Why Film Premieres Are Actually Disappointing

Shall we start straight away with a. question? As you know, I always like a. question asker with a good name. And. Stefan Rocket, >> oh my god, >> has stepped up to the plate. Thank you, Stephan Rocket. And Stephan says, "I was. watching Coronation Street and they were. having a breakfast of chalky crocodile. cereal and Wam Stows bread. Are these. fake brands and packaging made up just. for the scene or do they have a. warehouse full of different brands for. use as and when they need them?". >> This is called graphic prop design. This. whole section of things, there are so. many of these and they're all really. good. Cory's got a lot because you know.

it's about everyday life and so they've. got they've always had like Dempsey's. crisps new the beers Newton Riddle. obviously Kenna's chocolate because you. know they've got the cabin so you know. it's like a news agent you have to go in. although funnily enough Ken Barlo always. used to go in and say Guardian please. Rita. >> and Fresh Co the supermarket they've got. all these things um they have higher. magazine you know instead of Hello. magazine Simpsons have Duff beer you'll. often see things on computers like a. pair instead of an apple. Sometimes. people I'm moving out from beyond cory.

to in graphics prop design because I. mean I saw once on an episode of Grey's. Anatomy someone ordering a goober. [laughter]. >> Right. Okay. >> Sometimes they just make it just a. little it's like it's so phoned in. You. know the hotel's called the five. seasons. I just I when they do that I. find it a little bit. >> I'm staying at the hilt. >> Yeah. But there it can be the most. incredible art. And there's someone who. I'm absolutely obsessed with called. Annie Atkins who is a graphic prop. artist. I you know I've said but I know.

I've said it before if I haven't done. what I've done I would love to have. worked in props. I find it and I would. have loved to have done graphic props. particularly this that is particular. time. We all need a. >> I know there is but she is the Diane of. this Annakin. She um she's a graphic. designer and um lot all lot so many. shows have a graphic designer working on. them and she started on the Tudtor which. is Showtime's big kind of prestige. series about the Tudtor and she didn't. really know anything about the period. >> and [snorts] so you're being given these.

jobs like he wants his his wife's head. cut off and that would have had to have. happened on you know there would have to. be some sort of warrant or royal order. and she said I just had to think what on. earth would that look like you know and. obviously you're staining all the paper. in the tea and all She's worked with. Spielberg, but where she's had the most. kind of epic collaboration, I think, is. with Wes Anderson. >> The rest is entertainment is presented. by Octopus Energy. >> Now, we're going to be talking about an. expression which I hadn't heard till 7. seconds ago, which is someone getting.

their flowers. Can you tell me what that. means? >> Well, it means like you've been around a. long time, but people suddenly think, "Hang on a second. You're amazing and. you should be recognized.". >> So, you're finally getting your due. Yeah, you're finding flowers and and. you're being garlanded. Now, I would say. someone like this is someone like Jean. Smart who plays the lead in Hacks. She. plays Deborah Vance. Okay, Jean Smart is. extraordinary. She did a huge amount of. TV and stage work. And there was a sense. that she was sort of always brilliant. But then this one role came along,

Deborah Vance Hacks. They literally just. give her the Emmy every year now. She. gets she gets her flowers every year. She gets her Emmy every year. As we. always talk about, Octopus' customer. service, your your accounts run by about. 10 or 12 people. You got a small team. >> They know who you are. >> Yes. And they are permitted to send. flowers every week to a customer who. might just be going through something, whatever it is. So, they can recognize. it's not an apology. It's just because. someone was going through something and. they you get your flowers. >> Another example of they seem to do. business in a very interesting and. customer focused way. Imagine if Jean.

