Insiders: The TV Podcast
Old friends Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville are the ultimate TV insiders, and in their new podcast, they'll share their insights and analysis of the goings on in the world of television. In short, they're going to get together once a week to gossip!
Jimmy is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Hat Trick Productions. His hit shows include Have I Got News For You (series 69 now airing), 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 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.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 37 minutes
- Episodes
- 24
- Years Active
- 2025
Crime Special: From the verdant cosiness of Midsomer Murders, to the gritty dramas of Jed Mercurio.
This week, as the all-conquering Thursday Murder Club tops the Netflix charts, we take a deep dive into the crime and detective genre.
Jimmy talks about his long-running and hugely successful partner…
Netflix and the row over TV tourism, ITV’s efforts to poach Michael McIntyre, and Peter’s fond (ish) memories of the ill-fated Daybreak.
This week, Jimmy and Peter unpack all the news from Edinburgh, from the bad tempered sniping between Netflix and Channel 4, to the headlines from James Harding’s McTaggart lecture (or could it also b…
Trump vs South Park, C5 revive Play for Today, and explaining comedy to the Germans.
This week, Jimmy shares his highlights from the Edinburgh Fringe, and Peter tries to remember what on earth his McTaggart was about. We discuss doing comedy in the age of Trump, and South Park’s succ…
Harry and Meghan’s new (watered down) Netflix deal, the streamers’ continued push into sports rights, and memories of Biddy Baxter.
This week, Peter and Jimmy discuss Harry and Meghan’s newly announced Netflix first look deal, and why it’s a much diminished beast compared to the output deal they had before. As Disney+ buys up the…
The renaissance of the old fashioned audience sitcom on Netflix, the secret of a good TV title, and is taking a show to the Edinburgh Fringe still worth the cost and bother?
This week, as the Edinburgh Fringe gets underway, Peter and Jimmy ask whether having success at the Fringe is still a worthwhile route for performers who want to carve out a career on television.
And…
The rise and rise of YouTube, a mixed bag of results from ITV, and some good (and very bad) advice on how to a pitch a show.
This week, Peter and Jimmy discuss the news that YouTube has become the second most watched video platform in the UK - what does its inexorable rise mean for both producers and broadcasters? And we t…
Cancelling Colbert, the shifting balance of power in the world of the chat show, and (another) week of difficult headlines for the BBC.
This week, Peter and Jimmy discuss the smorgasbord of news from the BBC, from the future of Masterchef to the devil in the detail of the annual report. And we talk CBS’s decision to cancel the Late S…
The state of the audience sitcom, the best (and worst) ways to cancel a show, and the difference, such as there is, between selling and lying.
This week, in a special Q&A episode, Peter and Jimmy ask whether the audience sitcom has become a dying breed, and if there’s sufficient willingness amongst broadcasters to persist with series while …
Spitting Image returns (but this time on YouTube), the F1 movie and the debt it owes to television, and the biggest Apple TV series you’ve never heard of.
This week, Peter and Jimmy discuss the news that Spitting Image is coming back as a YouTube series, and the ways producers can make premium content for YouTube while still turning a profit. And we as…
The BBC and the controversy at Glastonbury, the return of Blind Date on Disney, and the surprising part Wayne Rooney played in the story of HIGNFY.
This week, Peter and Jimmy discuss the Glastonbury controversy that the BBC has found itself embroiled in, and Peter offers some eye-witness reporting from on the ground at the festival. We talk Disn…
The challenges ahead for Kate Phillips as the BBC’s new content chief, the parlous state of the TV freelance landscape, and Peter Fincham: "Oxbridge-y c**t”.
This week, as Kate Phillips is confirmed as the new BBC Chief Content Officer, Peter and Jimmy unpack the big issues piling up in her inbox. As the commissioning downturn continues to bite, we discus…
Royal Special: TV and the monarchy
This week, Peter and Jimmy discuss the complex (and occasionally combustible) relationship between television and the royals. They unpack how the Faustian deal works, and what happens when it goes wr…
Attenborough and the alchemy of on screen talent, Netflix’s push into the world of unscripted, and why we keeping sending comedians to do travelogues?
This week, as Sir David Attenborough’s new doc arrives on the small screen, Peter and Jimmy discuss the lightning-in-a-bottle that is on screen talent, and explore the peculiarly British appetite for…
The future of soaps in the era of streaming, the joys of SXSW London, and the murky world of BBC nations and regions commissioning.
This week, as the BBC invites indies to pitch for Casualty (made, and soon to be set, in Wales), we unpack the controversy around the nations and regions tender process, and the ways in which produce…
Channel 4’s controversial plans for in-house production, word clouds with Ant and Dec, and the comedy of Ken Dodd’s tax affairs.
This week, Jimmy and Peter ask what Channel 4’s plans to push into in-house production could mean for the UK indie sector. They discuss the BBC’s latest report into the state of British comedy (and w…
Special Episode: Remembering Alan Yentob
With the sad news of the death of Alan Yentob, Peter and Jimmy take the opportunity to remember their old and much-loved friend, to celebrate his life and work, and to pay tribute to the huge impact …
Gary Lineker’s departure from the BBC, the shakeup at ITV Daytime, and Peter does a turn (and gets us a plug) on the Today Programme.
This week, Peter and Jimmy unpack the end of Gary Lineker’s time at the BBC, and ask whether the corporation has a more wide-ranging problem when it comes to managing big talent. And we talk the late…
Dispatches from the BAFTAs, controversy at Question Time, and a podcast sponsorship deal in the offing?
This week, Jimmy brings us an eyewitness report from the front line at the BAFTAs, and we talk weird categories, surprising winners, and what this year’s awards tell us about the state of the British…
The Father Ted musical, Trump’s baffling film tariffs, and the Downton video game spin off that never was.
This week, Jimmy talks candidly about the Father Ted musical, its difficult and sometimes painful evolution, and where the project is up to now. We ask what Trump’s film tariffs might mean for the Br…
A new Chief Exec at Channel 4, why politicians all end up wanting to be on the telly, and is it time for the BBC to reboot Top Gear?
This week, with Alex Mahon’s announcement that she’s leaving Channel 4, Peter and Jimmy assess the challenges a new Chief Exec will face. We talk the alchemy of Top Gear, and when (if ever) is the be…