Film Stories with Simon Brew

In conversation with former Carolco CEO Peter M Hoffman

Peter M Hoffman has had a very, very storied career. From working with Alexander Salkind on the original Superman movies, through to Cannon Films and Carolco, it was his

The Inbetweeners Movie (2011), and the incredibly fast turnaround of a box office giant

The road to The Inbetweeners Movie was a fairly swift one. Even while the hit British TV comedy was bringing in big ratings for E4, its creators - Iain Morris and Damon B

Adam Randall on directing Slow Horses, his mystery IMDB film, and Gary Oldman's text messages

In a special episode of Film Stories, Simon Brew turns to his attentention to the Apple TV show Slow Horses, which has just returned for its sixth season. The man directi

James Cameron's Titanic (1997), the two battling studios, and drugs in the chowder

James Cameron knew as he pitched Titanic to 20th Century Fox that it wasn't likely to be as commercial a film as the one he'd just done, True Lies. The budget was set to

Interview special with Oscar winner Susanne Bier (Practical Magic 2) and producer Ken Petrie (Sunny Dancer and more)

Two different creatives share their film stories in this special episode of the podcast! First up, Oscar-winner Susanne Bier talked to Simon the day after the Practical

Parenthood, the plane trip that led to the film, plus a lovely chat with Robert Carlyle

1989's Parenthood started life on a long haul flight. Director Ron Howard would tell of how 'testing' it was to do such a journey with kids in tow, and soon, he realised

In conversation with Michael Sarnoski - The Death Of Robin Hood, Death Stranding, Pig, and videogames

In UK cinemas now is the third film from writer/director Michael Sarnoski, The Death Of Robin Hood. Headlined by Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer, it's a hugely ambitious ind

Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey, the title that had to change, plus a chat with William Sadler and Alex Winter too

With Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure already playing in cinemas, plans moved quickly for a sequel. Originally entitled Bill & Ted Go To Hell, the movie that became Bill

Speed (1994), the lack of Speed 3, plus director Dave Green on the Coyote Vs Acme saga

1994's Speed may now be regarded as an action classic, but the original idea was a bus that didn't go above 20mph, in a film called Minimum Speed. Sat for a late summer r

In conversation with Adam Shankman - Stop That Train, the Oscars, Hairspray and more

Director Adam Shankman shot the joyously entertaining Stop! That! Train! in under three weeks, and it arrives in cinemas this very weekend in the UK. In this special Fil

Licence To Kill (1989), plus Toby Kebbell on Dead Man's Shoes and more

James Bond 007 took a grittier turn with 1989's Licence To Kill, an adventure that was the first and only Bond film very specifically written for Timothy Dalton. It was

Film Stories Live: with Mark Kermode in Cornwall

Up front, you can find Simon's tour dates at www.filmstories.co.uk/live. Simon Brew has been touring the UK with Film Stories in 2026, and in June 2026, he landed at the

Carlito's Way, a film it took ten attempts to make

Brian De Palma's 1993 movie Carlito's Way was not a box office success. De Palma managed to predict the critical reaction to the film, reacted to studio notes saying it w

Dances With Wolves (1990), plus its three different cuts...

Kevin Costner gambled hard on making a three hour western, a third of which wasn't in the English language. He turned down roles in The Hunt For Red October and Presumed

Howard The Duck (1986) and the first Marvel movie, plus Terri White

I hear you, folks! Do more Marvel films? Gotcha! Let's go back to 1986, and Howard The Duck, the stunning-ish George Lucas-produced film of the subversive comic book char

Gladiator (2000) and its journey to the screen, plus director Morgan Matthews

2000's Gladiator might be regarded as a classic now, but heck, did it have some bumps on its way to the screen. A script that was a long way from finished. A leading man,

American Made (2017), and the Tom Cruise film that's fallen through the cracks

Just as Tom Cruise embarked on his run of Mission: Impossible and Top Gun sequels, he slipped in one of bolder choices too: an R-rated crime caper, based on a true story.

In conversation with Sam Campbell - Make That Movie, bananas, VHS tapes, cinema and more

Sam Campbell - he of Taskmaster and Last One Laughing - has made a comedy series about films. In Make That Movie, he and his crew face a filmmaking challenge each episode

Fight Club (1999), plus the dig against Rupert Murdoch at the end

Outside of the very well known rules, there's a whole load of other stuff about 1999's Fight Club. There's the director who turned the book down, freely admitting they d

In conversation with Paul Mercurio - Strictly Ballroom, Exit To Eden, and, er, homebrew beer

Over 30 years since its original release, Strictly Ballroom - the debut feature from Baz Luhrmann - is back in cinemas with a 4K remaster. In a Film Stories special, Simo