Episodes

Thursday Nov 08, 2018
The Way Way Back...to the Way Way Back (feat. Charlie Dudley)
Thursday Nov 08, 2018
Thursday Nov 08, 2018
After a month of Halloween horror, we needed something to lift our spirits this week. Thankfully, special guest Charlie Dudley (of Why Did I Do That? and A Podcast for Everyone) was on hand with The Way Way Back - a sweet natured summer coming-of-age movie that managed to warm even our cold, cynical hearts.
Written by Oscar winners Jim Rash and Nat Faxon, The Way Way Back stars Liam James as a shy 14 year old reluctantly accompanying his mother (Toni Collette) and her domineering boyfriend (Steve Carrell) on a summer vacation. While there he befriends a charming water park manager played by Sam Rockwell, who helps him to escape the endless humiliation of his family life with a part-time job and some questionable, but effective, life lessons.
Featuring a hilarious supporting cast including Alison Janney, Maya Rudolph and Amanda Peet, The Way Way Back is a hidden gem were were extremely happy to discover. Tune into this week's episode for our thoughts on questionable water park ethics, offensive capri pants, Steve Carrell's effective against-cast performance as an irredeemable douchebag and much more.
As always, we also pitch our own sequel ideas for the movie, which this week include a couple of equally bittersweet reunion movies, and one rather less wholesome left-turn into the murky realm of adult partner swapping... Look, it makes sense in context, OK?
-----
Each week on Beyond The Box Set, intrepid hosts Harry Chappell and John Lucas watch a beloved standalone movie, and risk the ire of the fans by pitching ridiculous sequel, prequel and spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. Our credits include recommendations from The Guardian, Podbean, Apple Podcasts and over 150 five-star iTunes reviewers. Only 147 of which we wrote ourselves under assumed names.
If you like our show, you can subscribe on your preferred podcatcher to receive a new episode every Friday morning. Reviews and recommendations are great for our self esteem, and really help us to attract new listeners. We also have a Patreon page, where you can sign up to be a VIP listener for as little as $2 per month, in return for some fabulous exclusive bonus content. Merchandise is also available via Teepublic.com.
00.00: John can't get past Alison Janney's capri pants
24.50: The Way Way Back Drinking Games
33.50: 50 Shades of Way Way Back
49.45: The Way Way Back... to the Way Way Back
59.40: Back to the Way Way Back
1.10.30: The Way Way Back Friends Game (feat. Grease)
1.15.45: Listener Submissions & Episode 91 Preview - PLUS SPECIAL EPISODE 100 ANNOUNCEMENT!

Thursday Oct 18, 2018
Red Riding Hood II : Red Riding Hoodie
Thursday Oct 18, 2018
Thursday Oct 18, 2018
Little Red Riding Hood meets Twilight meets Murder On The Orient Express in this rather bizarre fairytale recalling directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Harry got bored, but John was compelled by the terrible camera work and ludicrously convoluted plot. Plus, Gary Oldman plays a wolf slayer with silver fingernails and a 20ft elephant, and that can never entirely be a bad thing...
In the third and penultimate edition of our Halloween 'Season of the Wolf', we discuss the Twilight effect, Virginia Madsen's alarming new face, Julie Christie's scenery chewing and much more, before pitching some fantasy sequels that inclue a Law & Order-inspired fairytale crime drama and a modern-day sex horror whodunnit with a terrifying twist. We guarantee that both are more interesting than the original - although that isn't exactly a high bar to clear...
-----
Every week on Beyond The Box Set, we take a classic standalone movie and compete to pitch sequel, prequel or spin off odess to bring it back to the big screen. From Oscar darlings to forgotten flops, we're running the gamut of cinema history in an effort to prove that no film is too good - or too bad - to spawn a franchise.
If you enjoy this episode, please consider hitting subscribe on your podcatcher of choice to receive a new episode every Friday morning. You can also leave us a review, which really helps us to attract new listeners, or purchase merchandise from our online Teepublic store.
For listeners who truly can't get enough, we also have a dedicated Patreon page where you can access a host of exciting bonus content - including our exclusive movie review show, the chance to pick a movie for us to cover on a future episode and a regular 30 second ad slot to promote anything you like - all available from as little as $2 per month with our pay as you feel tiered non-tiered subscription service.
00.00: Gary Oldman's torture elephant
32.30: Red Riding Hood Drinking Games
42.45: Red Riding Hood II: Red Riding Hoodie
59.50: G.R.I.M.M - The Father Solomon Chronicles
1.12.30: Listener Submissions & Episode 88 Preview

