Ever wondered if chickens urinate?

Well, fret not—two pals, Mark Plant (aka Planty) and John Watson, are here to explore bizarre and unexpected movie trivia on their podcast, 100 Things We Learned from Film, which offers listeners a hundred unique facts unearthed from a different movie each week.

Now nearing its 160th episode, the podcast began as a lockdown project when Planty pitched the idea to John. 

"It was an idea I’d had rattling around for years," Planty said.

After a warm reception to their first episode, the pair committed to weekly episodes, drawing listeners in with curious facts like this one from Chicken Run: while chickens don’t technically urinate, they produce crystals in their waste that do the job.

"It doesn't mention that in the film but that's essentially the essence of the podcast," he said. 

“We learn so many things but we prefer the stupid ones." 

Each episode covers a new film and a fresh set of facts, whether it’s debunking myths around the Bermuda Triangle  (The Addams Family) or discussing their favourite comedies such as Shaun of the Dead. 

The show's growing popularity has allowed them to go beyond streaming sites.

This year, they achieved a 'bucket list moment' with a live show dedicated to Shrek at Carlisle’s Megacon, held at Richard Rose Morton Academy.

Next year, they hope to bring their podcast to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

“We’ve started putting clips on YouTube, this week we’ve had 11,600 views in 28 days on Youtube only - that's huge for us.

“Not bad for a hobbyist podcast," Planty said. 

In addition to their streaming availability, the podcast’s Patreon community plays an interactive role, allowing subscribers to suggest films for the lineup in exchange for what was initially intended as a 'playful slagging', though they admit everyone has been 'too nice' to really deserve it. 

"We make enough money each month from Patreon to cover our costs, have a couple of pints and buy any films we can’t source.

"In part, the Patreon has paid for the advertising as well as contributed to charity pots," he said. 

During Pride Month in their first year, the duo pledged 10p for every download to LGBTQ+ Scotland, raising £200.

Most recently, they’ve also sponsored the mental health-focused Carlisle football team, Border City Greens. 

The entire 100 Things We Learned from Film catalogue is available on YouTube, Spotify, and Patreon. 

To follow the podcast on YouTube, you can visit www.youtube.com/@100thingsFilmPod