The Last Line

In this episode of The Last Line, James chats to film and television editor, Paul Machliss. In the early part of Paul's career he worked on a number of British comedy television programmes that have become classics in the eyes of many including Black Books, The IT Crowd, The Peter Serafinowicz Show and Spaced. Paul has continued to work with Spaced creator, Edgar Wright, on his features films from Scott Pilgrim Vs The World through to Last Night In Soho. In 2017 Paul was awarded a BAFTA for his work on Baby Driver and was nominated for an Academy Award for the same film. 

During their conversation recorded in 2022, James and Paul discuss Paul's move from Australia to London, his early career and his work on Last Night In Soho and some of the creative decisions made in that film. 

Listen to James's other podcast, Crew's Next at the links below:

In this episode of The Last Line, James chats to returning guest, actor and comedian Alex Lowe. Alex has appeared in numerous television and film projects and is well known for his short but memorable appearance in Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights as psychic Clinton Baptiste. Alex continues to play the character of Clinton to this day on tour and in Clinton Baptiste's Paranormal Podcast. Alex is also the creator and voice behind another legendary comedy character, Barry from Watford who can be heard in the Angelos and Barry Show alongside Angelos Epithemiou. 

During their conversation recorded in early 2022, they discuss touring after the pandemic, Alex's comedy heroes and his work writing for comedy greetings cards.

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to Clive Stafford Smith a lawyer specialising in civil rights and working against the death penalty in the United States. Recorded in 2021, they discuss the differences between the UK and US criminal justice systems, Clive's work as a lawyer representing those detained in Guantanamo Bay, the death penalty and the response he receives from the public when doing his work. 

Clive co-founded Reprieve in 1999, an organisation that defends marginalised people facing human rights abuses, spotlights cases of injustice and works with Governments to improve legislation. Clive has personally represented over 300 prisoners facing the death penalty in the southern United States and only ever took on the cases of those who could not afford a lawyer and prevented the death penalty in all but six cases.

Clive has also represented more than 80 of the detainees held as enemy combatants since 2002 at the US Guantanamo Bay detention camp and continues to do for the men that are still held there today. He left Reprieve after 15 years and has established a new non-profit called 3DCentre. In 2005, Clive was awarded the Gandhi International Peace Award. 

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to one of the most prolific actors in film and television, and returning guest Stephen Tobolowsky. Recorded in March of 2021, they discuss what it's like filming during the COVID pandemic, how they think people will change when it's all finally over and James trawls through Stephen's Trivia section of his IMDb page.

Stephen has appeared in over 200 films with his IMDb page listing (at the time of writing this description) 256 acting credits in film and television including such projects as Groundhog Day, Memento, Spaceballs, Great Balls of Fire, Freaky Friday, One Day At A Time, The Goldbergs, Silicon Valley, Heroes and many many more. Stephen is also known for his podcast, The Tobolowsky Files, each episode telling a different story from Stephen's career or varied and interesting life.

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to actor and motion capture performer Ace Ruele. During their conversation recorded earlier this year, they talk about Ace's work as a motion capture artist on projects such as The Legend Of Tarzan, Eternals and Planet Of The Apes VR. They also discuss Ace's struggle with facing deportation to Jamaica (a country he has only ever visited twice) after his residency status was revoked by the Home Office.

Ace Ruele is one of the UK's leading actors in the motion capture/VFX industry. Ace's latest venture is his new company Creature-Bionics. The company’s purpose is to develop performance rigs that enhance an actor’s performance as a creature and create better data for motion capture and VFX reference. 

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to broadcaster, writer and television presenter Iain Lee. During their conversation they discuss Iain's new online radio station Radio Anywhere that launches on 15th November 2021. They discuss Iain's time at talkRADIO and the direction the station has gone in since his departure, his relationship with his audience, his dismay at the current state of radio and much more. 

