Why Paramount Merger Spells Disaster For British Film

Shall we start with this one uh from. Alice who says this new by the way uh. policy we have of only using people's. first names for legal reasons. That's. okay. Uh Alice says. >> I didn't buy it but anyway. [laughter]. >> Alice said what the hell is I'll give. this to Alice. She's piffy. >> Yeah. >> What the hell is AJ Pritchard doing on. GB News? >> AJ Pritz Let's just remind people who he. is. He was a former Strictly pro. Yeah. Who uh and a tireless real celebrity.

reality show contestant. I think he's. done Haunted Master Show. He's done so. many. >> He was a drag race choreographer, I want. to say, at one point. He. >> his brother Curtis was on Love Island. >> They were both in Holly Oaks. I mean, he's tooured the the corridors of. British Entertainment and otherwise. So. perhaps it's is it inevitable that he. would eventually end up on a rolling. news channel? Um, his first stint on. this went sort of viral because he was, it seemed like he was almost doing an. impression of a hard-hitting newsman. Um, and it was about petty crime, sort.

of shoplifting and things like that. In. terms of why he's on there, I would say. GB News is interesting. I mean, it but. it also epitomizes problems with every. that everyone has in providing news. You. cannot make money out of news. >> Is it right and say I was reading that. no rolling news channel in the UK has. ever made a profit? >> It's you can't be profitable. you know. there's the idea of people saying you. know if we didn't have the BBC and so on. I can assure you. >> Netflix are not getting into this. >> they have shown absolutely zero interest. in. >> so BBC of course don't make a a profit.

sky news that's there it's a it's sort. of a loss leader for them and for GB. news again it's if if you if you want a. certain viewpoint put you are happy to. fund it. >> well let me tell you about GB news they. have lost huge amounts. the rest is entertainment is presented. by octopus energy now cinema always. really wants reality to cooperate and. ideally on schedule, >> but it often doesn't. Nature is often. the biggest enemy of the filmmaker and.

all sorts of film sets. Often out in the. open, often on very tight schedules, but. the weather doesn't always make things. easy, right? >> No. Film making is often a negotiation. with the natural world, which and. there's probably only going to be one. winner. >> My favorite story of nature is Mad Max. Fury Road, which of course is in that. incredible baron. Yeah. >> Wasteland. But there had been huge. rainfalls before it and the whole place. was full of vegetation and absolutely. there was just. >> I know there were wild flowers. everywhere. I was like what? >> Yeah. And eventually they had to. relocate to Namibia because Broken Hill.

was just too green and that's nature for. you. >> Film making can be very very persuasive. but nature often has the final word. >> Octopus Energy Generation is interested. in wind and sunlight and weather for. other reasons of course energy. generation. uh it backs, builds and. manages renewable energy products across. 435 sites in 21 countries. So this is. rather more than a passing interest in. the weather. >> They claim to be the biggest dedicated. news channel. Um but they do lose a huge. amount of money. They say that they've.

been done over by for web and app. traffic by those AI summaries. Now those. AI summaries that you might just see for. some businesses, these are absolutely. killing them. When you open Google and. you type in the top of your Google. search, it's the top of your Google. search. It's it they are 63% down. because of AI summaries. >> There's a way of getting rid of them, right? But it's quite a complicated one. Drives me insane. >> But people don't care. People think it's. good enough and they don't care that. some of it's a lot of it's wrong. By the. way, I always notice just how much of. those are wrong. They're not as good as. something like chat GPT or anything like.

that. They are they are much more of. Chat GPT, which is often wrong, but it's. much they are much more wrong. Again, there's an amazing line in uh that Erin. Sawin writes in the social reckoning. that we that I recommended on Tuesday. where the woman from Facebook goes, "You're just mad at me because you know. we destroyed journalism." And he said, "No, I'm not mad at you because you. destroyed journalism. I'm mad at you. because you are so bad at it.". >> Yeah. You're doing it so bad. It's very, very good. Um so you're going to see a. lot more of these news channels doing.

stunt stuff. And this is really, you. know, they haven't booked him for the. news value. Um, so someone like Trevor. Phillips, who's I think brilliant, he's. left Sky, he's gone to CBS. Um, >> he's in the new 60 Minutes, right? >> Yeah. So Sky News, they sort of revamped. their Sunday morning and they've put. lots of personality presenters in there. rather than, um, journalists. So Bruce. Davidson, David Lashoga, they're going. to have different hosts each week. Everyone is trying, whether you think. it's GB News or Sky News or everyone is. trying to get some kind of hook into the.

viral market. And so, as I say, they. have tiny audiences and we have this. legacy idea that these shows are. important. Your competition is genuinely. people producing news commentary in. their bedrooms or with podcasts. And. this is the real problem for these. channels. And it's happening all the. time. You can't regulate these people. You can't say that they're telling you. anything accurate. It doesn't, you know, it it anything that sticks out or makes. a clippable moment for these news. channels is supposed to be worth it. I.

think it's I mean I think it's all false. and it's all just this like either sort. of stop providing it or find a different. way to do it. But virality things going. viral is equated with relevance. Yeah. >> So the fact that this clip of this. person doing the AJ Pritchell doing it. very very badly or whatever has gone. viral. It might be regarded as some kind. of win. It might be the most. commercially useful thing that happened. on GB news in 24 hours. >> It's in their numbers, right? >> Yeah. because it also you might or you.

might get a 30-cond shouting match. between two guests and then it's like. great well we'll clip that um and it. will go well on Tik Tok. It's a bit like. the South Park gnomes where their. business plan is one collect underpants, two question mark, three profit. And. there is a lot of that to this I think. which is that you know if we it go it'll. go well on Tik Tok ideally it will drive. up people towards subscribing to us. Okay, >> profit. Um, but it doesn't make. meaningful perview money in and of.

itself just cuz there's a clip that I. mean honestly I can't imagine the whole. world's population kind of needs to. watch something before you really start. making money enough money to cover a. news channel. Okay. So. >> yeah, I mean the thing is there there. isn't enough money to cover a news. channel because as you say over here. they've always been unprofitable and. what GB News want really is to stem the. losses a bit. I think they there. presumably is a budget that says I'm. happy to lose this much money to have. this platform. I I don't really want to. lose a huge amount more than that. And. as you say, the business plan is really.

really having to keep up with these. absurd sort of movements in uh in in. search and discovery and things like. that. >> Uh in terms of why AJ Pritchard would do. it, which I think is interesting, right? So I see why GB News would do it. They've got a lot of time to fill. uh. you know as you said why not have. someone who people already recognize. from someone else what's the worst that. can happen and even if the worst that. can happen happens which it did actually. is quite good for us but if you're AJ. Pritchard it's it's always that dance.

between the asker and the asky in terms. of talent and in terms of um TV and you. have to find the sweet spot where each. side needs the other one as much as they. are needed so if you're you know an ITV. or someone you can actually have your. you know choice of people on BBC you can. have your choice of people and then it's. just a question of kind of money and. access and things like that but at this. level you know AJ as you said he's done. lots of reality shows you there comes a. point where he's sitting in his agent's. office and saying what is it that we do.

next you know I don't have a big long. running show. >> prestige drama. >> but I have a you know he's got a skill. he's a dancer so there's live tours. there stuff like that that he can do but. he needs to keep himself in the shop. window like you know lots of talent so. he's thinking what is it that I want to. do what offers are coming in to me, you. know, is it celebrity handcuffed? You. know, what is it that's coming in? And. so it's is he big enough for it to be. worth GB News's while? Yes, cuz he has. an equivalence with where they are in.

terms of discoverability and for him. it's is it worth me doing this to keep. myself in the shop window? Are there. enough people watching? Uh and again, it's going viral. Yeah. has actually. worked for both of them because you know. the whole point of this is of they just. put him on again now because why. wouldn't you and he'll get better at it. I'm sure and there's absolutely no. >> can't get worse so yes I agree the is. one way. >> yeah but there's no point to watching. him on a new show no any more than. they'd be was worth watching me doing a. dancing show I mean because I can't.

dance so hard. >> I know in the same way but you would. watch AJ Pritchard trying to be a news. similar very similar so it's it's it has. a similar vibe to it so it's worth it. for for him cuz he needs a shop window. cuz he wants to be on other shows and he. wants to do live things and it's his. living. It's his profession. You know, that's what he does for a job and. there's not many people who are Pierce. Morgan who has that fame and is a. journalist and you know he's obviously. he makes he's made hundreds of millions. and so everyone's thinking oh we could. do that and it's is probably not going.

to be AJ Pritchard I don't think but you. know I mean listen we're all trying. aren't we? >> Oh this is an interesting one from. Sophie. She says, "I have a question for. you regarding the new Zimardo Stanford. prison experiment reality show due to. air on Netflix. As a traininee clinical. psychologist and fully aware of how. catastrophic the original experiment. was, how can Netflix and the creators. justify making something that was so. famously unethical and controversial?". >> Yes. So the the original Stanford prison. experiment is the one where they took.

undergraduates, all men, and put them in. a prison environment and half of them. were made guards and half of them were. made prisoners. uh and you you could. meet up punishments and stuff like that. And it it it went pretty mental almost. immediately. You know, you're trying to. see what happens when you give power to. one group and no power to another. See. what that does to people. Uh and it it. it just it went very badly wrong and it. was a it was a deeply psychologically. unpleasant experience especially for the. prisoners. >> I've read so much about it over the.

years. It's like one of those obsessions. that Yeah. >> But everyone who's ever heard of it has. wanted to turn it into a reality show. Yeah, >> because it's already it's like, oh, you. got 10 people, 10 people, and it's in an. environment and there's someone looking. at it and you're trying to work out. something about human behavior from it. >> I've genuinely seen more morally debased. reality shows. >> Yeah. >> All the way through. >> But I've I would say from the '9s. onwards, this is the single thing I've. seen pitched most often in television. companies. Everybody has pitched the. Stanford prison experiment. everyone. I've there has never been a single the.

second you get two people in a TV office. uh and there is a single buyer somewhere. within 20 minutes that say why don't we. do something based on the Stanford. prison experiment. >> So it's been given to Netflix, hi this. is Netflix, you're green lit. >> Yes. So Netflix is doing it. Uh and uh. and and to speak to Sophie's question, what they are not going to do on Netflix. is recreate the Stanford prison. experiment. No. Right. because we know. what happened and it went very very. badly wrong and it was awful. But it's. understanding that the Stanford prison.

experiment is a is is something that. people understand and recognize and they. understand it's about power dynamics and. they understand it's about will people. follow orders, you know, which is a lot. of what happened there. Uh and they. think for various reasons that that. might be quite opposite for the times in. which we live. And so what they're. actually doing is redrawing the Stanford. prison experiment and doing it in a way. that it should have been done in the. first place with proper oversight and. proper rules and interesting. psychologists involved. I know they've. got like a like a former you know warden.

of a prison in there and they got you. know Harvard professors. So, it's one of. those things that they're doing with the. proper guard rails now, which they. didn't before, but so it's launching off. the back of how awful and how failed the. Stanford prison experiment was, which is. why it's famous, which is why you can. launch it with a bit of buzz, but it is. redrawing it for 2026. >> Are they sourcing it all the all the. contestants like because they were all. hippie? You know, I mean, that was the. thing. All these all these experiments. like this the Mgrim experiment they're. all done in these like West Coast.

