Insiders: The TV Podcast

TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville discuss the viability of self-funded programming, the increasing lack of stand up on British TV now that Live At The Apollo has been axed, and whether Channel 4 should reinstate their "Red Triangle" programme warning.

In this episode:

- Self funded to TV model

- Shane Gillis + Tires road to Netflix

- BBC cancels Live At The Apollo

- Do comedians need to be on television?

- Should C4 reinstate their "Red Triangle" programme warning?

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email us at [email protected].

If you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe, and share the podcast with a friend — it really helps us grow.

CHAPTERS

01:27 - Self-funded to TV model

07:31 - Ad-funded programming

11:45 - Shane Gillis + Tires road to Netflix

15:30 - BBC cancels Live At The Apollo

23:28 - C4 celebrates 40 years since Red Triangle debut

#ShaneGillis #Tires #Netflix #BBC #Channel4 #YouTube #LiveAtTheApollo #BlanketyBlank #CelebrityMastermind #MaryWhitehouse #NeverMindTheBuzzcocks #

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes. In the US Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows including I'm Alan Partridge, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then he was Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as the co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson's Farm and Alma's Not Normal. New episodes every Friday.

YouTube: @insiderstvpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @InsidersTVPod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedy producer Ash Atalla joins Jimmy Mulville and Peter Fincham to tell the inside story of The Office, his struggles trying to sell the IT Crowd and what the worst TV show he ever made was…

In this episode:

•How The Office got off the ground — and why nobody was guaranteed to believe in it

•Why Ash left the BBC and founded Roughcut Television

•The tough reality of trying to sell shows like The IT Crowd

•What the worst TV show Ash ever made was and what he learned from it

•Why streamers will buy shows like How to Get to Heaven from Belfast but not Big Boys

•What the future holds for the TV industry

•PLUS: The BBC, Channel 4, Netflix, new comedy, old-school commissioning, and more

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email us at [email protected].

If you enjoyed the episode, please give us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share the podcast with a friend – it really helps us grow.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Coming Up...

01:53 Unearthing The Office, Big Boys and Stath Lets Flats

10:10 Joining Talkback & Starting Rough Cut

19:10 The Worst Show Ash Ever Made

22:45 How to Sell Shows Today

29:54 The Future of TV

#TheOffice #AshAtalla #JimmyMulville #PeterFincham #TVPodcast #BritishComedy #BBC #Channel4 #RoughcutTelevision #TheITCrowd #PeopleJustDoNothing #StathLetsFlats #BigBoys #Television #Comedy

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"What has the BBC ever done for me...?" TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville take on the BBC's much-debated new advert, dig into Hollywood's revolt against the $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery merger, and ask whether anyone can ‘Beat Luke Littler’ in his new Netflix show…

In this episode:

• Is the BBC's "What Has The BBC Ever Done For Me?" advert a costly own goal?
• Hollywood stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong  speak out against the Paramount-WBD merger
• A new report revealing UK TV's diversity promises that haven't delivered
• The latest on Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC
• Luke Littler’s new Netflix show with £501,000 prize pot
• PLUS: Chris Martin's baffling cameo, Count Binface’s election chances and why Peter reckons he's more "Luke Littler" than "Mo Farah"

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email us at [email protected].

If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share it with a friend – it really helps us grow!

#BBC #RomeshRanganathan #BBCFundedByAllOfUs #ThisIsOurBBC #BBCAdvert #Advert #LicenceFee #2026 #Paramount #WarnerBrosDiscovery #LukeLittler #Diversity #DonaldTrump #Podcast #Television #Netflix #TVNews #InsidersPodcast

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes. In the US Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows including I'm Alan Partridge, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then he was Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as the co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson's Farm and Alma's Not Normal. New episodes every Friday.

YouTube: @insiderstvpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @InsidersTVPod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville answer listener questions on Channel 4 and Netflix removing classic sitcom episodes, the secret scheduling battle between the BBC and ITV and why some revived formats soar while others flop.

