Podcast Summary

Podcast: Today in Focus
Episode: Spring break: Culture worth catching this season
Date: March 27, 2026
Host: Nosheen Iqbal
Guests: Catherine Short (Film Editor), Alexis Petridis (Chief Pop & Rock Critic), Hannah J. Davis (TV Critic)

Episode Overview

This lively spring edition of Today in Focus is a fast-paced guide to the most exciting films, TV series, albums, tours, and festivals heading into the new season. The Guardian’s cultural critics convene to share their top picks, dissect trends (like the ongoing obsession with nostalgia and sequels), and give candid first impressions on the most hyped titles. Expect smart banter, genuine passion for culture, and a few playful digs at the industry’s quirks.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Welcoming the Season: The Mood of Spring 2026

• Spring is “nature’s equivalent of yelling, cheer up, love might never happen,” says Nosheen, who notes a collective craving for comfort culture amid bleak times.
• The team sets out to reveal which projects this season will truly deliver that uplift.

Film: Nostalgia, Sequels & Blockbusters

Devil Wears Prada 2: Anticipation & Apprehensions

• Catherine Short expresses concern:

  “I was more excited before I saw the trailers. Actually, I thought the trailers looked a bit worrying… [the jokes] look a bit like dementia. Who is this?” (04:08)

• The return of Emily Blunt, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, and Meryl Streep is promising, but the wit seems blunted.
• Nostalgia is everywhere in 2026, but is originality taking a back seat?

Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day”: Sci-Fi Spectacle

• Emily Blunt stars as a Kansas City weather girl “possessed by aliens,” bringing “levity moments” to a global alien conspiracy drama.
• Massive cast includes Josh O’Connor and Colin Firth. There’s excitement, but also bemusement at the genre-blending. (05:46)

Kids Films as Ambitious Cinema

• Catherine Short passionately argues that “kids films are just incredibly much where the talent and ambition and invention is these days.” (20:19)
• Big spring sequels:
  • Toy Story 5 (“showing how a tablet takes over childhood. Might also have good jokes and burps…” (21:11))
  • Shaun the Sheep 3
  • The Mitchells vs. The Machines 2
  • Minions sequel
• Technology as a recurring theme in new kids’ movies.

TV: Innovative Dramas, Literary Adaptations & Meta Moments

Richard Gadd’s “Half Man” (BBC)

• From the creator of “Baby Reindeer,” a new drama tracing brotherhood, violence, trauma, and “manosphere adjacence.” (06:13)
• Explores masculinity and social change across three decades.

“Dear England”

• TV adaptation of the acclaimed stage play about Gareth Southgate’s England squad revolution.
• Joseph Fiennes reprises his uncanny portrayal of Southgate. (07:16)

Riz Ahmed’s Meta Bond Satire “Bait”

• Ahmed stars as a struggling actor linked (fictionally and in reality) to the next James Bond role.
• “Very, very meta… but actually it ends up being much more about race and identity… being the only minority voice in a room.”
  — Hannah J. Davis (10:23)

Anticipated Returns & Generational Drama

• “Beef” Season 2: Major cast change (Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac). Now centers on “generational beef” between millennial and Gen Z characters at a country club.
  — “TV also maybe de-centering Boomer or even Gen X narratives and going for this Gen Z vs Millennial beef.” (22:53)

• Euphoria: Finally back after years of delays—now set five years later, even darker and heavier.
  — “Most of the comments on YouTube… are just like this looks like Grand Theft Auto. Now. It doesn't necessarily look like the same place that we kind of started in 2019.” (Hannah J. Davis, 25:32)

Succession–Silicon Valley Mashup “The Audacity” (AMC)

• “They’re horrible people who have no boundaries.” (16:07)
• Tech CEO and therapist dynamic; sharp, boundary-pushing, “jaw dropper.”
• Also flagged: David E. Kelley’s new Apple TV+ series about a young woman turning to OnlyFans with parental encouragement.

