Who Is The Most Powerful Person In Hollywood?

Summary

The Rest Is Entertainment – “Who Is The Most Powerful Person In Hollywood?”

Hosts: Richard Osman & Marina Hyde

Episode Date: February 12, 2026

---

Episode Overview

In this lively Q&A edition, Richard Osman and Marina Hyde unpack the machinery of pop culture with their trademark wit, delving into everything from red carpet jewelry logistics and TV’s “Gladiators” drug testing, to the ultimate question: Who really holds the power in Hollywood right now? Industry secrets, anecdotes, and smart banter abound as they tackle listeners’ questions, offering both insider perspective and thoughtful (often hilarious) commentary on the entertainment business.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The High-Stakes World of Red Carpet Jewelry

[02:24–10:33]

• Margot Robbie and Method Dressing:
  • Marina explains the concept of “method dressing”, citing Margot Robbie’s press tours: “She had a different amazing pink outfit for all of that. [...] They even did a coffee table book.” (03:18–03:33)
  • For “Wuthering Heights,” Robbie wore the late Elizabeth Taylor’s Taj Mahal diamond, on loan from a private owner.
  • The stylist Andrew Mukamal is credited for Margot’s distinctive red carpet approach.
• Jewelry Loan Logistics:
  • “It’s a loan system, obviously, and it’s pretty high stakes because these things are worth a lot of money.” (02:55, Marina Hyde)
  • Designers and jewelry houses (Cartier, Tiffany, Harry Winston, etc.) lend pieces for marketing exposure, with ambassador deals for some celebrities.
• Security Measures:
  • Each valuable piece is accompanied by armed guards; "The security guard always has sight on them... If you win and you go to the party and you’re still wearing it, they come to the party with you..." (08:09–08:24, Marina Hyde)
  • Insurance costs for such jewelry can be six figures.
  • Red carpet logistics compared to game shows with real cash, per Richard’s “Million Pound Drop” experience.
• Why do houses lend jewels? Does it pay off?
  • “People often try to buy the piece that they have seen on the red carpet…a week later it will sell to a private client.” (09:13–09:22, Marina Hyde)
  • Example: Gwyneth Paltrow’s Oscar necklace was bought by her father for her (09:04, Marina Hyde).

Notable Quote:

"You have the idea that there are just like random $20 million, $30 million necklaces sitting in vaults that you don’t see for six decades at a time."
— Marina Hyde (09:22)

2. Doping Checks in Gladiators

[11:43–14:08]

• Contemporary and Historical Approaches:
  • Gladiators, especially on the new BBC version, are “absolutely” drug-tested: “...because that show is a BBC show...you have to be squeaky clean on that show.” (13:12, Richard Osman)
  • The early days of “American Gladiators” were infamously drug-fuelled; “There isn’t a drug that they didn’t take.” (12:47, Marina Hyde)
• House of Games segment:
  • Richard jokes that gladiator contestants are about the only people to pass their in-show drug tests.

Memorable Banter:

"When Nitro was carrying Marina on his shoulders, it was done entirely naturally... That's why he's out for the next season."
— Richard Osman (13:03; 13:05)

3. Who’s Really Running Hollywood?

[15:41–17:56]

• Disney Power Struggle:
  • Marina recounts Disney’s “succession battle,” putting Josh D’Amaro (Parks head, now winner) at the center: “Disney made the vast amount of their profit off from parks...the parks make $3.3 billion profit and all of Disney Entertainment makes $1.1 billion.” (16:00–16:35, Marina Hyde)
• Hollywood Power Rankings (Top 3):
  • #3: Neil Mohan (YouTube CEO): Outsider status, but massive influence—“They exist in a world...even Netflix, they think this.” (16:56–17:12, Marina Hyde)
  • #2: Josh D’Amaro (Disney): The new kingmaker in franchise and branding synergy.
  • #1: Ted Sarandos (Netflix): “That’s the call you take first.” (17:39, Marina Hyde)

Notable Quote:

“They’ve got this kind of remote thing that’s just creeping up and eating everybody’s lunch.”
— Marina Hyde, on the YouTube Effect (17:12)

• Mini Power-Play Anecdote:
  • Joking apologies to Ted Sarandos for roasts at industry events.

4. Crowd Work in Stand-up Comedy (with John Bishop)

[17:57–21:24]

• How Comedians Choose Targets:
  • John Bishop (guest) reveals: “The hardest part of comedy is writing a joke…as a comedian, you might pick on someone to settle them down because they look agitated...but the reality is it just becomes an unlearnt skill…you just do it.” (18:39–19:57, John Bishop)
  • Red flags: Audience members who don’t laugh usually don’t get approached.
  • Memorable story: John once picked on a silent audience member who then revealed, “My mum’s just died”—“now that’s killed the gig, ain’t it?” (21:20, John Bishop)

Memorable Quote:

“It’s not hard to say to someone on the front row, you’re a dickhead and that shit’s shit... That’s not hard.”
— John Bishop (19:12)

5. Dream Audiobook Narrators

[21:42–24:15]

• Marina’s Forthcoming Book:
  • Marina will narrate her own new book, breaking prior reluctance.
• Fantasy Narrators:
  • #3: Connor Story; #2: Kathryn Hahn (as her "studio" character); #1: Sydney Jo Robinson (“group chat” TikTok sketches).
• Shout-Outs:
  • Recommendations for Sydney Jo Robinson’s sketches (“so well done and hysterical,” 24:00, Marina Hyde), and Tommy Stewart’s “recreational golfer” press conference videos (24:15, Richard Osman).

6. Fonts, Accessibility, and Large Print

[24:30–26:26]

• Richard’s Book:
  • Uses Garamond; Penguin Random House's default, with large print editions for accessibility.
  • Richard, who has visual difficulties himself, notes: “But Garamond is chosen because it’s fairly clear to read...if you do find it difficult, there is a large print version as well.” (26:06–26:26, Richard Osman)

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Margot Robbie’s jewelry:
  “That was worth a lot of money. And we’ll get to the expensive jewels in a minute…” (04:49, Marina Hyde)
• On security at red carpets:
  “If you win and you go to the party and you’re still wearing it, they come to the party with you and they’re around the whole time.” (08:20, Marina Hyde)
• Hollywood power ranking logic:
  “Who’s call do you take first?” (16:44, Richard Osman)
• On crowd work:
  “A skill that you can’t teach unless you do it, you just do it.” (John Bishop, 19:57)
• On font choices:
  “I’ve also got my hallway done in Garamond as well.” (24:53, Richard Osman)

---

Important Timestamps

• Red Carpet Jewelry, Security: 02:52–10:33
• Gladiators & Doping: 11:43–14:08
• Hollywood Power Rankings: 15:41–17:56
• Stand-Up Crowd Work (John Bishop): 17:57–21:24
• Audiobook Narrator Picks: 21:42–24:15
• Book Fonts & Accessibility: 24:30–26:26

---

Tone & Style

• Open, humorous, conversational, with sharp industry and cultural insight
• Each segment blends practical expertise with witty asides and pop culture references
• Regular use of anecdote and personal experience

---

Useful for Listeners Who Haven’t Heard

This episode delivers a revealing look at the realities behind Hollywood glamour, how (and why) stars wear $20 million diamonds, who the true movers-and-shakers are in entertainment, what actually happens on “Gladiators,” tricks of the comedy trade, and even the accessibility of print in publishing—all filtered through a lens of real industry familiarity and friendly banter. Whether you’re looking for behind-the-scenes insight or simply great conversation, Richard and Marina—and guest John Bishop—make this episode both enlightening and highly entertaining.

Transcript

[Richard Osmond]

This episode is brought to you by our friends at Octopus Energy.

[Guest/Co-host]

Some people in the entertainment industry are successful, but a much, much smaller number are genuinely admired.

[Richard Osmond]

I was trying to think in tv, who everyone likes.

[Marina Hyde]

I mean, Attenborough, in movies, Julia, Meryl, these. You.

[Guest/Co-host]

You will not hear a bad word said about any of those people. There are actually very few that no one is rude about behind their back, but those two, certainly two of them.

[Richard Osmond]

Can I tell you about a company that no one is rude about behind their back and that people admire? Would it shock you to learn it is our friends at Octopus Energy. Octopus Energy has ended up being named Britain's Most admired company. 2025.

[Marina Hyde]

That's nice.

[Richard Osmond]

That's really nice, isn't it?

[Marina Hyde]

I'm sure companies are like Hollywood, just

[Guest/Co-host]

absolutely vicious behind each other's backs.

[Marina Hyde]

But to be. To actually be elected most admired, all

[Richard Osmond]

the other companies, like there's, you know, all the other companies just sitting around going. So I tell you who I met the other day. Octopus Energy. Actually, you know what? Lovely bunch. Really, really lovely bunch. All of them, the most admired company in the UK, 2025. Which is why we're very, very happy that they are our sponsors.

[Carvana Advertiser]

This podcast is brought to you by Carvana. Car shopping shouldn't feel like preparing for a marathon of paperwork. That's why Carvana makes buying and financing your car easy from start to finish. Search thousands of vehicles with great prices, all online, all on your time. And when you're ready, your new car shows up right at your door. It doesn't get better than that. Buy your car the easy way. On Carvana, delivery fees may apply.

[Timberland Advertiser]

It's not just something you made. It's the privilege that you get to work with your hands. It's building something that serves a purpose, proof that you have the grit to keep going. At Timberland, we understand you take your craft seriously. And we do, too, which is why our products are built to the highest quality. We put in the work so you can perfect yours with purpose, in every detail, and crafted with intention. Timberland built on craft. Visit timberland.com to shop.

[Marina Hyde]

Hello, and welcome to this episode of the Wrestlers Entertainment Questions and Answers edition. I'm Marina Hyde.

[Richard Osmond]

And I'm Richard Osmond. Ready for some questions?

[Guest/Co-host]

I'm really ready for some.

[Marina Hyde]

Hit me with one.

[Richard Osmond]

Ready for some answers, listeners?

[Guest/Co-host]

I'm not ready to answer.

[Richard Osmond]

I'm just listening for the listeners saying, yes, we're ready for some answers. Yeah, and they are. It's mixed. Some are, some aren't. Mia G has A question for you, Marina. The famous rapper Mia G. She says Margot Robbie was photographed wearing the late Elizabeth Taylor's Taj Mahal diamond necklace worth $8 million on the red carpet of Wuthering Heights. It was apparently on loan from the estate. How does the world of red carpet jewelry work and how do you go about ensuring that?

[Marina Hyde]

Oh, well, you can imagine.

[Guest/Co-host]

I'm really into this question.

[Marina Hyde]

It's a loan system, obviously, and it's pretty high stakes because these things are worth a lot of money. I first want to. I'll talk a tiny little bit about how they did this because Margot Robbie's got a very distinctive way that she kind of honed with her stylist who does a guy called Andrew McAmal. And they started it on Barbie and she, she. I think they call it method dressing. So for Wuthering height, the fashion has become a huge part of how she promotes. If you think of all the Barbie things that she went all the way around the world and they had a premiere everywhere, she had a different amazing pink outfit for all of that.

[Richard Osmond]

And is that the idea also that Timothee Chalamet, when he's always wearing orange

[Marina Hyde]

for supreme, he is becoming because he's kind of immersive promotion. Method dressing, they call it. Anyway, they even did a coffee table book of all her Barbie looks. It's called something like Barbie the World Tour. Anyway, so Andrew McMahell, he's a brilliant stylist, but he works with, he does lots of different people like Zoe Kravitz, Hailey Bieber. He works with Margot Robbie on these big tours for her movies. And he. So there's times like where she's wearing a feathered Victoria Beckham dress and he's posted a bit of text from the original Wuthering Heights where Kathy sort of ends up biting her pillow and the feathers come out and she lays, you know, so it's all got this whole backstory to it. But for the world premiere in la, yes, she was wearing a Schiaparelli dress, a custom Schiaparelli dress and this Taj Mahal diamond, which is a heart shaped diamond inscribed. This is a bit for our colleagues on Empire. It's inscribed with the name of a Mughal empress. Apparently it was given by Shah Jahan, which Willy Dalrymple can do you a huge book about. And it says Love is everlasting on it. And it was given by Richard Burton to Elizabeth Taylor for her 40th birthday.

[Richard Osmond]

How do you inscribe a diamond? I thought they were famously.

[Marina Hyde]

Because of the way it's set. It's set in a. You know, it has to be set in metal and it's set in gold.

[Richard Osmond]

So they were scribed.

[Marina Hyde]

Yeah. They didn't write on the diamond, so any. Yeah.

[Richard Osmond]

And if I was Elizabeth Taylor, I'd have gone inscribe it on the diamond.

[Marina Hyde]

Oh, you can be sure they would

[Guest/Co-host]

have been having an aware within about

[Marina Hyde]

14 minutes about getting that. But he bought him 14 minutes, let's put it that way. And there's obviously some talk about the kind of cultural appropriation of all of these things and the cultural politics of it all. But anyway, she wore it differently. Margot Robbie, like, Elizabeth Taylor wore it much more like a medallion. She has it like up here, like a choker. That was worth a lot of money. And we'll get to the expensive jewels in a minute. And what happens with all those? Another thing she did was she wore a replica of a Bronte. She had this amazing dress that was all made out of. If you look really closely, it was all sort of weirdly corseted, but it was kind of. The seams were made of hair or pretend hair braided. The bracelet she wore is a rep of Charlotte Bronte's mourning bracelet, which had Emily and Anne Bronte's hair in. And the real one is kept at the Bronte Museum, the Bronte Parsonage Museum. And they wanted to borrow it, but it was just too delicate. So they asked if they could borrow it to have a replica made. And an amazing sort of Yorkshire heritage weaving company has made one.

[Richard Osmond]

That's so cool.

[Marina Hyde]

And then, of course, the director of the Bronte Parsonage Museum gets to talk to the press and, you know, so it's. It's really wonderful how these kind of things and you can see the level of detail and thought that goes into all of these kind of particular outfits. Okay, let's get back to the jewels. Why do jewellery houses lend these things? Obviously they do it for marketing. So there are lots of, you know, lots of different ones. Lorraine Schwartz, Cartier, Chopard, Boucheron, Tiffany, Harry Winston, all the sort of big people, stylists have a relationship with them. And also some stars have ambassador deals and then you have to wear those, that particular house. So some people might be an ambassador for Tiffany, in which case you're always going to be wearing Tiffany things.

[Richard Osmond]

That's a hell of a gig, isn't it?

[Marina Hyde]

It is, yeah. You know, you've got the Oscars coming up and what they kind of do,

[Guest/Co-host]

a lot of the big houses is

[Marina Hyde]

think, okay, well, I'm not going to commit to anything before we see who's nominated.

[Guest/Co-host]

Because if you're not nominated and you

[Marina Hyde]

miss out, so they bring out the big guns for the big guns. So when Lady Gaga was nominated in 2019, she was wearing a huge 128 carat yellow diamond. And the only other time that thing has been seen in was on the. Was on Audrey Hepburn during the press photos for breakfast at Tiffany's. Yeah, she was 58 years before. So you. How much stuff do they have in their vaults?

[Richard Osmond]

So it's literally they've just got that in their vaults and so they're not.

[Marina Hyde]

And that hasn't been seen in public for 58 years.

[Richard Osmond]

But they wouldn't sell it, isn't it?

[Marina Hyde]

Well, that's the thing. As I told you, it's for marketing. And before then, I think the most expensive thing that been out on the red carpet was Gloria Stewart, who played the very old version of Kate Winslet in Titanic. She had a 20 million doll necklace on for that, which was not. Which we had a blue dark thing on, but it wasn't the same as the one in the movie. Anyway, she didn't win. She was up for best supporting. But the logistics of it all is huge. Every single one of those things that gets lent has its own security guards, armed security guards that are not allowed. They. It is put on the last thing when you've done all the makeup, all of everything it's put on from that moment, the security guard always has sight on them. So a huge part of the red carpet, which by the way, one time, if you ever see what a red carpet looks like, you kind of have the idea that it's a little bit of an entrance way to something. It is vast. There's this huge, huge geographical area and the guy who is the security guard or in some cases multiple security guards for what you're wearing is watching you the whole time. And if you win and you go to the party and you're still wearing it, they come to the party with you and they're around the whole time.

[Richard Osmond]

If I was a security guard I'd be. No, keep it on. Yeah, Are you going to Elton John's party? Keep it on. No, honestly, I'm right behind you.

[Marina Hyde]

Yeah, but you have to get temporary insurance for them and sometimes even the temporary insurance can go into six figures because these things are worth so much money. And you can see that the night is to some extent, whilst very controlled, also mildly chaotic. So I guess what you're saying is what is the point. Does it translate into sales? Yes. Are there enough high end clients out there who are not famous, who, see, I don't know, Charlize or Julianne Moore or someone wearing an amazing thing? And the answer is yes. First of all, very occasionally someone connected

[Guest/Co-host]

with the star who wore it will buy it.

[Marina Hyde]

Gwyneth Paltrow, the necklace that Gwyneth Paltrow was wearing when she got the Oscar for Shakespeare in Love, her father, Bruce Paltrow then bought for her.

[Richard Osmond]

Wow.

[Marina Hyde]

But people often try to buy the piece that they have seen on the red carpet and they will know it's, you know, because all the designers and the stylists tag who it is and they'll think that's Tiffany and then a week later it will sell to a private client. It is extraordinary. But as, as you say, to have the idea that there are just like random 20 million, $30 million necklaces sitting in vaults that you don't see for six decades at a time. There is a huge amount of it and it does all sell to private clients and it's used as a massive marketing thing.

[Richard Osmond]

So who owns the Taj Mahal diamond?

[Marina Hyde]

We don't know. An anonymous person who wanted to buy. As I say, there's a lot of very, very private, high end clients out there who owns the Taj Mahal diamond but has lent it for use in this, in these circumstances. It's a little bit like having an amazing art painting and lending it to a museum when they have a sort of retrospective show or whoever it is.

[Richard Osmond]

Well, firstly, you love it and you want people to see it, but secondly, the value goes up.

[Marina Hyde]

Yeah, maybe it becomes the iconography. It's, it's further invested with something. But yeah, it's a huge business for all of the jewelry houses and it's kind of along with like the Met Gala and things like that. These, these are the times when you see this sort of jewelry on people at all, because otherwise it's culturally worn by people who don't go on red carpets.

[Richard Osmond]

My only two experiences really with security guards in the world of entertainment were firstly, whenever they bring the FA cup anywhere, there's always a security guard. But then when we did Million Pound Drop, and part of that was we really had a million pound in the studio, so the money was real and that was just, you know, because any studio day you always think about, and then we do that and then the contestants are turning up and we'll rehearse in the afternoon and then question cards and then, you know, would do, you know, the computer stuff and just make sure that's all working. But that one was also. Oh, don't forget, the armed guards have got to leave with a. In the armored truck at 4:15 and then they turn up here. But just these guys. There were four guys. They were armed with the money at all times. That was. I was going to say stressful, but actually it was cool.

[Guest/Co-host]

It was exciting.

[Richard Osmond]

Yeah, it was really. It was really, really great. And you absolutely didn't need it to be real money. But there's something. It made it much more fun.

[Marina Hyde]

Yes.

[Richard Osmond]

That it really was that you literally put a million pound in front of people. But, yeah, the logistics on that were more complicated than you might imagine. Come on, just give us a minute. Just give us a million quid. Come on. No one's going to steal it.

[Marina Hyde]

A question from Mari about gladiators. Do they do doping checks on gladiators? Ah.

[Richard Osmond]

Are we talking about the new gladiators or the old one? Let's talk about the new one. Yes, they do. They. Absolutely. You have to. You know, that show is a BBC show. It's a BBC show. It's incredibly family focused as well. And there have been. I know Giant, who's on that show. I know he'd admitted previously in the past that he'd taken performing enhancing drugs as a lot of people in the worlds of, you know, weightlifting and bodybuilding, you know, there's a thin membrane between

[Marina Hyde]

legal, illegal videos, I reckon he did some videos and he said, if you take these, you'll get masses of gains.

[Guest/Co-host]

Right.

[Marina Hyde]

Back in long time before. And obviously hadn't removed them from wherever he posted them.

[Richard Osmond]

Exactly. And the BBC has stood by him because he gets tested all the time, so he's not doing them now.

[Marina Hyde]

And the contestants do as well.

[Richard Osmond]

Yeah, the contestants are absolutely dope tested too. So, yeah, it's back in the early days of American Gladiators again. That documentary about the very early days of which I've seen in.

[Guest/Co-host]

Is brilliant.

[Richard Osmond]

Is amazing. I would say. Eye opening.

[Marina Hyde]

There isn't a drug that they didn't take.

[Richard Osmond]

I mean, yeah, there really, really wasn't.

[Marina Hyde]

It doesn't have to be performance enhancing,

[Richard Osmond]

but, you know, I can exclusively reveal to everyone who was at the Royal Albert hall to see our Christmas show that when nitro was carrying Marina on his shoulders, it was done entirely naturally.

[Marina Hyde]

That's why he's out for the next season.

[Richard Osmond]

Yeah, exactly. I mean, you were absolutely out of your mind on everything, but. Yeah, but Nitro.

[Marina Hyde]

I was high on Nitro.

[Richard Osmond]

Clean as a Whistle. So, yeah, they are tested, as you say. The contestants are contested, and you couldn't. Not these days. You know, we live in a world in which you have to be squeaky clean on that show, but it does it. I mean, Nitro, you've seen him up close, and I've seen a few of those gladiators up close. Now, Giant. Famously shorter than me.

[Guest/Co-host]

That's the stat that comes up every time he turns around for a second.

[Richard Osmond]

He's shorter than Richard Osmond. He looks amazing, doesn't he? Nitro.

[Marina Hyde]

Is that the word? Oh, nitro. Yes.

[John Bishop]

Yeah.

[Richard Osmond]

Sculpted.

[Guest/Co-host]

Yeah.

[Marina Hyde]

Sculpted. Yeah. Well, you saw him on Strictly. I mean, yeah, it's extraordinary.

[Richard Osmond]

But, yeah, we've had a few gladiators on House of Games, and on there, we always drug test, and I would say they're pretty much the only people to pass. Yeah.

[Marina Hyde]

Right.

[Guest/Co-host]

On that bombshell, let us go to a break.

[Richard Osmond]

Yeah. And we have a question about stand up in the second half, which the lovely John Bishop has answered for us as well.

[Various Advertisers]

Spring starts at the Home Depot, and we are bringing the heat to your backyard this season. Fire up the flavor with our wide variety of grills for under $300, like the next grill 4 burner gas grill that's perfect for hosting your spring cookout. Then set the scene and turn your outdoor space into the go to spot with patio sets for every budget. Bring it this season with grills that deliver flavor and patios that set the vibe from the Home Depot. Start your spring with low prices guaranteed at the Home Depot. Exclusions apply. See homedepot.com Pricematch for details.

