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PODCAST

The Wonder Cinema

Brian Henry Martin & Dr Sam Manning

Join hosts, filmmaker Brian Henry Martin and historian Dr. Sam Manning as they wonder about cinema in Northern Ireland. Series One reveals the remarkable story of the Ritz cinema in Belfast, while Series Two explores the rise and fall of videotape in Northern Ireland.

tv & film film history

All Episodes

29:46

Say Yes To VHS, Ep 6: Fast Forward - ‘90s Heyday, the...

The Wonder Cinema ·

2025/09/27

In the final episode of Say Yes To VHS, Brian and Sam fast forward to the end of the series to discuss the ‘90s heyday of video sales, the eventual decline of physical media and the current wave of nostalgia for VHS. In the 1990s, video sales became more profitable than video rentals, with films such as The Lion King, Jurassic Park and Titanic selling millions of copies. But only a few years later DVD supplanted VHS as the most popular home video format. The arrival of streaming platforms suc...

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28:12

Say Yes To VHS, Ep 5: Play - The Wonder of the Video...

The Wonder Cinema ·

2025/09/20

In the fifth episode of Say Yes to VHS, recorded live from Queen's Film Theatre in Belfast, Brian and Sam press play on a discussion about the wonder of the video shop. As home video grew in popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s, businesses such as newsagents and electronic shops opened their own video libraries, renting VHS and Betamax tapes to meet growing consumer demand. Soon after, dedicated video shops became a viable business model, with the number of these premises in Northern ...

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27:56

Say Yes To VHS, Ep 4: Pause - How Cinema and...

The Wonder Cinema ·

2025/09/13

In the fourth episode of Say Yes to VHS, Brian and Sam press pause to discuss how cinema owners and television broadcasters responded to the rapid rise of home video in the 1980s. Before the arrival of the VCR, film choices were limited to the three television channels or the ever dwindling number of cinemas in Northern Ireland. Video shops offered people a wider range of choice and there were no longer any restrictions on when you could watch a film. The blank video cassette meant that peopl...

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28:08

Say Yes To VHS, Ep 3: Eject - Video Nasties,...

The Wonder Cinema ·

2025/09/06

In the third episode of Say Yes to VHS, Brian and Sam press eject and discuss how the popularity of uncensored horror films such asThe Driller Killer and I Spit on Your Grave led to the video nasty scare of the early 1980s. As home video grew in popularity, the furore surrounding surrounding these films quickly spread to Northern Ireland, where the flames of moral panic were fanned by social conservatives. But it was difficult for the police to remove any videos from shelves, as Northern Irel...

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27:04

Say Yes To VHS, Episode 2: Stop - Pirates, Police and...

The Wonder Cinema ·

2025/08/30

In the second episode of Say Yes to VHS, Brian and Sam discuss the rise of pirate and counterfeit video and how the police and other authority figures tried to clamp down on the illegal VHS market. As early as 1978, copies of Saturday Night Fever were shown in hotels, pubs and clubs across Northern Ireland. But once the authorities clamped down on these screenings, pirate videos were widely consumed at home. E.T. the Extra Terrestrial was the pirate hit of 1982, with pirate copies a...

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27:44

Ep 1: Say Yes To VHS - Format Wars, Video Boom and...

The Wonder Cinema ·

2025/08/23

Send us a text The second series of the Wonder Cinema podcast turns its attention to the remarkable story of the rise and fall of videotape in Northern Ireland. In this first episode, Brian and Sam discuss the format wars, the video boom and the home entertainment revolution that took place from the mid-1970s to the early ‘80s The arrival of VHS, and to a lesser extent its rival format Betamax, came at the perfect time for cinema lovers in Northern Ireland, who were often unwilling to leave t...

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2:00

Say Yes To VHS - The Wonder Cinema Series 2 Trailer

The Wonder Cinema ·

2025/08/08

Send us a text Join filmmaker Brian Henry Martin and cinema historian Dr Sam Manning for the new series of the Wonder Cinema Podcast: ‘Say Yes to VHS’. Press play on the remarkable story of home video in Northern Ireland as Brian and Sam rewind everything from the format wars to video nasties, piracy and paramilitaries to the wonder of the video shop in a new six-part series. The Wonder Cinema Podcast will be available wherever you get your podcasts. Written and presented by Dr Sam Mann...

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59:20

Ep 8: The Ritz, Belfast - LIVE with 88th birthday...

The Wonder Cinema ·

2024/12/22

Send us a textIn this special episode of The Wonder Cinema Podcast, recorded live from the Black Box at the 2024 Belfast Film Festival, hosts Brian Henry Martin and Dr Sam Manning celebrate the 88th birthday of the Ritz, which first opened its doors on 9 November 1936. They discuss how the cinema quickly became a landmark in Belfast city centre and hosted stars such as Gracie Field, Cary Grant and even The Beatles. The cinema later faced more turbulent times during the Troubles, including a f...

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19:14

Bonus Episode: Mark Kermode shares his favourite...

The Wonder Cinema ·

2024/10/27

Send us a textIn this bonus edition of the podcast, Brian chats with old friend and the UK's No 1 film critic Mark Kermode at the Cinemagic Festival in Belfast. Mark shares his love for the Phoenix Cinema in London, the Plaza Cinema in Truro and the Queen's Film Theatre in Belfast. Mark also reveals the best place to sit in the cinema. Classic movies mentioned include Passport to Pimlico, The Man in the White Suit, The Exorcist, The Devils, Moon, 71 and The Life of Brian. This podca...

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1:11

Ritz Day LIVE EVENT at the Belfast Film Festival 2024

The Wonder Cinema ·

2024/10/21

Send us a textJoin Brian Henry Martin and Dr. Sam Manning, hosts of The Wonder Cinema podcast, to celebrate the 88th anniversary of the Ritz, Belfast’s long-lost picture palace. If you have memories of the Ritz, come along and let us know. Enjoy a slice of birthday cake and join us for a discussion of the cinema’s history, where we will also unveil Stuart Marshall’s new model of the Ritz. Be there for the chance to win exclusive Ritz memorabilia and to see never-before-seen images from its st...

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31:15

Ep 6: The Ritz, Belfast - 1990s End Game, The...

The Wonder Cinema ·

2024/09/29

Send us a textIn the sixth episode of the Wonder Cinema podcast, we look at how the ABC reimagined and reinvented itself in the 1980s, before eventually shutting its doors for the final time in 1993.Following the 1977 firebomb, the ABC remained closed until 1980, when the original auditorium was subdivided into four screens and the exterior saw substantial renovation. The glitz and glamour of the 1930s was now long gone, giving way to a more functional space at a time when cinema exhibitors s...

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30:34

Ep 5: The Ritz, Belfast - 1970s Cinema in Flames!...

The Wonder Cinema ·

2024/09/22

Send us a textIn the fifth episode of the Wonder Cinema podcast, we go back to the 1970s. This was a difficult decade for cinema exhibitors across Britain and Ireland, but especially so in Belfast, a city that also had to navigate the civil unrest of the Troubles. Despite the chaos, big American films such as The Godfather, The Exorcist and Jaws attracted large audiences and queues were seen outside the Ritz (now renamed the ABC) for the first time in several years. Billy Connolly even ...

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30:46

Ep 4: The Ritz, Belfast - 1960s Pop Invasion, The...

The Wonder Cinema ·

2024/09/15

Send us a textIn the fourth episode of the Wonder Cinema podcast, we look at how the Ritz responded to the explosion of youth culture in the 1960s and hosted some of the world's biggest musical acts.As audiences continued to fall in the 1960s, cinema became more youth-oriented with The Young Ones, featuring Cliff Richard, breaking box-office records in 1962. In the following year, the Ritz changed to the ABC, a more functional name linking it to the chain which had operated the cinema since 1...

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30:18

Ep 3: The Ritz, Belfast - 1950s Spectacle, Spectacles...

The Wonder Cinema ·

2024/09/08

Send us a textIn the third episode of the Wonder Cinema podcast, we look at how the Ritz coped with the challenges of the 1950s using spectacle, spectacles and even a Shillelagh.Cinema attendance peaked after the Second World War, but the 1950s brought new challenges such as the arrival of television. The Ritz responded with widescreen and a short-lived experiment showing 3D films. And the continuation of Midnight Matinees, late-night screenings often featuring personal appearances and promotional

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30:57

Ep 1: The Ritz, Belfast - 1930s Cinema Boom, the...

The Wonder Cinema ·

2024/09/01

Send us a textIn the first episode of the Wonder Cinema podcast we go back to the 1930s to discuss the cinema boom and the grand opening of the Ritz, Belfast’s largest and most upmarket cinema.Cinema attendance grew rapidly in the 1930s and the Ritz, opened by British chain Union Cinemas, was one of many venues built to serve a growing audience of film fans in Belfast. We discuss the Ritz’s architectural style, cultural impact and the concerns many people had about this new ‘super cinema’. We then

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31:55

Ep 2: The Ritz, Belfast - It's Showtime Folks! Cinema...

The Wonder Cinema ·

2024/09/01

Send us a textIn the second episode of the Wonder Cinema podcast, we explore what it was like to go the Ritz during the height of cinema attendance in the 1930s and 1940s. How much did it cost and what awaited visitors when they moved from the pay boxes to the plush foyer and grand auditorium?While the Ritz offered entertainment and escapism and screened many of the era’s most iconic films, a trip to the ‘Wonder Cinema’ also provided the opportunity to see stage shows and performances at its mighty

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2:57

Series One Trailer : The Ritz, Belfast

The Wonder Cinema ·

2024/08/11

Send us a Text Message.Take a trip from The Wizard of Oz to Reservoir Dogs in The Wonder Cinema of Ireland, the Ritz, Belfast. Join hosts filmmaker Brian Henry Martin and cinema historian Dr Sam Manning for a new six-part series revealing the remarkable story of a long lost picture palace.

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17 results

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