x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Half the Picture

Join us on Half the Picture as your host Billy Barnell sits down with a different filmmaker, actor, or artist each episode for a relaxed, revealing conversation. Get the full picture on some of the most talented and noteworthy folks in showbiz and the long and winding roads of their careers. Expect candid stories, creative insights, and regular detours into the weird and wonderful corners of the film and pop culture world!If you"d like to watch the episodes, check out our YouTube channel at the link

tv & film film interviews

All Episodes

86:35

#25 - MURRAY GOLD

Half the Picture ·

2026/02/20

Half the Picture’s guest this episode is none other than Murray Gold, the remarkable composer behind such shows as Doctor Who, It’s a Sin, Queer as Folk and Vanity Fair amongst so many others.Murray joined Billy on the show to chat about his process scoring shows such as Doctor Who, as well as his own favourite of all the musical themes he’s written, his favourite episode of Doctor Who he’s composed for and where he gets his passion and exuberance for music from. They also touched on the changes

en

32:00

#24 - ZAK FENNING & TONY COOK

Half the Picture ·

2026/02/13

Half the Picture’s guests this episode are writer/director Zak Fenning and actor Tony Cook, the minds behind the new British crime thriller ‘A Gangster’s Life’ currently on release in the U.K. and beyond.Zak and Tony joined Billy on the show to chat about their experience making the movie and bringing a quirky, indie sensibility to the classic ‘Guns and Geezers’ British crime genre in the making of it. They also discussed their favourite actors and filmmakers working today, the influence of films

en

29:18

#23 - STIMSON SNEAD & SAM DUNNING

Half the Picture ·

2026/02/06

Half the Picture’s guests this week are writer/director Stimson Snead and actor Samuel Dunning, whose science-fiction comedy ‘Tim Travers and The Time Traveller’s Paradox’ is now on release in the U.K.Stimson and Sam joined Billy on the show to chat all things Tim Travers, from the complexity of shooting the movie’s ambitious VFX on a low budget to the efficiency of process that comes from making a sci-fi movie featuring the beginning/end of the universe in just seventeen days. They also touched

en

66:09

#22 - MICHAEL LEHMANN & DANIEL WATERS

Half the Picture ·

2026/01/23

Half the Pictures guests this episode are director Michael Lehmann and screenwriter Daniel Waters, the minds behind the cult classic, blackly comic teen movie sensation 'Heathers' starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater in star making roles. Michael and Daniel joined Billy on the pod to discuss the legacy of the film and their experience making it, from Daniel’s initial attempts to pitch the project to Stanley Kubrick to how Heather Graham was nearly cast as Heather Chandler along with Daniel's

en

49:12

#21 - MONTY BEN

Half the Picture ·

2026/01/16

Half the Picture's guest this episode is actor and karate world champion Monty Ben who recently graced our screens as Farouk, one of the primary villains in the most recent series of Slow Horses.Monty joined Billy on the pod to chat about his experience making Slow Horses alongside such iconic actors as Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas and the lessons he learned from working on the set. They also discussed Monty's career as karate champion, the discipline he took with him from martial arts

en

#20 - BRET MCKENZIE

Half the Picture ·

2026/01/09

Half the Picture’s guest this week is Oscar-winning songwriter and comedian extraordinaire Bret McKenzie, one half of the New Zealand musical phenomenon Flight of The Conchords with Jemaine Clement and whose irresistible earworms feature on such Hollywood hits as The Muppets, Muppets Most Wanted and A Minecraft Movie.Bret joined Billy on the pod to chat about his latest album Freakout City as well as the accompanying tour that took him all around the world and the wild audience stories he heard

en

#19 - BRYAN & MARY TALBOT

Half the Picture ·

2025/12/19

Half the Picture's guests this episode are Bryan & Mary Talbot, the comic book power couple behind such brilliant titles as 'Dotter of Her Father's Eyes', 'Sally Heathcote: Suffragette' and the upcoming 'Lo! An Amazon! The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Mary Wollstonecraft' amongst many others. Mary's work in academia is widely respected and Bryan's comics as a solo artist such as The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, The Tale of One Bad Rat, Alice in Sunderland and Grandville are regarded as

en

#18 - PETER CAPALDI

Half the Picture ·

2025/12/05

Half the Picture's guest this episode is national treasure Peter Capaldi, the actor responsible for bringing The Twelfth Doctor to life in Doctor Who as well as legendarily foulmouthed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It, Gideon Shepherd in 'The Devil's Hour' and Danny Oldsen in 'Local Hero' amongst many, many others!Peter joined Billy on the show to chat about his appearance at Glastonbury where he shared the stage with Franz Ferdinand on 'Take Me Out' as well as to reflect on his

en

#17 - OLIVER MURRAY

Half the Picture ·

2025/11/28

Half the Picture's guest this episode is Oliver Murray, the acclaimed filmmaker behind such documentaries as Bill Wyman: The Quiet One, Keith Richards: My Life as a Rolling Stone and The Beatles - Now And Then - The Last Beatles Song. His latest project is a brand new ninth episode of The Beatles Anthology, featuring unseen interviews with Paul, George and Ringo from when they were working on the Anthology in the 1990's.Oliver joined Billy on the pod to chat about this new instalment of The

en

#16 - GRANT MORRISON (RETURNS!)

Half the Picture ·

2025/11/24

Half the Picture’s returning guest this episode is Grant Morrison - the iconic comic book writer behind such iconic titles as All-Star Superman, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Animal Man, The Invisibles and New X-Men amongst so many others! Grant joined Billy on the podcast again to chat about their latest title, ‘Batman & Deadpool’ illustrated by the great Dan Mora and to break down their process writing the comic as well as their experience turning their hand to writing Deadpool for the first time and

en

#15 - SIMON CELLAN JONES

Half the Picture ·

2025/11/21

Half the Picture’s guest this episode is director Simon Cellan Jones, whose new film The Family Plan 2, starring Mark Wahlberg, Kit Harrington and Michelle Monaghan is currently on release on screens both big and small! Simon joined us on the pod to discuss working with Mark Wahlberg as star and producer of the Family Plan movies as well as the joys of working with the wider cast and the improvisational energy of the shoot. We also dive into his wider body of work, including his work on Generation

en

#14 - OWEN LIKES COMICS (Part 2/2)

Half the Picture ·

2025/11/14

Half the Picture’s returning guest this episode is the eponymous Owen from Owen Likes Comics - a mainstay in YouTube's comics and pop culture criticism scene!In Part 2, Owen rejoins Billy to reveal the final two entries in their Top 5 Favourite Comics and to dig deep into why these stories have so much personal significance to each of them. Plus, Billy gives his take on DC: The New Frontier, one of Owen's picks/recommendations from Part 1 that Billy read in the week before recording this

en

#13 - OWEN LIKES COMICS (Part 1/2)

Half the Picture ·

2025/11/10

Half the Picture’s guest this episode is the eponymous Owen from Owen Likes Comics, a mainstay in YouTube's comics and pop culture criticism scene! In Part 1 of this conversation, Owen joined Billy on the podcast for a deep dive into their top five favourite comics, with titles ranging from acclaimed mainstream hits to unsung gems and venerable classics. They discuss what these comics mean to them personally, how significantly they impacted their lives and their wider significance in the comics

en

40:47

#12 - MARC WARREN & PAUL HILLS

Half the Picture ·

2025/10/30

Half the Picture’s guests this episode are actor Marc Warren and filmmaker Paul Hills, star and writer/director of the cult ‘90’s British coming of age film ‘Boston Kickout’, celebrating it’s 30th anniversary this year!Marc and Paul joined us on the pod to reflect on their memories of making ‘Boston Kickout’ as well as to chat about the friendship and shorthand they forged on the film, their experiences working with John Simm and Andrew Lincoln and the life-threatening stunt that nearly claimed them

en

60:32

#11 - YASMIN PAIGE

Half the Picture ·

2025/10/28

Half the Picture’s guest this episode is actress Yasmin Paige, star of Richard Ayoade's cult classic coming of age movie, 'Submarine', celebrating it's 15th anniversary this year!Yasmin joined us on the show to reflect on her experience playing Jordana in the film, what it was like working both with co-star Craig Roberts and director Richard Ayoade and the importance Gavin and Stacey had in helping her stay in character.If you'd like to watch our interview with Yasmin, check out the episode on

en

46:33

#10 - MIKE LEIGH (ft. MARION BAILEY)

Half the Picture ·

2025/10/14

Half the Picture’s guest this episode is British national filmmaking treasure Mike Leigh, the man behind such social-realist classics as Secrets & Lies, Naked, Another Year, Vera Drake and Life is Sweet.Known for his improvisational method of devising his films with a murderer's row of British actors, Mike’s approach to filmmaking is organic and utterly unique, resulting in works that are unflinchingly honest, deeply poignant and often hilarious. Join us as we chat to Mike in depth about his

en

25:41

#9 - JAMES MARQUAND

Half the Picture ·

2025/10/03

Half the Picture’s guest this episode is writer-director James Marquand, the man behind the new WW2 action thriller ‘The Partisan’ based on the life and exploits of Krystyna Skarbek.James joined us on the show to chat about the making of the movie, his experiences working wit Morgane Polanski, Malcolm McDowell and the rest of the cast and his time spent working on his father’s (Richard Marquand) movies. For all this and more, watch on!#jamesmarquand #thepartisan #malcolmmcdowell #halfthepictureIf

en

61:43

#8 - GRANT MORRISON (Part 2 of 2)

Half the Picture ·

2025/09/26

Half the Picture’s guest this episode is the legendary Grant Morrison — the award-winning comic book writer behind such classics as Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Invisibles, New X-Men, WE3 and Animal Man.Join us for part 2 of our conversation with Grant as we dive headlong into their Kathmandu experience in the 1990’s when they were abducted by higher dimensional aliens, their strangest fan encounter that occurred in late-80’s Sheffield (Billy’s hometown) and their upcoming Batman/Deadpool comic due

en

62:34

#7 - GRANT MORRISON (Part 1 of 2)

Half the Picture ·

2025/09/19

Half the Picture’s guest this episode is the legendary Grant Morrison — the award-winning comic book writer behind such classics as Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Invisibles, New X-Men, WE3 and Animal Man.Grant joined us primarily to chat about their work on the iconic All-Star Superman that redefined the Man of Steel for the 21st Century and was a major influence on James Gunn’s new Superman film. They also spoke about their friendship with Gunn, writing a Flash film script with Ezra Miller, the

en

76:42

Walter Murch in Conversation: The Godfather,...

Half the Picture ·

2025/05/09

Half the Picture’s guest this episode is the legendary Walter Murch — Academy Award-winning editor and sound designer behind such cinematic milestones as The Godfather Trilogy, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now!Walter joined us for a wide-ranging conversation that delved deep into his groundbreaking work with directors including Francis Ford Coppola, his pioneering approach to film editing and sound, and his thoughts on the evolving nature of cutting in the modern age. He also spoke candidly about

en

25 results

Similar Podcasts

BEHIND THE VELVET ROPE

David Yontef

Nerd Culture - A Gamekings Podcast

Blammo Media

UPodcast

UPodcast

The Writers Hangout

Sandy Adomaitis

The Sarah Fraser Show

Sarah Fraser