Pete Gleadall: The Third Pet Shop Boy?

For their first ever In Depth interview, Graham and Chris are joined by one of the most important figures in the Pet Shop Boys story: long-time collaborator, programmer, engineer and musical director, Pete Gleadall. From programming PSB’s very first tour in 1989 to shaping the sound of Dreamworld and Obscure, Pete has spent more than three decades helping Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe turn their brilliant ideas into records and performances.

Pete takes the Pod Cast Boys behind the scenes of classic albums including Very and Relentless, reveals how songs are built in the studio, and explains the delicate balance between creativity and technology that sits at the heart of Pet Shop Boys’ work. Along the way he reflects on collaborations with artists ranging from Aswad to George Michael, and shares stories from some of the biggest recording studios and stages in the world.

The conversation explores the evolution of music technology, from vintage synths and tape machines to AI, laptop recording and modern live production. Pete discusses his role as musical director, the challenges of translating electronic music to the stage, and the painstaking detective work involved in recreating decades-old sounds for the fan-favourite Obscure shows.

There are also candid reflections on touring life, the infamous Glastonbury screen malfunction, the making of A Man From The Future, favourite Pet Shop Boys songs, and the enduring creative partnership that continues to drive one of pop music’s most remarkable careers.

It’s a rare opportunity to hear from the man who has been a fly on the wall for four decades of Pet Shop Boys history, offering unique insights into the records, tours, technology and personalities behind the music we love.

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Graham and Chris celebrate episode 45 by turning their attention to a subject that has defined so much of Pet Shop Boys’ career: the single.

From the birth of the 7-inch 45rpm record and the golden age of chart countdowns to the streaming era, they explore how the pop single evolved across seven-inches, twelve-inches, cassingles, CD singles, and digital downloads, tracing four decades of changing music culture through the lens of Pet Shop Boys.

Running through the episode are two very different Top 10 countdowns, as Graham and Chris each reveal their personal favourite Pet Shop Boys singles. They revisit classics from every era, debate the difference between a great song and a great single, and uncover the memories, stories and emotions attached to records ranging from Always On My Mind and It’s A Sin to Vocal, The Pop Kids and Dancing Star.

The discussion expands into Pet Shop Boys’ lifelong relationship with formats, chart success and collectability, from Smash Hits flexi-discs and limited-edition vinyl to deluxe CD singles and the streaming revolution. Along the way there are reflections on first record purchases, cover versions, time signatures, coloured vinyl, orchestral hits, Christmas number ones, and the enduring magic of the perfectly crafted PSB pop single.

Support our crowdfunder and get your name mentioned in a future episode: https://gofund.me/8521670c9

Check out our T-shirt store - all profits from our exclusive designs go towards supporting the podcast: https://in-depth.teemill.com

We’re also on YouTube: In Depth Pet Shop Boys Podcast - YouTube

And there’s additional In Depth content on our social media channels:

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Graham and Chris go back to …The Future as Pet Shop Boys unveil the newly recorded and expanded version of their Alan Turing project. They explore Turing as an architect of artificial intelligence, and the tension between his pursuit of truth and today’s world of deepfakes, misinformation and machine‑generated confusion.

They celebrate the collaborators who bring the new recording to life: Sven Helbig’s contemporary arrangements, Juliet Stevenson’s commanding narration, and the Manchester Camerata’s pioneering spirit. They also trace Pet Shop Boys’ long relationship with classical music, from Borodin and Strauss to Shostakovich, Handel and Purcell. And they decode the sleeve, linking the green‑and‑amber design to early computer terminals and Bletchley Park’s codebreaking machines.

Inspired by Turing and Hodges, the second half glitches down a metaphysical wormhole to uncover Neil’s fascination with time. It’s GCSE science meets dreamworlds, memory, grief, clocks, teacups, collapsing chronology, reverse causality, and a final journey to the very edge of forever - unravelling how A Man From The Future sits within a wider Pet Shop Boys tradition of bending spacetime itself!

Support our crowdfunder and get your name mentioned in a future episode: https://gofund.me/8521670c9

Check out our T-shirt store - all profits from our exclusive designs go towards supporting the podcast: https://in-depth.teemill.com

We’re also on YouTube: In Depth Pet Shop Boys Podcast - YouTube

And there’s additional In Depth content on our social media channels:

Facebook: http://tiny.cc/3jhcvz

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/indepthpsbpod