Podcast · Film & TV

Pilot TV

by Empire Magazine · English · Film & TV

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 1 hr 47 min
Latest: 5 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

5 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 47 minNew

Carrie, Kill Jackie, and Pierre. With guests Sienna Miller and Dominic West

On this week’s show, WAR stars Sienna Miller and Dominic West collar Boyd to talk their divorce drama on Sky Atlantic (48:50-1:01:51), plus we dissect the recent list of The New York Times’ 100 greatest TV shows of the 21st century. Show-wise, it’s Stephen King time again as Mike Flanagan has a crack at the author’s debut novel, Carrie, on Prime Video (1:09:05), and also on Prime we try to find out who’s after Catherine Zeta Jones in Kill Jackie (1:21:52). Plus David Harewood shines a light on beleaguered duty solicitors in Pierre on Channel 4 (1:34:39). Note: time stamps are approximate as…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S1 · E431 · 28 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 51 min

WAR, Break Clause, and Blue Lights. With guest Siân Brooke (and Ziggy)

We have a dog in the studio this week (very good boy 13/10) as guest Siân Brooke brings her miniature sausage dog Ziggy in to see us (and also to talk about the new series of Blue Lights on BBC1)(35:19-1:02:34). The rest of the show sees us banished to our respective homes, however, as we beam in to discuss the aforementioned Belfast police drama (1:35:11), as well as legal thriller WAR on Sky Atlantic (1:18:23), and coupledom comedy Break Clause on Channel 4 (1:25:48). Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to avoid this and…
S1 · E430 · 21 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 45 min

Youth, The Blame, and The Split Up. With guests Sharon Horgan, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren

On this week’s show we have a trio of guests as Sharon Horgan joins us to talk Youth on HBO Max (28:01-35:17), while Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan chat all things Mobland on Paramount+ (52:22-1:04:14). Elsewhere, we talk through the winners of this year’s Primetime Emmys, Steph reminisces about Mr T, James looks back at Deep Space Nine and there are many disagreements about this week’s reviews. Speaking of which, they are the aforementioned Youth (1:04:14), The Blame on ITV (1:17:33), and The Split UP on BBC1 (1:31:17). Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are…
S1 · E429 · 14 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 57 min

American Hostage, Slow Horses, and Crew Girl. With guests Patrick Brammall and Sanjeev Bhaskar

We have a guest double show this week as not only does Boyd chat weith Sanjeev Bhaskar about The Split Up (1:09:19-1:25:55), but Patrick Brammall joins us in the studio to chat Lat Seen (and, let’s be honest, Colin From Accounts) (26:24-51:12). There were tears. Plus, we head back to the seventies with Jon Hamm for American Hostage (1:25:55), see if Netflix can steal Prime’s YA crown with teen show Crew Girl (1:43:29), and find out what’s going down at Slough House with the latest season of Slow Horses (1:33:31). Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant…
S1 · E428 · 7 Sep 2026 · 2 hr 1 min

Colin From Accounts, and The Gentlemen. With guests Paddy Young and Jack Shep

In this week’s podcast we discover precisely why Steph is playing the new Harry Potter (and why you should never visit the zoo during a heatwave), we take a trip back to the ‘90s in search of reboot fodder, plus Boyd launches into an extended discussion of Bond themes (which apparently ties back in to TV somehow). Plus, we feast our eyes on the final series of Colin From Accounts (1:31:01), and head back to the Lords for the second season of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen (1:46:54), not to mention welcoming two members of the SNL crew to the show (1:01:05-1:14:30). Note: time stamps are…
S1 · E427 · 31 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 8 min

Vigil, Trigger Point, and The Rainmaker

We’re off to the Arctic circle this week with the return of Rose Leslie and Suranne Jones’ investigative thriller Vigil on BBC1 (40:00), putting the ‘boom’ back in ITV with the return of VIcky McClure’s Trigger Point (48:07), and getting our Grisham on in the arrival of The Rainmaker, also on ITV (56:38). Plus the team delve into the nepo baby phenomenon, Boyd prepares to head up to Edinburgh to hang out with the stars, and we do our level best to remain professional while beaming into the pod from the comfort of our various homes. Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out,…
S1 · E428 · 27 Aug 2026 · 46 min

PLUS Dark Matter

Have a free episode of PilotTV+ on us! We’re back into the multiverse on this week’s Pilot+ as we delve into the second season of Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter on Apple TV+. And assuming that it is indeed the ‘real James, Boyd and Kay, the team also break open the postbag to tackle a series of compliments AND complaints — the postbag giveth, and the postbag taketh away. Want your messages read out as part of The Postbag? Email us at postbag@pilottvpod.com
S1 · E426 · 24 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 57 min

The Terror: Devil In Silver, Dog Park, and Fightland. With guests Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler

We have not one but two Green Lanterns on this week podcast as both Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler put up with James fanboying both over Lanterns on HBO Max and of course the fact that Chandler IS Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights (clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!) (39:38-1:00). Elsewhere we have a big old Lego chat, someone attempts a sweet-based assassination attempt and we tackles the new season of The Terror on Sky (1:18:10), Australian canine comedy Dog Park on U (1:29:35), and criminal boxing thriller Fightland on Sky Atlantic (1:43:49). Note: time stamps are approximate as the…
S1 · E425 · 17 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 26 min

Lanterns, Ludwig, and Sunny Nights, plus Animation Education

We’re back to a full house this week as James returns from his holidays, and an even fuller house than that, in fact, as we have a surprise ringer parachuted into this week’s line-up. In a bid to address to the team’s ongoing reluctance to become au fait with animation, we’ve invited animation filmmaker John McEwan-Whyte to join us on the show and provide a crash course in all things cell-shaded (31:08). Plus we catch up on the heroic amount of things that we’ve watched over the past few weeks (including at least one awkward mea culpa) and we jump into this week’s shows. To whit: DC…
S1 · E424 · 13 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 18 min

House Of The Dragon Season 3 Spoiler Special. With showrunner Ryan Condal

As a special bonus, we're making our House Of The Dragon spoiler special available to everyone! For more of these, early, ad-free access to the main podcast and a second show every week, subscribe to Pilot+ for not very much money at all! www.empire.supportingcast.fm House Of The Dragon reached its fiery (and swordy, and axey) climax this week with a LOT happening as we lay the board for the show’s final season. This season saw dragons in the sky, a new bum on the Iron Throne anshoved up another one. All of which are good reasons for the Pilot gang (well, James and Boyd since Steph is still…
S1 · E423 · 10 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 26 min

The Shards, Hit Point, and Alley Cats

Apparently, it’s our 400th episode so to celebrate we invite special guest Darren, our esteemed editor, to join Kay, Steph and Boyd for the opening ‘What we’ve been watching’ segment, which is full of surprises. We also look back to the very first episode, before reviewing the Bret Easton Ellis/Ryan Murphy collab The Shards on Disney+, U&Dave’s first scripted original drama Hit Point, and adult animation Alley Cats from Ricky Gervais. Here’s to the next 400!
S1 · E422 · 3 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 43 min

Possession, Benidorm Is Murder, and Lioness. With guest Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais is our guest this week, talking all things Alley Cats, and yes, it’s an animated show, but a very very adult one. We’re also celebrating James’ absence with another two-hander between Boyd and Kay who together review Possession with Gugu Mbatha-Raw on Sky & NOW, Benidorm Is Murder with John Hannah on 5, not to be confused with A Touch Of Cloth, and the star-studded Lioness from the Taylor Sheridan stable. Boyd also counts down his top 10 favourite films, due to public demand. Kind of.
S1 · E421 · 27 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 36 min

The Vampire Lestat, Furious, and The Rapture

Furious is definitely the word for this week’s show. Not just because we’re reviewing the serial killer show of the same name on Disney+, but because that is a perfect summation of Steph’s mindset going in. As incandescent as we’ve ever seen her, Steph Hulked out over one of this week’s shows but refused to reveal which one, so you’ll have to wait for the reviews section to find out. Was it the aforementioned (and aptly titled) Disney show? Was it the return of Sam Reid in Interview With The Vampire evolution The Vampire Lestat on BBC2? Or was it apocalyptic thriller The Rapture on BBC1?…
S1 · E420 · 20 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 49 min