universities where everyone was a. complete hippie and became an absolute. Nazi on within 15 minutes of starting it. >> within 15 minutes of there being no data. available. >> Um I wonder I I'll be interested to see. what yeah it's been it's been cast. across genders and across ages and stuff. like that which again the original. experiment wasn't. So yeah so the. question is they are not redoing the. Stanford prison experiment because that. would be incredibly dangerous. they are. imagining. what can it tell us about the world in. which we live today and the fact that.

it's based on Stanford the prison. experiment again is just it's in a way. the Stanford prison experiment has. become IP. >> that we all own. >> it 100% it has people know what it not. everyone knows what it is but it'll be. easy to explain um and it will it. somehow makes it sort of prestigy to. have a bit of history in some of the. footage at the beginning. >> you know I'm sure they'll keep it all. they'll bring it all into the show, why it went wrong and all that kind of. stuff. But it is there is. >> not a single thing in the history of.

recorded entertainment that has been. pitched more often than let's do the. Stanford prison experiment. But if they. do it well, it'll be fascinating. viewing. That's for sure. [snorts]. >> Um, should we go to a break? Let's. [music]. >> This episode is brought to you by our. friends at Lloyds. >> Now, let's talk about movie con artists. Who are your absolute favorites? >> Movies, TV, and book. My answer is the.

same, and it's Tom Ripley. >> I was going to say him. It's one of the. greatest characters of all time. >> So, from the Talented Mr. Ripley books. by Patricia Highmith, there's five of. them. So, if you like Talented Mr. Ripley, you are in luck. who is like one. of the worst men in the world, but you. absolutely you root for him at all. times. >> Now, of course, deception makes for. excellent entertainment on screen. In. real life, when it's your bank account. being targeted, the charm somewhat. disappears. >> Yep. Lloyds have invested 100 million. pounds in Darkhorse anti-fraud.

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Hello everyone, welcome back. Um, Marina, this has been a huge story, but. I I want to do a version that people. will kind of get back to what's. important about it for us. Ian says, "With Paramount Sky Dance finally. completing his merger with Warner. Brothers, combining huge brands like HBO. Max and Paramount Plus alongside major. franchises like Harry Potter and Game of. Thrones, I was wondering how could this. massive deal actually impact the average. rest's entertainment listener uh from. the future of films to streaming prices. So whatever's happened, this huge kind. of deal and the financial implications.

actually for us as consumers and people. in Britain watching streaming, what will. actually change and. >> all the questions should just be like. what's it mean for rest as. entertainment? I quite agree. >> What does AJ Pritchard mean for rest as. entertainment listeners? >> Well, in an ideal world, it would. supposedly deliver more value to you. We. have to slightly talk about it in the US. to start with because um you know that's. what the justice department hoped that. bringing two things together but let's.

be honest it's different to the UK and. the US and I will do both whenever two. competing services become one and you. can get Paramount I have both at the. moment Paramount Plus and HBO Max you. get a smaller market because there is. less competition and the players in that. market have more freedom to increase. their prices and also this new company. Sky Dance. >> uh has unbelievably massive debt and. they have to pay that down. So, I have. to be honest with you, what what it will. bring you is more TV and film in one.

place because they're going to. eventually put HBO Max and Paramount. Plus together. They haven't done that. They're not going to do that for a bit. So, if you have one or other either of. those, you're not going to have to sort. of pay the extra for both. >> It'll be like HBO Even More Max, like. when Gillette add another blade. >> It's the equivalent of adding another. blade or four Taylor Sheridan blades. HBO Max plus. >> um. >> HBO Max Plus. >> Yeah, that's what they call it. >> Yeah, Max Plus. Yeah, it's um but it. it's almost certainly going to mean. higher subscriptions. If you pay for.

both currently like me, it might end up. less. It might, but I even then because. I say they got so much debt. So, it's. not clear if you pay for Paramount now. just for say Taylor Sheridan shows cuz. you love them. um you may now have to. pay more for for all if especially if. you're in the US for all this HBO stuff, all that woke nonsense that they don't. want. So, okay, that's that's the telly. At the cinema, I think this is probably. the more significant bit. There are now. four maj major Hollywood studios instead. of five. So, decision- making has been.

consolidated and there is 20% less. decision-m out there. So people who had. things to sell and ideas and for kind of. creative riches and for the sort of. originals we want to see well most. people in who listen to this podcast. would like to see some um originals in. theaters. I think there will be less of. that. Um as we saw what happened we. talked about Digger last week and we. talked about how those two executives. Mike and Pam are out at Warers. They. were known for kind of big swing. originals and the people from Paramount.

coming in are not. They're known for. doing lots of sequels and so more likely. you'll be seeing more sequels. Um they. have guaranteed 30 films a year for the. first two years. They have guaranteed. that. They couldn't get the deal through. without doing that. So, but I believe. that what you will get is a smaller. choice of films ultimately after two. years. If you think they're going to be. making 30 films, I have a bridge to sell. you. um there will be more blockbusters. or attempts to have blockbusters in your. cinemas than there will be kind of. originals because they've become a very.

big studio. It might be possible to push. the cinema chains into higher ticket. prices um because you could negotiate. tougher terms for major releases. And. what that means is that you it's harder. for independent cinemas that you might. go to to put on an independent kind of. program of films. Um, for British films, I think this is very significant. It's. really hard for British films to get. into cinemas right now. They account for. something like they're like six or. seven% of all the films of of our of our.

box office. Um, and cinema screens are. limited and independent British films. have to compete with these Hollywood. films. And if they are negotiating. harder terms because they want them all. to be blockbusters, it will be I really. think indie British films there there's. not a lot left to lose before they come. become almost unviable as an idea which. I think think is really sad and it's you. know the other countries have taken very. very proactive steps to allow this not.

to happen. You look at France they have. so they have a very very strong. independent cinema. I would I would hope. that it doesn't have this effect, but I. fear that it does and I think that makes. a that's quite a big deal for. >> So there might be fewer the ballad of. Wallace Island and Roy Lanes. >> Yeah. And they're already a tiny amount. >> Say why that is again. >> because basically they will have the. power to kind of push for harder terms. and to keep I don't know if they want. things to become blockbusters to give me. more screens, give me you know just. >> just consolidating.

>> Yes. the cinema industry. >> because again anything any time that you. make a market smaller you can just push. for higher prices and you can make. bigger demands because there are fewer. players and this is a risk for sure. So. I think in in summary you know it might. make your TV subscriptions more. expensive there might be fewer originals. for you to watch at the cinema and it. might be very difficult for British. film. So I hope none of these things. happen, but the likelihood given what we. understand about these kind of market.

economics is that they will. >> Is there an argument that says because. they are burdened with such an enormous. amount of debt and even if you're the. Edison's it's a lot of debt and the fact. that they have promised to make 30. movies a year. >> Is there an argument that says they have. no other option other than to cut. production costs with AI, which is. something I keep reading about that the. introduction of AI into the production. process will be massively accelerated by. this. you know, there are, you know, Larry Allison's a tech guy, so I mean, I. don't know what we think's happening. here, but yeah, that it's already.

spreading throughout every layer of the. production process. Um, and it's just. the ship has sailed. They're just going. to have to start talking about it. But, and that's not limited to um, Sky Dance. >> Yes. But it but I think it it may speed. it up. >> Particularly are going to want to speed. it up. Yeah. Now our next question as you know one of. our sponsors is Lloyds and we said to. them look instead of just doing an. advert we have to read out when you ask. us a question and they have come up with. a doozy which I have an answer to I. think you do as well and their question.

is this. What is the entertainment gift. that keeps on giving? >> This is from Louise at Lloyds. I think. Louise is talking about just properties. that just continue to kind of pay out. and expand and whatever. Well, you. always say null Evans used to say money. while you sleep. >> Even null could not have dreamt of Star. Wars in terms of money as you sleep. Okay. People thought it was going to be. mad. A space opera. What the hell? And. before they knew how big it was going to. be, it came out in 1977. By the way, it's it cost them about $11 million.

Imagine that. But they they had made. plans for it to become a sort of. franchise if it just like did okay. You. never know if it did okay. So they. thought if it does okay and it sort of. washes its face. They had another sequel. which was called something like it was. called Splinter of the Mind's Eye. >> Oh, [laughter] that's a red. >> No, it was not the Empire. They didn't. They went with the Empire Strikes Back. in the end which obviously became. absolutely massive. And remember, he. keeps the merchandising rights Lucas. So. that is certainly a gift that keeps on. giving for him. And eventually when.

Disney finally bought Lucasfilm and that. one of the brands that now sits under. it, they bought it for four billion in. 2012. I still think that was a good. price. >> Yeah, I mean that is a gift that keeps. on giving. I'm very excited about George. Lucas' new museum. >> in LA which is a museum of narrative and. illustrative art which goes to show how. much money he's got cuz firstly he's. bought all of this art. There's Norman. Rockwells and all sorts of things in. there. But secondly, he's got a building. massive enough to help. >> he's got foundation money now. >> Yeah, he has got gift that keeps on.

giving money. I would say that I'll go. for the office because just because the. origin stories are so you know Ricky and. Steven had this idea Steven who was a. traininee at the BBC was given a film. creep for a day and they did the sort of. very very first iteration of the office. listen we know what happened in. >> it wasn't beloved by executives by the. way when they first got it I always. remember someone saying that they'd. effectively told them to go away and. come back with something funny next. time. >> Yeah but also it wasn't loved by viewers. in week one. Yeah they were like kind of. sorry what is this? Uh, and the reason. that's the [laughter] gift that keeps on.

giving, they did 12 episodes over here. Then they're doing an American reboot, and American reboots never work. And, uh, it's just became pretty much the. biggest sitcom in the history of the. world. In the last year, we've got um, uh, really proper figures for it. Was. streamed for 57.1 billion minutes in the. US alone. That's 108,000 years of. watching the American office in one year. alone. from that one day at the BBC. And.

obviously the money that everyone's made. involved in that is absolutely. extraordinarily through the roof. But. it's lovely because it was it was one. day it was two guys who had an idea that. nobody really wanted. Nobody really. liked. They believed in it. They made. it. They did another series. The. Americans came in and made something. that builds on it but is sort of. different as well. >> It defined a whole way of doing things. culturally. You know, the sort of. mockumentary thing. It became impossible. really not to make everything look a. little bit like it was shot like that. Even something like the thick of it.

comes along and it needs to look like. that cuz otherwise it doesn't seem edgy. and it doesn't seem sort of in part of. the zeit guys. >> Yeah. So it changed acting for uh you. know in lots of ways as well that. mockumentary way of acting. So, it's. extraordinary from one day to 108,000. years just because, you know, two people. wrote a great script. And that to me is. a is a gift that keeps on giving. >> The things that really last in. entertainment, Richard, tend to acquire. much more life than anyone originally. planned for them. >> Exactly. Right. There's rather more to.

Club Lloyds than the current account. itself. Lloyds calls it the gift horse. of bank accounts. Beyond the banking, there's cash back and your choice of a. lifestyle perk such as cinema tickets or. Disney Plus. To find out more, search. club Lloyds or visit lloydsbank.com.£5. monthly account fee refunded when you. pay in £2,000 each month. UK residents. 18 plus T's and C's apply. Thank you. Louise from Lloyds. >> We have a question from Nelly which I. really like. Do writers ever use a young. person consultant when making TV about.

teenagers? >> Oh, that's funny. Well, we can talk. about it a bit, but before we do that, we um actually have an answer. Mike. Flanigan was in town. He's just done the. new carry for Amazon Prime. >> Very much about teenagers. >> Very much about teenagers. So, um I put. Nelly's's question to him and this is. what Mike Flanagan has to say. Nelly. >> Well, Nelly, that is a terrific question. and the answer is absolutely because uh. I know absolutely nothing about what it. means to be a teenager today. Um I. thought that having been a teenager in.

the '9s uh meant that I knew something. about the experience of teenagers today. I was wrong. Very wrong. Uh, and I. learned that because in our writer room. for Carrie, we invited several teenagers. to come into the writer room um, to. share details about their lives, their. anxieties, their day-to-day experiences. Um, and we asked them what they thought. of our work, of our plot points, of our. characters, of where our season was. going. Um, and ask for their feedback. because they know what they're talking.

about and and we do not. Um, so yes, absolutely. I I think uh I think writers. uh certainly should and we absolutely. did uh bring in the people who know what. they're talking about. The things that. surprised me the most about this um was. the fortitude that young people have to. have today just to kind of make it. through their days. I was amazed by how. acutely aware they are of um the. political uh environmental economic. landscape that they're stepping into. um.

amazed by how savvy they are about kind. of the realities of the world around. them um and amazed at what they have to. navigate on the daily when it comes to. how public their lives are. Um when I. was in school the uh the mistakes I made. or the torments I went through were were. limited to the people who were in the. room or at that school. Um I think young. people today are living lives that are. not only visible in some cases to the. entire world and the entire internet uh.

but living uh with the feeling that. anything they do say or put out there. about themselves or things that are put. out there about them without their. consent can live forever and follow them. forever. And I think that requires an. extraordinary amount of strength and and. fortitude and bravery on the daily uh. that I was so impressed by. >> Wow, that's a great answer. >> Isn't it a great answer? What a great. guy. >> Yeah, very dispassionate um and. unsparing of himself. I I really feel.

that I I have to say nothing has been. more helpful almost for this podcast. than anytime I can talk to teenagers. particularly. I even mentioned it in my. when I did my book speech saying thank. you there's a lot of people who let me. talk to their teenagers and I always. said and I said teenagers are the best. teenagers have this unbelievable focus. as he's he's right about the times that. we're living through because they're. just living through I suppose. >> we always talk about hormonal stuff or. whatever but you you're you're living.

through it in such a heightened way. >> everyone is having the carry pig's blood. almost every day because of the way the. way that humiliation has just been you. know has become a sort of tool and. driver of the platforms that they are. all on and through which all of their. life is mediated. I think teenagers have. give teenagers have taught me more that. I've ended up saying on this podcast and. given me better windows into the world. and of all of entertainment, not just. the stuff aimed at them than than almost. anyone else. Yeah, you have to because.

we do we come from a certain generation. who consumed media in a certain way and. our culture was a certain way and as you. know as Mike was saying there was there. was there were more certainties in the. world when we were growing up and. actually you can't see media and. culture. We were talking about brain rot. on the main episode this week. You can't. see culture through the lens that you. grew up with. You know, you have to. constantly be changing your lens and you. do that by speaking to people, right? >> Absolutely. And I it's great that they. got them into the room. I he I love his.

chasened expression in all of that. Yeah, they told us what they thought of. our plot point. So, I was like, "Yeah, there's a reason things have to happen. like this because of television." But. also, I bet they took on board what they. were saying. >> It really reminds me of the stories from. the succession writer room when when. they bought him like billionaire. consultants and they'd be going, "Sorry, why is he ducking when he gets out of a. helicopter?". >> They don't need a code. Why would they. use a code? She doesn't know where her. kitchen is. She doesn't know where the. kitchen is. Why have you put a scene in. it? >> Yeah, it's like billionaires/ teenagers.

We We have a lot to learn from both. >> So, I'm going to see you again tonight. We're going to watch The Traitors. We're. going to do a live reaction episode. five. >> Yeah. Uh and the same again tomorrow. Those will be available to everyone. And. again, thanks for all your feedback on. those. It's been It's been really really. It's really what a lovely thing to share. with everyone. >> It's such fun. >> Yeah. >> Um all right, then. See you later. >> See you later, everyone. >> [music].

[music]. >> Heat.