The Sweet Life

The extraordinary story of comedian Bob Monkhouse's life and career, told through the vast private archive of films, TV shows, letters and memorabilia that he left behind.

Documentary fans are in for a treat as renowned documentarian Louis Theroux dived into the BBC Archives and selected his favourite documentaries. Each of them had an impact on Louis. They cover a range of styles - some vérité-driven, others told more through interview - but in all of them you see life at its most raw, its most strange and therefore its most human. In Louis Theroux: Docs That Made Me Louis explains why he chose the documentaries and how they have inspired his work.

From her precocious status as a sex symbol to her consecration as a filmmaker, Jodie Foster's story is about a feminist struggle, albeit atypical, fought on and off the screen. This film sets out to retrace her remarkable journey within the Hollywood industry.

September 23, 2022 marks the 52nd anniversary of the death of Bourvil (1917-1970). Radio, sketches, boulevard theater, operetta, cinema, songs whimsical or tender, Bourvil is present in all areas of popular culture. Carried by the voice of Valérie Lemercier, this portrait of the artist allows us to rediscover his most beautiful songs, from Les Crayons to La Tendresse, and the highlights of his filmography, from the cult scenes of La Traversée de Paris, Le Corniaud and La Grande Vadrouille to Le Cercle rouge. We also rediscover the richness of his career as a singer and actor, with some little known nuggets. The testimony of Bourvil's two sons, unpublished family films and numerous archives tell the story of the all too brief life of this endearing man.

Documentary about documentary filmmaker Stig Wesslén.

Benjamin and Awad run Sudan's national film archive. The two men, who have worked together for more than 40 years, are devoted to protecting their country's visual memories. Home to some 13,000 films, the archive preserves pivotal moments of Sudan's turbulent history and is one of the largest in Africa. But the archive is in a fragile state. Following years of neglect and poor storage, many film reels are turning to dust in Sudan's unforgiving tropical climate. The two friends are determined to turn it around and embark on a mission to save the old films. Will they succeed in preserving Sudan's visual history for future generations before it's too late?

Mary Berry visits Harewood House in Yorkshire as it prepares for Christmas on a grand scale, and demonstrates how to make delicious recipes inspired by festive dishes of the past.

Made possible through a unique UK-wide collaboration of national and regional publicly-funded film archives, Lost Connections draws on a century of archive footage that invites reflections on loss, loneliness, isolation, and expressions of desire, optimism, hope and renewal. It is not a film about the pandemic, it is a film about recovery, the human character, sadness and joy, what we really value, and our gradual reconnection with each other, our communities, and the world around us.

A collection of restored prints from the Lumière Brothers.

A comprehensive and fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the restoration process of restoring 3-strip Cinerama for the 1962 film "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm".

WINHANGANHA (Wiradjuri language: Remember, know, think) - is a lyrical journey of archival footage and sound, poetry and original composition. It is an examination of how archives and the legacies of collection affect First Nations people and wider Australia, told through the lens of acclaimed Wiradjuri artist, Jazz Money.

To produce speech, a set of mechanisms must be brought together. What is the normal articulation for speech? How to produce the sounds that make it up in the correct way? A physiological analysis of the aspects of speech shows us how: the jaw must move in a certain way; the air must be expelled from the lungs in another. Based on the concepts stated in the film "Normal Speech Articulation" (1965), produced by the University of Iowa (USA), we intend to reflect on the way women have been represented, and consequently educated, over the years, both in film and in the media. Largely composed of archival footage, this film intends to make evident, through a montage inspired by Structuralist movements, the violence of this education.

This BBC Three film follows the first all Asian girls’ cricket team over the summer holidays as they train for their last ever tournament together. The team started at school four years ago when their only experience of cricket was their dads and brothers watching it on the TV. In spite of this, they took to it like naturals and began winning almost all of the tournaments they entered. Last year they lost out on becoming National champions at Lords by only one run.

Why are we still able, today, to view images that were captured over 125 years ago? As we enter the digital age, audiovisual heritage seems to be a sure and obvious fact. However, much of cinema and our filmed history has been lost forever. Archivists, technicians and filmmakers from different parts of the world explain what audiovisual preservation is and why it is necessary. The documentary is a tribute to all these professionals and their important work.

A nature lover's paradise lays in wait for a mother and daughter enjoying a day's excursion on the North York Moors.

Cao Bang, les soldats sacrifiés d'Indochine

At the National Archive of the Moving Images in Portugal, archivists discuss the powerful bond between people and a machine that preserves a very delicate medium.

Public health physician Noel Nutels' ideas and the footage he made of Brazilian indigenous peoples between 1940 and 1970 come together to denounce the historic massacre against native communities.

York, Harrogate, and Whitby are the essential stops-offs in this picturesque travel companion

Documentary on the rise and fall of the Danish silent film industry.