The Crow Girl, Ride Or Die, and The Hawk. With guest Anya Taylor-Joy

Anya Taylor-Joy is our guest in the studio this week, talking both her new show Lucky on Apple TV and her (and Steph’s) love of dogs (32:50-50:51). But that’s not all, because the team also talk through the TV teachers they wish had filled them with knowledge during their formative years and reviewed three new shows besides. To wit: the return of twisted crime thriller The Crow Girl (1:10:07) on Paramount+, Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer’s buddy action comedy Ride Or Die on Prime Video (1:32:00), and Will Ferrell’s golfing comedy The Hawk on Netflix (1:43:58). Note: time stamps are…
S1 · E419 · 13 Jul 2026 · 2 hr 6 min

The Westies, Ann Droid, and The Five Star Weekend. With guests JK Simmons and Tom Brittney

We finally unveil (in typically shambolic fashion) our shows of the year (so far) list in this week’s episode as an arcane mathematical formula is applied to our individual favourites, distilling them into the definitive (probably) top 10 of everything out in 2026 to-date (17:33). Plus JK Simmons and Tom Brittney join us to chat MGM+’s new gangster show The Westies (37:18-50:58). We also watch Diane Morgan’s new comedy, Ann Droid, on BBC1 (1:42:17), and Jennifer Garner’s girls’ weekend drama The Five Star Weekend on Sky Atlantic (1:51:38). All that and se do a drop-in to discuss this year’s…
S1 · E418 · 6 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 37 min

The Dark, Human Vapor, and X-Men ‘97. With guest Esther Smith

Esther Smith is our guest on this week’s show, talking all things Trying Season 5 (38:15-48:52). Plus we pick through the wreckage of the TV schedules this week to try and find shows that haven’t been consumed by the world cup, only to stumble across a Scottish crime drama in The Dark on ITV (58:20), a remake of Japanese supernatural story Human Vapor on Netflix (1:11:04), and the long-awaited second season of X-Men ‘97 on Disney+ (1:22:04). All that, and we even find the time to plan our perfect TV-themed getaways as well. Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are…
S1 · E417 · 29 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 31 min

The Bear, Silo, and Elle

Ever wondered what a ‘winter show’ looks like? Well fear not because Steph clues you in on this week’s show as we dive into another triad of televisual entertainment. First out of the gate this week is the final season of The Bear on Disney+ (51:06). Will the restaurant keep its doors open? Will Carmy and Syd be able to save the day? Will Ritchie yell obscenities across the kitchen? All is revealed in the show’s last hurrah. We also take a trip back to the high school origin story of Legally Blonde’s Elle Woods in Elle on Prime (1:05:50), and head back beneath the earth for a return to the…
S1 · E416 · 22 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 18 min

Sugar and The Agency

We’re down to two shows this week as the world cup (or embargoes, depending on who you ask) closes its vice-like grip on the airwaves. But what a pair they are: we’re back in the spy business with Michael Fassbender in the return of Paramount+’s espionage drama The Agency, and on the missing persons beat with Colin Farrell as Apple’s sci-fi-cri Sugar makes its return. Plus we mull over some of the Pilot shows that have dragged us out of our comfort zone and not only does Kay Ribeiro make her triumphant return to the podcast this week, but Steph drops by as well, making this a rare full…
S1 · E415 · 15 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 43 min

House Of The Dragon and The Light In The Hall: Still Waters. With guest Javier Bardem

Thanks to the world cup (and a handful of embargoes), there are only two shows we can cover this week, but that’s okay because not only is one of the triumphant return of Game Of Thrones prequel spin-off House Of The Dragon (1:15:43), but the other is Welsh drama The Light In The Hall: Still Waters (1:01:38), which also exists under the Welsh name Y Golau: Dŵr, which James does attempt to say, albeit with a little assistance. Plus Javier Bardem joins us on the show to chat bringing Max Cady back to our screens in Apple’s adaptation of Cape Fear (35:07-46:23). Note: time stamps are…
S1 · E414 · 8 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 52 min

Cape Fear, Alice And Steve, and The Witness. With guests Nicola Walker and Jemaine Clement

