How we became the movie podcast kings: Simon Mayo reveals the secrets behind his hit film podcast with Mark Kermode
How did Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review podcast come about?
‘It developed out of the 5 Live radio show I did with Mark Kermode. We’ve been doing them since 2005, before anyone had heard of the word podcast. In fact, when we started we were told by the BBC that the word podcast wasn’t acceptable because it would be an advert for the iPod. They wanted us to call it a download. I had to say to the bosses that no one calls them that.’
How did Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review podcast come about? ‘It developed out of the 5 Live radio show I did with Mark Kermode. We’ve been doing them since 2005, before anyone had heard of the word podcast’
What makes a good podcast?
‘It’s a bit like asking what makes a hit single or a hit film. It’s hard to neatly define. Essentially, you need to have a good idea, executed well. It needs to be something that no one else has got. People seem to enjoy a slightly rebellious piratical attitude too.’
Who has been your favourite guest?
‘Tom Hanks. No one does promo the way he does. Not only is he one of the world’s biggest movie stars but in interviews he seems to give something of himself, more than he is required to. You could ask what he is doing next and he might say, “I’m doing a movie with Clint Eastwood.” But he won’t leave it there. He’ll say, “As a matter of fact, I called Clint yesterday,” and then he’ll do a Clint Eastwood impression. He always makes it sound like yours is the only interview and somehow manages to make it special.’
Who would be your dream guest?
‘I’m hoping that we get Brad Pitt very soon for a new space movie he’s done. He’s one of the few people we haven’t had.’
Why are podcasts so popular right now?
‘There’s a power and an intimacy and an immediacy that you get from the audio-only nature of podcasts. It’s like concentrated radio. The personal, one- to-one nature of it is very appealing, and the fact that you can listen to it whenever you want makes it even more concentrated.’
Can you recommend a particular podcast?
‘I was listening to one that Alastair Campbell does with Grace Campbell, his daughter, called Football, Feminism And Everything In Between and I found that very interesting. A bit shambolic and not that well produced but the content was excellent.’
Who has been your favourite guest? ‘Tom Hanks. No one does promo the way he does. Not only is he one of the world’s biggest movie stars but in interviews he seems to give something of himself, more than he is required to’
What’s the worst thing that can happen while recording a podcast?
‘That you lose focus and forget the audience. That can be a fault some people fall into. The relaxed nature of a podcast can sometimes result in the presenters forgetting that they are primarily there to entertain and that an audience can switch off.’
What do you imagine people are doing while listening to your podcast?
‘It seems to me that they’re generally doing the weekend chores. Or running marathons – that’s popular. But because they can break up the experience, they can listen to it as part of their daily commute and make it last all week.’