Smart is an octopus customer. Might get. her flowers twice. >> Yeah. Every week. So if you look at something like the. Grand Budapest Hotel, which is sort of. like a masterpiece of all of this stuff, there are so many graphic props in that. and you know the idea of the cake boxes. and all the things that are supposed to. create this world. Cory would look so. weird if they were eating out of plain. packaging. >> Um but you need to create East German. things that Yeah. that suggest like a. supermarket suggest. >> and and and by the way you have to do.

that because you are not allowed in. British TV at least to use the actual. real brands. That's called undue. prominence and you you can't say for. example you can't have them eating cocoa. pops without without saying it's. adfunded. So that's why they have to. have chalky crocodile cereal. So you. have to have brands because it gives the. truth of a situation but you're not. allowed real brands. I always in in like. on TV constantly someone will do a joke. about toblone and the lawyers will go no. sorry you have to take that out you. think well you the joke tobolone is part.

of the punch line to that joke it. doesn't work kind of triangle-shaped. Swiss chocolate oh like whenever you're. watching bake off and they they say and. you're using yeast extract in this you. think they they use in marmite just. honestly it's okay it's fine to say. >> but you're not allowed to say that's why. they have to replace all these things. for legal. >> creating these sort of fictional ephera. it needs to look like it comes from that. world. Exactly. In a way. And it takes. you out of the world. Like it really, you know, if when [clears throat] you. see someone orders a goober, you're.

like, "Oh, come on. That's so stupid.". Like just do something else. Just, you. know, liftly or something. Call it. anything else. But in order to create. these incredibly immersive words, you. have to there's and so much of it. actually is done by lettering which is. why so many of these people started off. as graphic and particularly font and. calligraphy designers and it is so. interesting. I mean, Annie Atkins has. done books about how she builds these. worlds. And it's it's amazing how much. of our world is lettering and packaging.

And if you're making a new world, however fictional, that world must have. its own lettering. >> And how if something looks off, it looks. off to all of us. We all get the. language of the thing. That's why, you. know, with these chalky crocodile. cereal, it it just. >> if it if it looks 5% off, it take. completely takes you out of the scene. That's an amazing touch. I would I would. absolutely love. >> And yet and still, and we've talked. about it before, uh they still can't get. newspapers right. >> No, they always get newspapers wrong. There's masses of white space, so they. the headlines don't scan and they just.

look really Yeah, they never seem to be. able to get it right by which, by the. way, I never think it's that hard. Not. to be not to kind of you dromanticize. that trade, but I don't think it's that. hard. So, I never understand why they. But that takes people out of things a. lot. >> It really does. You you you'll be. watching the the best drama and suddenly. a front page of a newspaper, which would. never ever ever happen. You're like, "Oh, no. Now I'm watching some actors.". >> Yeah. >> Which is the last thing I want to do. >> Anyway, look up Annie Atkins. Look up. all There's so much online about her. worlds and how she's created and how she.

did it. You know, it's all done by hand. It's absolutely just like an absolute. artist, honestly. >> And by the way, I I literally just said. there, "Oh, plain packaging be like East. Germany." And I remembered that I bought. a book of East German packaging and it's. so brilliant. I think it's a Phon book. or something like that, but just just. Yeah. All the kind of packaging and and. it's really really great. >> Oh my god. I' I might buy that myself. I. would love that. >> So I take it back cuz they actually had. amazing packaging. >> Okay. >> Although at the time it must have felt. very utilitarian, but now it looks. great. >> Yes, it's a vibe.

>> Yeah, it's a vibe. It certainly is a. vibe. >> Okay. This is another brilliant name. Myrtle Macdonald. >> That is good. She says, "I work in the. film industry and I've just been invited. to my first actual premiere. I obviously. said yes straight away, but I realized I. don't really know what it entails. Is. there lots of hanging about? Should I. dress up? Bring my own snacks? Any. advice appreciated?". >> Oh god, that's a great question. There. always it is. God, it's like a It's like. one of those like sort of running a. marathon going to a film premiere. It's.

like some Myrtle is right. If you're. invited to one, you sort of there's no. way you can't not go. But yeah, our our. view of film premiieres is very much we. see the edited highlights of just the. the the big stars on the red carpet and. what have you. >> Well, that's fun to watch. >> Oh, yeah. It's like to stand a bit back. and watch them doing it. >> And you really can and you're inside the. uh the barriers as it were. >> When you walk along that red carpet, Myrtle, it's it's it's sort of it's it's. got kind of two tracks. There's the. track for the people who are going to.

have their photo taken and be. interviewed by the papers and then. there's the other track. The trick is. you can walk as slowly as you want along. that other track. You don't have to, you. know, a you'll be in the back of lots of. shots, but you will see all the stars. walk past, but the key thing is do not. speed through that little bit because. once you're inside, you're in for a big. disappointment. That's what I that's. roughly what what what I would say. Once. you're inside, you you'll be shephered. into various places. Sometimes in. premiieres if they're in one of the big.

kind of multiplexes. there will be two or three different. screens all showing it all the different. audiences and those audiences will be. kind of you know you have the people who. are in the film will be in one and then. there'll be like the influencers in. another and then there'll be like an. overspill thing. Oh no we've invited. fans to this one. Uh so you you'll be in. different places. Yes, definitely bring. your own snacks if you can. I mean, occasionally they will have like, you. know, if the film is if it's Wonka, you. will definitely have a bar of Wonker. chocolates on your.

>> They will often give you popcorn and a. drink. I have to say. >> they will often give you popcorn uh and. a drink. I remember when see the Adam. Partridge uh Alpha Papa premiere uh you. had a shock damaged chocolate orange was. on your seat. So there will be stuff, but you can't absolutely. >> rely on it. I would say that. And. sometimes it will be some sort of. they'll have done a deal. So the popcorn. is actually just some new artisan. popcorn from a company who you some. venture capitalists have put some money. into it. >> only imagine [snorts]. >> and you're like kind of halfway through.

you're like what this isn't proper. popcorn at all. So I would bring my own. snacks. So the thing is, yeah, it it is. you will be shepherded about a lot. because the the PRs are trying to run. the day that what they all they really. want is those photos, right? That's all. they really want. And they want people. to feel like they've had a good time and. post afterwards about how great the film. is. That's the influences. The stars are. having their photos taken. You if you. are there, I would say just slow down. the walk. Stay outside. >> and they never hurry you along. I don't. think they don't care. They just care.

about those people at the front getting. if you want to gorp them. I realized. when I went to the Devil Wears Prada 2. premiere recently, just a couple of. months ago, whenever it was, that I've. just become something that I would have. hated when I was younger. It's like, I'm. not interested in any of these stars. My. friend said to me, "Oh, you know, that's. um so and so. She runs the parks for. Disney in Europe." I was like, "Get out. of my [laughter] way. I need I want to. speak to someone from parks. I'm really. interested. I want to know everything. about the churros economics, every. single thing about this." I was less. interested in the stars than Disney's. kind of like arcane corporate hierarchy.

and I really wanted to know more about. the parks. >> But my main piece of advice is stay. outside for as long as you possibly can. There will be people cuz it's their. absolutely their job who will be trying. to shepherd you through to various. different rooms. You can just say, "Oh, no. I'm okay. I'm okay. Thank you.". >> Watch it as a spectacle of everybody. >> Yes. >> Performing their little jobs and getting. what they need out of it. >> Yeah. And bring your own snacks. >> But as you say, sometimes they're great. snacks, but you can't rely on it. That's. what I'm saying. You can't depend on it. for sure. So lovely big top hat with a.

bit of picker mix inside it. That'll do. you. We must do something by the way at. some point about um the new popcorn. bucket industry in the states which is. if anyone wants to ask a question about. that about popcorn buckets for next. week. We will deal with that cuz it's. fascinating. >> Yeah. >> Sarah Baker has a question for you. Marina. Oh [clears throat] my god. Sarah. so right. What's with the trend where. footage of interviewees sitting down and. chatting with a crew gets included as. part of the intro? It happens on Netflix.

all the time, but I'm pretty sure it. also got used on Once Upon a Time in. Northern Ireland. It's become a meme on. Tik Tok and Instagram, so I'm not the. only one who has noticed. You're. certainly not. You're definitely not a. thing. >> It is my god. >> You know that if in case you're not. totally sure what Sarah is talking. about, it's like when people are sort of. just getting settled and they like, you. know, >> putting their mic on. >> before we are we rolling. It's like, you. know, we're rolling cuz I'm watching. this, right? Also, by the way, you're. fiddling with your mic and yet we're. hearing you with perfect sound. >> Yeah. Which is not it's literally not. possible. But it's interesting. Okay.

So, we have for this we have to go back. into the whole history of sort of. talking heads on documentaries. For a. long time, you couldn't really have them. because sound was really tricky. So, you. had that sort of voice of God. But then. in the 60s there were sort of two. movements in documentary making. There's. like direct cinema which kind of grows. out of the US and that's observational. you're capturing real life on the wall. They they don't have interviews. They. thought that was a sort of form of. artifice. Then in cinema verite which. grows out of France, there is lots of. interaction between the filmmaker and. the subject and you hear on camera.

conversations. And both of those even at. the time were a sort of discussion about. authenticity. The direct cinema bunch. thought that you know asking people to. explain events afterwards changed the. truth and it wasn't real unless you were. sort of watching it happen. But cinema. verite the people who sort of subscribed. to that felt it brought emotional. context and reflection that went deeper. considering everyone knew you were. actually sitting in front of a. documentary. So let's be honest. >> I knew this would come back to cinema. verit. I just knew it. >> Okay. But the seated interview, the. thing that you're talking about which we.

see a lot now that became very popular. in the 70s because it's really good for. exposition. You know, you see it tons on. the B BBC or PBS or whatever it is. >> because telling a story just through. your own footage or through archive. actually quite difficult as if Kapadio. does it amazingly. All his documentaries. are just archive. But the second you go, oh, I could have someone just telling. the next bit of the story here and. someone who was involved in it as well. It becomes incredibly. >> in concert with the B-roll. So you can. see then it's very so you know they and. then they changed the style of these.

things and they kind of made a much more. shallow depth of field. They make it. more cinematic. They change the. lighting. Sometimes they put the ey line. off camera. Yeah. Um, whatever it is. But the thing you're talking about, >> they sit you at the front of a of a. warehouse and you shoot all the way to. the back. >> So often I've seen James Holland in a. lot of warehouses talking about wars. The thing you were talking about comes. back in the prestige documentaries of. the 2010s. Okay. So some things like the. Jinx, I don't know if you My god, that's. a documentary if you have never seen. that about that's a sort of true crime. thing. OJ Made in America right up to.

sort of Tiger King which as you know was. a big thing in the pandemic. the stuff. that's the bit that before the camera. gets rolling. It takes longer for. something to become a cliche than you. would think, but it's now been rolled. out everywhere. For me, part of why they. have rolled it out everywhere is that. there are obviously so many. documentaries and it gives a flash of. authenticity, but there's something. undone and deconstructed to it because I. think things have become polished. Yeah, it feels real. So I think it comes by I. think it comes from a real place which. is you're sat in an edit and you're.

watching every single uh you know bit of. sync you get in every single interview. you get in you do see them at the. beginning sitting down saying and where. do you need me to look and as an editor. and as a director you're thinking this. is the time at which this person feels. the most natural the most real it would. be useful for me for people to buy them. as a natural and real person actually. this would be a really I wonder if I. could just keep this in it does a lot of. work for me it makes it feel natural. makes this a real human being you. understand everything that's going on. I. think that's where it comes from is that.

they saw that footage and went it would. be great to have this. >> Well, Adam Curtis always says all the. footage he ends up using is after people. stop doing the thing that they were. supposed to be doing. So, you're doing. like a little quick piece to camera in, I don't know, Sarva or wherever it is. And the stuff that happens afterwards is. becomes the usable stuff because it's. when people's guard is down or whatever. But again, saying, you know, are we good. to the director or whatever you're. saying, all of it is supposed to sort of. acknowledge the artifice and therefore. kind of remove some of the artifice. because we're always talking about.

authenticity in documentary making. So. that is why. But I agree that it's. become such a cliche now that I don't. want to see it anymore. Like lots of. things like drone shots. No, thank you. >> It's also um been taken advantage of. There's a particularly egregious version. of it in the Vardy documentary where. they're doing the oh I'm sitting down. but they it's like a scripted like a. really eggy scripted piece to bring a. particular um prop into the thing and. you think no come on that's to me is. when no more of this now I like it I. like seeing people you know slightly you.

