Spling is recording his 500th episode of Talking Movies on Fine Music Radio on 25 February 2023 at 8:15am... that's 500 consecutive, individual broadcasts of 3 movie reviews in just as many weeks without fail. In spite of food poisoning, Spling endeavoured to keep his 500-in-a-row tally in tact. This has always been important to him, continuing to get the show together for the loyal listeners who have come to enjoy his take, whatever it takes.

Having started at Fine Music Radio almost a decade ago, the Talking Movies show format hasn't actually changed all that much. The recording started in the studio with Spling visiting the Fine Music Radio studios at the Artscape on a weekly basis. When the worldwide pandemic struck, Spling was already geared to keep recording Talking Movies remotely. Having moved the recording to a "home studio", he developed a number of hidden skills from the setup and voice recording process to the edit. Spling switched to recording at nighttime to avoid navigating the ambient sound of ambulances, trains, pigeons, dogs, loud conversations, weather and yes... even chainsaws.

Having been under the watchful eye of three station managers over this time, it's been an interesting journey as FMR has gone from strength-to-strength. While most radio stations in sitcoms and movies lend themselves to pure drama, Fine Music Radio is one of the more pleasant places to work. Full of absolute characters, it hasn't short of fun or spirit but is generally just a nice space.

Spling has tried to tailor his review slate and style of reviewing for the FMR audience, which has meant leaning more into arthouse and more substantial film titles or at the very least, reviewing movies in such a way that they can be appreciated for the review itself. In a world of animated family movies and superhero blockbusters this hasn't always been as easy as it sounds!

Spling has had one or two complaints over the years... someone was offended by my review of a sexually-charged movie and there have been a few unfounded mutters of too much "skiet, skop 'n donner". However, it's the compliments that have encouraged him to keep going with word like "erudite", "spontaneous" and "succinct" being thrown around. Having met some people who didn't know what Spling looked like, people have said they thought he would be blonde, older, taller... radio is a funny game.

Spling says that what he's "loved most about doing the Talking Movies show" is that he's "always been given a great deal of creative freedom: able to curate my review line up with relative freedom, write without limits and keep the show's integrity as a true independent". After 500 episodes, he's hoping to mix things up a bit. The film critic adds that "while the recent line-up change has meant Talking Movies has been limited from Fridays and Saturday broadcasts to Saturdays-only, it's now able to be syndicated, which means I'm going to be looking to make it more accessible, or creating a shorter variation that I can broadcast on other local or international stations".

Spling calls his efforts "a labour of love" and hopes that people have enjoyed listening to the show over what's coming up for 10 years. To make just one 6 minute Talking Movies episode per week takes roughly 8 hours to watch the films, write the script, voice record, edit and facilitate the broadcast.

Fine Music Radio's resident movie critic is planning on doing something special for the 500th episode, not straying too far from what people have come to expect but going for something completely different within that framework. While Spling's reaching a milestone for his radio career as a presenter, he's also readying a book called 'The Essence of Dreams' for publication this year, another sign of a great many good things to come.

While Spling has been the driving force behind Talking Movies, often doing everything just short of the final mix, he wouldn't have been able to do it alone. His father was instrumental in arranging a meeting with the station, which turned out to be serendipity when they discovered FMR were on the lookout for a new presenter for the review show. Since it was scheduled to air at 8:20am on Fridays, Spling realised that it would be best to pre-record the show rather than try to rush through Cape Town's notorious Friday morning traffic to get to the station on time. His wife has probably listened to the most Talking Movies episodes, eager to hear the latest edition and serving as a sounding board for rehearsals with an ear for final touches.

When it comes to studio assistance over the years Spling says "Mawande, Ewan, Wesley and now recently JP have been my wingmen at various points and I've always enjoyed the camaraderie of working with them over the years." He also acknowledges Francis Slabber & Associates (The Hearing Clinic) for their continued support and loyalty as a sponsor of the show for over many of those years. While the show is currently looking for a new sponsor, Spling's sure that Fine Music Radio's high LSM audience and the elevated film conversation that has become Talking Movies is sure to appeal to an array of brands looking to associate with a tried-and-tested, reliable, trustworthy and expert movie afficiando.

While Spling can't promise there will be another 500 episodes of Talking Movies, he is excited to see what lies around the corner and is eager to ensure the Talking Movies show remains relevant, informative, insightful and well-respected. To celebrate this milestone Spling donated 500 DVDs to TEARS animal welfare, an amazing rescue organisation who are caring for animals as much as Saint Francis of Assisi would've wanted. Please support them by donating towards their efforts and visiting their charity shops.