[Carvana Advertiser]

This episode is brought to you by Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which means you're probably multitasking, maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving homes without expecting to get them. But Redfin isn't just built for endless browsing. It's built to help you find and own a home with agents who close twice as many deals. When you find the one, you've got a real shot at getting it. Get [e-mail], own the dream.

[Various Advertisers]

Protein is now at Starbucks, and it's never tasted so good. You can add protein cold foam to your favorite drink or try one of

[Marina Hyde]

our new protein lattes or Matcha.

[Various Advertisers]

Try it today at Starbucks.

[Richard Osmond]

Welcome back, everyone. This is a proper business of entertainment. Question from Reece Matthews for you, Marina. With Josh d' Amaro winning the succession battle at Disney, where does this put him on the Hollywood power ranking? Who are the most powerful people in the Industry now.

[Marina Hyde]

Ah, okay. That's a very good question. I think I said on this podcast that I thought he would win it.

[Richard Osmond]

Well done.

[Marina Hyde]

And he's the guy who. They had four people come from four different parts of the business, but he was the guy who runs parks, which is, by the way, as we've seen just from. I think it was last week they had another sort of earnings call. Disney made the vast amount of their profit off from parks. And you can't have parks without the entertainment business to back it up.

[Richard Osmond]

One of those four candidates, by the way, I thought was interesting was animated. Right. Which. Which absolutely makes sense. That's who I would have given it to.

[Guest/Co-host]

Me, Pitaro. It's just the ESPN guys. Just like a little avatar.

[John Bishop]

Yeah.

[Marina Hyde]

But the parks make something like 3.3 billion profit. And entertainment, all of the Disney Entertainment

[Guest/Co-host]

makes 1.1 billion profit.

[Marina Hyde]

So the vast majority of their operating income. I'm just going to do this as a top three.

[Guest/Co-host]

You've got three phones, they're ringing and you can see who each of them are.

[Richard Osmond]

That's clever.

[Marina Hyde]

Who's called?

[Guest/Co-host]

You take first.

[Marina Hyde]

Okay. This is controversial in some ways. Why are you not putting them at one, but at three, I'm gonna put

[Guest/Co-host]

Neil Mohan, the CEO of YouTube.

[Richard Osmond]

Oh, yeah.

[Marina Hyde]

And YouTube are regarded as such outsiders. I think maybe he's number three in terms of who's call you, Tate. Because what are they really giving you?

[Guest/Co-host]

It's almost like they exist.

[Marina Hyde]

They exist in a world. This is why Hollywood is so scared of them. Because even Netflix, they think this.

[Guest/Co-host]

I understand, but they cannot. They've got this kind of remote thing that's just creeping up and eating everybody's lunch. They don't know quite what to do with it.

[Richard Osmond]

So he's gonna be the richest guy ringing you, but maybe he doesn't have the most opportunities for you.

[Guest/Co-host]

Who is Josh d' Amaro from Disney? And number one is Ted Sarandos.

[Marina Hyde]

You're taking his call first. He's become.

[Guest/Co-host]

He's the entertainment guy. They think they understand better than the YouTube guy who they're really scared by.

[Marina Hyde]

But yes, I think number one, that's

[Richard Osmond]

the call you take is Ted Sarandos. So if he was to ring you, what would be?

[Guest/Co-host]

I would say Richard's really sorry about the way we roasted you because we

[Marina Hyde]

didn't realize you were in the room

[Guest/Co-host]

still when we did it at that conference.

[Richard Osmond]

It's amazing.

[Guest/Co-host]

We're still on air, but I'm not sorry, Tad.

[Richard Osmond]

Yeah. I'd do it again.

[Marina Hyde]

Yeah.

[Guest/Co-host]

I do it again right now. In fact, I'll do it for you right now.

[Marina Hyde]

Here's a nice one on crowd work from Nadine Johnson. She says, how do comedians pick audience members to speak to when performing crowd work? Are there immediate red flags for standouts

[Guest/Co-host]

when looking across the front row that

[Marina Hyde]

they know not to pick on?

[Richard Osmond]

How do you think Nadine Johnson. Thank you for your question. Nadine felt when Nadine Dorries and Boris Johnson were absolutely at the forefront of news, it'd be like now being called Melania Epstein. Do you know what I mean?

[Guest/Co-host]

There must be one out there.

[Richard Osmond]

There must be one out there. Nadine, thank you so much for your question and I'm glad that Nadine Dorrys and Boris Johnson have faded from the scene a little bit. To answer this question, we asked our old friend John Bishop.

