At the end of the show a question from John Daly. Recommendations: Stuart  Riley - Netflix Scott’s Tom Ripley is a grifter scraping by in early ’60s New York. He’s hired by a wealthy industrialist to travel to Italy to try to convince the man’s dilettante son, Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn), to return home. Accepting the job is Tom’s first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud, and murder.   https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81678765   Eamonn imagine... Pet Shop Boys: Then...

After two weeks with the brilliant Catriona Stewart and Shona Craven, the Boys are Back In Town! At the end of the show a question from J.P. Gallacher Recommendations: Stuart: Bobby Fischer Goes to War: The most famous chess match of all time - Dave Edmonds Bobby Fischer Goes to War by David Edmonds and John Eidinow details the occasion when Bobby Fischer met Boris Spassky in one of the most thrilling and politically charged chess matches of all time. For decades, the USSR had...

This week, with Stuart and Eamonn on holiday, we have a wee treat in store - a girl power double header with Talk Media favourites Catriona Stewart and Shona Craven. At the end of the show a listener question suggested by Brian Brussels. Recommendations: Shona Invisible Child - Book - Andrea Elliot Based on nearly a decade of reporting, Invisible Child follows eight dramatic years in the life of Dasani Coates, a child with an imagination as soaring as the skyscrapers near her...

This week, the boys are really happy to have the company of Chris Mullin - journalist responsible for exposing the false convictions of the Birmingham Six , author and ex-labour MP.  At the end a question from Jim Hunter. Recommendations: Chris Mullin Books: Error of Judgement, Didn’t You Used to be Chris Mullin, A Very British Coup, Secret State and Walk on Part and Many More… https://www.waterstones.com/author/chris-mullin/77471 Film: The Investigation Inside a...

At the end of the show a question from Stephen Cameron. Recommendations: Stuart “Rabbits” by Hugo Rifkind Tommo has just started at a new school – a training ground for the Scottish elite – when his friend Johnnie’s brother is found dead in a Land Rover on a Highland farm. There’s a shotgun at his feet. Nobody seems clear about what has happened, least of all Tommo. A child of the middle class, and with new independence thrust upon him, Tommo finds himself invited into fading...

This week we have filled the boys with cups of tea, chocolate biscuits and sweeties, locked them in to the studio and set them on a two hander across this weeks' stories. At the end of the show a question from David Stark. Recommendations: Stuart 'Never Have I Ever' - Netflix After a traumatic year, an Indian-American teen just wants to spruce up her social status — but friends, family and feelings won’t make it easy on...

At the end of the show a question from Maggie Rankin Recommendations: Eamonn Greyhound Tom Hanks stars as a longtime Navy veteran who, as a first-time captain, is tasked with protecting a convoy of 37 ships carrying thousands of soldiers and much-needed supplies across the treacherous waters of the Atlantic during WWII. For five days with no air cover, the captain and his small force of three escort ships must make their way through an area of the ocean known as “the Black Pit,”...

At the end of the show a question from Andy McNeil Our apologies for the sound issues we encountered on this episode. Recommendations Paddy Jon Stone There’s been a reassessment of the Blair/Brown government on the Left in recent years: you hear more about its achievements than you used you. that’s good, but it’s also important not to forget that it regularly did things a Tory government would be criticised...

With Stuart off on his book tour (rock 'n roll), Eamonn is joined by Catriona Stewart and Simon Pia for a great discussion on the week's stories. This week we've included questions by John Nichol and Alex MacDonald. Recommendations: Eamonn The Long Way Up Best friends Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, reunite for Long Way Up, after more than a decade since their last motorbike adventure around the world. Covering 13,000 miles over 100 days through 16 border crossings and 13...

With questions inspired by Mark Stephenson, Kevin Richey, John Daly, Michelle Shortt and Muriel Cockburn. At the end a question from Grant McLanaghan. Recommendations: Ruth A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America Richly sourced and highly readable . . . Sheds new light on how the 45th president tests the boundaries of the office while trying the patience and dignity of those who work for or with him. It is not just another Trump tell-all or third-party...

At the end of the show a question from Niail Mackay. Recommendations: Eamonn Northern Exposure  A recently graduated New York City physician, Dr. Joel Fleischman, is sent to practice in the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska to fulfil his obligation after Alaska paid for his medical education. Early episodes deal with Fleischman's culture shock in the small...

At the end of the show a question from Andrew Anderson Recommendations Stuart: ‘Poor Things’ From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a...

Our first show of 2024! At the end of the show a question from John Daly Recommendations: Catriona: Priscilla When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a gentle best friend. Through Priscilla’s eyes, Sofia Coppola tells the unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla's long courtship and...

Thanks for lending us your ears in 2023. We'll be back in 2024 full of energy and opinions. Happy New Year from everyone at Talk Media and The Big Light.

At the end a question from Denis Maxwell. Recommendations: Eamonn: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Puffin Clothbound Classics are stunning collectable gift editions of some of the best-loved classics in the world - get into the Christmas spirit and celebrate the 180th anniversary of A Christmas Carol with this irresistible clothbound edition. https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-christmas-carol/charles-dickens/9780241411193 A Christmas Carol BBC4 Simon Callow enacts the story...

The Boys are on their own this week getting stuck in to today's topics, albeit with a wheezy soundtrack. At the end of the show a question from Martin O'Donnell. Recommendations: Eamonn Archie: the man who became Cary Grant Young Archie Leach escapes his childhood in Bristol and journeys to America as his older self Cary Grant falls in love with Dyan Cannon. https://www.itv.com/watch/archie-the-man-who-became-cary-grant/7a0170/7a0170a0001 Stuart The Complete Collection of...

At the end of the show a question by Michael Heffernan Recommendations: Joyce McMillan Pitlochry Festival Theatre Set to fantastic songs from world-renowned Scottish band The Proclaimers, Sunshine on Leith is both a funny and moving play about Davy and Ally, two Edinburgh natives returning to their hometown after serving in war-torn countries overseas, who are questioning what ‘home’ really means. A fantastic feel-good story from Stephen Greenhorn, with a feature film adaptation in...

At the end of the show a question from Gerry Mulvenna. Recommendations: David: The Pigeon Tunnel - Apple TV Academy Award-winning documentarian Errol Morris pulls back the curtain on the storied life and career of former British spy David Cornwell — better known as John le Carré, author of such classic espionage novels as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Constant Gardener. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Cold War leading into present day,...

Stuart is off grid this week so Eamonn is joined by producer and commentator Paddy Duffy to chat over some of the week’s media stories. Please note this show was recording pre Autumn Statement. At the end of the show a question from Kay Springham Recomendations: Eamonn Spymaster book by Helen Fry The dramatic story of a man who stood at the centre of British intelligence operations, the ultimate spymaster of World War II: Thomas Kendrick “A remarkable piece of historical...

Please note - This podcast was recorded at noon on Wednesday - before the Ceasefire Amendment in Westminster. At the end a question from John Daly. Recommendations: Stuart: The Pigeon Tunnel Academy Award-winning documentarian Errol Morris pulls back the curtain on the storied life and career of former British spy David Cornwell -- better known as John le Carré, author of such classic espionage novels as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Constant...

At the end of the show a questions from James Robertson Recommendations: The Courier Talking Football Podcast Scottish football is too often dominated by the Old Firm, but the teams across Courier Country deserve a football podcast that’s every bit as informed, every bit as passionate, and every bit as in-depth as anything covering Rangers FC and Celtic FC. https://www.thecourier.co.uk/courier-podcasts/courier-talking-football-podcast/  Stuart Panenka His name was Joseph, but...

At the end of the show a listener question from Ian Mout Recommendations: Eamonn: Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent (Hardback) Cavorting naked through the Warwickshire countryside painted green. Acting opposite a child with a pumpkin on his head. These are just a few of the things Dame Judi Dench has done in the name of Shakespeare. For the very first time, Judi opens up about every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career, from Lady Macbeth and...

At the end of the show a question from Gill Blair. Recomendations: David: Simon Murphy 'Govanhill' This major exhibition of Simon Murphy’s photographic document 'Govanhill' brings together his long term project of a place in the southside of the city of Glasgow – a local place which is truly international in the demographics of those who live there. Simon has been documenting people in this locality for several years with the resulting images giving an insight into one of Scotland's...

At the end of the show a question from Jim Anderson. Recommendations: Stuart: Beckham With never-before-seen footage, this docuseries follows David Beckham's meteoric rise from humble beginnings to global football stardom. https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81223488 Paddy: Cassius X Exploring the life of Cassius Clay as he undergoes his spiritual transformation as well as examining the evolution of his amazing boxing skills, this landmark film is structured around the early...