After being led astray within the liminal spaces between spaces in the Pilot TV office, Nicola Walker and Jemaine Clement finally make their way to the studio this week to chat their new Disney+ comedy Alice And Steve (35:23-54:53), which we also review (1:10:45) this week. Plus we re-live our nineties nightmares as cinematic uber-villain Max Cady makes his small screen debut in Apple’s remake of Cape Fear (1:25:01), and we delve into some traumatic true crime in Netflix’s The Witness (1:40:02). Elsewhere, the team try to name the current funniest show on TV and Boyd takes apart the Euphoria…
S1 · E413 · 1 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 59 min

Tip Toe, Two Weeks in August, and La Brea. With guest Russell T. Davies

The notorious RTD joins us on the podcast once more this week (31:27-58:11) as we take a look at his new show Tip Toe on Channel 4, which pits Alan Cumming against David Morrissey’s homophobic next door neighbour. Plus, we head off for a fornight in the sun with BBC1’s Two Weeks In August, and head back in time for epoch-hopping Sky One sci-fi La Brea. Plus James, Boyd and Steph undertake some home improvements, telly style, and you’ll also discover why everyone’s suddenly watching Yellowstone. Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you…
S1 · E412 · 25 May 2026 · 1 hr 53 min

Spider-Noir, Dear England, and The Boroughs. With Guests Joseph Fiennes and Jodie Whittaker

This week’s show has a decidedly football-oriented theme (sorry) and not just because Boydy was still on a high after Arsenal’s win but because James Graham’s award-winning theatre production Dear England lands on our screens (1:31:40), given the full BBC1 treatment. And along those lines, both Jodie Whittaker and Joseph Fiennes join us on the show to talk all about it (44:07-58:24). Elsewhere, we slide back into the 1930s in a hardboiled gumshoe detective story with a superhero twist in Spider-Noir on Prime (1:13:37), and see if Netflix’s OAP Stranger Things, The Boroughs, lives up to its…
S1 · E411 · 18 May 2026 · 1 hr 58 min

PONIES and Falling, with guests Emilia Clarke, Jon Bernthal & Ebon Moss-Bachrach

Two shows but three guests this week. Emilia Clarke comes into the Pilot studio to chat about her new cold-war espionage show PONIES on Sky (1:06:52-1:25:00). Plus, Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach also jump on to chat their surprise drop from The Bear, ‘Gary’ (38:07-49:32). And if that’s not enough, we also make time for some consecrated canoodling in Channel 4’s Falling, in which Paapa Essiedu’s hot priest falls for Keeley Hawes’ hot nun, and you’ll discover why Steph is talking about having sex dreams about JLS and Dune. Honestly, it’s enough to make you want to find the nearest…
S1 · E410 · 11 May 2026 · 1 hr 48 min

Rivals, Believe Me, Gary, and Off Campus. With guest Steve Coogan

Yes, we’re back in Rutshire this week as the team (well, one of us) gets to dive back into the world of Jilly Cooper’s bucolic shagathon for Rivals series 2 (1:32:54), speaking of which, we also explore the other sexy ice hockey drama with Off Campus on Prime (1:43:52), get surprised by an unexpected new episode of The Bear (1:39:58), and look into the police mishandling of a notorious serial sex offender in Believe Me on ITV (1:17:59). Plus Steve Coogan sits down in the Pilot TV studio to chat Netflix’s Legends (47:39-1:06:22), the team mull over a selection of particularly ill-conceived…
S1 · E409 · 4 May 2026 · 1 hr 56 min

The Cage, Secret Service, and Amandaland. With guest Jack Thorne

This week’s show sees us pick up some of last week’s biggies with Tony Schumacher’s heist drama The Cage on BBC1 (1:38:54), Gemma Arterton-starring spy show Secret Service on ITV (1:14:57), and the second series of Amandaland, which also lands on the Beeb (1:26:27). Plus uber-screenwriter Jack Thorne chats through his craft with James (43:21-1:06:26), and we take a look at the evolution of small screen storytelling from the episodic shows of yore all the way up to binge-worthy one-drops. Note: time stamps are approximate as the ads throw them out, so are only meant as a guide. If you want to…
S1 · E408 · 27 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 41 min