Pop & Rock: Albums, Tours, and Noteworthy Trends

Ray’s Second Album

• Self-released after a major-label fallout, this conceptual 80-minute “breakup record” is “demanding of listeners” but “incredibly bold.”
  — “I admired it…. There are really good songs on it… hats off to Ray for going for it.” (Alexis Petridis, 08:35)

Kneecap’s Third Album

• Highly anticipated, produced by Dan Carey, features Kate Tempest and Rady Pete.
  — “Their last album was really witty about sectarianism in Northern Ireland. Not normally a subject that gets played for lol, you know, and they did it incredibly well.” (12:01)

Female Artists on Tour

• Ray, Olivia Dean (“she's managing to do the sort of girl next door thing without it being unbelievably boring”), and Lily Allen (polarizing comeback tour).
• Lily Allen’s show:
  • “String quartet playing her hits for 45 minutes, curtain drop. And then Lily Allen comes out and then does her album in full… almost like a barrier between her and the audience.” (19:15)

A24 Films: From “Groovy” to “Butter Chicken”

• A24’s transition from edgy to “mainstream spicy” with hits like “Marty Supreme,” “Civil War,” upcoming “The Drama” (Zendaya & Robert Pattinson), and “Backrooms,” adapted from a viral 4chan/YouTube phenomenon.
  — “A24 are the groovy, groovy American outfit… They've moved into the kind of butter chicken level of spice now.” (Catherine Short, 13:18)

Festival Lineups: Where to Book Now

• Reading & Leeds: “It’s got all the moment—Charli XCX, Fontaine DC, Dave, Ray, Kneecap, Geese.” (27:59)
  • Especially buzzy as Glastonbury is not happening this year.
• End of the Road: “Pulp, Seamat, Matt Demarco… lower down, a lot of interesting acts like Anna Von Hausswolff, Model/Actriz, Beverly Copeland.”
• Love Supreme (Jazz, Glynde): “Ezra Collective headlining… Loyle Carner… De La Soul… great for families. Also, I could drive home to my own flush toilet!” (Alexis Petridis, 29:19)
• Alexis admits: “I'm not one of life's natural campers.”

Indie Film Picks & Documentaries

• “The Last Spy” — about Peter Sichel, the “Jewish James Bond.” (30:05)
• “Hen” — behind the scenes at a poultry farm (“as fun as you’d imagine!”).
• “London’s Last Wilderness” — an atmospheric look at the Thames Estuary with “no speech, just a lyrical look at the eddies and industrial edgelands.” (30:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On nostalgia and sequels:

  “Pretty much like every other year, [2026] is leaning hard into nostalgia and sequels and so on.” — Nosheen Iqbal (03:26)

• On A24’s reputation:

  "I think they've moved into the kind of butter chicken level of spice now, to be honest." — Catherine Short (13:18)

• On festival camping:

  "I'm not one of life's natural campers." — Alexis Petridis (29:04)

• On interviewing Harry Styles:

  “What does he do all day? ... I wonder if he’d be, like, absolutely fascinating if you met him or, you know, a total blank.” — Alexis Petridis (33:10)

Dream Interviews

• Hannah J. Davis: Michaela Coel
• Alexis Petridis: Harry Styles
• Catherine Short: Sandra Bullock or Simon Rich

Important Timestamps

• Spring trends, sequels & nostalgia: 03:26 – 04:36
• Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day”: 04:40 – 06:05
• British TV: 'Half Man', 'Dear England': 06:08 – 07:33
• Ray’s new album: 07:41 – 09:35
• Riz Ahmed’s 'Bait' & the Bond discourse: 09:35 – 10:46
• Kneecap’s new release: 11:49 – 12:44
• A24’s shifting rep, “The Drama,” Backrooms: 13:11 – 15:22
• “The Audacity” & Apple TV+ new drama: 15:52 – 17:16
• Live music tours (Ray, Olivia Dean, Lily Allen): 17:26 – 19:45
• Toy Story 5 & kids films’ themes: 20:12 – 21:30
• TV: Beef S2, Euphoria S3: 21:34 – 25:32
• Festival recommendations: 27:43 – 29:51
• Indie/Documentary picks: 30:05 – 31:27
• Dream interviews: 31:42 – 34:03

Tone & Style

The banter is sharp yet affectionate, with plenty of inside-baseball references and a genuine enthusiasm for everything from oddball documentaries to blockbuster sequels. The critics are unafraid to poke fun at industry trends—“levity adjacent, levity moments” and “butter chicken level of spice” being typical turns of phrase. The episode is lively, conversational, and insightful—just as much a chat among passionate friends as a formal cultural review.

Final Takeaway

This episode is a whirlwind guide through the must-see (and must-be-skeptical-about) TV, film, music, and festivals of Spring 2026—perfect for anyone wanting to feel “in the know” about what’s worth chasing and what’s just hype this season.