Steve Newall: entertainment correspondent on the miniseries 'Bait'

Bait is the latest TV miniseries capturing the attention of entertainment fans on Prime Video.

It follows a struggling British Pakistani actor, played by Riz Ahmed, as tries to audition for the role of James Bond.

Entertainment correspondent Steve Newall explains further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Joining Me NATS Talk Entertainment. Steve Neil, good morning, Good morning.
Have you been watching? You've got some East of viewing
for us cutting up on a few shows.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
A couple of long weekend viewing options. So over in
prime video. I've been watching Bait, which stars riz Ahmed.
He plays Charlotte Tiefe, a rappetent actor who is done
on his luck a little bit, but is auditioning to
be the next Bond. It's kind of, I guess, riffing
on that dialogue that always swirls around like who's going
to be the next James Bond? And particularly in the UK,

(00:42):
is it just going to be another whitebread James Bond
or not? So rizz is really well Castles. He has
developed the show himself and written it. It's very much
one of those shows that sort of takes a bit
of an insider's look inside the life of an actor
and we kind of have been here before. It's like,
it's not flattering. He doesn't portray actors anything less than narcissistic.
In vain and a BT hapless, but I think the

(01:05):
sort of his London Pakistani upbringing adds a lot to
the show's family relationship adds a lot to the show.
And his relationship with a character I won't spoil us
too much with a character voiced by Sir Patrick Stewart
lends a lot to this. Also, Riz finds himself talking
a lot to Sir Patrick Stewart's voice, and this show

(01:27):
apparent not very nice stuff back. So yeah, he leaks
or sort of generates the news story about him becoming
bond and that the show is sort of about the
ramifications of him post that, and I guess what it
means to be a London Pakistani actor who suddenly thrust
into the national spotlight. Nice now, and it's a comedy most.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
And we can have a laugh there we go. Love
it for all mankind, it is up to season five.
I loved this when it came out. I love the
way it took history and then it just kind of,
you know, manipulated it and said what if essentially, And
of course we currently have some astronauts about to fling
themselves around the dark side of the moon. We're talking about.

Speaker 3 (02:08):
Yeah, yeah, So for all main kind, Season five is
now streaming on Apple TV, and it's the twenty tens
in the show, So, yeah, this series diverged from the
point of the moon landing. It's set up in a
universe where Russians were the first of the moon and
then kind of posits that butterfly effect into everything that
came after that. By the twenty tens, there's a colony
on Mars. It's fairly independent, but it's seeking its full independence.

(02:30):
So it's really kind of just kind of showcasing or
spotlighting what geopolitical things start to happen when space becomes busier.
Some of the core casts are still kicking around of that.
They're wearing a lot of old age makeup now, and
it's been recently announced that season six it will be
the fine old season. And I think that, considering this
is in the twenty tens, presume that season six will

(02:51):
bring us up to the present, and then that will
be a really nice way to yes that.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Look, I love the first few seasons and then I
sort of lost interested a little bit. I do come
back to it just because I you know, I'm fond
of it, but it isn't quite as strong. Yeah, started out.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
And I think the Mars based setting is just maybe
a little bit more reminiscent of lots of other sci fi,
so it doesn't quite have the same sense of space
risk and adventuring, like I recall like asteroids astronauts being
stuck on the Moon in the show to a hugely
moving effect, whereas this is just a bit samey, it's.

Speaker 2 (03:26):
A little bit more internal. It's what's happening within sort
of this colony, and it turns out humans do exactly
what they do on Earth totally behave the same way,
you know, if you like.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
That exploratory part of the show. There is a kind
of spin off show, Star City, which starts really soon,
and that follows the Russian side of the story, and
they keep the time period in this allegedly to just
during the nineteen seventies, so it's very much during the
kind of danger years of space.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
So this is All Mankind is on Apple TV. So
is that we star City?

Speaker 3 (03:56):
I believe it immediately follows the season five of All
That Kind.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Writing that downy, has there been any movement on the
situation at Western Springs in Auckland when it comes to.

Speaker 3 (04:08):
We touched on this a few weeks ago that it
was looking more and more likely. The Auckland Council's governing
body has voted to support the transformation in Western Springs
into a boutique bowl like stadium. It also includes an
investment by Tataki Auckland Unlimited, the owner of the venue,
and the idea is that it will be for festivals

(04:28):
and concerts of up to thirty thousand people and an
upgraded and broadcast quality sports set up for events of
up to five thousand people. So Poncebury Rugby will continue
to play there, which is really great news. From my
point of view. I sympathize with the speedway crowd. Speedway
has been a part of that part of Auckland for
a really long time. The sound of speedway sounds like

(04:48):
the suburbs I've lived into me, so it's a real
shame they have to move on. But I think this
is the best future that Western Springs Stadium is going
to get.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Oh well, if you're missing the sound, just come out
to where I am. I can get white at a
park in the distance if the wind's blowing in the
right direction. But you won't hear me complaining. It's just life.
People to have their hobbies and do their things roundtown.

Speaker 3 (05:08):
That's a maybe, but I'll probably see you to show.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
That probably more likely. Thank you so much, Steve, Joy
the rest of your East.

Speaker 1 (05:16):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio