Wrap Party

A Grand Tour of stunt coordination | Stunt coordination with Jim Dowdall

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Episode notes

In this episode, Jim Dowdall joins Rhianna and Michael to provide a crash course in stunt coordination. Hear from the man who has worked on more Bond movies than Roger Moore about the daring, dizzying and sometimes downright impossible parts of his job. Jim has been working in the world of stunts since 1972, traversing the lunar surface with Bond and galaxies far, far away with Star Wars. He's worked on Indiana Jones, Bourne, Batman and surprisingly The Vicar of Dibley as well. With almost 50 years of experience, there's no one better to guide us through the potentially dangerous world of stunts. Welcome to Wrap Party, the podcast that toasts the excellence of the creatives and craftspeople working behind-the-scenes on some of your favourite films and TV shows. SHOW NOTES WATCHING - Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade (film). Indy goes on the hunt for his father (played by the late, great Sean Connery) who has disappeared on the Holy Grail in the third installment of the epic franchise. Watch on Prime Video. - The Grand Tour (TV series) Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May pull off a series of spectacular (and silly) vehicular-based stunts. Watch on Prime Video.  - The Bourne Supremacy (film) Arguably the franchise that has made the best use of stunts, ever. Car chases, fight sequences, kidnapping. This espionage thriller has it all. Watch on Prime Video.  - Brazil (film) Terry Gilliam's dystopian sci-fi about a daydreaming civil servant, starring Jonathan Pryce and Robert DeNiro. Watch on Prime Video.  - Superman 2 (film) Clark Kent hangs up his cape, but when Earth is imperilled he must fly once more. Look out for a Jim Dowdall cameo as a cosmonaut Boris. Rent via Prime Video.  - Batman (film) Tim Burton's highly-stylised take on Gotham City's vigilante. Rent via Prime Video - Die Another Day (film) Pierce Brosnan's final appearance as James Bond sees him take on a terrorist and a diamond baron. It's a long way from beans on toast. Rent via Prime Video. - The World Is Not Enough (film) Bond must protect the daughter of an oil baron in another globe-trotting, action-packed entry into the spy canon. Rent via Prime Video. - The Dirty Dozen (film) Jim supplied the weapons for one of the greatest war movies of all time. Rent via Prime Video.  - The Vicar of Dibley (TV series) An unlikely show for stunts, but falling into graves and puddles still requires coordination. Rent via Prime Video. - Mad Max: Fury Road (film) This reimagining of George Miller's post-apocalyptic universe is jam-packed with visceral action sequences and jaw-dropping stunts. Watch on Prime Video.  - Mission:Impossible - Rogue Nation (film) Tom Cruise is famed for performing all of his stunts as secret agent Ethan Hunt in the impossibly good spy franchise. Watch on Prime Video.  - The General (film) Buster Keaton plays a daring train engineer in this classic silent comedy, proving that stunts don't have to be loud and explosive to be memorable. Watch on Prime Video.  - Singin' in the Rain (film) From the dance sequences to the punch-ups, everything in this iconic 1950s musical is exquisitely choreographed. Rent via Prime Video.  - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (film) Brad Pitt plays a stunt double in Quentin Tarantino's loving homage to the Golden Age of Hollywood. Buy via Prime Video.  - Kill Bill - Vol.1 (film) Sabre's at the ready, Uma Thurman's assassin is on a brutal mission in Tarantino's martial arts mash-up. Rent via Prime Video.  - John Wick (film) A slick, genre thriller sees Keanu Reeves' assassin seeking vengeance, and boy d...