On Friday, June 7, these men made a small dream of mine come true. Click the link above to hear it, read on to learn the background. If the phrases “Kermodean rant” or “Hello to Jason Isaacs” mean nothing to you, I’m not surprised – they’re catchphrases that spring from a BBC radio movie review show which is not by definition commonly known in these parts. However, I’ve become a huge fan of reviewer Mark Kermode and his cohost/foil Simon Mayo’s weekly show over the last few years. The two cover the latest releases with a uniquely British dose of humour and wit. Being that they follow the UK release schedule, they sometimes review films that played here a while back, but just as often we get a review of a film that won’t make it to local screens for some time, if at all. There are also “inside jokes” and references that crop up – such as their frequent shout-outs to actor Jason Isaacs, and the legendary “rants” that Kermode delivers when he gets really worked up about a disappointing Hollywood stinker. They read lots of emails from listeners, and I’ve long thought that to get a letter read on the show would be a tremendous treat. However, not only am I competing with millions of Britons for a minute of air time, but thanks to the podcast version of their show, they have fans around the globe. So I figured the chances of my dream coming true were slim. Still, it was a goal I pursued, and after one unsuccessful try a couple of months ago, the perfect opportunity seemed to present itself this week. And… it happened! Thus it was that Simon’s calm, dulcet tones could be heard reading my tale of an online-ticket purchase gone wrong, as well as Mark chiming in to call my story “fantastic”. It was almost a surreal experience to listen to it, and it’s made me very, very happy! Click the “Play” icon above to listen to the three minutes of the program that had to do with me. The full show can be found here on the BBC website until Thursday, June 13, and forever after on the podcast. Note that after the initial double mention of my name, there’s a full one-minute sidetrack while they talk about the Queen (who just previously had visited the new BBC studios), but after that, my letter is read in its entirety.