Insiders: The TV Podcast: A Close Look at Brit TV

There are many U.S. fans of British TV, as evidenced by BritBox, which is a British streaming service founded by BBC Studios and ITV that operates in eight countries across Australia, Europe, North America, and South Africa. Podcasting in the U.K. In the U.S. alone, the service has several million subscribers. 

Therefore, a British podcast about British TV and entertainment should appeal to those same U.S. fans. Launched in April, Insiders: The TV Podcast, is a new ten-episode series from Expectation TV.

In the show, fierce friends and former rival TV bosses offer an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the TV industry. Each week, Peter Fincham, co-CEO of Expectation TV, and Jimmy Mulville, co-founder of Hat Trick Productions, share their insights, analysis, and a lifetime’s worth of showbiz experience.

While U.S. listeners may not know this, Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville are two of the most influential figures in British television.

Peter Fincham joined TalkBack in 1985 and became Managing Director the following year. He executive produced many of their biggest shows, including The Day Today (BBC Two), Brass Eye (Channel 4), I’m Alan Partridge(BBC Two), Never Mind The Buzzcocks (BBC Two), Smack The Pony (Channel 4), and Da Ali G Show (Channel 4). TalkBack enjoyed many successes in other genres, including dramas such as The Lost Prince (BBC One) and Sword of Honour (Channel 4) and factual/factual entertainment programmes including Grand Designs (Channel 4) and The Apprentice (BBC One).

In 2005 Peter became Controller of BBC One and in 2008, Director of Television at ITV where he remained until 2016. While at BBC One Peter directly initiated The One Show and oversaw a revival of entertainment with shows such as How Do Solve A Problem Like Maria?. Successes during Peter’s time at ITV include Downton Abbey, Broadchurch, Appropriate Adult, Mrs. Biggs and Cilla, factual programmes such as Long Lost Family, as well as ITV2 shows such as The Only Way Is Essex.

Jimmy Muville was one of the founders of Hat Trick Productions in 1986 and since then has seen it grow into one of the country’s leading producers of comedy, drama and entertainment. Jimmy’s incredible list of hit shows includes Have I Got News For You (series 69 now airing), Father Ted, Derry Girls, Outnumbered, and Episodes.

In the U.S., Hat Trick launched Whose Line Is It Anyway in 1997 which ran on ABC for seven years and was the very first British series to be recreated for American network television by a British producer.

In 1999 he received the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Creative Contribution to Television. Jimmy is a Fellow of the Royal Television Society and recently received an honorary doctorate from the University of Liverpool. Before moving to television in 1982, he produced for BBC Radio, where he developed and produced the award-winning Radio Active.

Peter and Jimmy have spent their careers shaping British television. With decades of experience between them, spanning the BBC, ITV, and the most successful independent production companies in the UK, there couldn’t be two better guides to the world of television.

Listeners can expect personal stories, insider anecdotes, and expert analysis on the trends, triumphs, and controversies that have shaped television over the decades and today.

In the first episode, Jimmy lifts the lid on the selling of Have I Got News For You to the Americans. Peter attempts to get sued by both Simon Cowell and Simon Fuller as he tells the story of Pop Idol and The X Factor. They discuss the thorny issue of how to decide who does and doesn't get a mention (and sometimes a hefty format fee, too) when the credits roll at the end of a show.

Speaking about the podcast, Fincham says: “In our new podcast, you can expect to hear all the things you won’t get to read about in Broadcast Magazine. I'm looking forward to dissecting the state of the industry each week with him, as well as sharing our own experiences of working in television. In short, we’re going to get together once a week to gossip!”

Mulville adds: “They say there are two things you don't want to see being made - sausages and television. Well, Peter Fincham and I have seen how lots of TV is made, and we still love it and love to talk about it. We've also loved sausages, but we won't be talking about them. Tune in and hear what TV is like from the inside.”

The co-hosts bring their deep knowledge and sharp wit to the podcast as they tackle the evolution of TV, the challenges facing today’s industry, and the medium's legacy in shaping culture. They promise an entertaining, unfiltered look at what really goes on behind the scenes in television and share their unparalleled industry experience.

Peter and Jimmy are the ultimate insiders, and Insiders: The TV Podcast is a love letter to television from two of its longest-serving and most successful creators.