Screen Watching - a news podcast for the big and small screen

Sydney film critic Simon Foster has joined TV critic and media commentator Dan Barrett for a new podcast: Screen Watching.

With new episodes at 1pm every Friday, Screen Watching will dive deep into the biggest news stories of the week, go behind the big and small screen by interviewing the creative people responsible for bringing stories to life, and also help listeners navigate the way-too-many viewing options with reviews and recommendations.

On the first episode of the podcast launching Jan 29, Simon and Dan chat with the director of the new Aussie sci-fi/action film Occupation: Rainfall Luke Sparke. They also explore the impact of COVID-19 on cinema releases, and delve into what titles will be available on the new Disney streaming service Star. And there’s reviews of the new Netflix film Malcolm & Marie and Amazon Prime Video’s new Stephen King series The Stand.

The need for a podcast like this was overdue. Simon Foster explained: “We felt there was something missing from TV and film discussion in Australia - as critics (and fans) we wanted a podcast that talked about films and TV shows when they actually debuted in Australia. We also want to hear from Aussie movie festival programmers, cinema owners, streaming TV execs, and other local voices.”

Co-host Dan Barrett said: “There’s never been a more exciting time to talk about TV and movies. The lines are blurring between the two as TV gets more cinematic and movie stars start regularly starring in TV series. Meanwhile, cinemas are shut down by the pandemic just as streaming services are going global in their efforts to keep people on the couch. There’s a lot to talk about.”

Simon Foster is the Publisher of Aussie movie site Screen-Space. He is also a film reviewer and entertainment reporter for Nine Radio and ABC-FM Statewide Drive. He has served on the jury of festivals including: The Sydney Underground Film Festival, The South Australian Screen Awards, The Byron Bay International Film Festival, and Screenwave International Film Festival (NSW). He’s also Program Director of Sydney’s Sci-Fi Film Festival and Festival Director of Fangoria x Monster Fest (Sydney).

Dan Barrett is the Publisher of daily screen newsletter Always Be Watching and can be heard weekly talking about TV on Brisbane’s 4BC and ABC Gold Coast. He was formerly Deputy Editor of Mediaweek, the weekly TV critic on Radio National Breakfast with Fran Kelly, and was a writer/editor/producer for SBS Online. While at SBS he produced and hosted podcasts BATMANLAND, ORVILLELAND, the SBS Good Fight podcast, and was the co-creator/producer of The Handmaid’s Tale podcast Eyes on Gilead.

Screen Watching is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and a wide number of other podcast players.