know off guard I like the naturalness of. it but now they've started using it and. honestly on that Vardy thing it's very. very very early on in that documentary. let the cycle turn over again. I'm bored. of it now. >> Let the cycle turn over again. >> But, you know, I if you're sitting in an. edit and on a TV show and the the bits. that aren't really on camera, the bits. where someone's just talking to the. audience or the bits in between the. shots, you think, "Oh my god, there's. such a naturalness here that is so great. and documentaries can use it. You can't. use it in entertainment shows." That's.

why sometimes you'll see after the um. you know the credits of a TV show, they'll use a little bit from the. recording where people are just kind of. you know slightly off mic and mcking. about because it just it it it does. bring a real truth to things. >> Right. Shall we now go to some adverts? >> Yes. Uh we're going to take a break and. after we take a break we're going to. talk about take a break the magazine who. are using AI for their fiction. Now. we'll be discussing that. >> This episode is brought to you by. Lloyd's Rewards. Now, a big mistake that. people make is leaving the cinema as. soon as the credits roll because there.

might be a bonus scene right at the end. >> Absolutely. One might be one in the. middle. >> Yeah. You never know. >> In Marvel's one to be a mid-credit scene. and then there'll be an end credit. scene. >> I remember the first one I really. remember well two. I remember Ferris. Buer's day off where where he tells you. to go home at the end, but also Smokeoky. and the Bandit with with Bert Reynolds. where where they would do bloopers. It. just feels like a secret little glimpse. >> into a different quite have to be over. >> Yeah. Exactly. And it's just a lovely. little added bonus. You've done. everything. You've made your show, right? You've given everyone everything.

It's just a lovely little extra, >> which is also the idea behind Lloyd's. rewards. Extra value appearing inside. something you were already doing anyway, your daily banking. From shopping to. streaming, you can bank on Lloyds to. help your money go further. >> It's rewards like this that make 14. million people bank on Lloyds. Search. Lloyd's rewards in your app. Eligibility. criteria, terms and conditions apply. Retailer offers and cashback amounts may. vary. UK residents 18 plus.

Welcome back everybody. Now Sam. Barakluff has a question that I think we. both want to talk about. Says, "Take a. Break magazine is replacing all of their. short story writers with LLM's large. language models, revealing that all of. their fiction is now going to be AI. generated. Is the magazine industry in. that much trouble that we need to. replace writers?" Wow. Yes. This is this. was first reported by Press Gazette, which is a brilliant trade publication, but it's Take a Break is a women's. weekly magazine, and it's got all sorts.

of different true life stories and. things like that in the real thing, but. they've also got Fiction Feast, which is. a sort of spin-off, um, which is all. short stories written by various. contributors. The AI checking service. Pangram says that all of these stories. are now 100% AI generated and they have. had to acknowledge this now. So an email. has gone out to people who would. normally be contributors and it said so. the July issue of fiction feast has been. created using a combination of stories. some writer commissions and some.

in-house creations from the fiction. feast team. Now, >> wow. The fiction feast team is doing a. lot of heavy lifting. >> and so nine stories are credited to the. fiction feast team and those seem to be. completely written by AI. Now, there has. been a massive backlash from writers as. you would expect. >> And it's interesting these women's. magazines are they you get paid in the. sort of low hundreds of pounds for one. of these stories, but they are one of. the last remaining paying markets for. short story writers. And also, by the.

way, it's just a great a nursery slope. or b just way to if you're writing. novels as well. This is a it's just a. it's a nice gig. >> It's a good way to get coverage. There's. not a huge amount of money in it, but. there is money in it. >> and it's a very specific tone and it's. hard to get it and once you have it, people are very skilled at it and it's. kind of light-hearted and it's stories. about romance or families. Your question. is, is the are things really bad? Yes, they are bad. Um, there is no. click-through really from Google. I'm. sure Bow would argue that they're trying. to protect their remaining human.

writers, etc. >> And by the way, take take a break is a. is a big magazine. It's one of the top. 10 magazines in Britain. It's got, you. know, quarter of a million uh readers. every week. Is this this is not some. sort of minor thing at the edge of the. magazine industry going, "Oh, you know, we're going to take a chance on this.". This is one of the absolute big hitters. in the British magazine business doing. this. >> But we can already see because the. pictures went first. They used to have. illustrations and illustrators who. would, >> you know, read the story and now they.

have AI slop and I'm afraid it's very. difficult on the one hand. I mean, I. think this is incredibly depressing and. just like without any shadow of a doubt. and it's they don't pay very much. You. might not it's only very low hundreds. that you would get for writing a whole. story and that takes you a long time. >> Yeah. And if you can't pay that then you. don't have a magazine. I mean you. shouldn't be continuing with it. It's. crazy. The counterpoint I would say not. particularly in this case but the. counterpoint is the other struggle for. fiction magazines and publishers anyone.

who takes peri submissions basically is. getting through the massive quantities. of AI generated submissions that are now. coming in. If your job is reading. submissions for whatever it is for a. magazine or for anywhere that publishes. fiction and that includes publishers, how do you know when what whether what's. you can't tell from the outside whether. it's AI? You have to get through it. And. there have been really interesting. cases. There's a science fiction mag. called Clark's World who quite often. have to say we're stopping taking.

submissions now because they're getting. so much AI stuff. And sometimes they. pause it, sometimes whatever. It's. really interesting because what happens. is that there are lots of sort of. grifters who make Tik Toks and you. YouTube videos saying, "Oh, there's easy. money here. How's you?" And they make. these videos saying, "This is how you. write the prompts that generate a short. a fictional short story." Huge industry. now. And it's really interesting like. Clark's World said they've paused at. various points because and they say the. reason they pause at those particular.

points is because someone has with. enough followers has done a video saying. these these idiots you can make money. off these idiots really easily and so. they see a huge spike in AI stuff coming. in and that's when they have to pause. It is difficult to yeah to fight. >> but if you are take a break they've used. you know they they use quite a small. pool of contributors have done for a. long time and you know they are they are. naturally protected from that by using. people that they've always used and now. they're choosing not to because you know.

the writing of stories is has a weird. place in this AI universe cuz it it. seems like the kind of first thing that. people worry about and we said before. it's the thing that AI is worst at. It. can't do it. Uh and there was a good. report last week about different. industries and their use of AI and it. says 6% of people in publishing use AI. regularly in their job which is the. lowest of any industry that they pled. and lowest by quite a way of any. industry and that's because publishing.

is just very very aware of this thing. and it's very very aware of this threat. to the sort of existence of what it. does. I don't think it is a threat. because I have always thought that AI is. not very good at writing novels and. publishing is very good at writing. novels. So I I think weirdly it's much. less of a threat in publishing than it. isn't in other industries. But. fascinating that within the offices of. publishing the the resistance to AI is. huge. Some people were saying oh it. shouldn't even be 6% and you know AI. slopping books and but it's not talking.

about books being AI. It's talking about. people within publishing and the tools. that they use in their daily jobs and in. other industries is much much bigger. than it is in publishing because. publishing is sort of both the first and. last bastion the first and last line of. defense against this stuff which is why. this take a break thing is particularly. depressing because it was human beings. writing stories for other human beings. and just the idea that they believe they. can now get away with it. If you look at. the stories by the way the AI written. ones they are very very prosaic and.

[clears throat] I'm sure. >> someone who is a normal contributor had. sort of gone through and analyzed them. and said you know this is not. characterization this is not this is not. how I would do it this is you know. >> yeah it isn't any it's it's sort of it. isn't anything but we we know that. already you can read it if you want. these machines can write it if they want. but it isn't anything it isn't the. future of anything it's a loss of. something so I I think it's a real. shame. I think it's great that that. magazine used to exist and used to sell.

copies uh and now you think, well, I. mean, now it's just some computers. making money for some other computers. Now, this little chat is brought to you. by Lloyds. >> Lloyds's dark horse anti-fraud. technology helps to protect customers by. monitoring activity and spotting when. something doesn't look right. >> Yep. Entertainment has developed its. very own elaborate backstage version of. that. Uh there's fake production titles, red scripts, we'll get on to what they. are. Uh and also just the world of quiz. shows and how we stop people seeing.