Half Man, Prisoner, and Widow’s Bay. With guest Richard Gadd

Is it us or is it getting hot in here? No, it really is but only because Steph has been messing with the air conditioning in the studio (true). Luckily, this didn’t both Richard Gadd, who joins us on this week’s show to talk becoming a beefcake and scaring the shit out of Jamie Bell in his Baby Reindeer follow-up Half Man on BBC1 (58:36-1:10:02). But that’s not all, because the team also investigate Sky’s new thriller Prisoner (1:28:10), which bears a striking resemblance to Jonathan Ross’ new Handcuffed show, only with more machine guns, and Apple’s quirky supernatural comedy Widow’s Bay…
S1 · E407 · 20 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 45 min

Criminal Record, Beef, and Mint. With guests Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo

Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo are on this week’s pod to talk Criminal Record season 2 on Apple TV, which we also review even though James wanted us to wait until he gets back from holiday next week because he’s watched the whole thing already. We also review Beef and Mint. That’s not a new cookery show. They’re two separate programmes, one called Beef and one called Mint.
S1 · E406 · 13 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 23 min

Euphoria, Big Mood, and The Miniature Wife

Euphoria makes its long-awaited return to our screens this week, after a four year hiatus. But can it possibly meet Boyd’s lofty expectations when it lands on Sky/HBO Max (47:06)? And speaking of Sky, Matthew Macfadyen and Elizabeth Banks’ size-shifting comedy The Miniature Wife also lands on that platform (1:01:04), and hit comedy Big Mood returns for another run on Channel 4 (1:11:05). Plus, we bust out our (metaphorical) turntables to thrash out our favourite TV needle drops, there’s a lot of unnecessary watermark chat, and you’re all invited to Steph’s birthday party. Except James. Note:…
S1 · E405 · 6 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 49 min

The Testaments, 2026, and The Copenhagen Test. With guests Noah Wyle & Katherine LaNasa, Hugh Bonneville & Hugh Skinner

Guests abound once more this week as both Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa chat The Pitt with James (1:04:12-1:17:45), while Hughs Bonneville and Skinner recount their experiences making 2026 with Boyd (22:46-23:40). Meanwhile, we’re back in Gilead this week for The Testaments on Disney+ (1:17:45), finding out is Simu Liu can hack it as a spy in The Copenhagen Test on Channel 4 (1:36:53), and reuniting with Hugh Bonneville once again as he does his level best to organise the world cup in 2026 on BBC1 (1:28:09). Plus, Kay interrogates our Easter viewing habits, James recounts a challenging…
S1 · E404 · 30 Mar 2026 · 2 hr 8 min

Babies, The ‘Burbs, and Your Friends And Neighbours. With guests Elisabeth Moss, Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King

This weeks show not only sees the wonderful Elisabeth Moss come in to the Pilot studio to natter with James, Boyd and (especially) Steph about Imperfect Women (7:29-33:33), but we also speak to Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King about the triumphant return of The Comeback (1:14:31-1:28:20). Meanwhile, this week’s show include BBC1’s Babies — strap in for this one — (1:37:46) Sky’s The ‘Burbs (in which Jack Whitehall revisits the ‘80s Tom Hanks comedy) (1:28:20), and the second season of Jonathan Tropper’s Your Friends And Neighbours on Apple TV (1:52:40). Do we also chat through UK/US…

About Pilot TV

From the creators of The Empire Film Podcast, Pilot TV is your essential guide to every TV show that matters, providing a weekly rundown of all the new must-see TV shows dropping across streaming, terrestrial, satellite, cable, and beyond. Join Empire's James Dyer, Heat's Boyd Hilton, Steph Seelan, and Kay Ribeiro as they bring you breaking TV news, reviews of the week's major shows, and interviews with some of the biggest names in TV. Pilot TV is here to make sure every minute you spend in front of the box is a minute worth spending. Served with a heavy helping of insider knowledge, irreverence and humour, Pilot TV won't just keep you informed, amused and entertained, but is guaranteed to save countless hours of your life. Because you can’t watch *everything*. Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to Pilot+ for a bonus episode every Thursday, in-depth spoiler specials, and early, ad-free access to the regular show! Find out more at www.empireonline.com/pilottv

Pilot TV is a English film & tv podcast from Empire Magazine. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Empire Magazine
Language: English
Category: Film & TV
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 1 hr 47 min
Latest episode: 5 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1435481214
Rights: Pilot TV

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