Iain rose to prominence as the co-host of the satirical comedy show The 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 4 and co-hosted the live breakfast show RI:SE. Iain is a much-loved radio broadcaster having presented shows on LBC, BBC Three Counties Radio, Absolute and talkRADIO. During his time at talkRADIO hosting The Late Night Alternative, he won the ARIAS Moment of the Year 2020 Award when he successfully directed the emergency services to a caller who had taken an overdose in attempt to take their own life. In July 2020, Iain signed with the online streaming platform Twitch, alongside his co-presenter Katherine Boyle to continue to host The Late Night Alternative. 

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to friend of the podcast, singer/songwriter Tom Williams about his latest album Follow The Leader. They discuss the album track by track, exploring the themes of the album, Tom's songwriting process and his collaboration with his band members as well as touching upon some of his inspirations. 

Tom is a singer/songwriter that came to prominence with the band Tom Williams & The Boat who released three albums between 2010 and 2014. After taking a break from band duties Tom released two solo acoustic albums, New House & New Guitar before releasing All Change in 2017 which was chosen as one of the Top Ten albums of that year by BBC 6Music. Tom released his latest studio album, What Did You Want To Be? in 2019 whose tour culminated in a rip-roaring concert at London's Scala, about which James made a documentary that you can find a link to below. His new album Follow The Leader is out now, links to purchase physical copies of the album on Tom's online store are below.

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to comedy actor and writer Ellie White. During their conversation, recorded earlier in the year, they talk about Ellie's work including her work with Natasia Demetriou and her appearance on This Time With Alan Partridge, as well as discussing some of Ellie's favourite reality television programmes from the early noughties and the idea of darkness in comedy.

Ellie White is an English comedy actress and writer who attended the University of Bristol where she met fellow comedy actors and writers Jamie Demetriou and Natasia Demetriou, now her long-time comedy partner. White has appeared in a number of television programmes including Stath Lets Flats, Murder in Successville, This Time with Alan Partridge and Semi-Detached. Since 2016 she has played Princess Beatrice in the comedy programme The Windsors and was the lead role in Holly Walsh's sitcom The Other One. 

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to Joseph Dittmar Sr. a 2 World Trade Center survivor of 11th September 2001. Joseph founded the Always Remember Initiative to keep the voices, spirits and memories of the 3,000 victims of that day alive. Joseph makes regular presentations telling the story of the day free of charge simply to make sure that it is never forgotten.

This year, 2021, marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11. 

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to songwriter, bassist and member of the band White Lies, Charles Cave. They discuss the 10th Anniversary of the band's debut album To Lose My Life and the 10 Year Anniversary Tour they did in celebration, their "difficult second album" Ritual, the ways in which the band's approach to songwriting has changed and the band's influences.

White Lies are an English post-punk band from London comprising of Harry McVeigh on lead vocals and guitar, Charles Cave on bass guitar and backing vocals and Jack Lawrence-Brown on drums. The band started life under the name Fear Of Flying but, despite early success, retired the band name when they started writing the darker material that would eventually become White Lies. Their first album To Lose My Life debuted at number one in the UK charts in 2009. Since then, White Lies have released four more studio albums; Ritual, Big TV, Friends & 2019's Five. 

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to animal welfare campaigner and founder of the Claws Out Campaign, Beth Jennings. The Claws Out Campaign aims to end the exploitation of captive lions in South Africa. There is a clear correlation between the growth of the captive lion industry and the plummeting of wild lion numbers across Africa. The Claws Out Campaign seeks to make volunteers and tourists more aware of the role they are playing in contributing to the lion bone trade and canned hunting industry. 

After volunteering to 'Live with Lion Cubs in South Africa' in 2015, Beth realised that instead of making a contribution to lion conservation, she was actually faced with the harsh reality regarding the treatment of lions throughout the country. On her return to the UK she committed to raise awareness through her experience, aiming to educate potential volunteers about what is really happening within these parks. This grew into The Claws Out Campaign. Alongside her work with The Claws Out Campaign, Beth works for Four Paws International, and, as James and Beth discuss in the podcast, campaigns against the illegal puppy trade in Europe and the dog and cat meat trade in South East Asia.

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to comedian, actor, writer and presenter Tom Allen. Their conversation includes Tom's thoughts on the television drama It's A Sin, Tom's comedy influences, his time spent at the National Youth Theatre and the idea of shame, a subject that Tom covers extensively in his book No Shame.

Tom Allen is a comedian, actor, writer and presenter. In 2005, Tom won the So You Think You're Funny contest against notable names such as Sarah Millican, Joe Wilkinson, Kevin Bridges and friend of the podcast Stuart Goldsmith. As well as his work in stand-up comedy Allen is known to many as a television presenter hosting shows such as Bake Off: The Professionals, The Apprentice: You're Fired and as a regular contributor on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice. At the end of 2020, Tom released his book No Shame: The Hilarious and Candid Memoir from One of Our Best-Loved Comedians which delves into his childhood, adolescence, and sexuality with his trademark caustic wit and warmth. A link to the book is below:

Tom Allen - No Shame:

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to writer, documentary filmmaker, director and producer Matthew Field about his book, that he co-wrote with Ajay Chowdhury, Some Kind Of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films. As well as talking all things Bond, they also discuss The Italian Job, a film about which Matthew is considered a leading authority and his work on behind the scenes documentaries about films such as Terminator 2 and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!.

Matthew began his writing career with the book, The Making of The Italian Job, later co-producing and directing a feature length documentary about the film in 2009. He has written numerous books on cinema, notably including the autobiography of Oscar-winning film producer Michael Deeley entitled Blade Runners, Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off! Matthew has worked on a number of feature films producing behind-the-scenes documentaries and in 2015 released the book Some Kind of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films that he co-wrote with Ajay Chowdhury going into deep detail of the story of the making of the James Bond films in the definitive book for James Bond fans.

James's other podcast with musician George Kerridge, Getting Pretentious, can be found at the links below:

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to Parkour athlete, filmmaker and member of STORROR, Toby Segar. During their conversation recorded earlier this year, they discuss the origins of Parkour, how Toby developed his craft as a filmmaker and athlete, STORROR's work on Michael Bay's 6 Underground and they even discuss Toby's love for the film Avatar.

Toby Segar is a parkour athlete and filmmaker and member of the parkour team STORROR. STORROR is a professional parkour and specialist stunt performance team, participating in work for movies, advertising, live performances and much more. The team is comprised of seven members, Max and Benj Cave, Drew Taylor, Callum and Sacha Powell, Josh Burnett-Blake and Toby Segar. At the time of writing this they have over 6.8 Million subscribers on their YouTube page which is linked below.

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to filmmaker Michael Cumming about his new film King Rocker, a documentary about Robert Lloyd, lead singer of 70's post-punk band The Nightingales. During their conversation they discuss the new film, its central protagonist Robert Lloyd, Michael's work on Chris Morris's now legendary Brass Eye and the surprise success of Matt Berry's Toast of London.

Michael Cumming is a director and filmmaker whose back catalogue includes Chris Morris's Brass Eye and Michael's subsequent film about it Oxide Ghosts, Matt Lucas & David Walliams in Rock Profile, the cult classic Snuff Box with Matt Berry. Michael worked with Matt Berry again when he directed the BAFTA winning Toast Of London. 

King Rocker airs on Sky Arts on Saturday 6th February at 9PM. It is presented and written by Stewart Lee who appears in Episode 23 of the podcast.

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to comedian Stewart Lee about his new film King Rocker, a documentary about Robert Lloyd, lead singer of 70's post-punk band The Nightingales. During their conversation they discuss the new film, its central protagonist Robert Lloyd, stand up comedy, Stewart's propensity to defend stand up comedians against the views of the general public and his reluctance to participate in podcast interviews.

Stewart Lee is a stand up comedian, writer and director who, in the 90s, was one half of the comedy duo Lee and Herring. After writing and performing in Fist of Fun with Richard Herring, Lee went on to co-write and co-direct West End musical Jerry Springer: The Opera. Stewart is well-known for his stand up comedy and his television series' Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle and The Alternative Comedy Experience. 

King Rocker airs on Sky Arts on Saturday 6th February at 9PM. It is directed by filmmaker Michael Cumming who features in the next episode of The Last Line.

James from The Last Line has a new weekly podcast co-hosted with musician George Kerridge.

In the first ever episode of Getting Pretentious, George and James dive in to The 1975's 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships'.

They discuss everything from James's initial preconceptions and misgivings about the band, the 1975's visual style, George's love and appreciation of Matt Healy's creative mind and why 'A Brief Inquiry' may in fact be a punk record in disguise.

To listen to more of Getting Pretentious head over to the Getting Pretentious podcast feed to subscribe and listen to Episode Two right now!

In this episode of The Last Line, James speaks to singer/songwriter Tom Williams. Tom has appeared on the show before back in Episode 4 and now joins James over the internet to discuss life in self-isolation after the UK was put into lockdown the day before.

Tom is a singer/songwriter that came to prominence with the band Tom Williams & The Boat who released three albums between 2010 and 2014. After taking a break from band duties Tom released two solo acoustic albums, New House & New Guitar before releasing All Change in 2017 which was chosen as one of the Top Ten albums of that year by BBC 6Music. Tom released his latest studio album, What Did You Want To Be? in 2019 whose tour culminated in a rip-roaring concert at London's Scala, about which James made a documentary that you can find a link to below.

In this episode of The Last Line, James speaks to motoring journalist, Top Gear & Grand Tour script editor, Sniff Petrol founder and one half of Smith & Sniff, Richard Porter. Richard is the author of the book 'And On That Bombshell: Inside the Madness and Genius of Top Gear' which offers a behind the scenes insight into the production of the show over the course of its thirteen year run. This year he also released the book How to be Formula One Champion which includes advice on the practical elements of being a formula one driver including the art of champagne spraying and how to wear a massive watch.

In Part Two of their conversation James and Richard discuss some of the controversies that surrounded Top Gear, the brilliant opening to the first episode of The Grand Tour and the response in The Grand Tour office when it was announced that Jeremy Clarkson would be the new host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

In this episode of The Last Line, James speaks to motoring journalist, Top Gear & Grand Tour script editor, Sniff Petrol founder and one half of Smith & Sniff, Richard Porter. Richard is the author of the book 'And On That Bombshell: Inside the Madness and Genius of Top Gear' which offers a behind the scenes insight into the production of the show over the course of its thirteen year run. This year he also released the book How to be Formula One Champion which includes advice on the practical elements of being a formula one driver including the art of champagne spraying and how to wear a massive watch.

The conversation between James and Richard lasted for nearly three hours so it has been split into two parts. Part Two will follow later in the week. In Part One they talk everything from the dread of being entrusted with footage, the story of the Dacia Sandero, BBC budgets and Richard's frustrations with people criticising Top Gear for being too scripted.

In the latest episode of The Last Line, James talks to comedian and podcast host Stuart Goldsmith. Stuart is a stand up comedian and former street performer who in 2012 started The Comedian's Comedian podcast in which he interviews comedians about the craft of writing and performing stand up comedy. At the time of writing this podcast description, The Comedian's Comedian has 319 episodes and the list of guests is mind-boggling. Generally if you can think of a stand up comedian they've probably been on Stuart's podcast at some point.

As Stuart is one of the podcasting titans (a title he resists accepting in this conversation) it was a good opportunity to get some podcasting advice as well as talking about stand up comedy, anxiety, therapy and why you must always have a backup recorder running when doing a podcast.

On this episode of The Last Line, James chats with wildlife filmmaker and presenter Gordon Buchanan. Gordon began his career as a camera assistant to for survival cameraman Nick Gordon and has since gone on to produce variety of wildlife documentaries for the BBC including The Polar Bear Family & Me which famously saw Gordon sitting inside a transparent cube while a polar bear tried to gain entry. Gordon has recently returned from Russia where he has been filming a new programme that is expected to air around Christmas time about the re-introduction to the wild of lynx that have been kept as pets or captured by huntsman.

During their conversation, James and Gordon talk about his new project, the impact of climate change on the natural world and what we as a society must do to prevent it and the ethical questions of wildlife filmmaking.

In this episode of The Last Line James chats to science writer, skeptical investigator and conspiracy debunker Mick West. He is the creator of the websites Contrail Science and Metabunk which endeavour to provide scientific evidence to debunk pseudoscientific claims such as chemtrails, UFOs and conspiracy theories. In 2018, Mick released the book Escaping the Rabbit Hole. How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic and Respect and in 2019 started his podcast Tales From The Rabbit Hole in which he interviews those involved, or once involved, in conspiracy culture.

During their conversation James and Mick discuss contrails, anti-vaccine conspiracies, the Flat Earth theory and many more but with a view to discuss how people may get sucked into these conspiracies and the ways of thinking once inside the rabbit hole.

In this episode of The Last Line, James chats to actor and comedian Alex Lowe. Alex has appeared in numerous television and film projects and is well known for his short but memorable appearance in Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights as psychic Clinton Baptiste. Alex continues to play the character of Clinton to this day and his podcast Clinton Baptiste's Paranormal Podcast is in its second series. Alex is also the creator and voice behind another legendary comedy character, Barry from Watford who can often be heard as a caller on the radio programmes of Steve Wright and Iain Lee and also in the Angelos and Barry Show alongside Angelos Epithemiou. 

During their conversation James and Alex talk about the weird world of stand up comedy, life as a child actor, Clinton Baptiste, Barry from Watford, the trials and tribulations of being a self employed artist and what happens when you don't hit the record button at the start of a podcast. Plus, listen out for a special appearance from Barry himself!

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to one of the most prolific actors in film and television, Stephen Tobolowsky. Stephen has appeared in over 200 films with his IMDb page listing (at the time of writing this description) 256 acting credits in film and television including such projects as Groundhog Day, Memento, Spaceballs, Great Balls of Fire, Freaky Friday, One Day At A Time, The Goldbergs, Silicon Valley, Heroes and many many more. Stephen is also known for his podcast, The Tobolowsky Files, each episode telling a different story from Stephen's career or varied and interesting life. 

During their conversation, James and Stephen talk about working with Christopher Nolan on Memento, being honest as an actor, Stephen's Jewish faith and how The Tobolowsky Files started after a near death experience with a horse on the side of an active volcano. 

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to mountaineer Jake Meyer about his summit of K2 a year ago. K2 is often referred to as 'The Savage Mountain' as it is generally considered to be one of the most dangerous mountains to climb. It is the second highest behind Mount Everest and is the mountain with the highest fatality to summit rate, about one person dies for every four that reach the summit. Jake reached the summit last year after two unsuccessful attempts and he tells the story of the attempts and summits on the show.

In 2005, at the age of 21, Jake became the youngest Briton to have ever summited Everest and also the youngest Briton and the youngest man in the world to complete The Seven Summits Challenge (climbing the highest mountains of each of the seven continents). He is also a member of the Army Reserves and has spent time serving in Afghanistan.

In this episode of The Last Line, James talks to political scientist and Professor at the University of Strathclyde, Sir John Curtice. Sir John is a Senior Research Fellow at The National Centre of Social Research and is particularly interested in electoral behaviour and researching political and social attitudes. He serves as President of the British Polling Council, vice-chair of the Economic and Social Data's Advisory Committee and is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Elections, the Executive Committee of the British Politics Section of the American Political Science Association, and the Policy Advisory Committee of the Institute for Public Policy Research. Sir John is also regularly involved in the BBC's election coverage for which he has picked up a strong following on social media.

During my conversation with Sir John we discussed the recent Conservative Leader's Debate on television as well as Brexit and the attitudes of the voting public towards it.

After a long hiatus, The Last Line is back! 

In this episode James talks to comedian, actor and musician Nick Helm. Nick has been performing shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival since the early 2000s and came to prominence with his 2010 show Keep Hold of the Gold. His 2011 follow-up, Dare To Dream was nominated for the Fosters best comedy show award and won Dave's award for the funniest joke of the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe. Nick regularly appears on television in shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Russell Howard's Good News and The Boyle Variety Performance.

