Best Matt Hewitt Podcasts (2026)

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Kendra Ross, Sydekick 22:58

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3h ago22:58

22:58

Sydekick provides cyber security for small business. Phishing emails and voice calls have become more sophisticated and everyone needs to be protected. Phil Howie, CTO, started the company. Kendra was an early investor. Then she and Phil agreed to build the company together with Kendra becoming CEO. They work through partnerships with service provi…

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Episode 700: Live At Kings Place, London (ft. guests Corin Hardy & Dafne Keen; Bart Layton; Ben Wheatley; Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, & Chi Lewis-Parry; Anthony Russo & Joe Russo) 2:55:21

2d ago2:55:21

2:55:21

It's been delayed by lurgy, but at last it's here, folks: the latest landmark in the Empire Podcast's epic journey, as we reach our 700th episode (not counting all the interview specials, spoiler specials, and sundry other specials). Recorded live, as is tradition, at Kings Place, London, on Friday January 9, it's a near three-hour odyssey of film-…

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People of Note - Gareth Hewitt Williams 56:29

3d ago56:29

56:29

Pieter Toerien’s production of CATS is about to end it’s phenomenal run to packed houses in Cape Town and it moves to Montecasino in Johannesburg before embarking on an international tour. One of the people I spoke to who was deeply involved in the success of the musical was Gareth Hewitt Williams, who lives in London now but who came out to South …

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Jessie Buckley & Paul Mescal On Hamnet; James Vanderbilt on Nuremberg — An Empire Podcast Interview Special 41:30

5d ago41:30

41:30

Don't worry, folks — the Empire Podteam may be engaged elsewhere today (Friday, January 9), preparing to do the live show at Kings Place, London, that marks our 700th episode. But we'd never let you down, and let a Friday go without a dose of Empire Podcast goodness. Which brings us to this interview special, in which Helen O'Hara sits down on Zoom…

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People of Note - Marthinus van Bart 53:24

9d ago53:24

53:24

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is Marthinus van Bart who has just published a fascinating book called Wolraad Woltemade 250 Gedenkboek all about this most fascinating character and his heroic horse who rode into rough seas to save people from a ship wreck in Table Bay. Marthinus is a retired journalist who has put together a mo…

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The Shameless Plug #11: Peaky Blinding 31:32

9d ago31:32

31:32

It's finally here! A little later than usual due to some technical mishaps, the latest episode of The Shameless Plug sees Chris Hewitt and Nick de Semlyen sit down on Teams (yes, Teams!) to have a chat about the latest issue of Empire magazine, which is still on sale in all good, evil, and virtual newsagents. In it, our dynamic duo talk about the c…

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The Empire Podcast Preview Of The Films Of 2026 1:36:41

13d ago1:36:41

1:36:41

With the Empire Podcast team still in hibernation until the first show of 2026 (our live show at Kings Place, London, on Jan 9 — check kingsplace.co.uk for last-minute tickets), we're plugging the gap where the regular podcast would usually be with something a little different: a look ahead to the films of 2026, in which Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara,…

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People of Note - Eduard Greyling 58:50

16d ago58:50

58:50

Rodney Trudgeon's guest on People of Note this week, is one of South Africa’s most distinguished ballet dancers who is now retired after an illustrious career as principal dancer with CAPAB having joined them in 1966. His name is Eduard Greyling, who also travelled extensively in Europe and especially in The Netherlands and in Cape Town where he be…

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The Empire Podcast Review Of The Year 2025 2:41:08

19d ago2:41:08

2:41:08

And so, as 2025 disappears off into the distance, it's the most wonderful time of what's left of the year, as the Empire Podcast team get together in the podbooth for their marathon deep dive/look back at the cinematic year that was. Join Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer for this near-three-hour behemoth in which they go through the year …

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People of Note - Matt Krzan 54:28

22d ago54:28

54:28

In People of Note this week, we continue our coverage of the musical CATS for Pieter Toerien who sponsors this programme each week and whose production of this amazing musical is absolutely spectacular. This week I’ll be talking to MATT KRZAN who is the Assistant Director of Choreography and who has worked on many musicals both on the West End and …

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Farewell, Rob (ft. guests Glenn Close; Stephen Lang; Josh Safdie) 2:13:59

