Screen Babble podcast: The Crowded Room, Drop The Dead Donkey, The Full Monty, and The Idol - episode 29

Screen Babble is your essential guide to everything on television, from the mainstream to the marginal. NationalWorld’s podcast producer Kelly Crichton, news and trends expert Steven Ross, and critic Alex Moreland discuss what is – and what isn’t – worth watching.

As ever, we begin by discussing what we’ve been watching recently. Steven reveals all – so to speak – about his recent trip to The Full Monty premiere, explaining what everyone can expect from the 2023 television sequel to the beloved 1997 film. Alex, meanwhile, has been watching computer drama Halt and Catch Fire, caught the new Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse film, and has a lot of thoughts on The Idol (probably a few too many thoughts, but still). Finally, Kelly’s finished a run of different dramas this week, including the first series of Yellowjackets, but mostly has lots of high praise for Mood.

Next up, Alex takes a closer look at new Apple TV+ crime drama The Crowded Room. It’s the latest effort from Tom Holland in his attempts to redefine himself as a serious actor outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – but how convincing is the Spider-Man star as a troubled teen and possible shooter? Does the series justify its nearly ten hour runtime? And where did they get that terrible wig?

Finally, Steven brings us back to the future and revisits Drop the Dead Donkey. The topical political satire is returning for a new stageplay this year – but has the original series become dated now? Does it still feel like a comedy, or more of a history lesson? And how much of the 1990s does Steven even remember anyway? 

Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for Steven’s Weekend Watch Mini-Babble, previewing all the best TV to watch over the next few days.

Listen to Screen Babble #29 here…

Where can we watch this week’s shows?

• The Crowded Room will be available on Apple TV+ from Friday 9 June
• Drop the Dead Donkey is available as a boxset on Britbox now
• The Idol is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV, with new episodes airing each Monday
• The Full Monty will be available on Disney+ from Wednesday 14 June
• Mood is available now on BBC iPlayer
• Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse is currently in cinemas
• Halt and Catch Fire is available as a boxset online on Channel 4

Screen Babble: how to follow the show

• Screen Babble is available to download on all podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify
• You can join the conversation on our Screen Babble Facebook group
• If you’ve enjoyed the show or found it useful, we’d love you to give us a rating and review, as it helps us to reach more listeners.
• You can also follow our TV coverage on Twitter @NationalWorldTV - as well as @morelandwriter and @steven_jross and @kelc100 
• Do you have a TV question you’d like the Screen Babble team to answer on a future episode, or a recommendation of your own? Send it to [email protected] or [email protected]