Neighbours & The Ballad of Wallis Island
The Ballad of Wallis Island
This week, the dads swapped blockbusters for something quieter, sadder, and sneakily hilarious: The Ballad of Wallis Island, the melancholic comedy starring Tim Key, Tom Basden, and Carey Mulligan.
In a remote Welsh idyll, a lonely lottery winner (Key) invites his favourite long-lost folk duo to reunite and perform a private gig just for him. What follows is a beautifully awkward, bittersweet exploration of nostalgia, grief, and the impossibility of recapturing the past — with an emotional gut punch that sneaks up on you like a hangover.
We talk:
🎸 Folk, fame, and failure – Tom Basden’s grumpy has-been musician trying to relaunch himself as a pop star, and the ex-bandmate (Mulligan) who’s outgrown him.
💔 Love, loss, and lanterns – Tim Key’s lonely optimism, his message to his late wife, and that heart-crushing scene on the beach.
💬 Killer one-liners – Key’s nervous chatter, the rice-pudding phone fix, and the island shop that offers peanut butter and a cup instead of Reese’s.
🎶 Music that matters – The climactic performance of “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” a scene that hits harder than most Oscar speeches.
We also covered:
🏘️ Top 5 Neighbours – From Rear Window and The ’Burbs to Ned Flanders, Sid Phillips, and Gran Torino’s Walt Kowalski.
💬 Cultural crossfire – Why neighbourly relations cause more wars than parking disputes, and which of us is most likely to start one.
Verdict:
A quietly devastating gem that blends dry British humour with genuine emotional weight. If After Life met Inside Llewyn Davis and went bird-watching in Wales, this would be it.
🎧 Listen now for laughter, melancholy, and maybe a tear or two.
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Until next time, we remain...
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