In 2014 Nick starred in the lead role in the BBC Three sitcom Uncle which continued until 2017. In 2017 Helm starred in the Channel 4 sitcom Loaded and starred in his own comedic food documentary series Eat Your Heart Out on Dave. Nick is also a BAFTA nominee for his short film Elephant which he co-wrote and co-starred with Esther Smith in 2015. 

During my conversation with Nick at The Pleasance Theatre in London, we touched upon subjects such as Nick's early forays into the world of stand-up, the process of building up to play longer shows, not being deterred by the opinions of others and had a rather long and scientific conversation about belly button fluff.

In the tenth episode of The Last Line, James talks to criminal defence attorney, star of 'Making a Murderer' and author of 'Illusion of Justice: Inside Making A Murderer and America's Broken System', Jerry Buting. During their conversation they discuss the problems with the justice system in America, the benefits of the filming of trials, Jerry's faith and battle with cancer and why people are more drawn towards a job in prosecution than defence.

Jerry Buting has worked as a criminal defence lawyer in the state of Wisconsin for more than thirty-five years. Jerry has worked on many high profile cases during his career and shot to fame when his role as co-defence attorney in the State v. Steven Avery murder trial was documented in the Netflix series Making A Murderer. As well as his continued work within the justice system, Jerry has also written a book 'Illusion of Justice: Inside Making A Murderer and America's Broken System' in which he offers an insider's insight into the justice system's problems and proposes ways in which we can perpetuate change. 

You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline

In the ninth episode of The Last Line, James chats to German electronic music pioneers Harald Grosskopf & Eberhard Kranemann of newly formed outfit Krautwerk. During their conversation they discuss the lack of experimentation in modern music, the need for imperfections in art and how growing up in post-war Germany influenced their music.

Harald and Eberhard are both influential names in the world of German electronic music. Harald played drums on early work by Klaus Shulze before recording thirteen albums with the band Ashra. His solo albums Synthesist and Oceanheart have become cult hits in the electronic music scene. Eberhard is one of the original founding members of legendary band Kraftwerk and went onto release a number of albums under the pseudonym Fritz Muller while also playing in bands Neu! and Pissoff. 

You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline

In the eighth episode of The Last Line, James talks to journalist and blogger David Neiwert about everything from Alex Jones's removal from iTunes, Spotify and YouTube to conspiracy theories and their love for New Zealand film director Taika Waititi. 

David hails from the United States and formally wrote for MSNBC.com where he won the National Press Club Award for Distinguised Online Journalism in 2000 for his series on domestic terrorism. He is the writer of several books, his latest being 2017's Alt America: the Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump. David is also a contributing writer for the Southern Poverty Law Center's blog, Hatewatch. 

You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline

In the seventh episode of The Last Line, James talks to Two-Time World Superbike Champion and Lead Singer of Toseland, James Toseland. Recorded outside the pub at the end of the road they both live on they focus on how one moves on from having to give up what they love early in life and rebuild a new life and career. 

Apologies for the background noise, as this episode was recorded outside there will be vehicle noises present.

James Toseland was the World Superbike Champion in 2004 and 2007 before a wrist injury sustained in 2011 ended his racing career prematurely. After retiring James returned to his first love, music, and now fronts the rock band Toseland who have released two albums to date, Renegade (2014) and Cradle The Rage (2016). 

You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline

In the sixth episode of The Last Line, James chats to Jack Bourke of the band City Calm Down. Recorded backstage ahead of their gig at The London Borderline in May of 2018, they discuss everything from physical music sales, the prospect of AI created songs, the difficulty of balancing a full time job with a music and why James should never write interview questions late at night. 

City Calm Down hail from Melbourne Australia, they have released two studio albums, In A Restless House (2015) and Echoes in Blue (2018). Their debut album debuted at number 25 on the ARIA charts and the single, Rabbit Run, was featured in Triple J's Hottest 100 in 2015. The band have played multiple sell-out tours and major festivals including Splendour In The Grass, Laneway, Falls and The Great Escape.

