Something wondrous happens when you build a robot from a washing machine. “Brian and Charles,” the finale of The Next Reel’s Thinking Machines series, follows Brian (David Earl), a lonely Welsh inventor, and Charles Popescu (Chris Hayward), the AI companion Brian assembles—who promptly learns English from a dictionary and wants to see the world. Louise Brealey co-stars as Hazel.

Pete and Andy dig into what makes Charles Popescu work—Hayward’s sightless performance, the voice design, and why the amateurishness is right. The docu-style drives debate: Andy finds it inconsistently applied; Pete says the gap between promise and absurdity is where the comedy lives. We have a great time talking about it, so check it out then tune in—The Next Reel on TruStory FM, when the movie ends, our conversation begins!

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Original Short Film

Original Theatrical Trailer

If You Liked This Conversation, Try These from the Next Reel Family:

The Next Reel—Thinking Machines Series—the full run leading here; see how Brian and Charles lands as a closer after everything that came before

The Next Reel—The Banshees of Inisherin—both films competed for Outstanding British Film at the same BAFTAs; see how the conversation compares

Movies We Like—Re-Recording Mixer Andy Nelson on Local Hero—another warmhearted British film rooted in a small community and a sense of place

Movies We Like—Costume Designer Alana Morshead on Never Let Me Go—Alex Garland wrote the screenplay; he directed Ex Machina earlier in this series, and this is where his AI themes find their quietest form

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