Correction: It was actually Matt Berry's character of Douglas who dates April, not Chris O'Dowd's character Roy. You'll forgive us for getting this mistaken – we obviously couldn't watch the episode to check!

In this episode:

• Why Channel 4 removed “The Speech” episode of The IT Crowd
• Why Netflix removed episodes of Little Britain, Come Fly with Me & The Mighty Boosh
• The Fawlty Towers, Father Ted and Peep Show scenes that got cut or pulled entirely
• Whether broadcasters should be editing TV history
• How the BBC and ITV secretly traded schedules ahead of the Radio Times deadline and why the ITV's Christmas strategy was always to "lose with honour"
• Forgotten TV creatives, like Brian Clemens, who never get mentioned today
• Why revivals like Gladiators and Blankety Blank succeeded as revivals when Challenge Anneka and Blind Date didn't
• The real story behind Have I Got News for You's rotating host, and how QI almost had a very different presenter
• How actors fake smoking, drinking and eating on screen

Have a question or opinion? Leave a comment on Spotify, find us on socials (@InsidersTVPod), or email us at [email protected].

If you enjoyed the episode, please give us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it really helps us grow.

#BBC #ITV #Channel4 #Netflix #ITCrowd #FawltyTowers #FatherTed #PeepShow #LittleBritain #TVPodcast #BritishTV #Television #InsidersTVPod #HaveIGotNewsForYou #QI #Gladiators #PublicServiceBroadcasting #Streaming #Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Powell-Jones and Thom Gulseven of Strongwatch Studios join Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville to reveal what it was really like to work at LADbible when it was booming, why they had to turn down Tom Hanks and whether the UK's proposed social media ban for under-16s can actually work.

In this episode:

•Why they said no to Tom Hanks's agent (and almost turned down Billie Eilish)

•How a £500 video made £80k overnight (and why platform ad revenue can vanish just as fast)

•Building LADbible's YouTube channel from zero to millions of views

•Why Patreon and direct-to-consumer content is the future of monetisation, from Fin vs History to Time Team

•Why focus groups lie (and what LADbible's data really showed about who was watching Love Island)

•How TV and YouTube are merging, from Rest Is Football's move to Netflix to broadcasters commissioning entire YouTube channels

•Their honest take on the UK's proposed social media ban for under-16s

Have a question or opinion? Leave a comment, find us on socials (@InsidersTVPod), or email us at [email protected].

If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review 5-star review, share it with a friend and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!

CHAPTERS

00:00 Meet Strongwatch Studios

04:37 Building LADbible's YouTube Empire

09:44 Snubbing Tom Hanks and (almost) Billie Eilish

12:40 Starting a Company in a Constantly Changing Digital World

15:30 Patreon and the Rise of Direct-to-Consumer Content

22:10 Data in Digital versus TV and why Focus Groups Lie

23:07 TV as ‘Secondary Distribution for YouTube’

26:05 Broadcasters Now Commissioning YouTube Channels

33:20 The Social Media Ban for Under-16s

#YouTube #LADbible #SocialMediaBan #StrongwatchStudios #ContentCreator #Patreon #TVPodcast #BritishTV #DigitalMedia #InsidersTVPod #TomHanks #BillieEilish #CreatorEconomy #Streaming #Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville discuss Count Binface, the BBC's World Cup cost saving efforts, Sky's ITV purchase, and Peppa Pig using A.I.

Topics discussed:

Farage vs Count Binface

BBC not going to the US in the World Cup Quarter Finals

The Sky/ITV deal

Peppa Pig using A.I. for its younger voice actors

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:12 Farage vs Count Binface

03:20 The BBC's World Cup cost saving efforts

09:27 Sky's ITV deal

29:19 Peppa Pig + A.I.

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email us at [email protected].

If you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe, and share the podcast with a friend — it really helps us grow.

#CountBinface #NigelFarage #BBC #ITV #FifaWorldCup2026 #Sky #ITV #PeppaPig #GeneWilder

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes. In the US Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then he was Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as the co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson's Farm and Alma's Not Normal. New episodes every Friday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville address your comments and questions regarding the BBC's Sarah Everard drama, axing long-running TV shows, Claude writing quiz show questions, as well as discussing Michael Grade's recent comments about terms of trade.

Topics discussed:

Michael Grade's comments regarding terms of trade

The BBC's Sarah Everard drama

Exploitative true crime shows

TV quiz show question writing

Claude and the use of AI in TV

Axing long-running TV shows

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:12 Michael Grade's comments regarding terms of trade

09:59 Question 1) regarding the BBC's Sarah Everard drama

12:11 Question 2) regarding the BBC's Sarah Everard drama

13:26 Statement from Lindsay Salt, BBC Director of Drama

19:16 Question 3) regarding exploitative true crime TV shows

20:49 Question 4) some dramatisations are simply poor taste

23:09 Questions from Kenton Allen

24:16 Question 5) regarding TV quiz show question writing and AI

29:59 Peter's Bob Dylan quiz

35:01 Question 6) regarding the axing of long-running TV shows

37:09 Outro

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email us at [email protected].

If you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe, and share the podcast with a friend — it really helps us grow.

#MichaelGrade #BBC #BBCDrama #SarahEverard #TrueCrime #KentonAllen #Quiz #QuizShows #Mastermind #BobDylan #TheBill #GMTV

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes. In the US Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then he was Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as the co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson's Farm and Alma's Not Normal. New episodes every Friday.

YouTube: / @insiderstvpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @InsidersTVPod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville tackle the World Cup coverage battle, the TV Festival's Manchester move, the BBC's 500 job cuts, and the Government's social media green paper - recorded on the UK's hottest June day on record!

Topics discussed:

The UK's Prime Minister

England cs Ghana

The World Cup coverage battle between the BBC & ITV

The Edinburgh TV Festival moving to Manchester

The BBC's 500 job cuts

The Government's social media green paper

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:30 The UK's next PM

02:06 England vs Ghana

02:32 What's on the show today?

03:13 The World Cup coverage battle

10:00 The Edinburgh TV Festival moves to Manchester

14:30 Hydration Break

14:53 The BBC's 500 job cuts

25:01 The Government's social media green paper

35:25 Outro

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email us at [email protected].

If you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe, and share the podcast with a friend — it really helps us grow.

#PrimeMinister #AndyBurnham #England #FIFAWorldCup2026 #BBC #ITV #HydrationBreak #EdinburghTVFestival #Manchester #UKGovernment #GreenPaper #YouTube

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes. In the US Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then he was Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as the co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson's Farm and Alma's Not Normal. New episodes every Friday.

YouTube: / @insiderstvpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @InsidersTVPod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can send questions to our email – [email protected]

DM us a question on Instagram – we're @insiderstvpod

Or comment your question on this episode on Spotify or our most recent episode on YouTube

Thanks so much everyone – see you Friday!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville are joined by Channel 4's Head of Comedy Charlie Perkins to discuss the importance of comedy for a channel identity, monetising comedy on YouTube, SNL's budget, talent deals and how hit comedies can prove a good investment years after their first release.

Topics discussed:

Channel 4's sitcom commissions

Comedy + YouTube

SNL UK

New comedy talent

Producer's rights

Monetising comedy on YouTube

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:40 Channel 4's sitcom commissions

04:25 The value of comedy

08:10 Comedy on digital platforms

09:27 The trickle down effect in comedy

11:45 SNL UK's on C4?

14:13 TV + Comedy talent

19:45 Will YouTube change how we make TV?

27:26 How to monetise comedy on YouTube

38:07 What's your pitch for more comedy on Channel 4?

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email us at [email protected].

If you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe, and share the podcast with a friend — it really helps us grow.

#Comedy #Channel4 #SNLUK #YouTube #DontHugMeImScared

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes. In the US Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then he was Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as the co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson's Farm and Alma's Not Normal. New episodes every Friday.

YouTube: / @insiderstvpodcast

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @InsidersTVPod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.