I’ve been listening since I last had a full head of hair, and enjoy their witherings more than I ever have

Listening since their previous incarnation. They’ve just gotten better over the years. Totally worth the strange looks from family and fellow gym goers when I suddenly burst out into laughter.

the best movie review duo since Siskel & Ebert!!! i always look forward to all their witterings

Although it still ranks below Shakespeare, Kermode Mayo’s Take is now undoubtedly several rungs above the Beatles on the hierarchy of great British cultural exports. Listen in awe.

Podcast has continually gone downhill with fewer reviews, short run times, seemingly more attention paid to conning paying customers into listening to Shrink the Box because no one else would. The producers are doing a terrible job. Poor episode descriptions that are missing words and have improper spellings. And these new titles?? I imagine someone told them this was good for SEO or algorithm but it’s a withering slap in the face to the people who have listened to this show for decades. Ben Bailey Smith is hard to listen to on The Take, why would I seek him elsewhere?

Every week Take 2 gets shorter. Are we being tested? How much do we love Mark and Simon? How little content will we still be prepared to pay for? I haven’t unsubscribed yet but given the quality is definitely deteriorating and the pod seems increasingly lazy and undisciplined since they left the BBC, the drastically reduced quantity is testing me.

I am a sarcy native of the UK’s shores living with the “oh so pleased with themselves” techarati in Silicon Valley and this is hands down my favourite listening of the week. Feels like two old friends sitting at my kitchen table with a suitable beverage making me laugh, shout, disagree and learn in the same debate, question the nonsense but celebrate the really talented, creative stories and people we have in this choppy world. Cheers to you both - for a naturally optimistic soul with a grumpy gene like me, I feel like I have my tribe with me three times a week!!

Love the show. Love the banter and the bickering and Mark’s occasional off the rails rants. The interviews are always illuminating. I can handle the commercials, which is why I haven’t made the fairly robust financial commitment to become a vanguardista. What I would like to suggest is another tier of support. I would pay to be able to listen to the show without the Laughter Lift. I despise that segment. For a time, it seemed like it might have met its demise, as everyone, especially the super subs, groaned and protested. But Mark has been scarily cheery about it lately. Who likes these lame “jokes?” Is it only Simon Paul, like as an exercise in seeing what he can get Simon to do? Is it because Simon’s child is a comedy writer? Like, what even is the purpose? It doesn’t have anything to do with film. It never used to be part of the show. Ugh. Anyway, that’s how you will get me to part with my money. Offer a Laughter Lift Free edition, and I am in. No rimshot necessary. Hello to Jason, who seems to feel the same as I do about said segment.

The only film reviews I’ve listened to for 20 years. I would never have watched The Exorcist without Mark’s advocacy; I still haven’t watched Amadeus. Cured my ingrown toenail.

As a Colonial Commoner, my national news and media continually flog at my psyche, determined to drag me down a spiral of subservient sadness. Mark and Simon provide the aural antidote with their weekly unique, erudite witterings. Around a creamy filling of film reviews, the doctors administer a surprisingly healthy donut of hope and happiness. Four out of five medical doctors approve of this podcast (the fifth one is a fan of Michael Bay, and only looks at feet). As the Laughter Lift raises my spirit, I raise my spirit of the Japanese whiskey varietal to solute these two men of unrivaled intelligence. Sirs, may you continue to lift us out of dark times, denounce dunces, and loudly praise bloody-good cinema! (Not swearing, that’s a Horror flick reference)