Telephones

Alexander Graham Bell made the first ever telephone call 150 years ago this spring. That single moment of connection would transform communication - and provide storytellers with a rich device for drama, comedy, intimacy and tension. Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode trace the history of the phone on screen, and examine how the movies have handled the thorny problem of the smartphone. Mark speaks to author and critic Kim Newman about some of the most iconic telephone calls in cinema, from Dr Strangelove to Scream. Meanwhile, Ellen delves into how film and TV are responding to the smartphone age, with the help of critic Kayleigh Donaldson. And she speaks to American filmmaker Janicza Bravo, whose 2015 film Zola made inventive use of the cellphone. Producer: Jane Long A Prospect Street production for BBC Radio 4

You can listen to Telephones online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Telephones is an episode from Screenshot by BBC.

This episode is 42:13 long.

This episode was published on Apr 10, 2026.

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