"Actor: Derek JACOBI"

• Cadfael - The Complete Collection | DVD | (24/08/2009) from £16.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  All thirteen episodes of the drama series starring Derek Jacobi as the medieval sleuth. In the opening episode 'One Corpse Too Many', Cadfael, once a man of the world, has become a man of the cloth. However, this by no means qualifies him as a saint. He discovers a murder, and sets out in pursuit of the perpertrator, assisted by a lovely young fugitive. 'The Sanctuary Sparrow' sees Brother Cadfael investigating the murder of the local goldsmith. In 'The Leper of St Giles' a great wedding is to take place in the Abbey of Shrewsbury between Baron Huon (Norman Eshley) and Iveta De Massard (Tara Fitzgerald). Iveta is a beautiful, kind soul and on the day she and her betrothed ride into the town she throws money to the lepers, but her brutish Baron beats them. On the eve of the wedding he rides off into the night never to return. Cadfael sets out to find out what is going on. In 'Monk's Hood', a landowner cuts his son-in-law out of his will, leaving his inheritance to the church. However, before the transaction is finished, Gervase Gurney (Bernard Gallagher) is poisoned whilst staying at the Abbey of Shrewsbury. Cadfael finds someone from his past as he looks into the poisoning. In 'The Virgin in the Ice' Cadfael has to prove the innocence of his novice, Oswin (Mark Charnock), who is accused of murdering a nun after he is found wandering deliriously. In 'The Devil's Novice', Cadfael is suspicious when a young man, Meriet (Christien Anholt), arrives at Shrewsbury Abbey wishing to become a Novice. Canon Eluard (Ian McNeice) shares Cadfael's doubts as to Meriet's intentions, and when the half-burned body of a colleague is discovered, Meriet is accused of murder. In 'A Morbid Taste For Bones', Cadfael reluctantly accompanies an expedition to dig up the grave of St Winifred, after one of the Shrewsbury monks has a vision. He soon finds himself investigating a murder, when Lord Rhysart (John Hallam) is found dead on a forest track with an arrow in his chest. Robert (Michael Culver) believes the culprit to be Godwin, who was having an affair with Rhysart's daughter, Sioned (Anna Friel). However, Cadfael has other ideas. In 'The Rose Rent', the recently-widowed of a rich merchant becomes an attraction for the men of Shrewsbury, until one of her suitors and a monk are murdered. In 'St Peter's Fair', conflict arises between the townspeople of Shrewsbury and visitors to the annual fair. In 'The Raven in the Foregate', Cadfael has a double murder to solve when a pregnant girl and a priest who refused to hear her confession are both killed. In 'The Holy Thief', Cadfael is on the hunt for a beautiful slave girl and the bones of St Winifred, both of which have mysteriously disappeared from the Abbey. In 'The Potter's Field', Cadfael uncovers a terrible web of jealousy, adultery and suicide pacts when he examines the past of a potter who has entered the monastery under suspicious circumstances. Finally, in 'The Pilgrim of Hate', an old man's corpse is found in a sack in the Abbey, and Cadfael must find his killer.

• I, Claudius - The Complete Series | DVD | (17/04/2023) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Starring Brian Blessed as Augustus, John Hurt as Caligula, Derek Jacobi as Claudius, Sian Phillips as Livia, David Robb as Germanicus, Patrick Stewart as Sejanus and Fiona Walker as Agrippina. "I'll put it all in here, my story, my history of the family, yes, and the end of the Republic, yes, and when I've finished, I'll seal it up and bury it where no one will find it...not for 1900 years or more..." I CLAUDIUS tells the Emperor Claudius' epic story spanning the annals of Roman history, from the mighty Augustus, through to the madness of Caligula, as it echoes down through the centuries.br/