Thursday Oct 04, 2018
Wolf Children 2 - Teen Wolf
Thursday Oct 04, 2018
Thursday Oct 04, 2018
This Halloween is The Season of the Wolf here at Beyond The Box Set. Each week this month, we're looking at classic movies featuring Werewolves. First up, Mamoru Hosada's decidedly un-scary but very lovely 2012 anime Wolf Children.
Suggested by Patreon subscriber - and this week's special guest - Daniel Tickner, Wolf Children takes a thoughtful and heartfelt look at parenthood through the eyes of a young single mother struggling to raise her two half-wolf children in rural Japan.
From the stunningly beautiful animation to the quiet but heartfelt story, we found a lot to enjoy about our first sampling of the anime genre. Not that we let that prevent us from taking a few dramatic liberties in search of an entertaining sequel idea, of course...
Tune into this week's episode to hear what guest Daniel means when he describes Wolf Children as 'an aquarium movie', how a character name coincidence led Harry to make a surprisingly plausible connection between this movie and the MCU, and why John based his sequel entirely around his irrational hatred of cats...
-----
Beyond The Box Set is a podcast that combines creative writing and movie discussion for a weekly dose of entertainment like no other. Every episode is based on a classic piece of standalone cinema - i.e. a film with no sequels. After a thorough dissection of the original movie, we then compete to pitch ridiculous sequels, prequels and spin-offs to bring them back to the big screen - with hilarious and frequently un-filmable consequences.
The show is available on all good podcasting platforms including iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing for a new episode every Friday morning - and if you're feeling really generous, leave us a review too. It makes us feel good and really helps us to find new listeners.
You can also access a host of bonus content by becoming a VIP listener for as little as $2 per month on our Patreon page, and we have a range of fabulous merchandise over on Teepublic.
00.00: Is it ever OK to snog a canine?
35.30: Wolf Children Drinking Games
47.15: Cat Children - A Horror Movie
58.45: Wolf Teenagers aka Teen Wolf (but not that one)
1.06.50: Wolf Children 2: The Grand Wolf
1.16.20: Listener Submissions & Episode 86 Preview

Thursday Sep 06, 2018
Burlesque 2: Season of the Bitch
Thursday Sep 06, 2018
Thursday Sep 06, 2018
It's a passion! It's a fashion! It's... a campy wig explosion with terrible acting, a nonsensical plot and far, far too many characters! In this very special edition of Beyond The Box Set, we're joined by returning guests Oli Ajulo and Louise Ball to discuss Burlesque - the 2010 movie musical starring Cher, Christina Aguilera and precisely zero nipple tassles.
Written and directed by Steven Antin - who we suspect might possibly be a well-connected gay man with no self control - Burlesque may have been a donkey at the box office, but chances are it'll be screening at drag bars and bad movie events until the end of time.
Tune into this week's episode to hear our doomed attempts at making sense of the plot, our theory that Christina Aguilera's character is quite obviously the villain of the movie and some extremely variable Cher impersonations...
In a twist on our usual format, we also formed competing teams with our two guests to present a pair of sequel ideas that include a musical riff on the Scream franchise and a prequel that attempts to clear the name of one of the original movie's most unfairly maligned characters...
-----
Beyond The Box Set is a movie review podcast with a twist. Every week, we take a classic - or questionably classic - piece of standalone cinema and compete to pitch the most ridiculous sequel, prequel or spin-off ideas we can think of to bring them back to the big screen. We've been featured as a 'Binge-Worthy Podcast' on iTunes and named 'Podcast of the Week' by The Guardian.
Our show is available on all good podcasting platforms including iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and aCast. If you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing for a new episode every Friday morning - and if you're feeling really generous, leave us a review too. It makes us feel good and really helps us to find new listeners.
You can also access a host of bonus content by becoming a VIP listener for as little as $2 per month on our Patreon page, and we have a range of fabulous merchandise over on Teepublic.
00.00: Christina Aguilera is an entitled monster
51.30: Burlesque Drinking Games
1.00.00: Burlesque 2: Take Your Passion!
1.11.30: Burlesque 2: Season of the Bitch
1.25.55: Listener Submissions & Episode 82 Preview

Thursday Aug 02, 2018
Blue Velvet - An Antz Perspective
Thursday Aug 02, 2018
Thursday Aug 02, 2018
Blue Velvet - an iconic movie of the 80s, but perhaps not the most compatible movie for the consumption of omelettes. That's just one of the many lessons we learned while attempting to make sense of David Lynch's twisted suburban noir.
Join us in this week's episode as we discuss the sinister appeal of Kyle Maclachlan, Isabella Rosellini's rather limited nightclub repertoir, and why, in a movie filled with terror and violence, a Roy Orbison lip sync number might just be the scariest scene of all...
David Lynch doesn't really do traditional sequels, but we like to think he'd approve of some of our sequel ideas this week, including an unlikely children's movie set inside a certain severed appendage, a sitcom retelling - complete with laugh track - and a Dennis Hopper origin story with some controversial re-casting choices...
-----
Beyond The Box Set is a movie podcast with a difference. Each week, our two intrepid hosts discuss a classic piece of standalone cinema, and compete to come up with sequel, prequel or spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. Ideas range from the inspired to the totally idiotic, and that's just the way we like it...
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review - it really helps new listeners to find us. You can also access a wide variety of bonus content by signing up to our Patreon for as little as $2 per month, and we have exclusive merchandise available on Teepublic.com
00.00: Harry picked the wrong time to watch this movie
33.35: Blue Velvet Drinking Games
43.00: Blue Velvet - An Antz Perspective
59.50: Blue Velvet - Better Call Ben
1.12.38: Listener Submissions & Episode 76 Preview

Thursday Jul 19, 2018
Jerry Maguire 2: Jerry's Game
Thursday Jul 19, 2018
Thursday Jul 19, 2018
From the chunky flip phones and questionable hair to the dodgy sexual politics and curious lack of any real stakes, Jerry Maguire is perhaps the quintessential mid-90s prestige rom com. Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, the movie stars Tom Cruise as a successful sports agent whose search for meaning in a cynical industry leads him into the arms of warm-hearted, possibly overly suggestible single mother Renee Zellweger.
In this week's episode of Beyond The Box Set, we discuss the bizarre pacing of this movie, Renee Zellweger's succession of very poor decisions in the film and the fact that we're pretty sure all of the characters are addicted to cocaine.
Once we've completed a thorough post-mortem, we move on to pitching our own Jerry Maguire sequels as set in 2018. Would Jerry's questionable business strategy of focusing on fewer clients and less money be working out for him? Would his quickie marriage to a woman who may very well be in a cult still be going strong? And would Cuba Gooding Jr ever appear in another successful project again?
-----
Beyond The Box Set is the hit British podcast in which two hapless but creative film nerds pitch sequel, prequel and spin-off ideas for classic standalone movies. We've been featured as a must-listen Podcast by Podbean, The Guardian and iTunes, and our show is available on virtually all major platforms.
We also have a dedicated Patreon page where fans can access a host of bonus content, including our weekly cinema review show 'Beyond BTBS' and the opportunity to choose a film for us to cover on a future episode of the main show - all for as little as £2 per month!.
00.00: Cocaine, flip phones and unexamined white privilege
32.10: Jerry Maguire Drinking Games
39.05: Jerry Maguire 2: Breaking Jerry
45.30: Jerry Maguire 2: Jerry's Game
53.10: Listener Submissions & Episode 75 Preview

Thursday Jul 05, 2018
Yentl: Master of Disguise
Thursday Jul 05, 2018
Thursday Jul 05, 2018
She sings! She acts! She directs! Barbra Streisand is perhaps the ultimate triple-threat pop icon, and she makes her Beyond The Box Set debut this week as we pitch sequel ideas for her 1983 passion project Yentl...
The story of a plucky young(?) Jewish girl whose insatiable passion for learning drives her to disguise herself as a man, Yentl was a movie over two decades in the making for Streisand. In addition to directing and starring in the movie, she also produced it and co-wrote the screenplay.
Her dedication was rewarded when the movie was released to strong box office returns and enthusiastic reviews - Steven Spielberg famously described the film as "the greatest directorial debut since Citizen Kane" - although his then-girlfriend Amy Irving played the second female lead, so he might have been slightly biased.
In this week's episode we discuss Yentl's surprisingly complex depiction of gender and sexuality, the unexpected sexiness of 80s Mandy Patinkin, why the soft focus lighting is practically a fourth character in this movie and much more... before moving on to sequel pitches that attempt to tackle the eternal question - who could possibly replace Barbra Streisand in a movie?
-----
Each week on Beyond The Box Set, we pitch fictional sequel ideas for classic standalone movies. From iconic hits like Titanic and Forrest Gump to cult hits and forgettable Jennifer Lopez vehicles - there's nothing we can't spin out into a fantasy franchise...
A combination of movie review, creative fan fiction and comedy, we've been featured as a Podcast of the Week by The Guardian and Podbean, in addition to being listed as a 'Binge Worthy Podcast' by iTunes. You can check out the show on all good Podcasting platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, aCast and Google Podcasts. We also have a Patreon page where you can access a wide range of exciting bonus content for as little as $2 per month.
00.00: God Damn Mandy Patinkin!
31.00: Yentl Drinking Games
38.20: Yentl: Master of Disguise
46.50: Yentl: A Titanic Talent
1.01.00: Listener Submissions & Episode 73 Preview

Thursday Jun 14, 2018
Mermaids 2: Search for the Merman
Thursday Jun 14, 2018
Thursday Jun 14, 2018
There are certain actors we'll watch in just about anything. Cher is one, Winona Ryder is another. In Mermaids, the pair play mother and daughter, with Christina Ricci and Bob Hoskins in supporting roles and a fabulous 1960s soundtrack in the background. Let's be realistic, there was never any way we weren't going to love this movie.
Released in 1990, a time when both women were at the height of their movie careers, Mermaids is a gentle coming of age dramedy based on a novel by Patty Dunn. It's very much a product of its time, but a little bit darker and more thoughtful than you probably remember it being - particularly if, like us, your main memory of the film is that it featured Cher's cover of the Shoop Shoop Song.
This week on Beyond The Box Set, we're joined by returning guest Lucy Meredith to discuss iconic wigs, Winona's intense inner monologues, the ineffable sex appeal of Bob Hoskins and more. We also pitch some scenarios to reunite these two quintessential Hollywood survivors in a sequel - with ideas including a musical, multiple road trips and an unlikely genre-shift into 'Black Swan' style body horror...
-----
Beyond The Box Set is a movie review podcast with a twist. Each week we take a classic standalone movie and compete to pitch sequel, prequel or spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. We were recently featured as a 'Podcast of the Week' by The Guardian and have been listed as a 'Binge worthy podcast' by iTunes.
You can find us on all good podcasting platforms, including iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and Stitcher. If you like the show, don't forget to check out our Patreon for a wide variety of incentives and bonus content.
00.00: Demented monologues and iconic slap scenes
36.00: Mermaids Drinking Games
43.20: Mermaids 2: Search For The Merman
57.00: Mermaids 2: A Body Horror With Actual Mermaids In It
1.04.45: Mermaids II: On The Road
1.12.35: Listener Submissions & Episode 70 Preview

