Bah Humbug: A Christmas Movie Podcast with Helen O'Hara

It's not often here at Bah Humbug that we can lay claim to a genuinely great, not-graded-on-a-curve film set over the Christmas season, but say hello to Harry Lighton's Pillion, starring Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgard. They star as a meek young man called Colin and the impossibly hot biker daddy he falls for, in a coming-of-age story about unconventional romance and figuring out what it is you want in life (surprisingly, the answer may not be "someone who looks like Alexander Skarsgard"). It's won acclaim and awards nominations, but how does it score on the Christmassy scale? Your host, Helen O'Hara, is joined by comedian David Morgan to try to figure it out. Pillion is out in cinemas nationwide now. For more from David, you can check out their website here, or on Bluesky here. For more from Helen, you can find here on Bluesky @HelenLOHara, or at helenohara.com. Her latest books, A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary and 50 Film Ideas You Really Need To Know, are available now, and Women Vs Hollywood: The Fall And Rise Of Women In Film remains on sale. This podcast is produced and edited by Helen O'Hara with Stripped Media. For more on this podcast, and others produced by Stripped Media, please visit www.stripped.media or email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The last time Michelle Pfeiffer made a Christmas movie, the result was the great Batman Returns. Now she's back in Oh. What. Fun., starring with the likes of Felicity Jones, Jason Schwartzman, Chloe Grace Moretz, Dennis Leary, Dominic Sessa and Eva Longoria. She's the stressed-out matriarch of a Texas clan who just goes AWOL one Christmas when she is left feeling unappreciated by her family. A warning for unthinking families everywhere, perhaps, but is it really fun? Well, your host, Helen O'Hara, and special guest Cathy Cullen from the Cinemile podcast are here to break it down - and possibly have a breakdown. Oh. What. Fun. is out on Prime Video right now. For more from Cathy, check out the Cinemile here for all sorts of film-y goodness, follow them on socials @TheCinemile or come along to the event we mentioned at the Curzon Hoxton on January 29 by booking tickets here. For more from Helen, you can find here on Bluesky @HelenLOHara, or at helenohara.com. Her latest books, A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary and 50 Film Ideas You Really Need To Know, are available now, and Women Vs Hollywood: The Fall And Rise Of Women In Film remains on sale. This podcast is produced and edited by Helen O'Hara with Stripped Media. For more on this podcast, and others produced by Stripped Media, please visit www.stripped.media or email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's episode of Bah Humbug, the Christmas movies podcast, focuses on Tinsel Town, the new Sky film wherein a spoiled Hollywood star reluctantly agrees to do theatre in the UK - and unwittingly finds himself signed up to play Buttons in a panto production of Cinderella. Kiefer Sutherland is our hapless hero, with support from Rebel Wilson, Danny Dyer, Derek Jacobi and many more. To talk about it, your regular host, Helen O'Hara, is joined by talent agent Corrie McGuire and the film's director Chris Foggin. Can all of us together explain the appeal and importance of panto to an international audience? Oh no we can't! Oh yes we can! Etc. Tinsel Town is available to watch on Sky Cinema and Now TV right now. For more from Corrie and her astonishing roster of clients, you can visit her website here. Check out Chris Foggin's credits here. For more from Helen, you can find here on Bluesky @HelenLOHara, or at helenohara.com. Her latest books, A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary and 50 Film Ideas You Really Need To Know, are available now, and Women Vs Hollywood: The Fall And Rise Of Women In Film remains on sale. This podcast is produced and edited by Helen O'Hara with Stripped Media. For more on this podcast, and others produced by Stripped Media, please visit www.stripped.media or email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are Netflix raising their game on Christmas movies? Or just softening us up for My Secret Santa? Your host, Helen O'Hara, assesses the contenders with guest Olly Richards. First up is Alicia Silverstone in A Merry Little Ex-Mas, trying to bring that Clueless magic to a tale of a divorced couple trying to negotiate their first Christmas apart. Then we look at Champagne Problems, wherein Minka Kelly flies to Paris to buy some sparkling wine and instead ends up in a fizzy rom-com. And yes, these are Christmas movies, we're still judging on a curve. But are there signs of actual quality here? The answer may surprise you! Both films are now out on Netflix. For more from Olly, you can find him on Bluesky (etc) @OllyRichards, and his new book, Tim Burton: The Complete Unofficial Guide (part of the Iconic Directors series) is out now. For more from Helen, you can find here on Bluesky @HelenLOHara, or at helenohara.com. Her latest books, A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary and 50 Film Ideas You Really Need To Know, are available now, and Women Vs Hollywood: The Fall And Rise Of Women In Film remains on sale. This podcast is produced and edited by Helen O'Hara with Stripped Media. For more on this podcast, and others produced by Stripped Media, please visit www.stripped.media or email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gurinder Chadha's new film, Christmas Karma, reimagines Charles Dickens' classic Christmas story with The Big Bang Theory's Kunal Nayyar in the lead. How does it stack up to the best previous adaptations? Can it measure up to the Muppets? And why is Dickens still relevant?  Your host, Helen O'Hara, assesses the results with the help of comedian and author Marc Burrows. Christmas Karma is in cinemas around the UK now. Marc’s new book, The Story of the Christmas Number One: Mistletoe & Vinyl, is out now, and you can learn more about launch dates here: Marc Burrows.com For more from Helen, you can find her on Bluesky @HelenLOHara, or at helenohara.com. Her new books, 50 Film Ideas You Really Need To Know and A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary are available now. This podcast is produced and edited by Helen O’Hara with Stripped Media. For more on this podcast, and others produced by Stripped Media, please visit www.stripped.media or email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices