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UNPOPPED: WATCHMEN AND THE SUPERHERO CONCEPT (320kbs-m4a/95mb/41mins)
BBC Radio podcast: 16th July 2018
Released in 1986, first as a twelve-part comic book series and then collected together as a graphic novel, Watchmen came from the unique mind of writer Alan Moore alongside artist Dave Gibbons. It featured superheroes as they had never been seen before: flawed, vulnerable, evil and damaged; existing in a dystopian, alternative 1980s America where Richard Nixon was still the President.
Published by comics giant DC, Watchmen was an enormous critical success, introducing a new, adult audience to the comic book world, winning numerous awards and eventually included on Time magazine's 100 best books of the 20th Century.
But the afterlife of Watchmen has proven to be fraught. Alan Moore bitterly opposed any sort of film adaptation - but despite this, a big budget Hollywood version was released in 2009, to highly mixed reviews. Sequels, spin-offs and video games have also been released under the Watchmen banner without Moore’s blessing. And now a new television version of the book is about to be released.
Just why was Watchmen so successful? Why has it been so difficult to adapt and how much did it influence popular culture’s current obsession with all things superhero?
With Andy Riley, Gavia Baker-Whitelaw and Nathaniel Metcalfe.
Presenter: Hayley Campbell
Producer: Dale Shaw
UNPOPPED: EUROTRASH AND REVELATION (320kbs-m4a/84mb/36mins)
BBC Radio podcast: 9th July 2018
The Channel 4 television series Eurotrash launched in 1993, ran for 16 series and was considered the most popular entertainment offering on the channel at that time with its mix of snark, sex, outrageous behaviour and bizarre individuals. Originally hosted by Antoine de Caunes and Jean-Paul Gaultier, it was a magazine style show with its tongue firmly in its cheek. Each week it showcased peculiarities from around the globe including strange animal acts, naked Germans, an obsession with defecation and terrible musical moments.
The show was massively successful, heralding the era of ‘post-pub TV’ and pushing the boundaries of what could be broadcast on British TV. Each episode received numerous complaints from viewers objecting to its focus on nudity, porn and fetishes while Home Secretary Jack Straw attempted to get the show banned due to its lewd content.
Why did Eurotrash prove to be so popular with audiences? What does the show tell us about British attitudes towards sex and the perception of Europe? Why was it so controversial and what influence has it had on wider popular culture and TV today?
With Stuart Heritage, Scott Bryan and Maria McErlane.
Presenter: Hayley Campbell
Producer: Dale Shaw
UNPOPPED: NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC AND SURVIVAL (320kbs-m4a/98mb/42mins)
BBC Radio podcast: 2nd July 2018
First released in 1983, the Now That's What I Call Music compilation album series was a joint venture between music giants Virgin and EMI, which collected together 30 of the biggest chart hits from that particular period. The success of the first Now album led to a number of copycat versions including Hits and Out Now, but these were short-lived compared to Now, who saw every release reach multiple platinum sales.
And the series has continued to go from strength to strength despite enormous changes in the music industry. 1999’s Now 44 became the biggest seller in the series, 2008’s Now 70 sold the most units in its first week while 2016’s Now 95 was the biggest selling album of that year. There have been spin-off editions covering everything from Dad Rock to Video Games and global editions released in China, Argentina and Korea.
But why did this particular compilation capture the public’s imagination? Do compilation albums of this type help to form or frustrate musical tastes? Can they devalue music in some way? And how has the series survived in the age of streaming and downloads?
With Sheryl Garratt former editor of The Face and The Observer Magazine, Emma Garland from Vice and Now expert Rich Lally.
Presenter: Hayley Campbell
Producer: Dale Shaw
UNPOPPED: SEINFELD AND THE TYRANNY OF ENDINGS (320kbs-m4a/98mb/42mins)
BBC Radio podcast: 4th June 2018
Created in 1989, the American television sitcom Seinfeld was almost cancelled after the first episode, but it slowly grew in reputation to become, after nine seasons and 180 episodes, one of the most influential and successful TV series ever. As well as introducing the characters of Seinfeld, Elaine, George and Kramer to the television viewing public, the show invented a lexicon that entered the language including 'yada yada yada', 'double dipping' and 'regifting'. Famously a show about nothing, Seinfeld insisted on a 'no hugging no learning' policy that added a touch of darkness to the comedy.