[John Bishop]

Well, Nadine, the thing is, stand up is now on social media. People think that's all stand up is, talking to people in the front row. And it's not, it's. It's, to be honest with you, it's a bit of a contrivance and it's a bit of a trick because most comedians, you start doing open spots and then someone gives you a job to be the compere and the compere, you do it because that gives you more time on stage. But the compere's job is to set up the room so you talk to people in the room to get them settled and to get them. To get them focused on the acts that are coming. So often the compe would be the person with the least amount of jokes, as it were, the least amounts of material, but would work with the audience. And it's a thing that people clip up on social media. And so people think, oh, that's part of every comedy show. The hardest part of comedy is writing a joke. It's not hard to say to someone on the front row, you're a dickhead and that shit's shit. And look at that aircraft. That's not odd. And so what you do as a comedian, you walk on. If you've got a front row within a. Within a venue, you might pick on someone to settle them down because they look agitated, they look like they're the one who is likely to ruin it for the comics coming on. So you might do that, you might pick on someone because it's obvious, you know, you've got a guy on the front row who's 6 foot 12, everyone can see he's 6 foot 12, and it's obvious so you might say something to him, but the reality is it just becomes an unlearnt skill. In the fact that when I say an unlearn skill, a skill that you can't teach unless you do it, you just do it. You just be able to see who to talk to. The red flag are the people who don't laugh. So you walk on stage and you'll see some people, and there'll be some people clapping, some not clapping, some people. You say something, say something. They laugh and their face doesn't crack. Not everyone. You gotta remember, not everyone in a comedy club wanted to go. People don't buy their own individual tickets. Some of them went because the person they lived with wanted to go. And because they like sex, they've gone. That's the deal. They've gone, well, if you want to go, I'll go, because it's what you want to do. And some of them sat there. So if they're not laughing and they're not looking like they're enjoying it, you don't chat to them, because what's the point? I've done that, by the way. I have done that where I've cracked somebody on the front row who's not been laughing. I'm going, what is wrong with you? Why have you come here? What's wrong with you? And then they say, my mum's just died. And then you go, now that's killed the gig, ain't it?

[Richard Osmond]

Thank you so much, John. And funny enough, you recommended a movie that's based on his life story. Is this on?

[Marina Hyde]

It reminds me, actually, a lot of parenting.

[Guest/Co-host]

Everything he was saying there also applies to parenting multiple children. I don't want to say it's deciding which one to pick on. It's deciding which one to single out.

[Marina Hyde]

Sometimes for praise, sometimes for something different.

[Richard Osmond]

Marina. Vince, Melia has a question for you. Marina, who would be your dream narrator for your forthcoming book in audio form? That's good, because you get a chance to talk about your. Vince says, I vote for Glen Powell.

[Marina Hyde]

Well, he could do it, like I always say he could do.

[Richard Osmond]

Could he do the Voice?

[Marina Hyde]

I'm actually doing it myself, which I didn't do for my last book.

[Richard Osmond]

It's a book of columns, right? This new book and your previous book,

[Guest/Co-host]

It's Time To Be Alive, Richard. It's coming out in September.

[Richard Osmond]

Your previous book was a book of columns and you got someone else to read it?

[Marina Hyde]

Yeah, because I did the introduction. But I just thought, oh, I'd be so bad. This is really weird. It's. Before I did this podcast and I thought I just couldn't do that. I couldn't, you know. And actually now look at you now. Cause I talk out loud on this

[Guest/Co-host]

podcast all the time.

[Marina Hyde]

I can do it.

[Guest/Co-host]

I have to do it in an order.

[Richard Osmond]

Are you doing that in another top three?

[Marina Hyde]

Yeah. I can't stop doing it now.

[Richard Osmond]

If this ends as well with Ted Sarandos, he's going to.

[Guest/Co-host]

He was great in the studio.

[Richard Osmond]

Yeah.

[Marina Hyde]

All right.

[Guest/Co-host]

Number three, Connor Story.

[Richard Osmond]

He's the Russian heated rivalry.

[Guest/Co-host]

I just want him to do all the things connected with my book for me.

[Richard Osmond]

That'd be cool. How do you think he'd be with some of the references to, like, Paula Vennels and stuff like that?

[Guest/Co-host]

He could.

[Marina Hyde]

Listen. Look at the Russian accent. He can do anything.

[Richard Osmond]

He can do anything.

[Guest/Co-host]

He can do anything.

[Marina Hyde]

Kathryn Hahn, the marketing psycho from the studio.

[Guest/Co-host]

But I want her to play her at Katherine Horne as that character in the studio who is an. But it would be so remorseless. All my columns read in that voice. She's.

[Richard Osmond]

That's how I. That's how I read your columns. Yeah.

[Guest/Co-host]

I hope so. She's my internal monologue.

[Marina Hyde]

And this is so niche.

[Guest/Co-host]

My number one. But I just.

[Marina Hyde]

I love it so much. If you've. You. You probably saw this last year. But it's so fun. It's so funny. On TikTok or either on YouTube. Sydney Jo Robertson, the Group Chat. And she plays all the seven girls

[Guest/Co-host]

in a group chat.

[Marina Hyde]

It's hysterical.

[Richard Osmond]

I haven't seen that.

[Marina Hyde]

Oh, my God. It's so good. Okay.

[Guest/Co-host]

I want to be the one who is always throwing open the door of her roommate's room and she begins almost all of the episodes because it's just like, what the hell?

[Marina Hyde]

It's brilliant. The whole series is brilliant.

[Richard Osmond]

If you haven't seen it, what's she called again?

[Guest/Co-host]

Sydney Jo Robinson.

[Richard Osmond]

Sidney Jo Robinson.

[Guest/Co-host]

And I just feel that that particular one of all the girls she plays has the vibe of like, what the hell has just happened?

[Marina Hyde]

That I think would be good for voicing my book. What a Time to Be Alive.

[Richard Osmond]

That's an amazing recommendation, though, because now anyone who has not seen that has to watch it because they want to hear who you're talking about.

[Marina Hyde]

There's more seasons of it and each episode is like two minutes. It's so good. She worked on it for a long time. When she did it, she worked on it for maybe a year. And it's just those people who think that those kind of videos are kind of dashed off. It's so well done. It's so well written and it's just hysterical.

[Richard Osmond]

That's like my. Have I recommended that guy, Tommy Stewart, who does the. If recreational golfers did press conferences?

[Guest/Co-host]

You haven't recommended, so please recommend.

[Richard Osmond]

Yeah, that's amazing. It's just amazing. Like a weekend golfer talking to journalists as if he was, you know, Tiger Woods. It's very, very funny.

[Guest/Co-host]

That's such a good thing.

[Richard Osmond]

Yeah, yeah, it's really good.

[Marina Hyde]

Okay, very good question for you, Richard, about the highly contentious subject of fonts. Luciana says, richard, what font are your books in? Do you get a choice? And have you considered requesting a more accessible font for people with eyesight problems?

[Richard Osmond]

It's a very good question. Firstly, it is in Garamond, which is the. Garamond. Yeah. I mean, fine.

[Guest/Co-host]

Which is just like nail polish colours, but although those are always slightly better.

[Richard Osmond]

I've also got my hallway done in Garamond as well, and that's the Penguin Random House font. But they do show you, you know, galley proofs and all those things beforehand. And as I'm sure you know, I have visual difficulties and I've always been comfortable with Garamond. They showed it to me. They show me other fonts.

[Marina Hyde]

Yeah.

[Guest/Co-host]

Hate your battles.

[Richard Osmond]

But I also, you know, none of them are particularly more useful than any of the others for me, but. So I always make sure there are large print versions of all the books as well, in all the different territories. That's important to me. That's why I listen to a lot of audiobooks anyway. And I know exactly what you mean. Some fonts, it's the size of font, really. But Garamond is sort of fine for me. I'll say that in America, they use Adobe Jensen Pro.

[Guest/Co-host]

That's the fonts, they make everything so poetic.

[Richard Osmond]

Yeah. Don't they just. But yeah. So I always make sure every territory there is a large print copy as well. Last print version, I was at a friend's house the other day and they had. They'd accidentally bought the large print version and we were all passing it around going, oh, my God, this is great. Because we're all in our 50s.

[Marina Hyde]

Yes.

[Richard Osmond]

And we can't see anything. Everyone's coming towards me now.

[Marina Hyde]

Yeah. Oh, absolutely.

[Richard Osmond]

Now nobody can see. And I'm like, yeah, this is what it's been like for my whole life. So, yeah, if I wanted a different font, I could definitely ask for a different font. But Garamond is chosen because it's fairly clear to read. And if you do find it difficult. There is a large print version available as well.

[Marina Hyde]

That about wraps us up. We will be back tomorrow for our

[Guest/Co-host]

members with a bonus episode about Hollywood's worst couples.

[Richard Osmond]

Yes, worst, weirdest, best, all sorts of things. Lots of great stories in there for everyone else though. We will see you next Tuesday.

[Marina Hyde]

See you next Tuesday.

[Various Advertisers]

Monster Energy. Everybody knows White Monster Zero Ultra. That's the OG it kicked off this whole Zero Sugar energy drink thing, but Ultra is a whole lineup now. You've got Strawberry Dreams, Blue Hawaiian Sunrise, and Vice Guava. And they all bring the Monster Energy punch. So if you've been living in the White can branch out. Ultra's got a flavor for every vibe, and every single one is Zero Sugar. Tap the banner to learn more.