Film critic Wendy Ide joined Mark for this month’s Ask the Audience to discuss how the industry could improve its gender balance by having more women in film and film criticism. Jason Isaacs came to talk about his Guilty Pleasure, Rollerball (1975). In Here’s the Thing filmmaker Anthony Baxter discussed his film You’ve Been Trumped (2011) and his upcoming You’ve Been Trumped Too (2016). British director Amma Asante joined Mark for Coming Attractions to speak about her new film, A United Kingdom (2016), starring David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike. In Sound & Vision Mark talked about the music in Life of Brian (1979).
Mark Kermode Live in 3D | Show 5 | May 2016
Alan Parker joined Mark for Guilty Pleasure to talk about Heaven’s Gate (1980). This month’s List-O-Mania saw Mark discussing the Top Ten W
Mark Kermode Live in 3D | Show 4 | April 2016
We invited Orion: The Man Who Would Be King (2015) director Jeanine Finlay for this month’s Guilty Pleasure, and she chose Barbra Streisand’s A Star Is Born (1976). For List-O-Mania Mark talked about his favourite films featuring the m
Mark Kermode Live in 3D | Show 3 | March 2016
Director Ben Wheatley joined Mark to discuss Zardoz (1974) for this month’s Guilty Pleasure. List-O-Mania saw Mark discuss his Top Ten R
Mark Kermode Live in 3D | Show 2 | February 2016
Mark welcomed Sanjeev Bhaskar to discuss his Guilty Pleasure, which was Elvis Presley’s Flaming Star (1960). In the first edition of Coming Attractions, Mark talked about Kent Jones’ Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015). This month’s Sound & Vision celebrated Trainspotting (1996) for its 20th anniversary.
Mark Kermode Live in 3D | Show 1 | January 2016
In our very first show Mark talked about his Guilty Pleasure: Richard Gere in Breathless (1983). For List-O-Mania, Mark discussed his Top Ten David Bowie films. This month’s classic film in One from the Vaults was Maîtresse (1976). Furthermore, for the very first Sound & Vision Mark talked about the music in Girlhood (2014), Rihanna’s Diamonds.
Mark Kermode
Outspoken, opinionated and never lost for words, Mark Kermode is the UK’s best known and most trusted film critic.
He is the resident film reviewer for The Observer; for BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sony award-winning Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review; for the BBC News Channel’s Review Show and for BBC2’s Culture Show. Additionally, Mark hosts a film soundtrack show on Scala Radio on Saturdays. On his ground-breaking Kermode Uncut Blog he airs his personal views on what most fires him up about cinema, and invites viewers to give their own opinions.
Audiences have been delighted by the trademark passionate rants about films that have earned him his cult following in print, broadcast and online.
Mark Kermode began his career in film journalism and broadcasting in the 1980s after studying English at Manchester University, where he wrote his PhD thesis on horror fiction. He began working for magazines such as City Life, Time Out, Fangoria and the NME. Currently he is a contributing editor to Sight & Sound.
After a spell at BBC Radio 1, he presented Channel 4’s ‘Extreme Cinema’ strand. He has written and presented numerous documentaries for both Channel 4 and the BBC, including In Search of the Blair Witch, On the Edge of Blade Runner, Fear of God: 25 Years of the Exorcist and Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing the French Connection.
Mark plays bass in skiffle band the Dodge Brothers. Their second CD, The Sun Set, was recorded in Sun Studios (where Elvis made his first albums) and was released in May 2013. The Dodge Brothers regularly team up with Neil Brand to accompany classic silent movies with newly composed scores.
With his wife Professor Linda Ruth Williams, Mark curates the Shetland Film Festival and regular seasons at the Bfi.
Mark has published monographs on The Shawshank Redemption, The Exorcist and Silent Running.
His best-selling autobiographical movie-related books are It’s Only A Movie (2010), The Good, The Bad and the Multiplex (2011) and Hatchet Job: Love Movies, Hate Critics (2013).
He regularly does sell-out tours of the UK with film-related stand-up shows.
Mark Kermode tweets as @kermodemovie
Mark Kermode
“Hedda Archbold and I have worked together for over a decade, during which period I have found her to be an invaluable ally. Offering unwavering support, excellent advice and incomparable organisational skills, her passion for doing the job properly is unmatched, and her ability to get it done extraordinary. Frankly, I’d trust her with my life.”
Mark Kermode
William Ayot
William Ayot is a poet, author, coach, teacher and ritualist. He works with individuals and groups to explore leadership through poetry, performance and ritual. He is currently Poet-in-Residence at Saïd Business School, Oxford University and sits on the board of Literature Wales. William is a Member of the Welsh Academi, a Fellow of the Guild of Mythodrama Practitioners, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts & Manufactures. He lives with his wife, Juliet Grayson Ayot, in a restored Monmouthshire Gentry House near Chepstow, South East Wales.
Simon Brew
Simon Brew is a maverick writer and editor. He is the founder and editor of Film Stories, a monthly print magazine, a weekly podcast, a YouTube channel and a series of live events. Previously he conceived, launched and edited denofgeek.com. Simon writes and edits trade and consumer titles such as Minecraft World magazine, in the areas of film, gaming, mental health, IT and TV – and Kevin Costner. He hosts Q&As, panels and live events and his company handles full editorial production of magazines and websites.