• Gladiator (4K UHD) | 4K UHD | (30/04/2018) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A big-budget summer epic with money to burn and a scale worthy of its golden Hollywood predecessors, Ridley Scott's Gladiator is a rousing, grisly, action-packed epic that takes moviemaking back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. While not as fluid as the computer work done for, say, Titanic, it's an impressive achievement that will leave you marveling at the glory that was Rome, when you're not marveling at the glory that is Russell Crowe. Starring as the heroic general Maximus, Crowe firmly cements his star status both in terms of screen presence and acting chops, carrying the film on his decidedly non-computer-generated shoulders as he goes from brave general to wounded fugitive to stoic slave to gladiator hero. Gladiator's plot is a whirlwind of faux-Shakespearean machinations of death, betrayal, power plays, and secret identities (with lots of faux-Shakespearean dialogue ladled on to keep the proceedings appropriately "classical"), but it's all briskly shot, edited, and paced with a contemporary sensibility. Even the action scenes, somewhat muted but graphic in terms of implied violence and liberal bloodletting, are shot with a veracity that brings to mind--believe it or not--Saving Private Ryan, even if everyone is wearing a toga. As Crowe's nemesis, the evil emperor Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix chews scenery with authority, whether he's damning Maximus's popularity with the Roman mobs or lusting after his sister Lucilla (beautiful but distant Connie Nielsen); Oliver Reed, in his last role, hits the perfect notes of camp and gravitas as the slave owner who rescues Maximus from death and turns him into a coliseum star. Director Scott's visual flair is abundantly in evidence, with breathtaking shots and beautiful (albeit digital) landscapes, but it's Crowe's star power that will keep you in thrall--he's a true gladiator, worthy of his legendary status. Hail the conquering hero! --Mark Englehart

• Murder On The Orient Express | Blu Ray | (05/03/2018) from £4.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Kenneth Branagh directs and leads an all-star cast, including Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe and Judi Dench, in this stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mystery based on the best-selling novel by Agatha Christie. Everyone's a suspect when a murder is committed on a lavish train ride, and a brilliant detective must race against time to solve the puzzle before the killer strikes again.

• Inside No 9: The Complete Collection | DVD | (22/07/2024) from £69.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Murder On The Orient Express | DVD | (05/03/2018) from £3.71   |  Saving you £2.28 (61.46%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Kenneth Branagh directs and leads an all-star cast, including Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe and Judi Dench, in this stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mystery based on the best-selling novel by Agatha Christie. Everyone's a suspect when a murder is committed on a lavish train ride, and a brilliant detective must race against time to solve the puzzle before the killer strikes again.

• Tomb Raider | Blu Ray | (16/07/2018) from £4.84   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Lara Croft is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished when she was scarcely a teen. Now a young woman of 21 without any real focus or purpose, Lara navigates the chaotic streets of trendy East London as a bike courier, barely making the rent. Determined to forge her own path, she refuses to take the reins of her father's global empire just as staunchly as she rejects the idea that he's truly gone. Advised to face the facts and move forward after seven years without him, even Lara can't understand what drives her to finally solve the puzzle of his mysterious death. Leaving everything she knows behind, Lara goes in search of her dad's last-known destination: a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan. But her mission will not be an easy one; just reaching the island will be extremely treacherous. Suddenly, the stakes couldn't be higher for Lara, whoagainst the odds and armed with only her sharp mind, blind faith and inherently stubborn spiritmust learn to push herself beyond her limits as she journeys into the unknown. If she survives this perilous adventure, it could be the making of her, earning her the name tomb raider.

• Underworld Quadrilogy | Blu Ray | (12/10/2016) from £59.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Please note this is a region B Blu-ray and will require a region B or region free Blu-ray player in order to play. UNDERWORLD reimagines Vampires as a secretive clan of modern, aristocratic sophisticates whose mortal enemies are the Lycans (werewolves), a shrewd gang of street thugs who prowl the citys underbelly. The balance of power is upset when a beautiful young Vampire and a nascent Lycan deadly rivals for centuries fall in love. Len Wiseman directs Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman in a fast-paced, modern-day tale of deadly action, ruthless intrigue and forbidden love, all set against the backdrop of an ancient feud between the two tribes in a timeless, Gothic metropolis. UNDERWORLD is a new species of thriller. Kate Beckinsale (The Aviator, Van Helsing) and Scott Speedman (The 24th Day, My Life Without Me) reprise their roles in this exhilarating sequel, which sends the Underworld legend to the next terrifying stage, unleashing, new action, new secrets and an entirely new breed that is more powerful than any of them. Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans delves into the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires, known as Death Dealers, and the barbaric Lycans (werewolves). A young Lycan, Lucian (Michael Sheen), emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Bill Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has persecuted them for hundreds of years. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, the beautiful vampire Sonja (Rhona Mitra), in his battle to free the Lycans from their brutal enslavement. Kate Beckinsale, star of the first two films, returns in her lead role as the vampire warrioress Selene, who escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all out war to eradicate both immortal species.

• Tomb Raider | DVD | (16/07/2018) from £7.19   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Lara Croft is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished when she was scarcely a teen. Now a young woman of 21 without any real focus or purpose, Lara navigates the chaotic streets of trendy East London as a bike courier, barely making the rent. Determined to forge her own path, she refuses to take the reins of her father's global empire just as staunchly as she rejects the idea that he's truly gone. Advised to face the facts and move forward after seven years without him, even Lara can't understand what drives her to finally solve the puzzle of his mysterious death. Leaving everything she knows behind, Lara goes in search of her dad's last-known destination: a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan. But her mission will not be an easy one; just reaching the island will be extremely treacherous. Suddenly, the stakes couldn't be higher for Lara, whoagainst the odds and armed with only her sharp mind, blind faith and inherently stubborn spiritmust learn to push herself beyond her limits as she journeys into the unknown. If she survives this perilous adventure, it could be the making of her, earning her the name tomb raider.

• Last Tango in Halifax - Complete Series 1-5 | DVD | (26/06/2023) from £38.65   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Gathering Storm | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £7.19   |  Saving you £6.80 (94.58%)   |  RRP £13.99

  The Gathering Storm is a fictionalised portrayal of Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine during their wilderness years of the 1930s. It deservedly won numerous awards, including an Emmy, BAFTA and Golden Globe in recognition of Albert Finney's wonderful central performance. Equally deserving were those for all aspects of the production design: period wardrobe, set dressing and use of location are equally impressive, apparently ensuring that this production has everything going for it in its depiction of pre-War Britain. The snag is that its restriction to TV movie format, a mere 90 minutes, excludes a lot of historical context that ought not to have been left out. Seeing Churchill's adoration of his wife (Vanessa Redgrave) or the family woes troubling Ralph Wigram (Linus Roache) is all very emotionally dramatic, but it uses precious screen time that might have been better devoted to highlighting the political situation abroad, or indeed the monarchy's situation at home. The enterprise smacks a little too much of sentimental contrivance, lionising Churchill in rose-tinted retrospect. True, some attempt is made to acknowledge the personality traits that excluded him both from office and popularity prior to Germany's re-building, but like so much else pertinent to the machinations of anticipating the war, these are glossed over for familial feel-goodery and button-pushing poignancy. This is a film that's easy to admire, but ought not to be mistaken for well-rounded history. On the DVD: The Gathering Storm doesn't look or sound quite as crisp and clear as you'd hope for a recent TV-movie transfer. That's down to some obvious grain in the picture, and the 2.0 surround audio that tends to lose quieter dialogue moments. There are extensive cast and crew biographies that will no doubt help international viewers place the naggingly familiar British faces. There's also the accumulatively enthusiastic commentary from director Richard Loncraine and producer Frank Doelger, which happily points many of them out. --Paul Tonks

• Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten Romans | DVD | (25/11/2019) from £3.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Atti is a Roman teenager with brains but very little brawn. When one of his schemes falls foul of Emperor Nero, Atti is forced to join the army and is sent to miserable, cold, wet Britannia where the natives are revolting - quite literally. Things go from bad to worse when Atti is captured by Orla, a feisty teenage Celt and he uses his Roman smarts to help save her grandmother. Meanwhile a furious Nero has ordered more troops to crush the rebellion, led by Boudicca, warrior Queen of the Iceni tribe. Atti rejoins his fellow Romans and as the armies prepare for an historic showdown at the Battle of Watling Street, the two new friends find themselves on opposite sides of the battlefield.

• Gladiator (2000) - Two Disc Set | DVD | (20/11/2000) from £5.44   |  Saving you £19.55 (359.38%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Upon the sudden death of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, his trusted and successful general Narcissus Meridas is unlawfully imprisoned and condemned to the gladiator games by Marcus's twisted son Commodus.

• Last Tango In Halifax Christmas Special 2016 | DVD | (23/01/2017) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Two years have passed since series three. Caroline is about to embark on a new headship at a challenging state school which means moving her family out of the beautiful home in Harrogate to a farm house with potential. Having agreed to host Christmas Day, Caroline is overwhelmed by so much change. But a chance encounter with a new acquaintance gives her a different perspective. Gillian is racked with guilt over Eddie's death and is convinced he's haunting her and Robbie. A séance at Caroline's new, supposedly haunted, house is enough to tip Gillian over the edge as she makes a life-changing decision. Meanwhile, in a bid to keep her brain active, Celia joins the local amateur dramatics club, encouraging Alan to do the same. But Alan is forced to admit that his memory isn't what it used to be, leaving the part wide open for Harry, much to Celia's disdain.

• I Claudius - Complete BBC Series (5 Disc Box Set) | DVD | (30/09/2002) from £28.99   |  Saving you £-19.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.98

  Originally transmitted in the autumn of 1976 I Claudius redefined the boundaries of television with an epic story spanning the annals of Roman history - from the mighty Augustus to the madness of Caligula. One of the jewels in the crown of BBC historical drama this timeless classic features inspirational performances by an all-star cast. This five-disc box set contains all thirteen 50 minute episodes: 1. A Touch of Murder 2. Waiting in the Wings 3. What Shall We Do About Claudius? 4. Poison is Queen 5. Some Justice 6. Queen of Heaven 7. Reign of Terror 8. Zeus By Jove! 9. Hail Who? 10. Fool's Luck 11. A God in Colchester 12. Old King Log

• Henry V | DVD | (10/08/2015) from £5.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Very few first-time film directors would have been capable of making such a triumphant adaptation of Henry V; but a still-youthful Kenneth Branagh's years of stage experience paid off handsomely and his 1989 version qualifies as a genuine masterpiece, the kind of film that comes along once in a decade. He eschews the theatricality of Laurence Olivier's stirring, fondly remembered 1945 adaptation to establish his own rules: Branagh plays it down and dirty, seeing the Bard's play through revisionist eyes, framing it as an anti-war story in contrast to Olivier's patriotic spectacle. Branagh gives us harsh close-ups of muddied, bloody men, and of himself as Henry, his hardened mouth and wilful eyes revealing much about the personal cost of war. Not that the director-star doesn't provide lighter moments: his scenes introducing the French Princess Katherine (Emma Thompson) trying to learn English quickly from her maid are delightful. What may be the crowning glory of Branagh's adaptation comes when the dazed leader wanders across the battlefield, not even sure who has won. As King Hal carries a dead boy (a young Christian Bale) over the hacked bodies of both the English and French, a panorama of blood and mud and death greet the viewer as Branagh opens up the scene and Patrick Doyle's rousing hymn "Non nobis, Domine" provides marvellous counterpoint (like the director, the composer was another filmic first-timer). A more potent expression of the price of victory could scarcely be imagined. --Rochelle O'Gorman, Amazon.com

• THE SECRET OF NIMH (Masters of Cinema) Standard Edition Blu-ray | Blu Ray | (03/02/2025) from £14.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Doctor Who - Series 3 | Blu Ray | (31/08/2015) from £13.75   |  Saving you £16.24 (118.11%)   |  RRP £29.99

  All 14 episodes from the third series of the relaunched sci-fi adventure drama, starring David Tennant as the latest incarnation of the legendary Time Lord. In this series, the Doctor is joined by new companion Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) as he encounters old enemies including the Daleks and the Master (Derek Jacobi). The episodes are: 'The Runaway Bride', 'Smith and Jones', 'The Shakespeare Code', 'Gridlock', 'Daleks in Manhattan', 'Evolution of the Daleks', 'The Lazarus Experiment', '42', 'Human Nature', 'The Family of Blood', 'Blink', 'Utopia', 'The Sound of Drums' and 'Last of the Timelords'.

• Last Tango in Halifax - Series 1-3 | DVD | (02/02/2015) from £14.95   |  Saving you £20.04 (134.05%)   |  RRP £34.99

  The award winning BBC1 Sally Wainwright-written drama, starring Sarah Lancashire, Derek Jacobi, Anne Reid and Nicola Walker, was filmed at Market Arcade, Borough Market and the Upstairs Downstairs Café in Halifax. Last Tango in Halifax tells the love story of two widowers, reunited after 60 years via an internet site. Season three will air in December 2014, on BBC1.

• Love is the Devil (Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (23/11/2015) from £10.35   |  Saving you £9.64 (93.14%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Exploring the territory where art, love and sex collide, Love is the Devil charts the powerful and dangerous relationship betweens one of Britain's most controversial artists, Francis Bacon (Derek Jacobi) and his lover and muse George Dyer (Daniel Craig). This is a dazzling, audacious feature from John Maybury, one of Britain's most exciting directors, portraying a bawdy, decadent world of artists' studio, casinos and late night bars, including the infamous Colony Room Club, presided over by foul-mouthed patroness Muriel Belcher (Tilda Swinton). Derek Jacobi's portrayal of Bacon is precise and mesmerising, whilst Daniel Craig gives a raw, expressive performance as the tough petty thief who became the model for some of Bacon's most intense and celebrated paintings, his ultimate vulnerability throwing his lover's glory into sharp relief. The film's fantastic visual style captures the extraordinary dynamism of Bacon's art; the lighting and colour palette are inspired by his work, and the film's atmosphere is one of both beauty and grotesque.