Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

In the same week that comedian and actor Russell Brand was sentenced to more than a decade in prison for rape and sexual assault, a new Guardian and ITV investigation alleges comedian and former Britain’s Got Talent judge, David Walliams, has groomed fans as young as 15 years old. Journalist Kat Tenbarge, culture critic Hanna Flint, and comedian Nathan D’Arcy Roberts join Commotion with guest host Amil Niazi to talk about the latest on the allegations against David Walliams, the case involving Russell Brand, and whether this is a watershed moment in the U.K. entertainment industry.

The Liberal government is giving Canadian artists some tax relief: they won’t pay tax on the first $45,000 dollars they earn from their creative work. Prime Minister Carney says it’s a way of backing artists who tell Canadian stories – but will it make a real difference to struggling creatives? Artist Raymond Biesinger shares his perspective with guest host Amil Niazi

Plus, with the release of the generative AI doc initiative Memories of Black Toronto, which centers on Black Toronto history dating back to the 19th century, Commotion guest host Amil Niazi is joined by culture critics Syrus Marcus Ware and Ian Kamau to discuss the first series of docs that have been released, and whether the pros of visualizing this underexplored history, outweigh the issues associated with generative AI.

Culture writers Sarah Kurchak and Sarah-Tai Black discuss the new season of CBC’s ‘The Assembly,’ where famous people like Hudson Williams and Zach Galifianakis field questions from a large group of autistic and neurodivergent fans, yielding more candid and unfiltered conversations than the typical celebrity Q&A allows.

Possible Love, the latest film by Korean director Lee Chang-dong, won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at Venice and many critics are calling it one of the best movies of the year. Film critic Radheyan Simonpillai and East Asian studies professor Michelle Cho join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about the film and why Lee Chang-dong is considered a master of blending social critique with poetic cinema.

Entertainment reporter Teri Hart, podcaster Vish Khanna, and comedy historian Paul Myers discuss the new documentary SCTV: The Greatest Show You Never Heard Of and reflect on the legendary sketch comedy show’s legacy, and also weigh-in on the wild new series from the current king of Canadian TV comedy, Jared Keeso, I Kill the Bear.