Don't worry, folks — the Empire Podteam may be engaged elsewhere today (Friday, January 9), preparing to do the live show at Kings Place, London, that marks our 700th episode. But we'd never let you down, and let a Friday go without a dose of Empire Podcast goodness. Which brings us to this interview special, in which Helen O'Hara sits down on Zoom with Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, the stars of Chloe Zhao's emotionally devastating drama, Hamnet (in cinemas from today), about the tragedy that befell William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes; and then, as James Vanderbilt's WWII (well, post-WWII) drama, Nuremberg, hits Sky Cinema, we have a chat between Vanderbilt and Chris Hewitt about the former's determination to make the movie, and much, much more. Episode 700 will be in your feeds by the end of the weekend, but we hope this tides you over until then. Enjoy.

It's finally here! A little later than usual due to some technical mishaps, the latest episode of The Shameless Plug sees Chris Hewitt and Nick de Semlyen sit down on Teams (yes, Teams!) to have a chat about the latest issue of Empire magazine, which is still on sale in all good, evil, and virtual newsagents. In it, our dynamic duo talk about the cover movie, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, Chris' epic sit-down with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and the magazine's Review Of The Year. And what, we hear you cry, is the Truffaut Shuffaut? Find out within. Enjoy!

With the Empire Podcast team still in hibernation until the first show of 2026 (our live show at Kings Place, London, on Jan 9 — check kingsplace.co.uk for last-minute tickets), we're plugging the gap where the regular podcast would usually be with something a little different: a look ahead to the films of 2026, in which Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer sit down in the podbooth and, armed with nothing but a calendar, scant research, and some terrible opinions, talk about the films they're excited to see in the year ahead. It's all here, from the unexpected proliferation of sheep-based movies to the biggest box office double date since Barbenheimer: Dunesday. Enjoy — and Happy New Year to all our listeners!