Culture Chat: the bonkbuster world of ‘Rivals’

Today we head to Rutshire, to take a crack at the frothy, riotous TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s 1980s romance novel, Rivals. The eight-episode series follows a cluster of posh English country-dwellers – including TV executive Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) and local heartthrob Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) — as they bonk and bust their way around the Cotswolds. Shoulder pads, extramarital affairs and messy dinner parties abound. But what is the show really about: Class? Sex? The 80s? Lilah is joined by the FT's Robert Shrimsley and Harriet Fitch Little to discuss. -------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at [email protected]. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): –  Rivals is out now on Disney+ in the UK, and Hulu in the US. You can read the FT’s four star review here: https://on.ft.com/40sqQa6 – Robert Shrimsley’s column, ‘Were the 80s as much fun as Jilly Cooper says?’ is here: https://on.ft.com/4f5PcL8 – We also love Jo Ellison’s recent column, ‘Jilly Cooper’s Britain: the bad sex world capital’: https://on.ft.com/3Uvj0Zt – Robert is on X @robertshrimsley. Harriet is on X @HarrietFL and Instagram @huffffle -------Original music by Metaphor Music. Clips copyright Disney.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Historian Sir Simon Schama is one of the most influential public intellectuals of our time. So when he replied to our invitation to come on the show ahead of the US presidential election by saying he wanted to talk about “the unprecedented collapse of truth”, we immediately said yes. It’s been a disorienting presidential campaign. For many Americans, it’s hard to understand how statements which are so clearly untrue – such as the government controls the weather, and sent hurricanes to Republican-leaning states – are working on voters. On today’s show, Simon tells us why the current state of misinformation is unprecedented in American history, and what he thinks can be done to reverse it.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at [email protected]. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Simon’s latest piece in the FT on the fight over American patriotism, written in September: https://on.ft.com/48iEHSdRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are pulling on our striped demon ghost suits for a special Halloween episode: a deep-dive on Tim Burton’s 1988 classic, Beetlejuice. It persists in our cultural memory, remade as an animated series, a theme park ride, a musical, and as of last month, a legacy sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. We talk about why it’s endured with such ferocity, how the sequel compares, and whether films like it even exist anymore. We also share our own, and listeners’, top Halloween films. Lilah’s joined by FT horror movie superfan Topher Forhecz and political columnist, film buff and Beetlejuice hater Stephen Bush. -------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at [email protected]. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Beetlejuice (1988) is on Netflix in the UK and Max in the US. The sequel is still in theatres– HTSI’s recent cover interview with Beetlejuice star Michael Keaton is here: https://on.ft.com/3C3iWcM –  Here’s film critic Danny Leigh’s 2-star review of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the 2024 sequel: https://on.ft.com/3YcfWCx  – Stephen Bush is on X @stephenkb. You can sign up to receive his newsletter Inside Politics here.Spooky film recommendations: – Stephen recommends The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Topher recommends Blades (1989) and Lilah recommends It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966). –  Our listeners recommended: Hocus Pocus, House (1977 Japanese psychedelic), Rosemary’s Baby, Practical Magic, Giallo films (Italian 70s slashers, like Deep Red), Mermaids, Sleepy Hollow, Halloween 3, Young Frankenstein and more. If you have Instagram, here’s the full list of listener film recommendations: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18073242955580424/ -------Clips this week courtesy of Warner Bros-------Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In recent years, critics and jaded diners have deemed the multi-course tasting menu dead. It’s gotten repetitive, the argument goes, with chefs serving luxury courses like caviar at the expense of any point of view. But recently, our host Lilah Raptopoulos had a meal that felt extremely alive, at Victoria Blamey’s restaurant Blanca, in Brooklyn. Victoria is from Chile and worked at Michelin-starred restaurants around the globe before becoming Blanca’s executive chef. Today, she tells us what she’s doing differently (“We want to slap someone's face, like hey, wake up!”) and why restaurants should take bigger risks. -------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at [email protected]. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – For some background on the current state of fine dining, listen to our interview with restaurant critic and chef Tim Hayward, which we called “Why fine dining isn’t fine”: https://www.ft.com/content/4ad8f359-396c-4867-af42-5a11d770f3ef– Victoria is on Instagram at @victoriablamey-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartThe discount code for Banking Summit is BTM20 for a 20% discount (applicable on all ticket types): https://banking.live.ft.com/home?promo=BTM20 -------Original music by Metaphor Music. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we’re talking about the HBO finance drama Industry, which follows the lives of London bankers as they navigate frantic careers and make chaotic life choices. The third season is out, and snidely pokes at greenwashing and how the corporate world pretends to do good. What is this show reflecting about how we feel about money? Does it take any sort of moral stance on banking? And how well does it land with actual banking and political Financial Times journalists? Lilah invites financial journalist Alice Ross and chief features writer Henry Mance to talk through it.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at [email protected]. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Alice’s review of ‘Industry’ season 3 is here: https://on.ft.com/487NcPE – You can read Henry’s 2022 interview with Mickey Down and Konrad Kay here: https://on.ft.com/4eLO1Ab – Here’s our episode from 2022, where Henry talks about playing himself on the show– Alice’s book on climate change is called Investing to Save The Planet: How Your Money Can Make A Difference– Henry is on X @henrymance and Alice is on X @alicemross-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartThe discount code for Banking Summit is BTM20 for a 20% discount (applicable on all ticket types): https://banking.live.ft.com/home?promo=BTM20 -------Original music by Metaphor Music. Clips this week courtesy of HBO & The BBCRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before she was the editor of our luxury magazine HTSI, Jo Ellison was features editor at British Vogue, which means that throughout her career she’s had a front-row view of the fashion industry’s love of thinness. In recent years, fashion began to embrace more diversity in body shapes and sizes. But with the rise of Ozempic and other GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, Jo is seeing the industry fear fat again. She worries that as Ozempic becomes more mainstream, fashion will come full circle, back to placing a premium on rail-thin bodies and judging those who don’t conform. Today, she talks about what this could mean for beauty standards, and how it may trickle down to the rest of us. -------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at [email protected]. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):– Jo’s column about the silence around weight loss in fashion is here: https://on.ft.com/3ZWoDDq– Check out our colleague Brooke Masters’ recent column on how GLP-1 drugs are changing gym regimens and food industry planning: https://on.ft.com/4050Cdl– Jo is on Instagram @jellison22-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart-------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clips this week courtesy of Capitol. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’re sexy, confident, intelligent, heaven-sent – and taking on Katy Perry’s disastrous new album, 143. Featuring the lead single ‘Woman’s World’, this album has gone viral for all the wrong reasons: a muddled feminist message, a slew of publicity gaffes and even a government investigation. What makes the album so disappointing? And why do people care so much about a Katy Perry flop? Lilah is joined by two excellent guests who bring expertise in celebrity culture and music: Anne Helen Petersen hosts the Culture Study podcast, and Ludovic Hunter-Tilney is our pop critic of almost 25 years.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at [email protected]. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Ludo’s one-star review of 143 by Katy Perry is here: https://on.ft.com/4gTRSga. Here’s the “Woman’s World” music video, so you can decide what it means for yourself! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVIJUH29pjU – Anne Helen Petersen hosts the Culture Study podcast. Listen to her conversation with Lilah about cooking in the age of infinite recipes here, or by searching “Culture Study” wherever you listen– Anne is on Instagram @annehelenpetersen. Her newsletter is here: https://annehelen.substack.com/ – Ludo is on X @ludohunter-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart-------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Clips this week courtesy of Capitol. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The FT’s innovation editor John Thornhill writes a lot about the dangers of artificial intelligence, but when he recently saw a movie about the musician Brian Eno, created with the help of an algorithm, he liked it. Or, better put, he liked the version he saw: the documentary has 52 quintillion variations. A new take on the film comes together each time it is played. Eno gives us a sense of what AI can do for creativity, finding links and patterns where the human mind does not see any. On today’s show, John tells us about the film, and what makes AI appealing for artists. -------Want to stay in touch? Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at [email protected]. We’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – John’s column about watching Eno is here: https://on.ft.com/3TVG0R2– And here is his recent review of several books that warn AI’s ability to provide us with more information than ever does not mean we will be better informed: https://on.ft.com/3zXTsge– John is on X @johnthornhillft-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we are stopping time to discuss Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola's controversial passion project, which took him 40 years to make. The film was entirely self-financed for $120mn and has an all-star cast, including Adam Driver, Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, but it has fiercely divided viewers. Is this Coppola’s worst film, or are critics being too harsh? What is it actually about? And are we glad it was made? Lilah is joined by the FT's film critic Danny Leigh and independent film critic Nicolas Rapold to talk about the film's highs and lows.-------Want to stay in touch? Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at [email protected]. We’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – Danny’s review of Megalopolis is here: https://on.ft.com/3YcfpSo – Nicolas Rapold is on X @NicolasRapold. Follow him and his podcast The Last Thing I Saw, here: https://rapold.substack.com/– Raph Abraham’s one-star review of Megalopolis, from the Cannes Film Festival, is here: https://on.ft.com/3ZUAulz – Danny wants to see more three-star reviews. Here are his three-star reviews of The Substance and Will & Harper– Nic is reading Once and Forever: The Tales of Kenji Miyazawa-------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: https://www.ft.com/lifeandartRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Megan Park’s new film ‘My Old Ass,’ a teenager named Elliott (Maisy Stella) meets her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza) on a mushroom trip. The experience gives young Elliott perspective: her “old ass” tells her to wear her retainer, and be nice to her family before leaving for college. But it’s the older Elliott who gets the bigger lesson, on the stories we tell ourselves about the past. Today, Megan joins Lilah to discuss the concept of the film, and what it was like to work with a crew of mostly Gen Z actors.-------We love hearing from you! Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and email at [email protected]. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.