Documentary celebrating the British sitcom and taking a look at the social and political context from which our favourite sitcoms grew. We enjoy a trip through the comedy archive in the company of the people who made some of the very best British sitcoms. From The Likely Lads to I'm Alan Partridge, we find out the inspiration behind some of the most-loved characters and how they reflect the times they were living in.
Walter Hill sits down for a rare retrospective interview for his 1981 film "Southern Comfort".
Quand la télé dérape, 40 ans de scandales
Documentary about the making of Dune.
This new special reveals the secrets of the long-running sitcom's extraordinary success. Helped by former cast and crew members, families of the stars no longer with us, and celebrity fans, we learn the secrets of this comedy classic and get to see previously unseen interviews and rare behind-the-scenes archive footage.
Barbra Streisand grew up in working class Brooklyn, dreaming of escape from her tough childhood. A stellar student, she resisted the pressure to go to college as her sights were firmly set on Broadway. She was determined to become an actress and landed her first role aged 16, but it was two years later, when she started to sing, that her career took off. Subverting stereotypes and breaking glass ceilings, this programme looks at her rise to stardom and the remarkable achievements of her early career.
A look back at the making of the entire Blackadder series to commemorate its 40th anniversary, featuring contributions from Blackadder's biggest fans including Jack Whitehall, Darren Harriott, Sarah Hadland, Ardal O'Hanlon and Nina Wadia.
A celebration of the much-loved holiday camp sitcom, featuring classic scenes and interviews with members of cast and crew including Su Pollard, Ruth Madoc, Jeffrey Holland, Paul Shane and Jimmy Perry. The programme reveals that Butlin's, the real-life inspiration for the series, were not impressed with the show, and there are backstage secrets, such as the day several cast members nearly drowned in the swimming pool
Retrospective on the making of "Mad Max 2".
Biography of Marlene Dietrich using interviews, film clips and rare footage of the actress, including her own home movies.
Julien Temple's second documentary profiling punk rock pioneers the Sex Pistols is an enlightening, entertaining trip back to a time when the punk movement was just discovering itself. Featuring archival footage, never-before-seen performances, rehearsals, and recording sessions as well as interviews with group members who lived to tell the tale--including the one and only John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten).
A celebratory documentary looking back at the 30 years since comedy legend Mr Bean landed on our screens. This documentary explores the magic behind this unlikely hero.
During the 1950s, musical masterpieces that have yet to be equaled were produced in Cinemascope with stereophonic sound. These two episodes explore how the post-war years were alive with bold experimentation in musical film. Later in the decade, Rock & Roll became the musical choice of the younger generation and movie musicals followed suit. Highlights of this 2-part program include: Films based on smash Broadway musicals become the rage. A pretty starlet with no musical training named Marilyn Monroe takes the country by storm in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." With favorites from the previous decade continue to delight audiences: Rock & Roll films, songs and musical numbers.
Documentary looking at the history of Hollywood musicals in the 1960s. This decade saw independent film companies becoming more prominent as the bigger Hollywood studios, who produced the mainstream musicals, experienced a decline. This brought the emergence of more realistic story lines and the use of contemporary music like rock 'n' roll. This programme features songs from the musicals 'West Side Story' (1961), 'The Music Man' (1962), 'Mary Poppins' (1964), 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' (1964), 'Funny Girl' (1968), 'Oliver!' (1968) and 'Sweet Charity' (1969).
In the 1980s we got our MTV but seemed to have lost much of the musical film in the process. But the genre is resilient. A handful of masterpieces along with a few cult classics emerged from this decade. In the 1990s the Hollywood musical was largely animated, rather than live action. However, television had a surprising number of musical offerings, including “Gypsy” with Bette Midler and “Annie” which launched director Rob Marshall. In the 2000s musicals came back starting with “Moulin Rouge” and carrying on with “Chicago,” “Dreamgirls” and “Hairspray.” There are movies based on Broadway triumphs and once again there are teens singing and dancing.
Dame Joanna Lumley offers a first-person retrospective of her most memorable screen roles.
A mini-series Disney Channel started about High School Musical 2. The series included interviews from the cast and tidbits from the then upcoming movie.
A documentary about the third series of Red Dwarf (1988).
As a teenager in the '90s, Soleil Moon Frye carried a video camera everywhere she went. She documented hundreds of hours of footage and then locked it away for over 20 years.
Narrated by the legendary Shirley Jones, this installment of the Hollywood Singing and Dancing series shines a light on the musicals of the 1970s, a time when the very look of the genre was changing. Highlights include clips from squeaky-clean family fare such as Fiddler on the Roof, as well as more envelope-pushing options like Cabaret, Grease, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tommy, Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair.