Episode 7 - Philomena

Dame Judi Dench plays the titular character in the new film by venerable British director Stephen Frears.  She is a former nun who was forced to give up her son (whose very conception was, as you can imagine, a major scandal) while she lived in a convent.  The boy was adopted by American parents and Philomena never saw him again.  Flash forward fifty-odd years.  Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) is a journalist at a crossroads.  He was fired from the BBC and is contemplating his next move.  He crosses paths with Philomena and she convinces him to write a story about her search for her son.  What follows is an unlikely friendship between the initially reluctant, world-weary journalist and his spirited, unpretentious charge.  "Philomena" is a charming British comedic drama, up for a few Academy Awards including Adapted Screenplay (partially written by Coogan), Best Actress and whoa, Best Picture! You can download the podcast here by right-clicking on the hypertext link and choosing "save as", or you can use the convenient player located below:If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here