Today we head to Rutshire, to take a crack at the frothy, riotous TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s 1980s romance novel, Rivals. The eight-episode series follows a cluster of posh English country-dwellers – including TV executive Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) and local heartthrob Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) — as they bonk and bust their way around the Cotswolds. Shoulder pads, extramarital affairs and messy dinner parties abound. But what is the show really about: Class? Sex? The 80s? Lilah is joined by the FT's Robert Shrimsley and Harriet Fitch Little to discuss.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at lilahrap@ft.com. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– Rivals is out now on Disney+ in the UK, and Hulu in the US. You can read the FT’s four star review here: https://on.ft.com/40sqQa6

– Robert Shrimsley’s column, ‘Were the 80s as much fun as Jilly Cooper says?’ is here: https://on.ft.com/4f5PcL8

– We also love Jo Ellison’s recent column, ‘Jilly Cooper’s Britain: the bad sex world capital’: https://on.ft.com/3Uvj0Zt

– Robert is on X @robertshrimsley. Harriet is on X @HarrietFL and Instagram @huffffle

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Clips copyright Disney.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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

Historian Sir Simon Schama is one of the most influential public intellectuals of our time. So when he replied to our invitation to come on the show ahead of the US presidential election by saying he wanted to talk about “the unprecedented collapse of truth”, we immediately said yes. It’s been a disorienting presidential campaign. For many Americans, it’s hard to understand how statements which are so clearly untrue – such as the government controls the weather, and sent hurricanes to Republican-leaning states – are working on voters. On today’s show, Simon tells us why the current state of misinformation is unprecedented in American history, and what he thinks can be done to reverse it.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at lilahrap@ft.com. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– Simon’s latest piece in the FT on the fight over American patriotism, written in September: https://on.ft.com/48iEHSd

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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

Today we are pulling on our striped demon ghost suits for a special Halloween episode: a deep-dive on Tim Burton’s 1988 classic, Beetlejuice. It persists in our cultural memory, remade as an animated series, a theme park ride, a musical, and as of last month, a legacy sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. We talk about why it’s endured with such ferocity, how the sequel compares, and whether films like it even exist anymore. We also share our own, and listeners’, top Halloween films. Lilah’s joined by FT horror movie superfan Topher Forhecz and political columnist, film buff and Beetlejuice hater Stephen Bush.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap, and email at lilahrap@ft.com. And we’re grateful for reviews on Apple and Spotify!

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Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– Beetlejuice (1988) is on Netflix in the UK and Max in the US. The sequel is still in theatres

– HTSI’s recent cover interview with Beetlejuice star Michael Keaton is here: https://on.ft.com/3C3iWcM

– Here’s film critic Danny Leigh’s 2-star review of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the 2024 sequel: https://on.ft.com/3YcfWCx

– Stephen Bush is on X @stephenkb. You can sign up to receive his newsletter Inside Politics here.

Spooky film recommendations:

– Stephen recommends The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Topher recommends Blades (1989) and Lilah recommends It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966).

– Our listeners recommended: Hocus Pocus, House (1977 Japanese psychedelic), Rosemary’s Baby, Practical Magic, Giallo films (Italian 70s slashers, like Deep Red), Mermaids, Sleepy Hollow, Halloween 3, Young Frankenstein and more. If you have Instagram, here’s the full list of listener film recommendations: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18073242955580424/

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Clips this week courtesy of Warner Bros

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Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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