Best Matt Ian Kelly Podcasts (2025)

1
The Life Of Chuck/Charles/Charlie (ft. guests Eva Victor; Olivia Colman & Jay Roach; Sir Ben Kingsley) 1:58:18

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2d ago1:58:18

1:58:18

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down, on Zoom and in person, with a cavalcade of cracking guests. There's Eva Victor, star/writer/director of the excellent Sorry, Baby, who talks about cats, directing themselves, and people who look like yams. [23:05 - 39:05 approx] Then there's Olivia Colman and Jay Roach, star and director of The…

1
Why Henry Blodget is Building Another Media Company 57:56

4d ago57:56

57:56

Henry Blodget can’t help himself. The Business Insider founder is starting another media business, knowing full well how difficult the industry can be. You can watch him build it in real time: Regenerator on Substack, and Solutions on TikTok, YouTube and everywhere you hear your favorite podcasts. Henry — who hired me to work at Business Insider in…

1
The Life Of Custard (ft. guests Joaquin Phoenix; Tom Hiddleston & Chiwetel Ejiofor; Samara Weaving & Karl Glusman) 1:58:53

9d ago1:58:53

1:58:53

In one of those bumper-sized guest-filled jamborees in which we specialise, this week's Empire Podcast sees John Nugent sit down on Zoom to interview Eddington star, Joaquin Phoenix... or does Joaquin Phoenix interview John Nugent? All will be revealed. [18:52 - 35:59 approx] Elsewhere, Chris Hewitt has a lovely chat about The Life of Chuck with co…

1
ESPN boss Jimmy Pitaro on streaming, the NFL and sports betting 48:14

11d ago48:14

48:14

The media industry has been waiting for ESPN to cut the cord for a decade. Now it’s finally happening: This week the sports TV giant will let you start streaming — without a cable TV subscription — for $30 a month. Why now? ESPN boss Jimmy Pitaro is quite frank about it: Along with his boss — Disney CEO Bob Iger — he wanted to make as much money fr…

1
Kruegersplaining (ft. guests Celine Song, Dave Franco & Alison Brie) 1:42:37

16d ago1:42:37

1:42:37

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast will haunt your nightmares, but in a good way, as Chris Hewitt returns to the host chair, just in time to tackle, with Beth Webb and Amon Warmann, a Mount Rushmore question about the best Final Girls in horror movies. Their final choices may shock you, but that's nothing compared to the bit where Chris expl…

1
The Shameless Plug #6: Two Days With James Cameron 42:04

17d ago42:04

42:04

Or 42 minutes with Chris Hewitt and Nick de Semlyen. Which would you prefer? Don't answer that. Anyway, that's what you've got with the latest episode of The Shameless Plug, as Chris and Nick sit down to talk about Nick's extraordinary adventures in New Zealand, shadowing James Cameron for two days as he put the finishing touches to this month's co…

1
Alien Earth: An Empire Podcast Special ft. Noah Hawley, Timothy Olyphant & Sydney Chandler 42:21

18d ago42:21

42:21

In space, no-one can hear you pod. Thankfully, we're not on space, we're on Earth, so you will be able to hear this wonderful Empire Podcast special dedicated to Noah Hawley's excellent Alien prequel, Alien Earth, which dropped its first two episodes today on Disney+. Here, you will hear Chris Hewitt sit down with Hawley, the show's creator and sho…

1
A Busy - and Expensive - Summer for AI, with NYT's Mike Isaac 51:42

18d ago51:42

51:42

What makes a particular engineer worth $250 million to Mark Zuckerberg? What does Trump 2.0 mean — and not mean — to people building large language models? I didn’t know the answers to these questions either. So I got the New York Times’ Mike Isaac, who covers this stuff for a living, to walk me through some of the biggest questions in AI right now…

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The Not-So-Difficult Second Movie (ft. guests Guy Pearce and Benedict Wong) 1:45:04

23d ago1:45:04

1:45:04

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Helen O'Hara slip into the host's chair in Chris Hewitt's absence, and use her endless reservoir of patience to corral James Dyer, Alex Godfrey and Ben Travis in a discussion of the best second movies by notable directors (and yes, we know that we didn't mention [INSERT BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS CHOICE HERE])…

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Lions Tour review with Alan Quinlan 29:49

