Episode Six: Current Affairs, Politics and Watching the News

The CATH podcast is back! With a new cast of characters, we discuss adaptations - when they work, when they don't, and how to tell the difference.

Charley leads Cat, Jilly, Hazel and Laura on a trip down memory lane, as they discuss the children's entertainment franchise Horrible Histories.

Caitlin leads Cat, Charley, Hazel, Jilly and Laura in a discussion on Netflix, the international on-demand media provider. They consider how it has transformed domestic television- and film-viewing, posing a challenge to more traditional viewing platforms, as well as how it has more recently complicated conventional methods for producing and diffusing original television shows.

Charley leads Caitlin, Cat, Laura and Lewis as they reflect on the 2014 Oscars ceremony, considering broader questions on the value of the Academy Awards while discussing the ceremony's key moments, including Pink's questionable rendition of 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow', Ellen DeGeneres' contentious selfie and John Travolta's curious pronunciation of 'Idina Menzel'.

Jilly leads Caitlin, Charley, Hazel and Lewis in a heated discussion on Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed but highly contested The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), starring Leonardo DiCaprio as former Wall Street tycoon Jordan Belfort. The group address several issues that have been raised by critics, such as its suggested endorsement of Belfort's lifestyle and heavy use of profanity and nudity, while also discussing their own personal feelings on the film.

Hazel leads Caitlin, Cat, Charley, Jilly, Laura and Lewis in a discussion on the group's Christmas TV viewing habits or lack thereof, considering the roles of television and film in contemporary holiday rituals.

Lewis leads Caitlin, Cat, Charley and Laura in a discussion on the new documentary film Blackfish (2013), directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite. Doing their best not to descend into condemnations of Sea World, they discuss the film's fusion of documentary conventions with elements from horror and thriller genres, relating it to other contemporary documentaries and to postmodern film genres more generally.

Laura leads Caitlin, Cat, Hazel, Jilly and new member Lewis in a conversation on Jim Henson's Labyrinth (1986), starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie. The group debate the film's quality while considering questions of nostalgia and the bizarre relationship between Sarah and Jareth.

Jilly leads Caitlin, Cat, Charley, Hazel and Laura in a discussion on the relationship between watching the news and engaging with politics and current affairs. Examining their own news-viewing habits, or lack thereof, the group considers whether watching the news leads to a deeper understanding of contemporary issues and events.

Cat leads Caitlin, Charley, Hazel, Jilly and Laura in a heated discussion on the ten-part BBC One drama series The White Queen (2013). The drama is adapted from three novels in Philippa Gregory's 'Cousins' War' series - The White Queen, The Red Queen and The Kingmaker's Daughter - and stars Rebecca Ferguson, Amanda Hale and Faye Marsay.