Podcasts

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the UK box office, shooting up 1,586%, but to a still-pitiful level. He reviews the new Netflix David Fincher film Mank about the making of Citizen Kane, which is already tipped for awards glory. His favourite of the week though is a more modest piece starring Paul Bettany called Uncle Frank. And he looks at the much-admired Australian teen drama Babyteeth, just out on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Political commentator Mike Indian discusses the progress of the last-ditch attempts to reach a Brexit agreement, asking who is responsible for the statemate. As the Covid vaccine begins its roll-out, he asks if 2021 shouldn't be seen as a chance to assess the way government, institutions and society works in the UK and make some big changes. And, picking perhaps an unlikely political Star of the Year, he looks across the Atlantic at what might happen when President Biden becomes the new occupant of The White House.

Share Radio's technology editor gives his usual end-of-the-year roundup of some suitable (and unsuitable) gifts for Christmas, from a £248,000 robot kitchen right down to a £3 device for microwaving eggs (which sometimes explode). He covers the Echo Show, the Osmo Pocket, the Oculus Quest, a Rolls-Royce shooting stick, the Tile Mate, a Zoom escape room adventure, a pocket thermal printer and top-of-the-range headphones.

Ian Forrest of The Share Centre looks at the factors that have been affecting the stock market this week. He analyses recent news from Ashtead and Ferguson, both heavily dependent upon the US, as well as BAT, with its high yield, and Ocado, one of the big beneficiaries of the pandemic. Looking ahead, he tells us what we might expect from Dixons Carphone.

Saving, spending, planning — you've got money questions and we've got answers. Every week host Alison Southwick and personal finance expert Robert Brokamp challenge the conventional wisdom on life's biggest financial issues to reveal what you really need to know to make smart money moves. It’s the second part of our series with the help of the folks over at Industry Focus. This week, Nick Sciple joins the team to drill down, identify headwinds, and mix metaphors in the energy sector. Bro offers his best advice to close 2020 with a strong (financial) finish.

December had barely begun when two of Britain's biggest High Street names collapsed. Sir Philip Green's Arcadia, the group that contains Topshop and Miss Selfridge, fell first - followed swiftly by Debenhams. Bonmarché, owned by retail tycoon Philip Day, then also slumped into administration. So how bad is the crisis on the High Street, if these stores couldn't even make it through the Christmas trading period? Can traditional bricks and mortar compete against the online giants and upstarts? Have the likes of Boohoo and Asos, put the fashion High Street online-only and there is no place for the likes of Topshop anymore? Or is there more that lies behind this story, such as financial engineering, debt, sale and leasebacks, and the lack of wriggle room that leaves when things take a downturn? On this week's podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert discuss the pre-Christmas High St collapse. Plus, why you should avoid gift vouchers and cards this year, the art of flipping houses for a profit - and why those after a quick buck should beware - and why it is worth having a pension.

Want to keep up with the latest earnings updates from the States? Well join Chris Hill and the Motley Fool Radio Show team here on Share Radio, direct from Washington DC, for news, views and analysis of the US stocks that matter. In this week's show: Wall Street shrugs off disappointing jobs numbers; Salesforce buys Slack and squares off against Microsoft; Docusign beats on the top and bottom lines; Crowdstrike, Five Below, and Zscaler all hit all-time highs; Zoom Video reports strong earnings but slips on slowing revenue growth; Ulta Beauty slips on slowing sales; Okta rises on earnings; WarnerMedia disrupts the movie business; And Oreos go Gaga! Motley Fool analysts Andy Cross and Ron Gross weigh in on those stories and share two stocks on their radar: Fulgent Genetics and Lemonade. Plus, toy industry analyst Jackie Breyer talks holiday toys, scented Play Doh, and the state of the toy business.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University considers whether there is light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel or whether there's another - economic - tunnel just ahead that we're about to plunge into. He also asks if a new, cultural, Iron Curtain is descending on Europe, splitting the grouping into east and west. And he ponders whether the World's Central Banks' policies have set us up for a catastrophic fall.

Investment research analyst Helal Miah of The Share Centre looks at recent news from Topps Tiles, Iomart and AJ Bell and looks ahead to what we might expect from British American Tobacco, Rolls-Royce and Ocado. Simon Rose recommends two books for Christmas that might appeal to those interested in investment and economics: Investing for Growth by fund manager Terry Smith and Daylight Robbery: How Tax Shaped Our Past And Will Change Our Future by commentator/comedian Dominic Frisby.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the sad UK box office chart with fewer than 30 cinemas open (Home Alone is #1). He looks at new Netflix offering, Yes, God, Yes about a religious, naive young woman in the early days of online chatting. Brandon Cronenberg's Possessor, starring Andrea Riseborough, he found stomach-turning. But he was very taken with gay-themed romcom Happiest Season, starring Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis, which he recommends strongly.