22d ago29:49

29:49

Alan Quinlan joins Stuart McAvoy for a final review of the Lions 2-1 series win over Australia. Saturday's dramatic final test where the weather played havoc with the game is discussed first. Quinny gives insight on how players deal with a lengthy stoppage during a game, given the shots we saw of the Lions players on their phones or sitting on bean…

1
Why the Algorithm is Making Comedy Boom, Again 58:53

26d ago58:53

58:53

The last time I talked to Jesse David Fox about the comedy boom it was… March 5, 2020. Since then, some things have changed. But in other ways it’s just the same: comedy - or at least, some kinds of comedy - seems almost custom-built for our current technological and cultural moment, and it’s easier than ever to get this stuff on your devices whene…

1
Hey, It's Enrico Pazuzu! (ft. guests Akiva Schaffer and James Gunn) 1:45:49

1M ago1:45:49

1:45:49

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast adds insults to injury, as the team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Alex Godfrey, and Ben Travis — share their favourite movie insults. And, yes, misquote at least one of them horribly. Also, nothing on this earth will prepare you for Alex Godfrey's Pazuzu impression. We can only apologise in advance. Elsewhe…

1
What is TV’s endgame? 47:28

1M ago47:28

47:28

A decade ago, Disney CEO Bob Iger freaked out the media industry by acknowledging something many of us saw coming — his previously unassailable TV business was starting to erode. But even with a 10-year warning, today’s moguls seem unable to cope with 2025’s reality: The pay TV business is permanently eroding, and there’s nothing in its place that’…

1
Reaction as Hugo Keenan secures Lions series win in dramatic fashion! 35:15

1M ago35:15

35:15

Stuart McAvoy and Alan Quinlan are back to discuss the British & Irish Lions' dramatic win at the MCG in front of over 90,000 fans on Saturday that secured a series win with a game to spare. Quinny gives his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Hugo Keenan's late series-winning try and Andrea Piardi's decision to allow it , a decision Australia …

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Movie News Mews (ft. guests, Matt Shakman and Sam Rockwell) 1:40:40

1M ago1:40:40

1:40:40

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is all kinds of fantastic. Guest-wise, Chris Hewitt sits down (in person, and on Zoom) with Matt Shakman, director of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, to discuss the FF's debut in the MCU [24:33 - 40:07 approx]; and Sam Rockwell, the cool cat who's Mr. Wolf in The Bad Guys 2. [1:07:02 - 1:19:28 approx] Then…

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Test 2 preview and how crucial it is we see a Wallabies performance 30:45

1M ago30:45

30:45

Test 1 is in the books and it was fairly comfortable outing for Andy Farrell's Lions side on Saturday in Brisbane. Alan Quinlan joins Stuart McAvoy once again from Down Under to look back on that opening fixture and ahead to this Saturday's clash. With rumours swirling around the future tours, the lads also discuss the importance of the Wallabies p…

1
Why Trump is defunding NPR and PBS - and suing Rupert Murdoch 35:59

1M ago35:59

35:59

Reporting on the place you work is not fun. But it is an occupational hazard for media reporters — particularly for NPR’s David Folkenflik. That’s because National Public Radio — along with Public Broadcasting Service, its TV counterpart — is quite frequently the target of attacks from critics on the right, who would like the federal government to …

1
Quinny down under for the opening Test! 35:02

1M ago35:02

35:02

The waiting, the warm-ups, the war of words are finally over! It's time for Australia vs the British and Irish Lions opening test in Brisbane! Alan Quinlan has made the long journey down under and joins Stuart McAvoy to preview the game including Andy Farrell's Irish-dominated selection with no Welsh involvement in the matchday squad. The fascinati…

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Bobby Omelettes And The Dolby Rumbler (ft. guests Alex Cox and Ralph Ineson) 1:43:52

1M ago1:43:52

1:43:52

Do not adjust your speakers, or your headphones. Yes, Ralph Ineson's voice really is that deep and sonorous. And in this week's Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt sits down with the actor who plays the planet-eating entity, Galactus, in next week's The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and talks about how his voice is his passport. [1:04:38 - 1:20:16 approx] …

1
Episode 53: Dan Lawson SWCP Record 1:02:18

1M ago1:02:18

1:02:18

Dan talks James through his experience setting a new record on the South West Coast Path finishing just last week.By James Elson

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The Shameless Plug #5: Tron Ares, Light-Up Covers, And More 43:45

2M ago43:45

43:45

This month's episode of The Shameless Plug sees Chris Hewitt sit down with Empire editor, Nick de Semlyen, for a deep dive into the latest issue of Empire magazine, which just happens to have a limited edition light-up cover to commemorate our latest cover movie, Tron Ares. Together, our dynamic duo discuss the art of the cover line, their favourit…

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Inside the Rise and Fall of Condé Nast with Michael Grynbaum 47:38

2M ago47:38

47:38

Here's one way New York Times reporter Michael Grynbaum described Condé Nast to me in this week’s chat: “A real exporter of American cultural influence in the late 20th century.” And here’s another one: "A kind of enchanted land” but also a “lost world." And here’s one way I’d describe it: it’s hard to imagine in 2025, but just a few decades ago, m…

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Where's The Cueball Going? (ft. guests, David Corenswet and Joseph Kosinski) 1:32:25

2M ago1:32:25

1:32:25

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is dominated by bald baddies. Namely, a group discussion of the hairless horrors who have been tormenting do-gooders in all kinds of movies throughout the years. But also, our very own James Dyer, whose unexplained absence from the podbooth has Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and Alex Godfrey speculating wildly…

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Jimmy O'Brien interview 8:49

2M ago8:49

8:49

Ireland take on Portugal in the second of their two-game summer tour this Saturday in Lisbon. Ahead of the game, Stuart McAvoy spoke to Jimmy O'Brien on life in the summer camp, being one of the more experienced heads in the squad, whether he feels he should have more Ireland caps, and how he felt hitting the 100 appearance mark for Leinster this s…

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Inside the NYT - and Everywhere Else - with Semafor's Max Tani 48:09

2M ago48:09

48:09

You’re probably a normal person, so you didn’t spend your holiday weekend talking to people at the New York Times about a local politics story that some people didn’t like. But that’s Max Tani’s job: He’s Semafor’s media reporter, which means he’s supposed to burrow into the paper of record — as well as other important media institutions — and tell…

1
What we learnt from Tbilisi. Who's the next Ireland head coach? Strong Lions team named. 42:19

2M ago42:19

42:19

Stuart McAvoy is joined by Alan Quinlan to look back over Paul O'Connell's Irish side's victory over Georgia on Saturday, what we learnt from the game in Tbilisi and who put their hand up looking ahead to the Autumn and beyond. The topic of who could eventually replace Andy Farrell is also covered as is the strong test-like team the Lions head coac…

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Are We The Baddies? (ft. guests Mahershala Ali & Rupert Friend, David Cronenberg, Gerard Johnstone) 1:58:21

2M ago1:58:21

1:58:21

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down for a pre-lunch chat about dinosaurs and sandwiches with Jurassic World Rebirth stars, Mahershala Ali and Rupert Friend, [25:28 - 36:36 approx] while Mike Muncer goes deep with the legendary David Cronenberg, as the Canadian director marks the release of one of his most personal films yet, The S…

1
Quinny is back! Talking all things Ireland's summer tour and Lions 44:37

2M ago44:37

44:37

We're back! The VMTV Rugby Pod returns just in time for Ireland's Summer Tour against Georgia and Portugal which you can watch live on Virgin Media Television! Alan Quinlan joins Stuart McAvoy to preview this Saturday's game in Tbilisi and the lads talk all things Lions too with the opening couple of games in the bank for Andy Farrell's touring sid…

1
Black Mirror's Charlie Brooker on the problem with tech - and people 43:47

2M ago43:47

43:47

"Black Mirror" creator Charlie Brooker knows that everyone thinks his show is about tech-fueled dystopias. But he says it's really about humans, not their tools. I loved this chat back when we recorded it in 2023, when Brooker was promoting the sixth season of his Netflix show. Now there's a new season - and Brooker's vision of the world is as rele…

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Interview | Craig Casey on being named Ireland captain for the summer tour 11:26

2M ago11:26

11:26

Munster man Craig Casey will captain Paul O'Connell's Ireland side for the Summer Tour fixtures against Georgia and Portugal which kicks off this Saturday in Tbilisi. The 26-year-old sat down with Stuart McAvoy to reveal how his emotions when told he would lead the squad across the two games, and why his father was the first person he told. The pai…

1
The Empire Podcast: The Movie (with guests Damson Idris, and Ivanna Sakhno) 1:48:08

2M ago1:48:08

1:48:08

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt break out the bleep machine for a particularly sweary chat with M3GAN 2.0 star, the delightful Ivanna Sakhno, [1:10:44 - 1:23:01 approx] and quietly judge the football team of Damson Idris, star of F1. [24:51 - 37:46 approx] Or F1: The Movie, to give it its full marketing moniker, which in…

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How to become a Substack Star with Emily Sundberg 47:07

2M ago47:07

47:07

What's the best way to describe what Emily Sundberg does? Substacker? Influencer? Journalist? Brand-builder? Let's go with "yes". And she does a much better job of describing herself in our conversation, where we talk about how she went from being a laid-off marketer at Meta to a one-woman business with a devoted following and a revenue line that’s…

1
Mona Lisa Episode IV: A New Hope (ft. guests Julianne Moore & Michael Pearce, Ralph Fiennes & Jodie Comer) 1:48:56

2M ago1:48:56

1:48:56

It's another packed episode of the Empire Podcast, the show that dares to ask the big questions: isn't the Mona Lisa just a woman sitting down? Who's the richest Northern Irish person? Can you buy stocks in Glen Powell? Join the pod team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann — as they tackle those questions, discuss the origina…

1
Going Deep With Colin Trevorrow: An Empire Podcast Interview Special 32:55

2M ago32:55

32:55

In our latest Empire Podcast interview special, Chris Hewitt sits down (in a swanky London hotel room) with Colin Trevorrow, the director of Jurassic World and Safety Not Guaranteed, to talk about Trevorrow's latest movie, the Prime Video comedy Deep Cover, which he produced and co-wrote. But that's not all — Trevorrow also talks about his choices …

1
The Shameless Plug #4 45:21

2M ago45:21

45:21

The Shameless Plug — the show in which Chris Hewitt and Empire editor Nick de Semlyen sit down and do a deep dive into the contents of the latest issue of Empire — is back, folks, and this one really is fantastic. That's because this month's cover story is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which inspires Chris and Nick to talk about some of their se…

1
Why did Apple ice out the most famous Apple blogger? 1:04:48

2M ago1:04:48

1:04:48

If you want smart, nuanced insight into Apple’s products and would-be products, you turn to John Gruber, who’s been blogging about this stuff for more than two decades at his Daring Fireball site. So in March, when Gruber announced that Something is Rotten in the State of Cupertino — focusing on Apple’s botched plans to imbue its ailing Siri servic…

1
Yes, And/Yes, Andor (with guests Jack Lowden, Bryce Dallas Howard, Nick Mohammed & Orlando Bloom) 1:44:41

3M ago1:44:41

1:44:41

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down in person with Deep Cover stars, Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, and Nick Mohammed, to talk about their experiences playing improvisers who go undercover as fake cops;[1:00:00 - 1:15:52 approx] and on Zoom with Tornado and Slow Horses star, Jack Lowden. [26:15 - 39:20 approx] …

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Kyle MacLachlan And Mark Frost On Twin Peaks And David Lynch: An Empire Podcast Interview Special 58:00

3M ago58:00

58:00

Here's a damn fine special episode of the Empire Podcast for you to enjoy. We're in the grip of Twin Peaks fever all over again — the seminal David Lynch/Mark Frost TV show is being celebrated this Sunday (June 15th) at the BFI Southbank in London with a special 35mm print screening of the show's pilot, and if that weren't enough, every single epis…

1
On the hunt for media optimism, with Semafor’s Ben Smith and The Rebooting’s Brian Morrissey 28:22

3M ago28:22

28:22

Here’s one where we try to do two things at once: Have a convo about green shoots in media with two smart guys who know media really well — Semafor’s Ben Smith and The Rebooting’s Brian Morrissey. Try to find new audiences for our respective podcasts, by cutting up that conversation into 3 parts, and distributing those parts to our respective feeds…

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Scott Frank on Netflix, the future of Hollywood, and Dept. Q 43:42

3M ago43:42

43:42

Scott Frank used to write great movies, like “Out of Sight.” Now he’s a Netflix guy, and a super successful one: he made “Godless,” a horses-and-everything Western for the streamer, then had a pandemic-era phenomenon with “The Queen’s Gambit.” Now he’s back with “Dept. Q”, his take on the British mystery genre. You can find that one on Netflix’s to…

