Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

World Service,14 Jan 2026,40 mins

Working for 'the Man' to rebel against my anti-Hollywood dad

Outlook

Available for over a year

Lloyd Kaufman has been the father of anti-establishment filmmaking for over 50 years. His production company Troma Entertainment is known for its gory, controversial and politically-charged movies. His daughter Lily-Hayes grew up on the sets of these bizarre and often quite gruesome Troma films. She had her first on-screen role at the age of 4 in one of Troma’s biggest hits – the 1984 horror-comedy The Toxic Avenger – a film about a nerd who turns into a mutant superhero after falling into a vat of nuclear waste. But the chaos of the films was not mirrored at home in New York; Lily-Hayes and her sisters went to an Upper East Side all-girls private school, sweets were strictly rationed, and life was kept in order. When it came time for Lily-Hayes to pick her own career path, she wanted to push back against her father's anti-establishment line of work. But how could she rebel against the ultimate rebel? Well, she went into investment banking and forged a ‘normal’ life on the trading floor. One day she witnessed a colleague take part in a chicken nugget eating contest. It was a scene that would rival even the grossest scenes she’d seen on a Troma set and it pushed her back towards the call of the Tromaverse. Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: Andrea Rangecroft Get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707 (Photo: Black and white medium shot taken looking up at father and daughter filmmakers - Lloyd and Lily-Hayes Kaufman of Troma Entertainment. On the left, Lloyd wears a dark checked jacket with a polo shirt underneath and a slight scowl on his face. On the right, Lily-Hayes has a blonde bob, black t-shirt with a pendant. Credit: Nicola Rinaldo / TROMA Entertainment, Inc)

Programme Website
More episodes