The show's final episode in 1998 was a huge cultural event, attracting an audience of 76 million people and is still the fourth most-watched television finale of all time. But many were disappointed by the way the show ended - the story was too dark, too big and moved too far away from the persona of the show. The failure of the finale developed into an industry joke and affected many of the stars and creators of the show.
Why was Seinfeld so successful and influential? Why did its finale fail to capture the audience’s imagination? What effect did this have the show's writers and performers and what lessons were learned from the programmes that came after Seinfeld? Discussing this are Lauren Bravo, Darren Richman and Sarah Dempster.
Presenter: Hayley Campbell
Producer: Dale Shaw
UNPOPPED: THE ROOTS OF GRIME AND REPRESENTATION (320kbs-m4a/88mb/38mins)
BBC Radio podcast: 9th April 2018
Emerging from the estates of East London in the early 2000s, Grime threw together elements of garage, jungle, Jamaican dancehall and hip-hop to produce a distinct, home-grown British music genre. Using unorthodox music distribution methods such as pirate radio, raves, mixtapes and DVDs, Grime bypassed the traditional music industry completely, developing its own identity, sound and lifestyle which has been likened to the punk movement of the 1970s.
Fiercely independent and distinctly anti-establishment, Grime developed quickly, attracting critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase. Soon it had its first breakout star in the form of Dizzee Rascal, whose debut album, Boy in Da Corner, won the Mercury Music prize in 2003.
But then Grime appeared to adopt a holding pattern. No other artists of Dizzee Rascal’s stature emerged from the scene and the genre returned to the underground, growing and developing away from the mainstream, re-emerging with Skepta's chart-topping album, Konnichiwa and Stormzy’s international success.
Why did Grime emerge when it did, who were some of its early stars, what did the genre mean to those making and hearing the music during its development and what role do women play in the history and current success of Grime?
WIth Yomi Adegoke and Dr Joy White.
Presenter: Hayley Campbell
Producer: Dale Shaw
UNPOPPED: CHRIS MORRIS AND THE DARKNESS OF COMEDY (320kbs-m4a/104mb/45mins)
BBC Radio podcast: 19th March 2018
Dubbed by one newspaper as ‘the most hated man in Britain’, comedian Chris Morris has always walked a fine line between biting satire and controversy. From his earliest days in local radio, allegedly engaging in stunts that led to his dismissal, to mocking radio and television news structures in On The Hour and The Day Today and skewering moral panics in Brass Eye - Morris has both delighted and appalled critics while gathering a dedicated legion of fans.
Comedic experiments such as Nathan Barley and Blue Jam saw him tinker with the very essence of comedy while his first feature film, Four Lions, dealt with the unlikely subject of domestic terrorism. Some see him as a ‘comedy god’ while others view him as a menace. But what drives Chris Morris to make comedy, who is he making it for and what is he trying to change, if anything?
Host: Hayley Campbell. Producer: Dale Shaw.
UNPOPPED: TWIN PEAKS AND FORENSIC FANDOM (320kbs-m4a/80mb/35mins)
BBC Radio podcast: 5th March 2018
In 1990, celebrated, maverick director David Lynch, fresh from the success of his film Blue Velvet, launched the television series Twin Peaks. A mixture of quirky characters, surrealistic imagery and a murky murder mystery, the show was a massive success enjoying enormous ratings, lavished with critical acclaim and winning numerous awards. But the second season floundered, the audience evaporated, Lynch abandoned the show and the watercooler chatter dried up.
After making a controversial and critically mauled prequel film. Fire Walk With Me, Lynch turned his back on Twin Peaks. Then, last year, Lynch resurrected the show, with a third series as strange and challenging as the original. Why was the show such as massive success when it began, why did its demise happen so quickly, why was David Lynch compelled to return to the series, how did the fans react and what part does nostalgia play in popular culture?
Host: Hayley Campbell. Producer: Dale Shaw.