Has Strictly Saved Itself?

Are The Rock and Vin Diesel furious with one another or fast friends? With an on-again off-again beef brewing since 2016, Richard & Marina bring us up to speed on the latest in the action men saga after both showed some love for the other at the 2025 Golden Globes. The LA fires have dominated the news cycles since they broke out with many famous names, as well as those behind scenes, impacted. With fewer films being made in Hollywood each year, will it fully recover from this latest blow? Better Man, the Robbie Williams biopic where he is portrayed as a CGI monkey has bombed at the box office. With a hefty budget, where did the backing come from? As mentioned in the show -  The Rock & Vin Diesel and the oddly angled shot here Will Tavlin’s Casual Viewing blog post here Recommendations: Marina - Beast Games (Prime Video) Richard - Patrick Radden Keefe - Say Nothing (read) Join The Rest Is Entertainment Club for ad free listening and access to bonus episodes: www.therestisentertainment.com Sign up to our newsletter: www.therestisentertainment.com Twitter: @‌restisents Instagram: @‌restisentertainment YouTube: @‌therestisentertainment Email: [email protected] Producers: Neil Fearn + Joey McCarthy Executive Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Chris McCausland winning Strictly Come Dancing and the Xmas special being especially feel-good, has Strictly saved itself as the raft of upheld complaints and accusations that preceded the most recent series? Richard lets us know if it’s possible to appear on several quiz shows and what producers are looking for in contestants. Plus, was 2024 ‘the rise of celebrity surgery’ and will certain trends carry on into 2025? Join The Rest Is Entertainment Club for ad free listening and access to bonus episodes: www.therestisentertainment.com Sign up to our newsletter: www.therestisentertainment.com Twitter: @‌restisents Instagram: @‌restisentertainment YouTube: @‌therestisentertainment Email: [email protected] Producers: Neil Fearn + Joey McCarthy Executive Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One the BBC’s programming jewels, The Traitors has returned. What has changed? Who is playing the game well? What is in store for us? Marina has looked into her crystal ball and shares her movie predictions for 2025. What is going to boom and what might flop at the box office? Join The Rest Is Entertainment Club for ad free listening and access to bonus episodes: www.therestisentertainment.com Sign up to our newsletter: www.therestisentertainment.com Twitter: @‌restisents Instagram: @‌restisentertainment YouTube: @‌therestisentertainment Email: [email protected] Producers: Neil Fearn + Joey McCarthy Executive Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we emerge from our festive slumber, enjoy some of our favourite questions (and answers) from 2024. Why are cups on screen always empty? How do you substitute drugs? Why don't cameras get steamy in shower scenes? How would Richard commit the perfect murder? Join The Rest Is Entertainment Club for ad free listening and access to bonus episodes: www.therestisentertainment.com Sign up to our newsletter: www.therestisentertainment.com Twitter: @‌restisents Instagram: @‌restisentertainment YouTube: @‌therestisentertainment Email: [email protected] Producers: Neil Fearn + Joey McCarthy Executive Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The most popular show in Netflix's history returns for its second season. Does it carry the story along, and what does it say about culture now? Richard and Marina also give us some of their recommendations for TV in 2025 but before that they tell us their heroes and villains of 2024. Join The Rest Is Entertainment Club for ad free listening and access to bonus episodes: www.therestisentertainment.com Sign up to our newsletter: www.therestisentertainment.com Twitter: @‌restisents Instagram: @‌restisentertainment YouTube: @‌therestisentertainment Email: [email protected] Producers: Neil Fearn + Joey McCarthy Executive Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is a little know fact about the Downing Street door that is in front of our eyes and set designers have to get right? Richard and Marina reveal the art to the Match Of The Day commentary, why a signed book makes a special gift, and when is an opening night really an opening night? Join The Rest Is Entertainment Club for ad free listening and access to bonus episodes: www.therestisentertainment.com Sign up to our newsletter: www.therestisentertainment.com Twitter: @‌restisents Instagram: @‌restisentertainment YouTube: @‌therestisentertainment Email: [email protected] Producers: Neil Fearn + Joey McCarthy Executive Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happens inside a Hollywood smear machine? This week Blake Lively filed a legal complaint which revealed private messages detailing an alleged campaign to tarnish her, after she accused director and co-star Justin Baldoni of misconduct on the set of “It Ends With Us.” Where does this leave both parties and what does it tell us about the dark arts in Hollywood PR? MrBeast aka Jimmy Donaldson released the much anticipated Beast Games on Amazon. Known for his big budget YouTube gameshows, Amazon gave him a reported $100 million to create a gameshow. Is it good? Does he manage to transfer from YouTube to streaming? What does it tell us about not just entertainment, but the world in which we find ourselves? And lastly, some festive cheer. Richard and Marina look back on how linear TV bagged huge audiences as we all came together for Xmas viewing. Will Gavin and Stacey roll back the clock and deliver a multi-million audience? Recommendations: Marina - Inside No 9: The Party's Over (iPlayer) Richard - Black Doves (Netflix) Join The Rest Is Entertainment Club for ad free listening and access to bonus episodes: www.therestisentertainment.com Sign up to our newsletter: www.therestisentertainment.com Twitter: @‌restisents Instagram: @‌restisentertainment YouTube: @‌therestisentertainment Email: [email protected] Producers: Neil Fearn + Joey McCarthy Executive Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How are blind items reported on sites such as PopBitch or Deuxmoi and kept legally sound and how accurate are they really? If someone samples or covers your song, what can make you more money and set you up for life? When contestants give a wildly incorrect answer on a quiz show, how do presenters keep a straight face? Plus, there's an update on which Quality Street are best. Are you team Marina or team Richard? Join The Rest Is Entertainment Club for ad free listening and access to bonus episodes: www.therestisentertainment.com Sign up to our newsletter: www.therestisentertainment.com Twitter: @‌restisents Instagram: @‌restisentertainment YouTube: @‌therestisentertainment Email: [email protected] Producers: Neil Fearn + Joey McCarthy Executive Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the government debates a new bill covering how AI has to abide by copyright laws, is it better for creative industries to keep their friends close but enemies closer? Sephora, Drunk Elephant, Sol de Janeiro are at the front of what some have called an epidemic amongst 'tweens' (pre-teens). These beauty and skincare brands are often pushed by influencers but what does it tell us about modern advertising and commercialism. Finally Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has upset the TV industry after attacking a lack of creativity and diversity. Do her points have merit or is it misplaced and is she simply looking to score some easy points? Recommendations: Marina - Richard Goodwin - The Spirits (Substack) Join The Rest Is Entertainment Club for ad free listening and access to bonus episodes: www.therestisentertainment.com Sign up to our newsletter: www.therestisentertainment.com Twitter: @‌restisents Instagram: @‌restisentertainment YouTube: @‌therestisentertainment Email: [email protected] Producers: Neil Fearn + Joey McCarthy Executive Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What are the unassuming every day items that foley artists, those who create sound fx, use to create iconic moments of sound? Spotify Wrapped has become a cultural moment, how does it work? Eating scenes on screen. Do actors really eat a load of food and how do they deliver their lines clearly with their mouths full? Another peeks behind the curtain with Richard Osman and Marina Hyde on this Q&A episode of The Rest Is Entertainment. Join The Rest Is Entertainment Club for ad free listening and access to bonus episodes: www.therestisentertainment.com Sign up to our newsletter: www.therestisentertainment.com Twitter: @‌restisents Instagram: @‌restisentertainment YouTube: @‌therestisentertainment Email: [email protected] Producers: Neil Fearn + Joey McCarthy Executive Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices