Thoughts after the first episode of Kermode & Mayo's Extra Takes
Kermode & Mayo's Take is a 'new' film and television review podcast. 'New' is in inverted commas because it isn't really new, the duo have been reviewing films and wittering since the 90s, but the podcast is their new home after leaving BBC Radio Five Live in April 2022.
In addition to the free version of the podcast, there is such a thing as Kermode & Mayo's Take Two, or possibly Extra Takes — the branding is slightly confused at the moment — an add-free subscriber-only edition, which includes an extra episode per week.
I just listened to the first episode, and in most respects, the new show is exactly the same as the old one. Mark and Simon retained all or most of the content-related features from the BBC show, such as the box office rundown and copiously interspersed listener correspondence. They even kept the birdsong, which isn't actually necessary since they are no longer bound by BBC Rules and Regs. The dynamics haven't changed appreciably, which is a good thing.
The new features seem a bit clunky, such as the unpronounceable new segment, '+/-', and the bit where Mark just provided a rapid-fire and dispassionate list of new physical media. But the BBC show was always bordering on slapdash and openly self-critical, so in some ways, this initial clunkiness actually added to the show's charm.
The one thing I'm trepidacious about (yes, thank you spellchecker, trepidacious is a word) is the expansion into TV reviews. Previously, Mark only reviewed films; IIRC he was quite adamant about never or hardly ever watching TV. I'm not sure what prompted this decision and it begs the question: what does Mark actually know about TV? Film and TV are very different; they tell different stories and have different goals. Also, how are these reviews going to work? Will Mark review one episode, one season, or one series at a time? Mark didn't actually review any TV in this episode, so perhaps he will allay my concerns in future weeks.