26d ago2:13:59

2:13:59

The final Empire Podcast of the year is here, folks, and it's a bumper-sized jamboree, longer than usual and hopefully fit to tide you over until we return with Episode 700 (live from Kings Place) on January 11th. For the first time ever, the revolving fourth chair revolves wildly during the pod itself, so Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer…

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It: Welcome To Derry — An Empire Podcast Special, In Association With Warner Bros. 46:38

26d ago46:38

46:38

They all float down here. Now that It: Welcome To Derry, the prequel to Andy Muschietti's It Chapter One and It Chapter Two, has finished its eight-episode run, the Empire Podcast has teamed up with Warner Bros. to bring you a special episode in which Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer conquer their fears of clowns, spiders, and spider-clow…

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Lisa McDonald, Recollect 15:54

22d ago15:54

15:54

Lisa is the CEO of Recollect, a cloud-based platform for managing and accessing archives. With some large customers in New Zealand and Australia, Recollect is now focused on expansion in the US and Canada. Lisa says she's been surprised by how much the customers appreciate the customer service Recollect offers. And she talks about the continuing ne…

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People of Note - Pieter Toerien 12:56

1M ago12:56

12:56

For decades Pieter Toerien has brought us magnificent theatre! An hour before the opening of “Cats”, at Artscape, Rodney Trudgeon spoke to the legend himself about this extraordinary production.By Rodney Trudgeon

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People of Note - Wendy Ackerman 52:40

1M ago52:40

52:40

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is WENDY ACKERMAN who, apart from being well known as the Honorary Life President of Pick n Pay, is one of this country’s most dedicated philanthropists whose major sponsorships and support of our orchestra among numerous other artistic companies, as well as her personal work for the underprivileg…

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Paul Thomas Anderson & Boogie Nights: An Empire Podcast Special, In Association With Warner Bros. 44:55

1M ago44:55

44:55

Boogie Nights wasn't Paul Thomas Anderson's first movie (that was Hard Eight), but it's the film that put him firmly on the map, and served notice that here was a serious filmmaking force. And with the release of a remastered 4K UHD version of Boogie Nights on Monday, December 15, it's the perfect time for the Empire Podcast team — Chris Hewitt, He…

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There's Magic In The Air (ft. guests Shih-Ching Tsou & Sean Baker; Daryl McCormack & Cailee Spaeny; James L. Brooks) 1:56:11

1M ago1:56:11

1:56:11

The penultimate regular Empire Podcast of the year is here, folks (don't worry, there are specials galore on the way), and it's a belter. Guest-wise, we have more goodies under the tree, as Jamie Graham talks to longtime collaborators Shih-Ching Tsou and Sean Baker (the director of Anora) about Tsou's directorial debut, Left-Handed Girl, which can …

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F1: An Empire Podcast Interview Special ft. Jerry Bruckheimer, Damson Idris & Kerry Condon 1:04:35

1M ago1:04:35

1:04:35

"Yer man's in the pits, boss!" Joseph Kosinski's crowd-pleasingly kinetic F1 was one of the success stories of the year at the box office, displaying impressive legs (or wheels) to take the chequered flag with over $600 million in the global bank, making it the biggest hit of Brad Pitt's career. And now that the film is making its debut on Apple TV…

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People of Note - Louis Zurnamer 58:29

1M ago58:29

58:29

We in Cape Town are in for a major theatrical treat this festive season when Pieter Toerien presents the smash hit CATS at the Artscape Opera House from 10 December to mid-January. The show with its amazing costumes, music and dance is likely to stun our audiences and Rodney Trudgeon spoke to the Music Director LOUIS ZURNAMER for People of Note thi…

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QT's Making A List, We're Checking It Twice (ft. guests Taron Egerton; George Clooney & Adam Sandler; Jon M. Chu) 1:58:26

1M ago1:58:26

1:58:26

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Christmas on our mind as we enter December, and accordingly we deliver a sackful of great guests to you, our loyal and loving listeners. First off, Chris Hewitt goes to Taron Egerton's actual flat (smells divine... and the flat wasn't bad either) to sit down with him for a candid chat about his career,…

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The Shameless Plug #10: The Odyssey Odyssey 42:36