Thursday Jun 07, 2018
The Boy Next Door 2: Who Is Jennifer Lopez?
Thursday Jun 07, 2018
Thursday Jun 07, 2018
Jennifer Lopez is a diva, an icon and one of the defining celebrities of the 21st Century... that's what co-host John thinks, anyway. Harry, on the other hand, has never knowingly seen or heard anything she's ever done.
Hence, the latest edition of our increasingly inaccurate 'Sing Your Way To An Oscar' mini-season offers a crash-course in J.Lo, as we revisit one of her most recent cinematic successes - the campy, ridiculous but strangely compelling The Boy Next Door.
Like much of J.Lo's oeuvre, The Boy Next Door received scathing reviews but proved to be oddly critic-proof; grossing $52.4 million against a 4 million budget. While the movie doesn't exactly leave the door open for a sequel, we definitely think there's franchise potential here.
Join us in this feature-length episode as we celebrate some of our favourite ludicrous scenes - from J.Lo's improbably glamour to Kristen Chenoweth's gleeful scenery chewing - before diving into some sequel pitches that include a classic slasher and the unlikely but possibly genius concept of Jenny from the Block doing a Spike Jonze movie.
-----
Beyond The Box Set is a movie podcast with a difference. Each episode sees co-hosts Harry and John take on a classic - or questionably classic - standalone movie and compete to pitch the most ridiculous sequel, prequel or spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. Our show has been featured by Apple Podcasts, Podbean, The Guardian among others.
00.00: Costumes by Versace, Lighting by Streisand
56.00: The Boy Next Door Drinking Games
1.03.50: The Boy Next Door: Who Is Jennifer Lopez?
1.24.00: The Boy Next Door II: The Obligatory Straight to DVD Sequel
1.36.00: Listener Submissions & Episode 69 Preview

Thursday Apr 12, 2018
Of Mice And Men 2: Of Mice And Ben
Thursday Apr 12, 2018
Thursday Apr 12, 2018
When we first launched Beyond The Box Set back in early 2017, little did we imagine that just over a year later we'd find ourselves reading out self-composed gay Of Mice And Men fan fiction to each other. And yet, here we are...
Of Mice And Men is the 1992 adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic novella, starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich as George Milton and Lennie Small, two fiercely loyal companions searching for work and dreaming of buying their own farm during the Great American Depression.
Sinise also directs the movie, making it the second part in our accidental mini-series of movies by directors better known for appearing in front of the camera. It's the kind of reverently faithful adaptations of a classic text that seems to have fallen out of fashion a little bit these days, but what it lacks in invention it more than makes up for in heart and soul.
After comparing (Cliffs)notes on our experiences with the book and film back in our high school days - awkward use of racially charged profanities and all - we get down to the daunting task of pitching sequels to one of the most beloved works of literature of the 20th century. Never let it be said we're not ambitious...
-----
Beyond The Box Set is the hit British movie podcast that attempts to pitch the un-pitchable. Every week, we take a classic piece of standalone cinema and compete to come up with the most ridiculous sequel, prequel and spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. You can find us on the front page of iTunes under 'Binge Worthy Podcasts' or on all good Podcatchers, including Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify and Podbean.
If you're a fan of the show you can also gain access to exclusive bonus material by supporting us on Patreon. We offer a 'pay as you feel' tiered system, meaning you can support us from as little as $2 per month to gain access to all of our fabulous incentives - including our movie review show Beyond BTBS, the chance to choose a movie and guest star on Beyond The Box Set and a regular 30 second ad slot to plug absolutely anything you like - within reason.
00.00: A damning indictment of the Welsh education system
16.30: Of Mice And Men Drinking Games
24.40: Of Mice And Ben
40.45: Of Mice And Boys: A Prequel
53.00: Listener Submissions & Episode 61 Preview