You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline

In the fifth episode of The Last Line, James talks to investigative journalist and documentary presenter Ellie Flynn. Recorded in March of 2018, they cover everything from Ellie's documentary Rent For Sex which investigated landlords advertising their properties for free in exchange for sexual favours, our thoughts and insecurities around conducting interviews and being interviewed and Ellie's experience with the world of catfishing. 

Ellie has written for an extensive list of magazines and newspapers and worked as a reporter at a national newspaper before moving into presenting television documentaries for BBC Three. As well as investigating the landlords offering rent for sex, in her documentaries she has also covered the world of unregulated botox and traveled to Ireland to speak to both sides of the debate surrounding the Irish referendum regarding abortion. 

In the fourth episode of The Last Line, James talks to singer/songwriter Tom Williams. Recorded in February of 2018, they cover everything from Tom's latest album All Change, his other job teaching music and songwriting to school children, pop music, the merits of buying physical music and their views on a certain red headed singing megastar who plays a tiny guitar. 

Tom came to prominence with the band Tom Williams & The Boat who released three albums between 2010 and 2014. They were championed by the likes of Lauren Laverne and Steve Lemacq at BBC 6Music. After taking a break from band duties Tom released two solo acoustic albums, New House & New Guitar before releasing All Change last year. All Change received a great critical response and was chosen as one of the Top Ten albums of the year by BBC 6Music. 

You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline

In the third episode of The Last Line, James talks to author, activist and former ecstasy kingpin Shaun Attwood. Recorded in May of 2018, they cover everything from life and violence in prison, corruption in the justice system, Shaun's book on Making a Murderer's Steven Avery, mafia boss Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano and whether James would end up as someone's prison bitch.

Born in Widnes, Shaun moved to Arizona as a young man and within a few years he had already become a millionaire on the stock markets. Through throwing massive rave parties, Shaun found himself becoming the biggest ecstasy dealer in the state of Arizona and soon had allies in the New Mexican Mafia and enemies in the Gambino crime family. 

Years after giving it all up, Shaun's mansion was raided by a SWAT team and he spent time in some of the toughest jails and prisons in Arizona. While in jail he smuggled out writings that were published online exposing the terrible conditions that the prisoners were kept in under Sherrif Joe Arpaio.

Since his release and return to the UK, Shaun has become a public speaker, talking to school children across the country to stop them from repeating his mistakes. 

You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline

In the second episode of The Last Line, James talks to J. Willgoose Esq. of the band, Public Service Broadcasting. Recorded in January of 2018 they cover everything from creative processes, peforming at Brixton Academy, being interviewed and even the trials and tribulations of being a Wimbledon F.C. supporter.

Public Service Broadcasting are a pseudonymous musical group that set new music to old public information films, archive footage and propoganda material. They work closely with institutions such as the BFI to produce concept albums that tackle subjects such as the Welsh Mining Industry (Every Valley, 2017), the Space Race (The Race for Space, 2015) and the Second World War (The War Room EP, 2012). 

At first, the band consisted solely of Willgoose who writes the majority of the material and plays a number of different instruments on stage including guitar, banjo and keys. The band now takes the form of a three-piece with Wrigglesworth and JF Abraham also playing multiple instruments during shows. 

In the first episode of The Last Line, James talks to BBC 6Music Breakfast host Shaun Keaveny. Recorded in February of 2018 they cover everything from comedy influences, dealing with criticism, delivering huge news to radio audiences and James manages to get some tips on how to conduct a good interview.

Shaun has presented the breakfast show on 6Music since 2007 and you'll often hear him pop up on other stations such as Radio 2 and Radio 4. Shaun also has a podcast exclusive to Spotify called Shaun Keaveny's Show & Tell in which he invites a different guest each episode to talk about treasured items from their pasts. Shaun's first book, R2D2 lives in Preston was published in November 2010. It is a compilation of little known facts relating to various towns throughout the United Kingdom, advised by listeners to his radio show in a feature entitled "Toast the Nation".

You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline