Screen Babble podcast: Fifteen-Love, Con Man, and Champion - episode 35 ft. Aiden Turner and Ella Lily Hyland

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 has been to see Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - he wasn’t so fond - which stirs up Kelly’s memories of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Alex, meanwhile, has started watching Champion (which he enjoyed) and Dreaming Whilst Black (which he’ll tell you more about next week when the embargo lifts). Kelly also recently caught The Stranger on Netflix - a Joel Edgerton movie based on a true crime story, rather than based on the Billy Joel song.

Next, it’s a slight shake up from the norm as we look at the SAG-AFTRA strike, and explain a little bit about why the actors are currently on strike in the US. What’s the problem with streaming residuals? What are big studios planning to do with AI actors? And what actually is a self tape? (Screen Babble, of course, stands in solidarity with all exploited workers.) 

After that, Alex takes a closer look at Fifteen-Love, Amazon Prime Video’s new drama set in the world of elite tennis. We’re joined as well by stars Aidan Turner and Ella Lily Hyland, who reveal what drew them to the show in the first place, explain how they each influenced the others’ performance, and discuss how best to depict the sensitive subject matter the show deals with.

Finally, Steven brings us back to the future by revisiting Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion’s webseries Con Man (just in time for SDCC 2023). How does the series compare to the likes of Staged and Episodes? How well does it capture the world of pop culture celebrity? And is it still worth watching? 

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 #35 here…

Where can we watch this week’s shows?

• Fifteen Love will be available to watch on Amazon Prime Video from Friday 21 July. Con Man is currently available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is currently playing in cinemas. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles is not currently available to stream online.
• Champion is available on BBC One and iPlayer now, with Dreaming Whilst Black coming to BBC Three and iPlayer from Monday 24 July
• The Stranger is available on Netflix now
• To read more about the SAG-AFTRA strike, you can find the rest of our coverage here.

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
• We’re also on Instagram and threads as @alexmorelandwriter and @steven_jrossnationalworld
• 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]