1
An Award-Losing Podcast (with guests Jai Courtney, Ian McShane, Dean DeBlois) 1:57:01

3M ago1:57:01

1:57:01

This week's episode of the freshly award-losing Empire Podcast sees the podteam lick their wounds after a demoralising defeat in the Best Podcast (Consumer) category at the BSMEs earlier in the week. How do they do this? By talking about movies, of course, as they discuss the week's news (a load of trailers, and a potential new James Cameron movie)…

1
Bluesky Wasn’t Supposed to be a Twitter Rival. Now It Is. 37:01

3M ago37:01

37:01

I admit it: I most definitely rolled my eyes in 2019, when Twitter announced vague plans to build an "open and decentralized standard for social media". At the time I didn't really understand what then-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was trying to do — or why the head of a social media company with plenty of problems was messing around with plans to create…

1
Wade Eastwood On The Stunts Of Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning: An Empire Podcast Interview Special 41:20

3M ago41:20

41:20

Whether it's Tom Cruise risking his neck underwater, or above ground while clinging to the wing of a biplane, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is filled with stunts that might just turn your hair white. That's if you don't lose it completely. That's just one of the side effects discussed in this Empire Podcast interview special, as the fil…

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Starting In The Middle (with guests Jesse Armstrong, Tim Key, Tom Basden & Carey Mulligan) 1:53:44

3M ago1:53:44

1:53:44

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees the podteam — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and Alex Godfrey — get to grips with the definition of in media res, as they discuss some of their favourite films that throw you right into the action. Elsewhere, they talk about the week's movie news, pay tribute to Empire's founding editor Barry M…

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How to Reinvent a Magazine, with Wired’s Katie Drummond 47:58

3M ago47:58

47:58

Today we’re talking about how you take a media property that’s been around for a long time, and find a way to bring in new eyeballs — and new revenue. That property is Wired — the place that told you about the internet before the internet even existed — and the person who’s reviving it is Katie Drummond, who has been running the property for a coup…

1
Christopher McQuarrie on The Final Reckoning, Benicio del Toro & Michael Cera on The Phoenician Scheme, Tony Gilroy on Andor s2 (spoilers), and Cannes You Dig It? 1:58:45

3M ago1:58:45

1:58:45

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt mark the release of Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning by doing a non-spoiler, non-epic (less than 20 minutes!) chat with that film's director, the legendarily loquacious Christopher McQuarrie, [26:00 - 43:06 approx] and have a lovely natter with the stars of the new Wes Anderson fi…

1
The Shameless Plug #3: Jurassic World Rebirth And Other Animals 39:22

3M ago39:22

39:22

The Shameless Plug — the show in which Chris Hewitt and Empire editor, Nick de Semlyen, sit down and talk you through the latest issue of Empire — is back for its third episode, folks. This one is dedicated to issue 441 of Empire (on sale now at all good, evil, and virtual newsagents), which features Jurassic World Rebirth on the cover, and Nick ta…

1
Meta's Adam Mosseri explains how Instagram really works - and how he wants to build Threads 58:46

3M ago58:46

58:46

Adam Mosseri's official title is head of Instagram, Meta's massive photo and video app. He also runs Threads, the Twitter clone the company launched two years ago. Unofficially, he's become one of Meta's chief explainers, frequently jumping on social media to defend and proselytize on behalf of his employer. So when I got a chance to interview Moss…

1
The Extraordinary Miss Flower: An Empire Podcast Interview Special 30:31

4M ago30:31

30:31

Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard's The Extraordinary Miss Flower is part-concert film, part-performance art piece inspired by the life of its subject, a woman called Geraldine Flower. When she passed away a few years ago, her daughter Zoe discovered a number of letters, written over the years by suitors of Geraldine's, which painted a picture of a wil…

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Rosamund Pike & Matthew Rhys, Final Destination Bloodlines directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, Superman and Spelling Bees 1:38:49

4M ago1:38:49

1:38:49

This week's episode of the BSME Awards-nominated Empire Podcast had better not be the episode that the BSME Awards judging panel listens to ahead of voting, or our nomination might be rescinded. Which is to say, chaos reigns as Chris Hewitt returns — eventually, after being waylaid by a McQ&A — to the hosting chair, and is joined by Helen O'Hara, J…