Atomic Cafe - der Podcast für Pop Culture

LAURENT PUONS: “WE NEED TO BE THE FIRST”
For 14 years, Laurent Puons has been one of the main people shaping the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. In 2026, he is stepping down as its director – and he joins Scene Stealers - Stories from a Festival for a very personal look back at his years in Monte Carlo.
From welcoming legends like Donald Sutherland, Michael Douglas and Morgan Freeman to launching Game of Thrones at the festival in its very first season, Puons has built his tenure around one simple philosophy: take risks – and be the first.
He tells us about meeting Jerry Bruckheimer in Los Angeles, a surprisingly specific question from Bruckheimer’s agent about the distance from the pavement to the Grimaldi Forum, and why The Walking Dead: Dead City was a risky but deliberate choice to open the festival this year.
He also talks about the changing relationship between movies and television, the rise of streaming and digital platforms, the festival’s new digital categories, and why the next big move might be a movie premiere on a digital platform.
And then there is the personal side: after years of travelling the world and building the festival, Laurent Puons says it is time to spend more time with his loved ones, his mother, his farm in France – and simply enjoy life.
A conversation about television, ambition, taking risks, Hollywood, festival-making – and knowing when it is time to leave.
Scene Stealers – Stories from a TV Festival is an Atomic Café Podcast special recorded at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival 2026.
Laurent Pouns interview · Monte Carlo TV Festival · television industry · streaming · Game of Thrones · Jerry Bruckheimer
Scene Stealers Episode #8 | Atomic Cafe Podcast spin-off
Guest: Laurent Puons
Hosted and produced by: Holger Potye
Location: recorded at the Monte Carlo TV Festival (2026)

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Hosted by Babs Kaudelka, Holger Potye & Michi Reichelt
Producer: Holger Potye / Showrunner: Momo
Photo: by Julia Rotter
Logo: by Favoritbüro
Exec Producer: Julia Rotter
Social Media Rep: Babs Kaudelka
Invisible Producer: Tim
Additional Sound Effects by FreeSoundsxx|Freesound_community from Pixabay & Wikimedia Commons | Host-Introducing Voice by ElevenLabs 

Der Atomic Cafe Jingle ist eine gekürzte Version des Wahlkampfspots „Daisy“ aus dem Wahlkampf zwischen Lyndon B. Johnson vs. Barry Goldwater aus dem Jahr 1964. Copyright: Library of Congress

Jane Austen. Social Media. Metallica. One conversation. Meet Ella Bruccoleri.
What does it feel like when a character who has been overlooked for more than 200 years suddenly becomes a TV audience favourite?
In Episode 7 of Scene Stealers – Stories from a TV Festival, recorded at the Monte Carlo TV Festival 2026, British actress Ella Bruccoleri talks with Atomic Cafe Host Holger Potye about playing Mary Bennet in The Other Bennet Sister – and about finding her own place in the world.
Bruccoleri never expected to make a living as a professional actor. It took her seven years to get into drama school, and she credits her mother with giving her one crucial piece of advice: don't have a Plan B.
She talks about what made The Other Bennet Sister so special, why the production resisted the temptation to sensationalize Jane Austen's world, and how she discovered the childhood experiences that shaped Mary Bennet.
But this conversation goes far beyond period drama. Mary becomes a kind of "spirit animal" for Bruccoleri – a character who learns to embrace her authentic self. That leads to a very contemporary conversation about self-worth, social media, beauty standards, mental health and the pressure to constantly compare yourself with other people.
And then there's the Ella Bruccoleri you might not expect: working in a Metallica-themed bar in Paris, her love of extremely surreal comedy, On Cinema at the Cinema, Kurt Vonnegut, The Catcher in the Rye, The Bell Jar and the films of Miranda July.
From Jane Austen to Metallica, from Mary Bennet to social media – and from period drama to the weirdest corners of pop culture.
Welcome to another episode of Scene Stealers – Stories from a TV Festival, presented by Atomic Cafe Podcasts.

Ella Bruccoleri interview · The Other Bennet Sister interview · Mary Bennet actress  Jane Austen adaptation · BBC drama · British TV actress · social media and mental health · Sony Pictures Television ·
Scene Stealers Episode #7 | Atomic Cafe Podcast spin-off
Guest: Ella Bruccoleri
Hosted and produced by: Holger Potye
Location: recorded at the Monte Carlo TV Festival (2026)
Send us Fan Mail
This is a "This Fox means Business Production“
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Hosted by Babs Kaudelka, Holger Potye & Michi Reichelt
Producer: Holger Potye / Showrunner: Momo
Photo: by Julia Rotter
Logo: by Favoritbüro
Exec Producer: Julia Rotter
Social Media Rep: Babs Kaudelka
Invisible Producer: Tim
Additional Sound Effects by FreeSoundsxx|Freesound_community from Pixabay & Wikimedia Commons | Host-Introducing Voice by ElevenLabs 

Der Atomic Cafe Jingle ist eine gekürzte Version des Wahlkampfspots „Daisy“ aus dem Wahlkampf zwischen Lyndon B. Johnson vs. Barry Goldwater aus dem Jahr 1964. Copyright: Library of Congress

