Director Watch Podcast Ep. 148 – ‘Peeping Tom’ (Powell, 1960)
On episode 148 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter discuss the final film in their Powell and Pressburger series, Peeping Tom (1960).
Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love.
After decades of working together, the Archers split up towards the end of the 1950s, ending one of the greatest cinematic partnerships of all time. For both, they went on to make more films, but none of them reached the heights of their collaborations, with Pressburger being the less successful of the duo. For Michael Powell however, he made one key piece of art from the two of them that lasted in Peeping Tom, a provocative thriller about a killer who stalks his pray and films the murders of his victims. Shocking for the time, it basically forced Powell into retirement, but is now revered as a champing of pushing the medium forward, and being a masterclass in directorial creation of tension. Ryan and Jay break down their thoughts on the film and the controversy surrounding it, the break-up of Powell and Pressburger, if the shocking nature of the film has aged well, and their complete rankings of the films of the Archers, while also previewing their next films series.
You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page.
This podcast runs 2h03m. The guys will be back next week to begin their series on the films of Charles Burnett with a review of the film, Killer of Sheep. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.
Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).
Engrossed with all things Oscars, he hosts the AwardsWatch Podcast, alongside members of the AwardsWatch Team. He is also the co-host of the Director Watch podcast with Jay Ledbetter, covering director movie series of cinemas’ greatest auteurs.
Ryan covers multiple film festivals a year including Sundance, SXSW, Telluride, Toronto, New York, Middleburg, and AFI where he reviews films and interviews top talent.
When he’s not watching movies, he’s rooting on all his favorite sports teams, including his beloved Texas Longhorns. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA) and the Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS).
Jay Ledbetter is a finance manager by day, film critic by night living in Atlanta, Georgia. He began writing about film in 2013 and is not afraid to confront people of all ages if they are too loud in the theater.
As well as his reviews, Jay is the co-host of the Director Watch podcast with Ryan McQuade, our director movie series covering cinemas’ greatest auteurs. In addition to his work at AwardsWatch, Jay has written and hosted podcasts for Film Inquiry and InSession Film. He is an auteur obsessive, regularly diving deep into the filmographies of celebrated filmmakers.
Jay is a proud member of the Atlanta Film Critics Circle and the Georgia Film Critics Association.
- Director Watch Podcast Ep. 148 – ‘Peeping Tom’ (Powell, 1960) - April 10, 2026
- Director Watch Podcast Ep. 147 – ‘The Tales of Hoffman’ (Powell and Pressburger, 1951) with Special Guest Christina Jeurling Birro - April 3, 2026
- Director Watch Podcast Ep. 146 – ‘The Red Shoes’ (Powell and Pressburger, 1948) - March 26, 2026
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 148 – ‘Peeping Tom’ (Powell, 1960) 
2026 Chicago Critics Film Festival top Open with Olivia Wilde’s ‘The Invite,’ Announces Special Guests and Recipients of 2026 Emerging Critics Grant 
The 79th Cannes Film Festival Lineup is Here, With A Strong Global Slate of Films from Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Cristian Mungiu, Jane Schoenbrun, and More 
Laura Dern, Carol Burnett, Cameron Crowe Added to TCM Classic Film Festival; Rare ‘Letty Lynton’ Restoration Set