TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville tackle the World Cup coverage battle, the TV Festival's Manchester move, the BBC's 500 job cuts, and the Government's social media green paper - recorded on the UK's hottest June day on record!

Topics discussed:

The UK's Prime Minister

England cs Ghana

The World Cup coverage battle between the BBC & ITV

The Edinburgh TV Festival moving to Manchester

The BBC's 500 job cuts

The Government's social media green paper

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:30 The UK's next PM

02:06 England vs Ghana

02:32 What's on the show today?

03:13 The World Cup coverage battle

10:00 The Edinburgh TV Festival moves to Manchester

14:30 Hydration Break

14:53 The BBC's 500 job cuts

25:01 The Government's social media green paper

35:25 Outro

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email us at podcasts@hattrick.com.

If you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe, and share the podcast with a friend — it really helps us grow.

#PrimeMinister #AndyBurnham #England #FIFAWorldCup2026 #BBC #ITV #HydrationBreak #EdinburghTVFestival #Manchester #UKGovernment #GreenPaper #YouTube

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes. In the US Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then he was Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as the co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson's Farm and Alma's Not Normal. New episodes every Friday.

YouTube: / @insiderstvpodcast

Email: podcasts@hattrick.com

Instagram: @InsidersTVPod

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You can send questions to our email – podcasts@hattrick.com

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Thanks so much everyone – see you Friday!

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TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville are joined by Channel 4's Head of Comedy Charlie Perkins to discuss the importance of comedy for a channel identity, monetising comedy on YouTube, SNL's budget, talent deals and how hit comedies can prove a good investment years after their first release.

Topics discussed:

Channel 4's sitcom commissions

Comedy + YouTube

SNL UK

New comedy talent

Producer's rights

Monetising comedy on YouTube

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:40 Channel 4's sitcom commissions

04:25 The value of comedy

08:10 Comedy on digital platforms

09:27 The trickle down effect in comedy

11:45 SNL UK's on C4?

14:13 TV + Comedy talent

19:45 Will YouTube change how we make TV?

27:26 How to monetise comedy on YouTube

38:07 What's your pitch for more comedy on Channel 4?

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email us at podcasts@hattrick.com.

If you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe, and share the podcast with a friend — it really helps us grow.

#Comedy #Channel4 #SNLUK #YouTube #DontHugMeImScared

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes. In the US Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then he was Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as the co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson's Farm and Alma's Not Normal. New episodes every Friday.

YouTube: / @insiderstvpodcast

Email: podcasts@hattrick.com

Instagram: @InsidersTVPod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville debate whether it’s coming home after 60 years of hurt in this 2026 World Cup episode that covers The Rest Is Football’s lucrative Netflix deal, extortionate live sport paywalls, and nostalgic chat about previous world cups.

Topics discussed:

• England winning the World Cup in 1966
• The Rest Is Football Netflix series
• World Cup Coverage tussles between BBC and ITV
• Are sport paywalls taking the piss?
• The ongoing issue of viewers illegally streaming live sports events
• Will the 2026 World Cup make Americans finally love football or, as they continue to call it, soccer
• What is the future relationship between live sports and free-to-air television?
• Geopolitics and football
• The World Cup and Brazil at Goodison Park, 1966
• Players who were destined for greatness but sadly never achieved it

Chapters:

00.00 - The 1966 World Cup

05.27 - The Rest Is Football World Cup coverage

13.37 - Live sport behind paywalls / Illegal live sport streaming

17.10 - Will America learn to love football?

20.12 - Listed events / World Cup coverage

24.26 - Watching the 2026 World Cup / Geopolitics in football

28.05 - World Cup at Goodison Park

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email us at podcasts@hattrick.com.

If you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe, and share the podcast with a friend — it really helps us grow.

#2026WorldCup #TVPodcast #TheRestIsFootball #paywalls #soccer #GoodisonPark #DonaldTrump #ColePalmer #BBC #ITV #LiveSports

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes. In the US Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then he was Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as the co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson's Farm and Alma's Not Normal. New episodes every Friday.

YouTube: / @insiderstvpodcast

Email: podcasts@hattrick.com

Instagram: @InsidersTVPod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville debate the BBC's controversial Sarah Everard drama and whether a man should be writing it, explore how the Married at First Sight UK fallout could threaten Love Island, and confirm your suspicions: your favourite TV shows DO keep disappearing for longer and longer…

Topics discussed:

• The 400 female screenwriters who signed an open letter against the BBC commissioning Jeff Pope to write the Sarah Everard drama
• Should men write dramas about violence against women? Or is it too soon for a factual drama about Sarah Everard at all?
• Love Island relaunching under the shadow of the Married at First Sight UK/Panorama scandal
• What next for MAFS UK after all episodes taken down from Channel 4, TUI pulls sponsorship and the "hush email" sent to workers?
• The Stranger Things Effect: why the gap between TV seasons has more than doubled in a decade – and does it actually matter?
• After the success of ice hockey romance dramas Heated Rivalry and Off Campus, is sport + sex TV's hottest new genre?
• Could croquet, bowls or darts be the UK's answer to ice hockey romance?

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email us at podcasts@hattrick.com.

If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review 5-star review, share it with a friend and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!

Chapters:

• 0:00 Intro and Jon Petrie joining Hat Trick Productions
• 2:51 The Sarah Everard Drama: Should a Man Be Writing It?
• 14:35 Love Island, Married at First Sight UK & Reality TV's Reckoning?
• 25:06 The Stranger Things Effect: Why TV Shows Disappear for Years
• 30:33 Ice Hockey Romance: TV's Hottest New Genre?