answers beforehand. All the elaborate. things you go to protect the privacy of. your production. So films, they do it a. lot, right? >> Oh my god. Film and TV. By the way, if. you want to get onto a film studio lot, good luck. >> It's like a maximum security stockade. You are not going to get in there. And. yet even on the lot, lots of productions. have like fake net. like House of the. Dragon, they called it Red Gun. And I. remember thinking when I was walking. past it, nobody could get in here at. all. It's so unbelievably secure. If.

you're out on the streets, I remember. the guys on Succession saying they. didn't really realize by the time they. were filming their second series, and so. it would just say Succession. And it. became a complete sort of nightmare. They're like, "All right, hang on. We. need a code word for our production.". >> Because if you see uh ever like tied to. lampost, they have those sort of arrows. And that's because you have to if you're. filming on a different place, you have. to send all the trucks to the right. place. So, you have to tell people where. it is, but you have to give a fake name. if it's a big show that because because. anyone can find where your unit base is. or where your uh set is. >> And the scripts are so completely I.

mean, you get so paranoid about not like. giving your script in at the end of the. day to the script supervisor and and not. getting shredded and. >> they're all watermark. They know exactly. whose script is who. If even if. Yeah. You can't photocope red with a. watermark saying like Marina hide across. it and diagonal. If it's yours, it's. going to be really really obvious that. it's got lost. You have to give it back. in at the end of the day. >> I mean more prosaic. But in the world of. quiz shows, one of the absolute keys is. it has to be fair. You have to make sure. no one's seen any of the questions. You. have to make sure that you know no one.

knows what happens. And every single. quiz show has an independent adjudicator. who is in charge of all of that stuff. It keeps everything under a lock and. key. Make sure everything handcuff to a. briefcase and then they should open the. quiz questions like that. >> I mean, we used to do that with the with. the prize money on million pound drop. for sure. I mean, that was that that. never came off a handcuff at any point. cuz it was real money. We wanted to have. real money there, but but in terms of. quiz questions, there was uh one quiz. which they recorded a whole series of. I. won't say what it was called. And they. realized that the person on podium one.

could just about see over the. presenter's shoulder where the question. and the answer were shown. They didn't. think anyone had done it at all, but the. very fact that they could have done it. meant they scrapped the entire series. Everything has to be complete. Not on. House of Games because there's no. surprises are meaningless, but on like. on a normal question or a millionaire or. something like that. Yeah. Uh the people. know that. Uh so it it's absolutely the. security of it. Deal or no deal as well. where you literally have an independent. adjudicator by themselves putting all.

the bits of money into the different. boxes using like a random number. generator. I mean, nobody could go. anywhere near it. And you know, the. privacy you have to have on your. computers just in case someone could. hack into the questions, it's it's it's. a it's a huge huge deal because if you. lose that integrity, you lose. everything. And so the hoops you have to. jump through on a quiz show to make sure. nobody can ever find out and answer. >> So much more watertight than many. government departments. Interesting. >> It really is. Yeah, it really, really. is. >> So beneath the fake titles, red scripts,

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customers from fraud. Less visible than. a locked film set or an arena security. detail, but considerably busier. >> Darkhorse helps keep customers safer. from fraud, but people still need to. stay vigilant around potential scams. Search Lloyds, how we protect you, to. find out more about how Lloyds helps. keep you and your money safe based on. Lloyd's banking group data 2023 to 2025. >> There's a question from Stuart Best. He. says, "I I was browsing in a WH Smith. and I found myself thinking who is. buying all these magazines? I don't mean.

Vogue or The Economist, but the many. publications on fishing, caravans, and. gardening. >> So, we talked about Take a Break just. then, which quarter of a million people. a week. That's one of the top 10. magazines in Britain. There's very few. magazines. Magazines could used to sell. millions and millions. The biggest. magazine in Britain is TV Choice, which. sells about 850,000. copies a week. All the biggest. magazines, in fact. >> Uh well, TV Choice, what's on TV, and. Radio Times, all in the top four. The. Economist in third place, just over. 400,000. And the rest of the top 10,

you've got Take a Break, Slimming World. magazine, Private Eye, which has done. unbelievably well, >> unbelievable success story, >> but you know, they've absolutely. concentrated on the thing that they they. are best at and it's it's been I think. it's underestimated um what Ian Hisop. has done. >> at that place. I think that's. extraordinary. It really is because in. the world where all magazines are. failing and he keeps a really really. it's one of the top 10 magazines in the. >> podcast is brilliant. All the things. they off Yeah. And then you got Good. Housekeeping, uh, BBC Gardener World and.

Women at Home. They're in the top 10. If. you get much, much further down the list. of, uh, the, uh, audited bureau of. circulation. You get to the sort of ones. that Stuart is talking about, you've got. things like Cycling Plus, Scottish. Field, Airfix, Model World, Classic Car. Weekly, Garden Answers, Model Rail, Bird. Watching, and these are all selling, I. mean, eight or nine or 10,000. copies, which is not a lot. Certainly. not really a sustainable business in the. long term. But what a lot of these. magazines are doing and we talked about.

it on Tuesday funnily enough is they are. super serving a niche audience. So in a. way this sort of 10,000 thing just being. on the shelf at all is slightly a loss. leader but they can make enough money. out of advertising to a very very very. specific targeted. >> audience. a lot of clickth through on. >> but like a lot of clickth through which. is very you know you get if you can get. a lot of orders on 10,000 uh readers. then you do have a business lots of them. have uh event arms as well and have.

merchandising arms and if you look at. all these magazines that look like. they're very niche you think yes that's. why they are there is because they are. very niche and because they understand. how to serve that audience and if you. can if you got 10,000 people a week or a. month who are buying this sort of it's. almost like going to advert for your. business, you know, buying a magazine. like Scottish Field, but the business. inside is advertising, it's events, it's. all of that kind of stuff. So, every. single one of them, the more niche it. looks, the more reason it has to be on. the shelves. And lots of these have.

consolidated. There used to be like a. hundred cycling magazines and hundreds. of model train magazines and they get. there's fewer and fewer and fewer and. fewer. But the money is there, the. advertising money is there, the people. buying things is there, the event side. of it is there and the magazine is. almost just like a a poster in a shop. window for these things. So it's it's. listen, it's really really really hard. to be in the magazine business that's. for sure. But if you can really super. serve an audience, then it's it's worth. it. There's now a a lot of things in.

America and stuff like that where people. are starting to publish magazines. because they see them as an advert for. their events business or for their. merchandising business. They just see it. as a shop window for that. But that's. where the money is coming from. The. money used to come from I can sell. 100,000 magazines [clears throat] a week. and take all of that money and I've got. the advertising on top. Now they tend to. be advertising and events businesses. which have this lovely shop window of a. magazine. But if you're in the top 10. magazines, please don't feel the need to.

give jobs to machines because you will. ultimately cannibalize your own. business. I fundamentally believe that. >> It's you are 100% right. And you know, take a break. I mean, it's it sells a. lot of copies. It has lots of good. journalists working there. Lots of. people who cut their teeth on Take a. Break. It must be hard for everyone who. works there. I think. >> just awful. >> Yeah. Uh and on that uplifting note, [laughter]. >> sorry, >> but it's blistant. You have to call it. out. You have to call it out. It's the. thin end of the wedge. And we all know. that AI is going to do more and more and.

more things. We absolutely get it. We. understand its use. But there are. moments where you do have to say that's. just not acceptable. It isn't. acceptable. It's not It's not a way to. run a business. Certainly not a way to. run a creative business. And it's, you. know, the whoever. I'm sure they had their reasons for. doing it. I'm sure they think they're. protecting editorial jobs and what have. you and I get it. But it's the wrong. thing to do. It definitely sends out the. wrong message and it's it's Yeah, it's.

it's not the way to run a creative. business. >> Agreed. Right. >> That said, >> on that note, we will see you next. Tuesday. >> We will. And it'll be really us in. person. [music]. Heat. Heat. [music].