Willkommen im Atomic Cafe Podcast. Die Drinks gehen diesmal auf uns. Die Inhalte übrigens auch. Worum geht's in der Septemberfolge?
🖖 Happy Birthday, Star Trek! Am 8. September 1966 lief die erste reguläre Folge von Star Trek – und 60 Jahre später wissen wir immer noch nicht, ob Babs oder Holger mehr Ahnung hat (Spoiler: Babs).
Beach Reads 2026 Holger hat sich durch die Strandlektüre-Charts gewühlt – von Emily Henry über Taylor Jenkins Reid bis zu Hemingway, für alle, die noch ein Buch für die letzten Urlaubstage brauchen.
Star-Trek-Trivia-Battle William Shatners geheime zweite Karriere als TV-Cop, Majel Barretts Dreifachrolle, der echte Grund für den Kirk-Uhura-Kuss 1968 und warum eine Star-Trek-Folge in Deutschland jahrzehntelang nicht gezeigt wurde.
Kühlschrank der Finsternis Holgers KI hält sich für Werner Herzog und verwandelt Gemüsereste in ein Gedicht über die Einsamkeit des Menschen. Und Zucchini.
September Fun Facts Neun Fakten für den neunten Monat: Filme, Regisseure mit September-Geburtstag, Songs und Serien mit Herbst-Vibes.
📖🎧 Tipps der Woche Babs: „Vampirball in Wien" (John Sinclair), „Totensee" von Sophie Czerny, Hörspielreihe „Monster 1983" Michi: „Blutsauger" von Andre Breinbauer Holger: „Pompeii – Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston" (Disney+/Nat Geo)
Ausblick Im November startet (voraussichtlich) das Atomic Cafe Live Pub Quiz – Termin folgt.
Live long and prosper – und schaltet ein! Atomic Cafe - der deutsche Popkultur-Podcast.

Tipps:
BUCH
Nine Stories | J.D. Salinger
John Sinclair Nr. 2494, Vampirball in Wien | Marlene Klein
Totensee | Sophie Czerny
HÖRBUCH:
Monster 1983 | Leon Menger, Anette Strohmeyer und Raimon Weber
COMICS
Blutsauger | André Breinbauer (Carlsen Verlag)
TV
Pompeji mit Tom Hiddleston (Disney+ National Geogrpahic)
Sounds & Buttons:
„Lagerfeld“-Button: „Ich kenn die nicht ...“ aus der „Johannes B. Kerner“-Show vom 9.6.2009. Copyright: ZDF

„Flipper“-Button: Copyright Atomic Cafe | Babs Kaudelka
"Oh Captain, mein Captain"-Button | "Der Club der toten Dichter", Copyright: Touchstone Pictures & The Walt Disney Company (Gedicht von Walt Whitman)
"Climate Change is a Hoax"-Button - Senator Mary Miller | Copyright: Right Wing Watch Youtube)

"I Daut It"-Button: Youtube-Meme, Copyright: Idautit Official 
„Nein! Doch! Oh!“-Button: Louis de Funès in „Hasch mich, ich bin der Mörder" (Originaltitel: Jo, 1971) R: Jean Girault, Copyright: Trianon Productions / MGM | ARD Plus
Finale: "On the starship Enterprise no one is alone" | Star Trek: Next Generation (S3E5 "Bonding")

Send us Fan Mail
This is a "This Fox means Business Production“
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Hosted by Babs Kaudelka, Holger Potye & Michi Reichelt
Producer: Holger Potye / Showrunner: Momo
Photo: by Julia Rotter
Logo: by Favoritbüro
Exec Producer: Julia Rotter
Social Media Rep: Babs Kaudelka
Invisible Producer: Tim
Additional Sound Effects by FreeSoundsxx|Freesound_community from Pixabay & Wikimedia Commons | Host-Introducing Voice by ElevenLabs 

Der Atomic Cafe Jingle ist eine gekürzte Version des Wahlkampfspots „Daisy“ aus dem Wahlkampf zwischen Lyndon B. Johnson vs. Barry Goldwater aus dem Jahr 1964. Copyright: Library of Congress

Christopher Nolan schickt Odysseus auf die größte Heimreise der Filmgeschichte – und wir schicken ihn direkt durch den Atomic-Cafe-Faktencheck.
Der Sommer hat seinen Hitzehöhepunkt erreicht und Babs, Michi und Holger haben einiges aufzuarbeiten: von peinlichen Promi-Verwechslungen bei der Fußball-WM-Berichterstattung bis zum Deep Dive in Christopher Nolans "Die Odyssee" – mit Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson und einem cameo-würdigen Elon-Musk-Fun-Fact. 
Außerdem: 
das große Update zur Sommerblockbuster-Wette Toy Story 5 vs. The Odyssey, 
ein Sommer-Blockbuster- und Sommerhit-Quiz quer durch fünf Jahrzehnte Popkultur, 
Buchtipps zu österreichischer Geschichte und Social-Media-Detox, 
ein Update zu "Dungeon Crawler Carl" 
neue LEGO-Sets für X-Files- und Star-Trek-Fans sowie 
Podcast- und Newsletter-Empfehlungen für den Rest des Sommers.
zum Abschluss ein Interview-Schnipsel mit Kurt Russell von Holgers Abstecher zum TV Festival in Monte Carlo – die Frage nach einer Fortsetzung von "Die Klapperschlange" (im Original "Escape from New York").
Plus: natürlich jede Menge Blödeleien, Running Gags, Nerdwissen und Leidenschaft für Filme, Serien und Popkultur.
Viel Spaß im Atomic Cafe!
Sounds & Buttons:
"Oliver Schmidt"-Kommentar WM-Finale, (19.7.2026) „Spanien vs. Argentinien", Copyright: ZDF
„Lagerfeld“-Button: „Ich kenn die nicht ...“ aus der „Johannes B. Kerner“-Show vom 9.6.2009. Copyright: ZDF

„One Million Dollars“-Button: „Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery“ (1997) © New Line Cinema

"I Daut It"-Button: Youtube-Meme, Copyright: Idautit Official 
„Nein! Doch! Oh!“-Button: Louis de Funès in „Hasch mich, ich bin der Mörder" (Originaltitel: Jo, 1971) R: Jean Girault, Copyright: Trianon Productions / MGM | ARD Plus
„Dutton"-Button: „Yellowstone" TV-Serie (2018-2024) | Copyright: Paramount Global
Finale: Ausschnitt aus Holgers Interview mit Kurt Russell beim Monte Carlo TV Festival – über die Zukunft von Snake Plissken und "Die Klapperschlange"

Send us Fan Mail
This is a "This Fox means Business Production“
Follow us on Instagram

Hosted by Babs Kaudelka, Holger Potye & Michi Reichelt
Producer: Holger Potye / Showrunner: Momo
Photo: by Julia Rotter
Logo: by Favoritbüro
Exec Producer: Julia Rotter
Social Media Rep: Babs Kaudelka
Invisible Producer: Tim
Additional Sound Effects by FreeSoundsxx|Freesound_community from Pixabay & Wikimedia Commons | Host-Introducing Voice by ElevenLabs 

Der Atomic Cafe Jingle ist eine gekürzte Version des Wahlkampfspots „Daisy“ aus dem Wahlkampf zwischen Lyndon B. Johnson vs. Barry Goldwater aus dem Jahr 1964. Copyright: Library of Congress

Scene Stealers: Stories from a TV Festival
Presented by the Atomic Café Podcast

What makes a story unforgettable? A great hero? A dangerous villain? Or a character who surprises even the writer himself?
In this special episode of Scene Stealers – Stories from a TV Festival, recorded at the Monte Carlo TV Festival, we sit down with legendary British screenwriter and producer Michael Hirst, the creator behind global historical drama hits The Tudors and Vikings.
Warning: This episode contains Vikings, poets, killers and at least one extremely uncomfortable dinner conversation.
Michael Hirst has written kings, queens, warriors and conquerors. But before he created The Tudors and Vikings, he was an eight-year-old boy lying in a hospital bed – inventing stories to entertain strangers.
That moment became the origin story of one of television’s greatest historical storytellers.
In this episode of Scene Stealers, Michael explains:
📝 Why every writer secretly believes they are the hero of their own stories.
 🍸 How a night drinking Martinis with legendary filmmaker Nicholas Roeg changed his life.
 🔥 Why the best creative advice he ever received was just two words: “Astonish me.”
🐺 Why Eric Bloodaxe became the Viking story he couldn’t resist telling.
⚔️ The unbelievable life of Egill Skallagrímsson – a warrior, poet, womanizer and “pathological killer”.
👨‍👦 Why working with his son feels like “an old wolf and a young wolf travelling together.”
And yes… we also answer the question nobody asked but everyone wants to know:
What would happen if Ragnar Lothbrok and Eric Bloodaxe shared a drink in Odin’s hall?

Scene Stealers Episode #6 | Atomic Cafe Podcast spin-off
Guest: Michael Hirst
Hosted and produced by: Holger Potye
Location: recorded at the Monte Carlo TV Festival (2026)
BONUS Episode Scene Stealers Logo: Created with | by Leonardo AI
MUSIC: „Guitar Songs“ provided by mobygratis
Send us Fan Mail
This is a "This Fox means Business Production“
Follow us on Instagram

Hosted by Babs Kaudelka, Holger Potye & Michi Reichelt
Producer: Holger Potye / Showrunner: Momo
Photo: by Julia Rotter
Logo: by Favoritbüro
Exec Producer: Julia Rotter
Social Media Rep: Babs Kaudelka
Invisible Producer: Tim
Additional Sound Effects by FreeSoundsxx|Freesound_community from Pixabay & Wikimedia Commons | Host-Introducing Voice by ElevenLabs 

Der Atomic Cafe Jingle ist eine gekürzte Version des Wahlkampfspots „Daisy“ aus dem Wahlkampf zwischen Lyndon B. Johnson vs. Barry Goldwater aus dem Jahr 1964. Copyright: Library of Congress