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Not Rich Kids Discuss Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights”: A Hate-Watch Review

On Not Rich Kids Discuss, the hosts – Kath Dolheguy, Dr. Alan Woodruff and Dr. Frankie Kanatas review Emerald Fennell’s newly released “Wuthering Heights,” outlining the novel’s basic plot and themes (including class) and contrasting it with Andrea Arnold’s 2011 adaptation. They describe Fennell’s version, starring Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, with Hong Chau as Nelly and Shahzad Latif as Edgar, as aesthetically ornate but narratively incoherent, emotionally empty, and driven by provocation, marketing, and TikTok-ready images rather than character motivation or cause-and-effect storytelling. They argue the film removes or flattens class and race elements, criticise the dialogue, soundtrack choices, and “performative” sex scenes and food imagery, note perceived whitewashing of Heathcliff alongside colour-blind casting, and ultimately rate the film a “big fat zero,” predicting it will still make money.

00:00 Cinema Excursion Setup

00:33 Bronte Background

01:05 Wuthering Heights Plot Recap

02:13 Past Adaptations and Cast

03:57 Spoilers and Hate Watch

04:41 Why This Film Exists

08:18 Aesthetics Over Substance

09:36 Erasing Class and Race

11:46 Horny Hype and Sound

17:23 Cohesion and Character Issues

19:51 Tone Dialogue and Soundtrack

22:42 Marketing Hype Machine

23:14 Chemistry Expectations Crash

25:28 Why Sex Scenes Matter

26:43 Gen Z Prudishness Theory

27:51 Juvenile Food Metaphors

28:44 Chaste Leads Kinky Revenge

32:09 Montage Fatigue and Emptiness

35:33 Soundtrack Doing the Work

37:45 Casting and Whitewashing Debate

41:18 Final Ratings and Farewell

Get in touch:

Are you a working class person who wants to pursue a creative career but don't know where to start? Get in touch via instagram - we'd be happy to give you some advice.

Tell us who you would like to hear from. Is there someone we should invite on the podcast? Let us know!

The Not a Rich Kid Team:

• Kath Dolheguy
• Frankie Kanatas
• Sarah Ryan-Linstrom

Post audio - Mike Tillbrook

Theme song:

‘Barry Michael Takes a Train’ by Sand Pebbles - Written & performed by Ben Michael and performed and mixed by Murray Ono Jamieson.

Not a Rich Kid would not be possible without the support of:

• VCA who provided studio space
• City of Melbourne Arts Grants

Supported by the City of Melbourne Arts Grants

FOLLOW US:

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Sasha Wasley on Writing, Class, and The Society of Literary Marauders

Host Kath Dolheguy interviews writer Sasha Walsley on Not a Rich Kid about growing up working class in WA with a single mother, frequent moves and school changes due to rental instability, and finding refuge in libraries; she discusses understanding class, social and cultural capital through university study and teaching. Walsley describes a messy path through multiple degrees before completing a PhD in feminist literature, then shifting from academia to copywriting and finally becoming a published author at 40; she is now a full-time author supported by workshops, mentoring, and other writing work, and speaks candidly about financial insecurity, nepotism, and the pressure of book sales in publishing. They discuss her 20th novel, The Society of Literary Marauders, set at Oxford in 1928, following working-class student Annie and exploring class, empire, banned books, and romance, informed by Walsley’s research trip and lived experience.

Sasha’s Social Media and Website

The Society of Literary Marauders OUT MARCH 30th 2026

00:00 Podcast intro

02:02 Sasha’s childhood and books

04:11 Mum’s work and instability

06:28 Class awareness and capital

10:12 Uni detours and burnout

14:38 PhD path and feminism

16:00 Writing dream to career

18:46 First paid writing and publishing

23:15 Class and privilege in publishing

29:56 Money, clothes, and making do

33:07 Normalising multiple incomes

35:07 Guilt Around Writing

36:17 Claiming The Author Label

38:29 Mentors And Industry Allies

39:26 Inside Literary Marauders

43:38 Writing Class And Empire

46:18 The Hidden Cost Of Uni

50:32 Research Trip To Oxford

54:12 Owning Your Background

57:01 Money Talk In Publishing

01:00:39 Social Media And Banned Books

01:02:06 Best And Worst Jobs

01:03:16 Buffy And First Reflections

01:04:38 Jane Austen And Farewell

Get in touch:

Are you a working class person who wants to pursue a creative career but don't know where to start? Get in touch via instagram - we'd be happy to give you some advice.

Tell us who you would like to hear from. Is there someone we should invite on the podcast? Let us know!

The Not a Rich Kid Team:

• Kath Dolheguy
• Frankie Kanatas
• Sarah Ryan-Linstrom

Post audio - Mike Tillbrook

Theme song:

‘Barry Michael Takes a Train’ by Sand Pebbles - Written & performed by Ben Michael and performed and mixed by Murray Ono Jamieson.

Not a Rich Kid would not be possible without the support of:

• VCA who provided studio space
• City of Melbourne Arts Grants

Supported by the City of Melbourne Arts Grants

FOLLOW US:

Not a Rich Kid - Instagram

Tony Ayers on Surviving Instability, Finding Story, and Building an Australian Screen Career

In this episode of Not a Rich Kid, host Kath Dolheguy sits down with acclaimed writer, director, producer and showrunner Tony Ayres. Arriving in Australia from Macau at age three, Tony grew up in poverty, living in housing commission flats, above fruit shops, and in the back rooms of Chinese restaurants while his mother battled severe mental health challenges. After losing his mother at 12 and his stepfather three years later, Tony experienced homelessness before being taken in by a high school teacher who helped him finish his education.

Driven by imagination and a fierce sense of agency, Tony channelled his early instability into storytelling, first as a survival mechanism, and eventually as a career. Free tertiary education allowed him to attend university and art school, setting him on a path that would lead to some of Australia’s most celebrated screen work, including The Home Song Stories, The Slap, Stateless, and Clickbait.Tony reflects on class mobility, imposter syndrome, the inequities of the screen industry, and the importance of telling stories that broaden Australia’s cultural mosaic. His journey from underclass beginnings to creative leadership, including co-founding Matchbox Pictures, is a testament to resilience, craft, and the power of being told, at the right moment, “you can write.”

The episode notes the season is recorded on Wurundjeri land and supported by City of Melbourne Arts Grants, with studio space from the Victorian College of the Arts.

00:00 Welcome to Not a Rich Kid + Meet Tony Ayers (Matchbox, The Slap, The Survivors)

02:01 Early Life: Migrating from Macau & Growing Up in Poverty and Instability

03:27 Chaos at Home: Mental Health, Sister as Protector, and Learning Hypervigilance

06:04 Story as Survival: Comics, Martial Arts Fantasies, and the Drive to Excel at School

10:13 Loss, Shame & Steel: Mum’s Death, Bullying, and Refusing Self‑Pity

14:47 High School Survival: Stepdad, Homelessness, and Teachers Who Stepped In

22:37 Escape Plan: Scholarships, ANU, Burnout—Then Finding Chosen Family at Uni

26:45 Class Transition 101: Learning ‘Middle‑Class’ Life (Dinner Parties, Norms, Cultural Capital)

31:23 Education as a Lifeline: Free Uni, Debt Fear, and Why Access Matters

34:18 No Plan, Just Stories: From Art School to Screen—Writing, Postmodern ‘Bullshit,’ and Not Dropping Out

37:05 From Art School to Storytelling: When Words Took Over the Pictures

37:40 Applying to VCA: The Portfolio That Got Him In

38:50 Choosing Screenwriting (and the Teacher Who Changed Everything)

41:07 Fear of Finishing: Perfectionism, Validation, and Learning the Process

44:35 First TV Breakthrough: ‘The Long Ride’ and Writing What You Know

47:06 Slow-and-Steady Career, No Safety Net: Risk, Class, and Imposter Feelings

50:17 Self-Worth vs Entitlement: Power, Inequality, and Who Gets to Make Screen Work

55:25 Class on Screen: Why TV Defaults to Aspiration (and How to Show Real Lives)

59:10 What’s Missing in Australian TV + Comfort Watches and Relationship TV Habits

01:01:25 Odd Jobs, Class Signals, and Marginality in the Arts

01:06:27 Looking Ahead: Writing a Book, Being Seen in Art, and a Working-Class Recommendation

01:10:18 Final Thanks & Credits

Get in touch:

Are you a working class person who wants to pursue a creative career but don't know where to start? Get in touch via instagram - we'd be happy to give you some advice.

Tell us who you would like to hear from. Is there someone we should invite on the podcast? Let us know!

The Not a Rich Kid Team:

• Kath Dolheguy
• Frankie Kanatas
• Sarah Ryan-Linstrom

Post audio - Mike Tillbrook

Theme song:

‘Barry Michael Takes a Train’ by Sand Pebbles - Written & performed by Ben Michael and performed and mixed by Murray Ono Jamieson.

Not a Rich Kid would not be possible without the support of:

• VCA who provided studio space
• City of Melbourne Arts Grants

Supported by the City of Melbourne Arts Grants