The Empire Film Podcast

The big man himself, Mr Ron Perlman, joins us on the podcast this week to explain why you'll find him naked in a fountain and speaking in tongues in Hand Of God. And if an audience with Hellboy isn't enough, we also welcome Legend director Brian Helgeland and star Tom Hardy for a quick podbooth knees-up as well. 'Ave at iiiit!

This week sees a podcast first. Yes, we've hired a new freelance film reviewer to cast a critical eye over one of the week's cinematic releases, Bad Education. Jack Whitehall is the guy's name, and we can't envisage any conflict of interest there. Rounding out your weekly dose of film-related chatter are all the treasures of Disney's D23 event, as well as an appraisal of Vacation.

You're not going to believe this, but Cara Delevingne is on this week's podcast. As well as talking about Paper Towns, the upcoming John Green adaptation, she also sings the theme tune to Pokeman. Plus! The Empire Podcast team say goodbye to their editor, Ali. It's been emotional.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. may be out on August 14, but one of the men from The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is on the podcast this week, namely Mister Hugh Grant esquire. He talks toy cars, the Cold War and spies in the family, while the Empire Podcast team stick to the new Fantastic Four movie and which is the best Chris: Pine, Pratt, Evans or Hemsworth?

You might know him as the voice of Olaf from Frozen, or you could be a big Wedding Ringer fan, or you could love his work with Billy Crystal in The Comedians, but however you know him, he's Josh Gad, and here's on the show this week to talk about Pixels. Every single one of them. Ever.

The inside story on Inside Out, hand-wringing over the announcement of an Emoji movie and Dan Jolin being habitually wrong on the subject of spoilers. All that and more in this week's podcast, guest hosted by geek queen Helen O'Hara. She ran pell mell straight from an interview with Hugh Grant to get to the podbooth on time. It was terribly dramatic.

The ferociously talented Jake Gyllenhaal is the guest on this week's podcast, as is the ghost of San Diego Comic Con, which haunts this episode like a, um, ghost. In short: the team wraps up the biggest headlines from the con, and reviews the likes of True Story and Ant-Man.

Just two members of the podcast team appear on this week's episode, namely Phil De Semlyen and Ali Plumb, both of whom are at the San Diego Comic-Con to show off their impressive cosplay costumes. Expect to hear signs of severe sleep deprivation and some seriously lame jokes.

The charming and wonderful Hayley Atwell stops by the Empire Podcast booth for a lengthy chat about her Marvel TV series, Agent Carter, touching on mid-audition nausea and how she'd fight Empire if it came to it. Elsewhere, the team comes to terms with Terminator Genisys and The Crystal Skull.

You're not going to believe this, but the Edinburgh International Film Festival invited the Empire Podcast team back for the second year in a row, and this is the result: over two hours of silly questions, silly answers, movie news and reviews, featuring not one, not two, but three interviews. We spoil you, we know.

Ian McKellen and the cast of Entourage: not your typical gathering of famous folk, but then again, the Empire Podcast is not your typical film programme. Be sure to tune in to hear Gandalf singing songs from Beauty And The Beast, as well as Johnny "Drama" Chase talking about dinosaur heads. It'll make sense in context, promise.

Two interviewees this week, both of them undeniable legends. First up is David "The Hoff" Hasselhoff, here to talk about his new show, Hoff The Record, which airs June 18 at 9pm on Dave. Then there's Richard E. Grant, here to talk about Queen And Country, as well as - you guessed it - Withnail And I.

Espionage comedy Spy offers up two interviewees this week, with both director Paul Feig and star Peter Serafinowicz stopping by to reveal everything we ask of them (as all good spies should).

Simon Pegg appears on the Empire Podcast for a record-breaking fourth time this week, talking about everything from this new Star Trek script to his latest, the Brit rom-com Man Up, out now.

The Prince Regent, Bertie Wooster, Gregory House, Viscount George Bufton-Tufton, Frederick Little and Jasper from 101 Dalmatians - Hugh Laurie's played them all, and been very funny with it. He continues that funny streak with his Empire Podcast interview for Tomorrowland: A World Beyond, explaining how how be manages that pitch-perfect English accent.

Mad Max: Fury Road is out this week, as is Pitch Perfect 2, but we're here for the other guys: A Royal Night Out (also in cinemas this weekend) and Man Up (out in two weekends' time) with Sarah Gadon and Lake Bell both in the studio to talk about their respective films.

The legendary host of America's foremost late-night talk and news satire television program, The Daily Show, Jon Stewart is on this week's podcast to chat about his directorial debut, Rosewater, as well as The Winslow Boy, John Oliver, and much more besides. Also on this episode are Spooks: The Greater Good's Peter Firth and Kit Harington, who talk horses, running up walls and surviving the Oscars.

The utterly charming Carey Mulligan is the guest on this week's Empire Podcast, talking about everything from sheep farming to how to use "madding" in a sentence without saying "Far From The Madding Crowd".

Two British actors masquerading as American superheroes are on this week's Empire Podcast, namely Paul Bettany (The Avengers Age Of Ultron's The Vision) and Charlie Cox (Daredevil's, um, Daredevil). Also, the team finally tackle that question of questions: what are the best running scenes in cinema?

Call him Hans Gruber, The Sheriff Of Nottingham or his real name, Alan Rickman, but the star-cum-director of A Little Chaos is a veritable living legend, and one willing to slum it in the muck and the mire of this week's Empire Podcast. Expect Die Hard references aplenty. Elsewhere, the team wrap their heads around the new Terminator Genisys trailer and come to terms to the new Star Wars The Force Awakens trailer.