Actor and comedian Ben Bailey Smith, also known by stage name ‘Doc Brown’, will be hosting Shrink The Box, a new podcast psychoanalysing TV characters.
Co-hosted by Smith and psychotherapist Sasha Bates, the series launches 31 January. Each episode, the pair combine Bates’ expert opinion as well as Smith’s experience in the creative industry to discuss what they learned about the characters and how they can apply the resulting lessons in their day-to-day lives.
“[We] place our favourite fictional characters from the biggest TV series into therapy,” said Smith in the trailer. “And get to grips with why their behaviour causes them so much drama.”
The first series includes 12 episodes in total, each dedicated to a specific character to provide an in-depth analysis, including Succession’s Shiv Roy, Friends’ Ross Geller, The Sopranos’ Tony Soprano, I May Destroy You’s Arabella Essiedu, and more.
The show is produced by Somethin’ Else, and subscribers to the company’s other shows, like Kermode & Mayo’s Take, will be able to listen to Shrink The Box ad-free at no additional cost. Sony Music Entertainment announced in 2021 that a number of its podcast channels with production partners like Somethin’ Else, Neon Hum Media, Three Uncanny Four and Campside Media will offer ad-free listening and bonus content available for subscribers on Apple Podcasts.
Sony Music Entertainment acquired Somethin' Else in 2021, and recently launched another podcast titled Please Tell Me A Story, hosted by comedian and actor Omid Djalili. Smith also recently hosted a newly-released podcast series from Acast and the Ministry of Justice titled A Prison’s Guide To, on the role of prison staff within the criminal justice system.
