We kicked off the fifth year of MK3D in style with fantastic guests.
For Coming Attractions, our first guest was the honourable Kristin Scott Thomas, who talked about her new film, Military Wives, which is based on the incredible true story of a group of women who start a chair whilst their partners are serving in Afghanistan. Mark and Kristin also discussed her previous work, including Four Weddings and a Funeral and Leaving (for which she won a prestigious Kermode award). Kristin also took part in one of the show’s most-loved features, Guilty Pleasures, selecting Ridley Scott’s Alien.
Next up, we had another Coming Attractions in the form of Alfred George Bailey and his new documentary, Show Me The Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall. A film about the legendary photographer who captured some of the most iconic moments of the 60s and 70s from the heights of the Rock and Roll music era to the Civil Rights movement. Alfred discussed the journey to getting the film made, which included his previous film, Gregory Porter Don’t Forget Your Music. After the show, Alfred headed straight to the Royal Albert Hall for a private screening of the film, which follows an exhibition of Marshall’s photography in London.
In Here’s The Thing Mark paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, who tragically passed away very recently, mentioning his Academy Award winning Animated Short film, Dear Basketball. Mark also highlighted the current Save Prospect Cottage campaign to save Derek Jarman’s house. Mark welcomed Jack Howard on-stage to discuss the recent Kermode on Film Live recording at the IFFR in Rotterdam.
Mark turned to the audience for Ask the Audience, and answered questions about what films to see in 2020, whether or not the infamous Kermode awards are making a return (which they are), and if he could elaborate further on his five-star review of Armando Iannucci’s new film, The Personal History of David Copperfield. This led very nicely to…
Our final guest of the night was the hilarious Armando Iannucci, who joined Mark on-stage to talk about his new film, which stars Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, and Hugh Laurie. Mark and Armando discussed the film and the outstanding Chaplin-esque lead performance given by Patel, as well as the terrific performance from Jairaj Varsnai, who plays the young David Copperfield. Mark also talked with Armando about his previous films including The Death of Stalin and his hugely successful television show The Thick of It, which included a comical cameo of Mark and his “massive hands”. For his Guilty Pleasure, Armando selected Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day starring Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum.
Finally, Mark ended the show with a poignant and hilarious tribute to the late Terry Jones, who passed away last week.
Kristin Scott Thomas 
Alfred George Bailey
