own spell of widespread looting, burning and rioting only a few months previously. Ouch. Not that I expect every show to be totally a hundred percent up to date with current affairs, but I thought, that's this show for you: in it's own little cosy world, self-regardingly saying hello to Jason Issacs and oblivious to it all. And then, occasionally, they might talk films.

I'm sure they'll continue to motor on quite well without me, somehow. They still seem to be mighty popular. It just wasn't for me any more. I still like the two boys: in between dropping names, Kermode still is an knowledgeable and insightful critic and Mayo has a nice understated style.

27-09-2016 11:27am

I've had emails read out once or twice and even had their then-guest star say hello to me.

Also. I walked past the studio in which they record their shows and stood there looking in through the window. It wasn't on a Friday, sadly, so they weren't there, but it was still really cool seeing the production booth and their room in person.

FunLover18 · 27-09-2016 11:32am

Camryn Limited Pluto wrote:

Also. I walked past the studio in which they record their shows and stood there looking in through the window. It wasn't on a Friday, sadly, so they weren't there, but it was still really cool seeing the production booth and their room in person.

Please tell me someone was there and you weren't staring into wistfully into an empty room.

27-09-2016 11:34am

FunLover18 wrote: »

Please tell me someone was there and you weren't staring into wistfully into an empty room.

I may have been staring wistfully into an empty room. The person I knew in the BBC knew I was a fellow Wittertainee and brought me to the studio to look in.

On the most recent show they had someone from the catering company emailing up to tell them about the food in the restaurant and how good it was. I can confirm - the food is pretty damn amazing.

BoJack Horseman · 27-09-2016 11:46am

Listened every week, but fell out of love a couple of years ago and moved to the Empire podcast but became annoyed with Chris Hewitt thinking he's gods gift to comedy and have since moved back to Wittertainment.

FunLover18 · 27-09-2016 11:52am

BoJack Horseman wrote:

Listened every week, but fell out of love a couple of years ago and moved to the Empire podcast but became annoyed with Chris Hewitt thinking he's gods gift to comedy and have since moved back to Wittertainment.

I still listen to Empire but agree Chris tries way too hard. I also feel they could do with more interaction with listeners and ask for questions, answer them and then say 'if you have your own suggestions, let us know via Twitter or Facebook', if they read out the question a week in advance they could address listeners' suggestions in the pod.

Ciaran_B · 27-09-2016 2:21pm

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

Listened every week, but fell out of love a couple of years ago and moved to the Empire podcast but became annoyed with Chris Hewitt thinking he's gods gift to comedy and have since moved back to Wittertainment.

That's a bit harsh on Chris, I think. He does acknowledge his lames jokes. I really like the Empire pod except for the amount of time they spend on Super Hero movies and talking about that Hamilton thing which isn't even a film. I am a little bit in love with Helen O'Hara though.

S.M.B. · 27-09-2016 7:06pm

I've never listened to the Empire podcast. I moved away from using empire as a resource before the dawn of the podcast. I'd be interested to hear what it's like as I used interact with those guys back in my heavy foruming days.

Now all my film podcasts are US based. Shame.

The Black Oil · 27-09-2016 9:32pm

Generally mixed feelings on Chris Hewitt. Have never tried the Empire podcast, mind you. Thought the video blogs he used to do, before podcasts were really a thing, were alright. Helen was good at interacting on Empire's forums, back in the day. The rest of the staff didn't seem to care.

cml387 · 28-09-2016 5:29pm

Long time listener no time emailer.

I am a bit worried that they're getting more self indulgent.

Mind you the reviews are still worth it and then there's always the possibility of a Kermodian rant.

Whereas I think Simon Mayo's a great presenter (catch his drivetime program if you can, it's very good) I don't rate him as an interviewer, I think his questions can be a bit jaded and formulaic. Guest presenters, especially the likes of David Morrissey, have done better interviews.

The Black Oil · 21-11-2016 8:37pm

Kermode: Have you ever see that film The...
Mayo: No

MilesMorales1 · 22-11-2016 10:57pm

I think my sig says it all.

Roar · 23-11-2016 8:18am

Any female pipe smokers here?

Utopia Parkway · 23-11-2016 8:39pm

Dont be at yourself wrote: »

Used to listen to it religously years ago but then it slowly became consumed by in-jokes, too much time given to reading listeners' letters about how great they are, and the dreaded live shows.

Pretty much my exact thoughts. Used to listen to the podcast every week a few years but it just became a bit smug and self-satisfied somewhere along the way. There's a lot of crap they could cut out to improve it. The in-jokes became seriously grating and the reading out of listeners long grovelling emails. Had to fast forward through large sections just to hear some reviews.

MilesMorales1 · 23-11-2016 8:58pm

If you don't want to listen to the in jokes or the podcast, surely thats what the youtube reviews are for.

S.M.B. · 24-11-2016 5:21pm

Or you just find an alternative which is what I did.

Any wittertainee's out there..?

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