#BBCDrama #SarahEverard #LoveIsland #MarriedAtFirstSight #StrangerThingsEffect #TVNews #BehindTheScenes #UKTelevision #PeterFincham #JimmyMulville #InsidersPodcast #BBCControversy # #TwinPeaks #HappyValley #StrangerThings #Euphoria #TVPodcast #BritishTV #RealityTV #JeffPope #MAFS #Channel4 #HatTrick #TVIndustry #ScreenwritingDebate #HeatedRivalry #OffCampus #TVDrama

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes. In the US Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then he was Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as the co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson's Farm and Alma's Not Normal. New episodes every Friday.

YouTube: / @insiderstvpodcast

Email: podcasts@hattrick.com

Instagram: @InsidersTVPod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TV Insiders Jimmy Mulville and Peter Fincham discuss whether Euphoria is on its final series, how to end a TV hit properly, why killing off characters can backfire, how prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are spoiling reality TV shows like Survivor, and what the BBC can learn from YouTube.

They also talk about:

• The Bear and Emily in Paris announcing their final series
• The endings of Derry Girls and The Sopranos compared to Game of Thrones
• What it was like to cancel shows like the The Bill and Bodies
• The art of writing shocking character deaths in shows like Emmerdale
• Who tells the talent that they’ve been written out of a show
• The ‘Prediction Markets’ could change reality TV forever
• How outcomes of The Masked Singer, Next Level Chef and The Bachelorette were all correctly predicted months before they even aired
• Matt Brittin’s comments on the BBC, improving the iPlayer and YouTube

Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email us at podcasts@hattrick.com.

If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review 5-star review, share it with a friend and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!

#TV #Television #BBC #Euphoria #TheBear #DerryGirls #GameOfThrones #Survivor #Survivor50 #DowntonAbbey #Eastenders #Emmerdale #RealityTV #YouTube #Podcast #Insiders #PeterFincham #JimmyMulville #Kalshi #Polymarket

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes. In the US Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then he was Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as the co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson's Farm and Alma's Not Normal. New episodes every Friday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville are joined by Michael Grade to talk about the challenges facing new BBC Director General Matt Brittin, questions asked of Channel 4 after allegations made about Married at First Sight UK and Blackadder, Doctor Who, Father Ted and more!

In this episode:

• What the new BBC Director General needs to do first, and why coming in from the outside can be a strength
• Why Michael Grade thinks the BBC should take more risks and become “a nursery and not a grocery”
• The BBC’s culture, Oxbridge snobbery, scheduling, and why the middle of television has disappeared
• Why the BBC needs to justify public money in a streaming world and what its real purpose should be
• Michael Grade’s take on Channel 4, new voices, and whether it can survive as a smaller, distinctive broadcaster
• The Married at First Sight UK allegations, duty of care, and whether reality TV has gone too far
• Telling talent the truth, spotting blind spots, and why great TV still depends on taste
• Blackadder, Father Ted, Doctor Who and more!

Have a question or opinion? Leave a comment, find us on socials (@InsidersTVPod), or email us at podcasts@hattrick.com.

If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to give us a 5 star rating on Apple podcasts or Spotify, follow the podcast wherever you're listening to it now and share this episode with a friend — it really helps us grow.

Chapters

00:00 Coming up!

01:10 The Challenges for the New BBC Director General

18:19 Running Channel 4

22:35 Almost Cancelling Black Adder

25:07 Married at First Sight UK and reality TV ethics

30:55 The Rest of Michael's Career

#BBC #MichaelGrade #MarriedAtFirstSightUK #Channel4 #DoctorWho #Blackadder #FatherTed #RealityTV #TVPodcast #BritishTV #Television #InsidersTVPod #PublicServiceBroadcasting #BAFTA #Streaming #Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville tackle Eurovision's biggest controversy yet, the BBC getting called out at the BAFTA TV awards, and why Wordle could actually work as a prime-time TV show.

In this episode:

• Why Eurovision 2026 final has been marred by the row over Israel’s inclusion and why the contest has become more political than ever
• The BBC’s handling of the Gaza: Doctors Under Attack BAFTA speech and what it says about broadcaster pressure
• How Wordle could work as a television format, and how Tipping Point was commissioned
• Stephen Colbert bidding farewell to The Late Show with his fellow hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver and Seth Myers in Strike Force Five reunion
• James Corden teams up with Rio Ferdinand to make his return to FIFA World Cup coverage
• Listener reactions, questions and more

Have a question or opinion? Leave a comment, find us on socials (@InsidersTVPod), or email us at podcasts@hattrick.com

If you enjoyed the episode, please make sure you're following the podcast, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and share an episode with a friend — it really helps us grow

#Eurovision #Eurovision2026 #Wordle #TippingPoint #BBC #BAFTA #StephenColbert #TheLateShow #StrikeForceFive #FIFAWorldCup #WorldCup #TV #Podcast #Television #Channel4 #Streaming #InsidersTVPod

Jimmy Mulville is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You, Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes. In the US Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

Peter Fincham ran TalkBack, where he executive produced many of their biggest shows including I’m Alan Partridge, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and Da Ali G Show. He went on to be Controller of BBC1, then he was Director of Television at ITV, before returning to the independent sector as the co-CEO of Expectation, the company behind Clarkson's Farm and Alma's Not Normal. New episodes every Friday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.