1M ago42:36

42:36

The new episode of The Shameless Plug is here, folks, and this month sees Chris Hewitt sit down with freshly-minted award winner, Empire editor Nick de Semlyen, to delve into one of the most special issues of Empire magazine in many a moon: our world exclusive first look at Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, for which Nick went on something of an ody…

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People of Note - Kyle Shephard 59:23

2M ago59:23

59:23

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is Kyle Shepherd, a leading South African jazz pianist and film score composer celebrated for his distinctive style. Kyle has travelled extensively internationally playing in major venues such as the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall. His notable credits include the popular Netflix series Water…

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There Can Be Only Dozens (ft. guests Simu Liu; Ke Huy Quan; Richard Linklater & Ethan Hawke) 1:51:41

2M ago1:51:41

1:51:41

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down with two actors who star in animated movies (and ask them both about their favourite things to do in London). First, Simu Liu Zooms in to talk about new Netflix family flick, In Your Dreams, plus his own dreams, and the return of Shang-Chi to the MCU. [21:38 - 38:30 approx] Then, …

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Bridgit Hawkins, Humble Bee Bio 23:06

1M ago23:06

23:06

The Humble Bee Bio journey began with rare bees, whose genomes it sequenced to uncover novel molecules, including one with a rare and potent property — elastin stimulation. This molecule will soon be available as a hero ingredient for formulation of anti-ageing products. Bridgit is not the founder, she joined to build the business. She says the ski…

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People of Note - Owen Dean 1:00:12

2M ago1:00:12

1:00:12

I wonder if you remember a famous international David and Goliath style court case where a lawyer from South Africa took on the mighty Disney organisation. It was about the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight for which the composer nor his family were never credited nor paid out for the use of the song in The Lion King. The lawyer who spear headed the cas…

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Escape From Malcatraz (ft. guests Benedict Cumberbatch & Dylan Southern; Joel Edgerton & Clint Bentley; Ariana Greenblatt) 1:57:43

2M ago1:57:43

1:57:43

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees the podteam — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer — play themselves as they discuss great 'as themselves' performances in the movies. They also run their collective eye over the week's movie news, including heartening Star Trek developments, review Train Dreams, Wicked: For Good, Playdate, and S…

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People of Note - Filipo Gorini 59:25

2M ago59:25

59:25

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the celebrated Italian pianist Filippo Gorini. Filippo was in Cape Town recently to play various recitals as part of his project called “Sonata For 7 Cities” which he has performed in Vienna, Hong Kong, Portland , Milan and also Cape Town. Filippo’s musicianship has drawn unanimous acclaim in m…

1
All The Information Is On The Task (ft. guests Edgar Wright, Rosamund Pike & Isla Fisher, Michael Shannon) 1:58:03

2M ago1:58:03

1:58:03

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast would surely deserve to get a full fat five points from Greg Davies, the Taskmaster himself, as Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and John Nugent apply themselves wholeheartedly (some more wholeheartedly than others, it must be said) to deciding which Taskmaster contestant has appeared in the best fil…

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Julia Ducournau & Tahar Rahim On Alpha: An Empire Podcast Interview Special 24:35

2M ago24:35

24:35

Alpha is the third film from the brilliant French filmmaker, Julia Ducournau, following on from her titanic debut, Raw, and her raw follow-up, Titane (which won the Palme D'Or, no less!). A tale of an unusual epidemic and generational trauma, there's much going on above and below the surface, which we get into in this interview special, as Jamie Gr…

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Jenny Beavan: An Empire Podcast Interview Special 45:41

2M ago45:41

45:41

Nicholas Hytner's The Choral, a delightful drama set in 1916 Yorkshire, is in cinemas now, folks. It features costumes designed by the legendary Jenny Beavan, who is one of the best costume designers in the business. Nominated for 12 Oscars, winner of three, Beavan has worked with directors like Robert Altman, James Ivory, and George Miller across …

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Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Bean, & Ronan Day-Lewis On Anemone: An Empire Podcast Interview Special 50:02

