Highbrow Lowbrow

Welcome to Highbrow Lowbrow, the show where our podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery pit high art against low culture.

In this special Halloween-themed episode, we look at two films which are guaranteed to send a shiver down your spine.

Steve’s pick is Ken Russell’s The Lair of the White Worm. Russell’s screenplay mixes Bram Stoker’s final novel with Lambton Worm mythology with devilishly good results. This is also the film which seared Amanda Donohue, Hugh Grant and Peter Capaldi into the public consciousness. Once seen, it’s never forgotten.

Dan’s choice is the mockumentary Ghostwatch. Established BBC presenters Michael Parkinson, Craig Charles, Sarah Greene and others are roped into an elaborate hoax played on the British public. Is the Early family of Foxhill Drive really living in a haunted house? Ghostwatch provides the answer with chills, laughs and moral panics along the way.

We hope you enjoy our Halloween choices, and please don’t have nightmares. Mind the spoilers. Enjoy the show...

Welcome to Highbrow Lowbrow, the show where our podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery pit high art against low culture.

In this special episode devoted to the pioneering acting career of Olivia de Havilland, we look at two of de Havilland’s standout performances.

Dan’s highbrow pick is The Snake Pit, a psychological drama that was both controversial and ground-breaking in its portrayal of mental health issues when it was released in 1948 and still packs a punch today.

Steve’s lowbrow choice is Lady In A Cage, in which an electrical fault causes de Havilland to be stranded in her mobility lift, where she is terrorised by a gang of home invaders.

We hope our choices pay a fitting tribute to the strength and longevity of de Havilland’s extraordinary career. Beware spoilers and enjoy the show...

Welcome to Highbrow Lowbrow, the show where our podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery pit high art against low culture.

In this special episode devoted to the work of actor/dancer/writer and director Christopher Walken, we look at two of Walken’s finest performances.

Dan’s highbrow pick is At Close Range, in which Walken’s psychopath gang leader comes undone when his son, played by Sean Penn, does not inherit the sins of the father.

Steve’s lowbrow choice is the James Bond film A View To A Kill, in which he argues that Walken’s performance as the villainous Max Zorin has made this formerly underrated Bond film become one of the most loved additions to the series.

We hope our choices do justice to Mr Walken’s extraordinary career. Beware spoilers and enjoy the show...

Welcome to Highbrow Lowbrow, the show where our podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery pit high art against low culture.

In this episode, we look at two classic Hammer Horror films.

Steve’s pick is The Nanny, a chilling psychological thriller in which Bette Davis plays a babysitter that you won’t be rushing out to hire to look after your kids.

Dan’s choice is The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death. While he concedes that it is not the most successful take on Susan Hill’s spinetingling tale, it still has enough scares to be worth your time.

We hope our choices don’t leave you too afraid of the dark, dear listener. If things get too frightening, keep reminding yourself… it’s only a movie. It’s only a movie. Beware spoilers and the shadows. Enjoy the show...

Welcome to Highbrow Lowbrow, the show where our podcast hosts Steve Powell and Dan Slattery pit high art against low culture.

In this special comedy-themed episode, we look at two films which are guaranteed to have you rolling in the aisles.

Steve’s pick is Noises Off, an adaptation of Michael Frayn’s play within a play in which everything goes horribly and hilariously wrong!

Dan’s choice is The Tall Guy, in which Jeff Goldblum’s struggling actor comes to terms with life, love and Weetabix without milk.

We hope our rib-tickling choices will leave your sides on the brink of splitting, dear listener. Prepare to turn that frown upside down and, as always, beware spoilers and enjoy the show....