Created by podcast veterans Todd Luoto and Jon Frechette, The Skies Are Watching pays homage to the golden era of the radio dramas of the past century with a cutting-edge story that won the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival for “Best Narrative Award” and an eclectic cast with veterans and upcomers from the entertainment industry.

WWE Legend Jake “The Snake” Roberts voices David Vance, actress Caitlin Stasey (Smile) plays Heather Haskins, actress and screenwriter Guinevere Turner (American Psycho) is Constance, musician David Yow (The Jesus Lizard, Under the Silver Lake) is Rodney, and voice-actress Caroline Morahan, a past collaborator of Luoto and Frechette, is Jana, among others that round up the performers.

The renowned Roberts is known for entering the pro-wrestling rings embraced by a piton snake to face the likes of Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin; however, in The Skies Are Watching, Roberts gives life to an elusive ufologist holding a secret in a performance showing his successful transition from the squared circle to audio drama.
“I’ve had many unique experiences as a performer, but this project was something different,” said Roberts in the press release. “It was exciting to bring new life to the timeless medium of audio drama and explore something different at this stage in my career. Working with such a talented cast and crew was a great experience. And, for once, no one expected me to bring the damn snake!”

The Skies Are Watching made history at Tribeca, where the jury explained that the accolade was given due to “drawing from the historic past of radio drama and presenting a story that feels breathlessly of the moment, this genre-bending series brims with intrigue. Its shifting, stylish approach to the medium always kept us guessing as top-notch sound design introduced us to its cast of bewildering yet relatable characters. Classic and timeless meets cutting edge.”

The influence of Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre’s 1938 radio production of War of the Worlds is notable. In an interview with Big Picture Film Club, producer Jon Frechette affirms that his duo with Todd Luoto drew ideas with “a fantastic hook that we then approach with a degree of skepticism, regardless of how bizarre the situation might first appear.”

Frechette also explains that the impact of the media on the real world led to the question: “What if someone believed what they’d heard on the radio had been a real event?”
In an interview with BPFC, Luoto attests that the appeal of the show comes from the idea that “stories about the unknown are timeless, and one could argue interest in extraterrestrials, or UFOs/UAPs, has somewhat piqued over the last few years with real world research and revelations. Of course, these stories have never been out of vogue, but it feels like a particularly rich time to circle around them given what’s been in the zeitgeist.” Turner points out to me the factors that make this story work:

“Though the show is about UFOs and conspiracies on one level, it’s really about family and the universal anxiety we all have of growing apart from someone we love, of not connecting with someone who used to be central to our life. It’s also exciting because Jon and Todd did such a great job of making it sound like a nonfiction podcast that a huge part of the enjoyment of listening is being in awe of all the subtle ways they crafted the story to make it feel that way.”

– Guinevere Turner

Not only War of the Worlds but other narratives across different media attest to the power of extraterrestrial stories with human connections and their place in the collective imaginary, as the comic book character Superman was created in the same year that Welles performed his transmission. Cinema and TV have classics such as ‘Alien’ (1979), ‘E.T’ (1982), ‘The X-Files’ (1993 – 2018), and The Skies Are Watching is joining this group.

Promoting a grounded and natural environment for creativity

The Skies Are Watching is engaging because although it deals with extraterrestrial phenomena, it is still believable in the line of Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Arrival’ (2016). To add naturality, the actors interacted in the same environment and could give their input and improvise in the story.

“We feel this results in performances and characters that feel authentic and sheds artifice that can become evident, if not very off-putting, in the medium of audio,” says Luoto.
One of the performers who benefitted from this dynamic is Guinevere Turner, the Renaissance woman who is a screenwriter, actress, director, producer, cinema professor, scholar, activist, and author. Turner is known for ‘American Psycho’ (2000) and ‘Go Fish’ (1994). Nevertheless, in The Skies Are Watching, Turner jumps into the new challenge of playing Constance, a mother and a new persona in her thirty-year acting career.

“So interesting and unexpected! Acting in a narrative podcast was a first for me, and I expected that I would be in a recording booth listening to other actors in headphones – but no! Jon and Todd had us all together to record, running through the woods, hugging – everything we would do if a camera was rolling,” says Turner on the methods employed at the podcast.

Turner is enjoying a good professional moment as by March 2023, she released the book When the World Didn’t End: A Memoir (Crown Publishing, Penguin Random House), about growing up in a cult. The New Yorker nominated it as one of the best books of that year. With the award-winning The Skies Are Watching, Turner shows a nuanced range in her skill set and finds a new venue to showcase her talents.
Turner is used to cinema and TV, so working with only audio was “very fun and freeing” as it allowed her to be more playful, do more takes, and try different approaches. “I absolutely love the process and hope that the success of The Skies Are Watching leads to more chances for me to work in this medium.”

The Skies Are Watching premieres on July 5th, 2024, on BBC Radio 4 and Limelight from BBC Sounds. Produced by Jon Frechette and Todd Luoto & Executive producers Jon Scott Dryden and Emma Hearn via Goldhawk Productions.

Also Read: ‘American Psycho’ to ‘The L Word’: Guinevere Turner Details Her Transformative Storytelling

Also Read: The Influence of Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds on Fiction Podcasting

The post BBC’s The Skies Are Watching: Reviving Radio Drama with a Modern Twist appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

1. Films To Be Buried With

Brett Goldstein is a comedian, podcaster and actor, probably best known for his role of Roy Kent on Ted Lasso but has for years been making the brilliant Films To Be Buried With. Each episode has a guest (Edgar Wright, Jameela Jamil and Mark Kermode have all been previous guests) who is told they have died and in the afterlife, everyone just talks about films and they are asked a series of questions about their life through films. Questions include “What is the funniest film ever?”, “What is the first film you ever saw?” and “What is, objectively, the greatest film ever made?” The enthusiasm and passion Brett has for films is amazing and the show is funny, touching and a great insight into the guests.

Episode To Listen To – Anything with Nish Kumar. Nish matches Brett’s enthusiasm and passion and ideally, there should be some radio station which is just 24/7 of the two of them talking about films.

2. The Flop House

The bad movie podcast par excellence The Flop House has been going since 2007. It is made by Elliott Kalan, Stuart Wellington and Dan McCoy and is always enjoyable to listen to, if just for the chemistry between the three hosts. The three hosts go on long tangents, and introduce characters inspired by the film they’re discussing, such as Crawdaddy a dad originally from the swamps where he wrestled ‘gators but moved to suburban Connecticut for the school district and showcase Kalan’s truly encyclopaedic knowledge of bad films. The sheer good-naturedness of the hosts prevents it from ever tipping over into the cruelty or pointlessness of some bad movie podcasts.

Episode To Listen To: Attack of the Clones – if for no other reason than a lengthy discussion on – and impressions of – Yoda

3. Switchblade Sisters

Sadly, this podcast finished in 2021 but going through the back catalogue would be time well spent. Switchblade Sisters was hosted by film critic and screenwriter April Wolfe and each consists of a female filmmaker discussing one of their favourite “genre” films and discussing filmmaking, cinema etc. The show is always entertaining but you will learn a lot about cinema and the filmmaking process. Listening to someone talk passionately about one of their favourite films, even if you don’t like it, can be very engaging and you will come away with a list of films to check out.

Episode To Listen To – Pan’s Labyrinth with Issa Lopez – director of Tigers Are Not Afraid talks about her love of the great Pan’s Labyrinth

4. My Neighbors Are Dead

My Neighbors Are Dead is a great podcast for fans of horror films and instead of star interviews or film reviews, Adam Peacock interviews characters from horror films, and that is characters, not actors. So for the episode on the film, Poltergeist Peacock interviews the estate agents who sold the family the house, knowing full well its true nature or some of the “working-class monsters” that make up the horrors of Cabin In The Woods. The guest characters are played by a variety of comedians, podcasters and actors, Paul F. Tompkins (Mr Peanut Butter from Bojack Horseman) plays one of the Poltergeist estate agents, and Marc Evan Jackson (Shawn from The Good Place) who plays the AI of the Nostromo in Alien. Most of these characters are minor players in the film, or not in the film at all, and the show is hilarious in seeing these situations from a completely new point of view.

Episode To Listen To – Psycho with CJ Tuor, in this episode Adam Peacock interviews a resident of Fairvale whose main problem with Norman Bates is that should he have been disqualified from the town’s taxidermy competition.

5. Kermode & Mayo’s Take

Inevitably the new show from Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo would appear on this list. Even listening to just the first few minutes will reassure listeners that the spirit of the old BBC show has been carried over with Kermode and Mayo’s familiar chat and bickering kicking in straight away.

Episode To Listen To: The One With Tom Hiddleston, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Of Madness and Cabaret – only one episode out right now so there were limited options to choose from – but it’s great.

Also Read: Five Great Audio-Fiction Podcasts To Listen To

Your contribution to Big Picture Film Club will allow us to continue to produce content. No matter the amount your contributions are greatly appreciated.

The post Five Great Film Podcasts To Listen To Right Now appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Watch the full episode below

Also Watch: Episode 17 – Vanessa Oliveira

Your contribution to Big Picture Film Club will allow us to continue to produce content. No matter the amount your contributions are greatly appreciated.

The post R Paul Wilson Discusses Movies, Magic, The Real Hustle & More appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Unplug with Ani is a podcast hosted by Anisa Butt were she chats with a new guest every week about motivation, mindset, behaviour and relationships.

Listen to the podcast below

Alternatively:

Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast or Spotify.

Also Read: My Journey From The UK To Bombay

The post Big Picture Film Club Co-Founder on the Unplug With Ani Podcast appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Watch the full podcast below (via YouTube)

Also Read: Share The Love in Lockdown

The post Big Picture Film Club & Friends Podcast | Featuring Rachael RNR & Silver Screen Dudes appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

You can listen to the podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Spreaker & IHeartRadio & more.

Also Read: Academy Awards 2020: Five New categories That Should Be included In The Oscars

The post Big Picture Film Club & Silver Screen Dudes Discuss Their Favourite Directorial Debuts appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

One of only *three* directors to have screened two of their films at our Film Club events, we catch up on what he’s been up to since. Diving right into it, we explore the process of making feature lengths, the importance of cinema and his top 5 favourite sci-fi films.

Read about Mark’s Top 5 favourite sci-fi films here. Listen to the full podcast here.

The post Episode 008 The Big Picture Film Club Podcast ft Mark J. Blackman appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Listen to the full podcast here alternatively, you can watch the whole episode on our YouTube channel. 

The post Episode 007 The Big Picture Film Club Podcast ft Dom Lenoir & Matt Hookings appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

For episode 6 of the Big picture Film Club Podcast we caught up with lead actor/writer/director Adjani Salmon; producer/director Laura Seixas; and longtime friend of the club, director Rob Ayling. Join us for a great discussion covering everything from racism, social changes and carving out your own space in the industry.

Dreaming Whilst Black will be available from 18th March via Youtube. Listen to the full podcast here.

The post Episode 006 The Big Picture Film Club Podcast ft Dreaming Whilst Black Cast & Crew appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

The post Episode 005 The Big Picture Film Club Podcast ft Guardians Cast & Crew appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Friends of BPFC, director Tim Porter and actor Kadeem Boyce give us the lowdown on holding down jobs whilst manoeuvring through the film industry, Haven – Tim’s film screened at one of our earlier screenings, and the issue of mental health within the entertainment industry.

Listen on our Soundcloud channel and don’t forget to like, follow and share!

Episode 004 ft Tim Porter & Kadeem Boyce

The post Episode 004 The Big Picture Film Club Podcast ft Tim Porter & Kadeem Boyce appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Listen on our Soundcloud channel and don’t forget to like, follow and share!

Episode 003 ft Ani Laurie & Annika Allen

The post Episode 003 The Big Picture Film Club Podcast ft Ani Laurie & Annika Allen appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.