Our podcast recommendation of the week temporarily moves to Wednesday, with a bit of a Star Wars theme to it.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, podcasts were created, to bring peace and hope and eradicate the Galactic Empire (probably). May the Fourth be with you all, as we take a moment to celebrate a (not so!) new hope in podcasting: Spark of Rebellion. You’ve never heard of Spark of Rebellion? It’s the podcast who made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs, and it’s piloted by two of the best hosts in the galaxy, Garry Aylott and Mark Asquith.
The Star Wars fanbase, whether hardcore or casual, are some of the most passionate and ardent on the planet, and some are more so than others. If you’re a fan of the Star Wars universe, it’s often hard to infiltrate existing fan communities or feel like you have a valid voice when there’s often a fair amount of toxicity and gatekeeping to navigate. This is where we need podcasts like Spark of Rebellion, who are accessible and welcoming whether you’re a wookiepedia of Star Wars canon, or a newbie to the franchise.
Longtime Star Wars fans Mark and Garry know podcasts more than most. Not only are they seasoned podcasters with over 1,600 episodes under their collective belts; fighting for the rebellion and releasing podcast content on the regular, but they also work in the podcast industry. Mark is the MD/co-founder and Garry is Head of Design at podcast host Captivate. Podcasting is something they are both wholly immersed in, with Garry also hosting The Big Blue Box Podcast, a popular Doctor Who podcast, and Mark running The Podcast Accelerator, as well as speaking at Harvard and on-stage across the world about the podcast industry and ongoing new technologies. There’s no choking on any aspirations here.
Garry and Mark have avid geek credentials, and after starting their podcasting journey together in 2011, they went their separate podcasting ways before coming back together in 2019 to scratch their collective itch for discussing, dissecting and devouring Star Wars.
They put their collective expertise in the films, books, games and TV series’ to good use in Spark of Rebellion, talk about all the latest Star Wars news, reviews, highlight random spotlights on the most obscure corners of the Star Wars galaxy and give their thoughts on ongoing projects. Both fell in love with The Empire Strikes Back as children, and if they could cast themselves as any character, they’d both be Obi-Wan Kenobi. Garry as the Sir Alec Guinness wise, measured and badass Kenobi from A New Hope, and Mark as the Ewan McGregor cool, collected and badass Kenobi from Revenge of the Sith. It’s worth noting at this point that Mark is a big fan of the prequels. There’s no fan shaming on Spark of Rebellion; all Star Wars is good Star Wars.
Despite ongoing successes personally and professionally, they’ve never fallen to the dark side, and Spark of Rebellion is a welcome respite from the often toxic fandom of Star Wars. Loving Star Wars simply means loving Star Wars, as well as accepting that not everyone knows if Han shot first. Whether you’re a original trilogy, prequel trilogy, sequel trilogy or an avid Ewoks: The Battle for Endor fan, you’ll find something to enjoy in Spark of Rebellion, and the genuine chemistry and impassioned hosting style of Garry and Mark will keep you wanting to return to this very special part of the podcasting galaxy again and again.
The force is strong with this one. This is the podcast you’re looking for.
Recommended episode: Episode 147: Let’s Break Down the Obi Wan Kenobi Trailer (12 March 2022) – https://www.sparkofrebellion.com/episode/147
Spark of Rebellion can be found at: https://www.sparkofrebellion.com
And followed at:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rebellion_spark
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparkofrebellionshow/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sparkofrebellionshow
All episodes of Spark of Rebellion are available and can be listened to or downloaded from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Are you a British movie podcast who would like to be featured on Film Stories? We welcome all suggestions and requests, but we especially want to hear from you if you’re female, POC, non-binary, LGBTQIA+ or have a disability. Email Em – verbaldiorama at gmail co uk (Just remove the spaces and add the ‘@’ and the dots, but don’t send spam. She’s vegetarian.)
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