2M ago50:02

50:02

Every year at the London Film Festival, Empire hosts a gala screening for a film that we particularly admire. This year's choice was Ronan Day-Lewis' Anemone, a drama that we called 'sad, absurdist, brooding, tender, and intense', and which marks the return to acting of the great Daniel Day-Lewis, father of Ronan and co-writer of the movie, after e…

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People of Note - Murray Anderson 1:00:05

2M ago1:00:05

1:00:05

The magical world of recording and recording studios is in the spotlight on People of Note this week when Rodney Trudgeon speaks to Murray Anderson, who founded Milestone Studios some 35 years ago. Over the years Milestone has become a famous studio where many famous artists have recorded award winning albums and where Murray himself has written ji…

1
The Sound Of Burning Felt (ft. guests Jennifer Lawrence & Lynne Ramsay; Elle Fanning & Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi; Sean Bean & Daniel Day-Lewis) 1:51:46

2M ago1:51:46

1:51:46

Blimey, this week's episode of the Empire Podcast is star-studded, and then some. First, Chris Hewitt chats with Die, My Love star, Jennifer Lawrence, and director Lynne Ramsay, about unpredictability on set and receiving an email from Martin Scorsese; then, he has a crash course in Yautja from Predator: Badlands stars Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatan…

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The Shameless Plug #9: Stranger Things Has Happened 43:20

2M ago43:20

43:20

Another month, another issue of Empire, another episode of The Shameless Plug. This time, Chris Hewitt and Nick de Semlyen sit down to talk about how Stranger Things ended up on the cover of the world's biggest movie magazine, and nearly did so upside down. And they also talk about less strange things, including the stories behind the stories of th…

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Will Hewitt, Heartlab 20:03

2M ago20:03

20:03

Heartlab provides a cloud-based cardiology imaging system that helps cardiologists review and report on scans of the heart. Will talks about how they started using AI to improve the reading of ECGs but discovered that the real issue wasn't better diagnosis, it was access to the images at any time on any platform. Heartlab has customers in Australia…

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People of Note - Ricardo Mackenzie 53:59

2M ago53:59

53:59

For this week’s edition of People of Note, I invited in to the studio Ricardo MacKenzie who is the Provincial Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport in the Western Cape Government. His political journey began when he was elected to the DA in the Western Cape in 2014 and I asked him about his portfolio and about his views of the arts in the Western …

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Now It's Time For Halloween (ft. guests Edward Berger, Yorgos Lanthimos, Mary Elizabeth Winstead & Maika Monroe) 1:56:15

3M ago1:56:15

1:56:15

It's Halloween, folks, so this week's episode of the Empire Podcast is extra-spooky, with Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Beth Webb get way too invested in a listener question about the horror movie death that they would want for themselves. Just keep repeating: it's only a podcast, it's only a podcast, it's only a podcast. Elsewhere, o…

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Kenny Dalglish & Asif Kapadia on Kenny Dalglish: An Empire Podcast Interview Special 33:11

3M ago33:11

33:11

If you can hear a high-pitched squealing noise in the background of our latest interview special, that's just Chris Hewitt vibrating with excitement. For this podcast puts him in the room with one of his all-time heroes, Liverpool FC icon Kenny Dalglish, who is the eponymous subject of Asif Kapadia's latest documentary, which is out today (October …

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People Of Note - Dylan Janse Van Rensburg 57:21

3M ago57:21

57:21

I wonder if you are one of the lucky ones who have seen Joseph and the Amazing Technicoulor Dreamcoat at Theatre on the Bay. It has just returned to Cape Town after a sold out season in Johannesburg and bristles with energy, slickness and fantastic choreography. In the lead role as Joseph is Dylan Janse Van Rensburg who has just graduated from Lamt…

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We've Gone And Caught A Sniffle (ft. guests Nia DaCosta, Jeremy Strong, Rebecca Ferguson & Kathryn Bigelow) 1:59:22

3M ago1:59:22

1:59:22

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt struggle with the enunciation of one word in particular (you'll have to listen to find out which). Incredibly, it's not 'Howl-o-ween', which is just one of the many things discussed by Chris and his three colleagues of such lethal cunning, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis. They get their teeth in…

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Oscar Ellison, Levno 19:57

3M ago19:57

19:57

Levno is an intelligent dairy farm monitoring business – remotely monitoring milk, water, fuel, feed silos and providing information to the farmers and suppliers. It is expanding from a strong base in New Zealand into the UK, Ireland and Australia. Oscar talks about how they've needed to adapt their offshore strategy to establish credibility in new…

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People of Note - Conroy Scott 59:23

3M ago59:23

59:23

David Kramer’s musical Orpheus McAdoo returns to the Artscape Opera House this week after it’s hugely successful run last year in October. With its evocative mix of old spirituals, ragtime, early American folk and South African musical influences celebrate the story of Orpheus McAdoo and his Jubilee Singers. In the role of Orpheus is the distinguis…

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Diane, Drew And The Greatest Poster Ever (ft. guests Rebecca Miller, Channing Tatum & Kirsten Dunst, Mason Thames & Madeleine McGraw) 1:59:53

3M ago1:59:53

1:59:53

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer pay tribute to two cinematic greats who left us this week: the legendary Oscar-winning actress, Diane Keaton, and Drew Struzan, the artist who defined posters, and people's walls, for decades. Struzan's work inspires this week's question, which asks our trio to identify the g…

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People of Note - DAVID WILLIAMS 57:26

3M ago57:26

57:26

Rodney Trudgeon’s guest on People of Note this week is the broadcaster, financial journalist and author DAVID WILLIAMS whose latest book is called On The Railway – The Great South African Rail Story. The book is a fascinating, nostalgic and loving look at the golden days of rail travel in South Africa. From the starched linen table cloths in the di…

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Wish You Well (ft. guests Greta Lee & Jodie Turner-Smith; Robert Aramayo; Gillian Anderson) 1:45:37

3M ago1:45:37

1:45:37

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Alex Godfrey display his versatility as an interviewer, going from utter chaos with Tron Ares stars Greta Lee & Jodie Turner-Smith [22:46 - 34:31 approx] and Gillian Anderson [1:33:01 - 1:43:53 approx] to a heartfelt and passionate chat with Robert Aramayo, star of this week's excellent drama, I Swear,…

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The Shameless Plug #8: Wicked Panna Cottas 45:11

3M ago45:11

45:11

In this month's Shameless Plug, the show in which Chris Hewitt sits down with Empire editor Nick de Semlyen to do a deep dive into the latest issue of Empire, Chris Hewitt sits down with Empire editor Nick de Semlyen to do a deep dive into the latest issue of Empire. Which, for the first time in our history, has a musical on the cover, Jon M. Chu's…

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Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Justin Tipping on Him: An Empire Podcast Interview Special 41:41

3M ago41:41

41:41

Justin Tipping's Him is a Jordan Peele-produced horror film in which a young quarterback discovers the kind of sacrifices it takes to become the GOAT of American Football. That young quarterback is played by Tyriq Withers, who is taken under the wing of a legendary quarterback played by Marlon Wayans, and in this Empire Podcast interview special Ja…

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Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera & Paul Greengrass On The Lost Bus: An Empire Podcast Interview Special 43:14

3M ago43:14

43:14

Paul Greengrass' The Lost Bus stars Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera as a bus driver and teacher, respectively, who have to navigate a deadly Californian wildfire while stuck on a school bus with a group of terrified children, very little water, and fire and flames closing in on all sides. Based on a true story (the 2018 Camp Fire is one of …

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People of Note - Craig Leo 55:16

3M ago55:16

55:16

After a decade cloaked in silent and stardust the legendary Royal Countess Zingara is making a triumphant return to Cape Town with a show called La Dolce Royal. Zingara’s was a hugely popular venue and concept in Cape Town and this dazzling new chapter is being brought to life by the acclaimed South African theatre visionary Craig Leo. Rodney Trudg…

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Vendrak The Vertical, Scáthach, And The Kamino Kid (ft. guests Benny Safdie, Malcolm McDowell, Harris Dickinson) 1:55:38

3M ago1:55:38

1:55:38

This week's Empire Podcast sees us welcome another hat-trick of wonderful guests, as Chris Hewitt has lovely chats with The Smashing Machine writer-director (and Happy Gilmore 2 villain), Benny Safdie, [24:13 - 40:39 approx] and bona fide acting legend, Malcolm McDowell, star of new WWII drama, The Partisan (please excuse the sound quality of Chris…