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SIR IAN MCKELLEN: Christophers and some unfinished business…

May 7, 2026

Guest

Ian McKellen

Sir Ian McKellen, veteran British stage and screen actor, chats about his new film The Christophers and his long, storied career. He discusses playing cantankerous painter Julian Sklar, working with Steven Soderbergh, comedy craft and on-set style, revisiting theatre roles like Hamlet and King Lear, and what it feels like to return to Middle-earth as Gandalf.

01:14:49

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INSIGHT

Sheep Detectives Balances Cozy Crime With Weird Horror

Mark Kermode found The Sheep Detectives surprisingly charming despite its odd blend of dark horror, cozy-crime and talking-CG animals.
He highlights tonal risks like Watership Down-style horror and a bizarre colour-mixing revelation that nevertheless worked.

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ANECDOTE

McKellen on Playing A Calcified Artist

Ian McKellen describes Julian Sklar as a once-famous, lonely painter who stopped finishing work after a devastating breakup.
McKellen recounts Laurie (Michaela Coel) arriving as an agent sent by his children to retrieve the unfinished Christophers, sparking an uneasy friendship and revival.

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ADVICE

Use Truth First For Comedy Timing

McKellen advises that truthful performance is the heart of comedy and that technique must be grounded in reality.
He explains learning to time double takes and laughs over a long theatre career to deliver authentic comic beats.

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What’s on this week and book banter

03:23 • 3min

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Upcoming reviews and highlights

06:30 • 6min

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The Sheep Detectives overview and tone

12:40 • 5min

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Why the film unexpectedly works

Box office rundown and listener feedback

Introducing Ian McKellen and The Christophers

33:53 • 55sec

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Setting and premise of The Christophers

34:48 • 1min

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Julian Sklar: character and backstory

36:11 • 2min

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Laurie’s role and plot hints

38:00 • 1min

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Comedy craft and writing for actors

39:10 • 2min

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Working with Steven Soderbergh

41:27 • 3min

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Gandalf, Lord of the Rings and upcoming work

44:24 • 1min

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Unfinished business and revisiting roles

45:40 • 3min

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Reception and hopes for awards

48:38 • 1min

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Hosts' reaction to Ian interview

50:07 • 43sec

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Legends: premise and early impressions

50:50 • 2min

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Training recruits and the show's tension

52:33 • 7min

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Audience reaction and cliffhanger frustration

Laughter Lift and listener jokes

01:02:07 • 4min

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Mortal Kombat II: tone and spectacle

01:06:10 • 8min

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What's on and community notices

A Sheep Detective Story

Leonie Swann

Three Bags Full is a charming and witty detective story set in the Irish village of Glennkill, where a flock of intelligent sheep discovers their shepherd George dead, pinned to the ground by a spade. Led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill, the flock embarks on a mission to solve the mystery of his death. Through the sheep's unique perspective and their literal interpretations of human behavior, the novel combines humor with deeper themes of depression, loss, community, and justice. The story follows the sheep as they conduct furtive investigations, encounter various suspects, and piece together clues in their own distinctive way.

#134

• Mentioned in 153 episodes

Hamlet

William Shakespeare

The play revolves around Prince Hamlet's journey to avenge his father's murder, which was committed by his uncle Claudius. Hamlet's father's ghost appears and reveals that he was poisoned by Claudius, who then married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. Hamlet feigns madness while he investigates and plots his revenge. The play explores themes of betrayal, mortality, and the human condition, culminating in a tragic finale where nearly all main characters die, including Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, and several others.

#1479

• Mentioned in 30 episodes

The Exorcist

William Peter Blatty

The Exorcist, written by William Peter Blatty, tells the story of Regan MacNeil, a 12-year-old girl who becomes possessed by an evil spirit. Her mother, Chris MacNeil, a successful actress, seeks help from two priests: Father Damien Karras, a Jesuit priest and psychiatrist struggling with his faith, and Father Lankester Merrin, an elderly priest with experience in exorcisms. The novel explores themes of faith, redemption, and the battle between good and evil as the priests perform an exorcism to save Regan. The story is intense and graphic, delving into the psychological and supernatural aspects of the possession and the exorcism process. It was inspired by a real-life case of demonic possession in the 1940s and has become a classic in the horror genre.

Some exciting news—The Take is now on Patreon: www.patreon.com/kermodeandmayo

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This week’s very special guest is a living legend and bona fide National Treasure: Sir Ian McKellen. He chats to Simon from the comfort of his very own East London pub The Grapes about his new film ‘The Christophers’. This Steven Soderbergh directed drama of art, family feuds and friendship is a late-career gem from McKellen, who plays cantankerous celebrity artist Julian Sklar in an unlikely and uneasy friendship with Michaela Coel’s Laurie, his new assistant. Sir Ian and Simon prop up the bar and talk grumpy old men, unfinished business… and what it’s like to be Gandalf.

Mark will review The Christophers next week, but for now we’ve got three more fresh film releases to dissect. Three fresh reviews this week too: first up, the new Hugh Jackman-starring family adventure that’s like “Babe meets Knives Out”: ‘The Sheep Detectives’. A star-studded affair with roles played by Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson, and Molly Gordon with sheep voiced from the likes of Chris O’Dowd, Patrick Stewart and Bryan Cranston, the ‘cozy-crime’ tale sees the sheep turn sleuths. Plus, a full review of Legends, the new Netflix series form last week’s Take guest Steve Coogan, where ordinary customs workers go undercover to fight Britain’s heroin crisis. And finally a look at the fourth time made, second era’d Mortal Kombat II.

And as always we’ve got top correspondence from you lovely listeners, extended and unadulterated wittering from Mark and Simon—and Laughter Lift jokes guaranteed to induce the most exasperated groans. It’s what The Redactor lives for.

You can contact the show by emailing correspondence@kermodeandmayo.com or you can find us on social media, @KermodeandMayo

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Timecodes:

00:00:00 audio start

00:09:59 The Sheep Detectives

00:19:18 Box office 10

00:30:08 Sir Ian McKellen interview

00:46:11 Legends review

00:54:56 Laughter Lift

01:00:27 Mortal Kombat review

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