Hideously plausible when first broadcast in 1984, this BBC TV docu-drama now seems like a terrifying might-have-been, although a great deal of what it says about the probable aftermath of a nuclear attack remains horribly pertinent. Scripted by Barry Hines (author of the novel on which Ken Loach's Kes was based) and directed by Mick Jackson (who later went to Hollywood with The Bodyguard and Volcano), at the time Threads seemed like a response to the American TV movie The Day After although it stands nobly on its own. Showing the after-effects of World War III on the United Kingdom by concentrating on two Sheffield families linked by an unplanned pregnancy, it illustrates the scientific, political, medical and social consequences of the severing of the many vital connective "threads" that support a Western society. Grim in a particularly 1980s way, this is a compulsive if uncomfortable watch and accomplishes a great deal without the distraction of spectacle, picking through all the melted milk bottles and firing squad traffic wardens to find the human horror at the heart of it all. --Kim Newman
Intense, ferocious and deeply unsettling, I.D. is an excellent examination of Britain's unsavoury contribution to global culture: football hooliganism. Whereas Alan Clarke's The Firm showed the violence that lurked behind a seemingly normal façade, I.D. posits football hooliganism as a feral temptation. Dedicated, ambitious undercover policeman John (Reece Dinsdale) becomes seduced by the violence of an East London gang, ultimately becoming lost from his regular life with his wife (Clare Skinner). Dinsdale delivers a measured performance that sees him spiral from committed, right-minded policeman to shaven-headed, Nazi-saluting monster, revelling in the violent impulses he embraces with glee and, alarmingly, becoming a hero amongst those he is infiltrating. Warren Clarke is absolutely monstrous as the leader of the hooligan gang, a paragon of bigoted hatred and the embodiment of John's future. Often unnervingly realistic, director Phil Davis is adept at creating riotous mob scenes that chillingly accentuate the world into which John is drawn. It could be said that I.D.'s premise is too thin, and that hooliganism is not addressed in an effective manner, but it is without doubt a chilling character study of the temptation of violence and the horrific influences that lurk in the heart of society. --Danny Graydon
Henry Willows is a middle-aged divorcee contentedly living alone. Feathers really fly as his orderly life is disrupted when his teenage son Matthew whom he has not seen for seven years appears out of the blue intending to stay. While Henry has never quite seen himself as the typical loving parent he reluctantly agrees to give the arrangement a try. The differences in age and temperament between father and son produce hilarious situations as they attempt to adjust to life together. Matthew is a typical teenager who likes rock music girls telling lies and drinking his father's whiskey. From the moment he moves in life for poor Henry will never be the same.
Three very different families become linked by the strong-minded Agnes Conway when at the beginning of the First World War she meets the wealthy Farrier clan for the first time...
ID1 - John, an ambitious young copper, is sent undercover into the hardcore football gangs to track down the generals' - the shadowy figures who orchestrate the violence. Gradually, the hard drinking, hard fighting macho world proves irresistible and John slowly finds himself turning into one of the thugs he has been sent to destroy. ID2 - 20 years on from the ferocious and deeply upsetting original fi lm a young British Asian police officer is going deep undercover into the heart of the Shadwell FC firm. The team's resurgent hooligan element are fired up by a takeover from a Russian billionaire and adventures into Europe, whilst plans to build a new mosque in the shadow of Shadwell's ground create an explosive environment for Mo to defuse. As football and political violence create a perfect storm of social unrest this undercover copper is faced with the question of who he really is and where he belongs. Bonus: ID2 - Making Of Deleted Scenes
John, an ambitious young copper, is sent undercover into the hardcore football gangs to track down the 'generals' - the shadowy figures who orchestrate the violence. Gradually, the hard drinking, hard fighting macho world proves irresistable and John slowly finds himself turning into one of the thugs he has been sent to destroy.
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2.4 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Mono ), English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Originally produced by the BBC, Threads is a shattering speculative tale the onset of World War III, and the horrors of the post-apocalyptic society that struggles for survival. The film takes place in the ruins of Sheffield, a British working class town. Despite the fact that the world seems to be falling apart all around them, a young couple (Karen Meagher, Reece Meagher) intend to go ahead with their upcoming wedding. As the date draws near, however, simmering international tensions soon erupt into global thermonuclear war. In the devastation that follows, the apocalyptic erosion of society sends mankind hurtling back hundreds of years into an age where famine, strife, pestilence, and death wash over the land like an unrelenting flood of venomous bile. The central theme of the film seems to be that the adage 'Life Goes On' just isn't good enough in a world doomed to a slow death by radiation. Without resorting to shock or sensationalism, this one makes The Day After and Testament look like kids' stuff. Though not picked up by any of the major American networks, Threads was widely distributed in the US through the auspices of cable mogul Ted Turner. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, ...Threads
Keith Barron Gaynor Faye and Nicola Stephenson star in this compelling drama written by Gaynor's renowned script-writing mother Kay Mellor (Playing the Field Between the Sheets) The Chase follows the lives and loves of a family of vets in a struggling Yorkshire practice as they cope with new wives and babies money worries and shocking secrets. George Williams (Keith Barron) heads the practice with his daughter Anna (Gaynor Faye) and her husband Tom (Nicholas Gleaves). George's second daughter Sarah (Nicola Stephenson) lives in London where she moved following the death of her mother - and the discovery of Tom in a compromising situation with one of the surgery nurses Fiona (Heather Peace). But George has found a new wife Claudie (Michelle Holmes). At his wedding reception he announces his retirement leaving an eight-month pregnant Anna with a struggling business an estranged sister one vet down one vet defecting to the local opposition and a list of operations as long as her arm. It's enough to send a woman into labour!
World War II aviation buffs may quibble with the details of Mosquito Squadron, but they'll love it just the same. It's an average war movie, capably directed by Boris Sagal, who thrived in television before he was tragically killed by a helicopter rotor in 1981. At the peak of his post-Man from UNCLE success, David McCallum plays a melancholy RAF ace, leading his squadron of De Havilland "Mosquito" bombers on low-altitude strikes over Nazi strongholds in Germany and France. His ground-based dilemma involves the grieving wife of his best friend, a fellow pilot presumed dead but later discovered alive with other POWs held at a French chalet where the Nazis are developing advanced V-class bombers. The RAF employs bouncing "highballs" capable of penetrating difficult targets, and the rousing climax doubles as a rescue mission and treacherous bombing run. Explosive action compensates for predictable melodrama, and Rocky Horror fans will enjoy seeing Charles ("the Criminologist") Gray as a stuffy RAF Commodore. --Jeff Shannon
The critically acclaimed series Moving On created by BAFTA & EMMY award-winning Jimmy McGovern (The Street, Cracker) returns for a third run of five powerful films about people confronted with life-changing decision. This series has a stellar cast complimented by compelling stories written by the cream of UK writing talent.Episodes comprise:1. Punter2. Tour of Duty3. Donor4. The Poetry of Silence5. The Milkman
A space ship stops at an intergalactic fuel station. While the captain's refueling one of his idiotic companions plays with the controls and accidently starts the ship and crashes into the earth. This causes a sensation: the media celebrates the extraterrestrials the military interrogates them for eternal wisdom. However soon they recognize that the fellows are dumb as bricks - although some generals believe it's just a mask.
Exploring the idea that everyone has the ability to kill and investigating what it is that can trigger the reaction in any of us Conviction is a dark and innovative drama. Penned by Bill Gallagher (Clocking Off) Brothers Chrissie (William Ash) and Ray (Nicholas Gleaves) are part of a team of CID officers who have a constant battle against a growing sense of vigilantism on their patch. However the murder of a 12-year-old girl heightens the tensions and le
The original BBC drama that shocked a generation. Set in the paranoia of nuclear war this chilling and BAFTA-award winning BBC2 drama was aired causing outrage and anxiety amongst the viewing public due to its graphic and realistic storytelling of a possible nuclear strike. After its initial airing Threads became a national talking point and became a powerful and terrifying glimpse into a post holocaust world after a devastating nuclear bomb. Even more terrifyin
First broadcast in the early 1980s, Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime stars James Warwick and Francesca Annis as the husband-and-wife team of detectives Tommy and "Tuppence" Beresford. Together they zoom around 1920's England in a very posh car and solve all kinds of high-society crimes, from forgery at an exclusive nightclub to the mysterious disappearance of an Arctic explorer's fiancée. The show benefits from two charming lead performances and some wonderful period details--Annis seems to change her hat and her dress every 30 seconds--but it is at best only moderately entertaining. The years have not been kind to this type of mystery, in which murder is the equivalent of an especially tricky crossword puzzle, offering the amateur sleuths an opportunity to avoid boredom and have a terribly thrilling time. Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple survive both in print and on film, because the central characters are interesting enough to make us forgive weak plotting and a lack of depth, but Tommy and Tuppence don't have the staying power of Christie's more famous creations. Their adventures are fun in small doses, and if you're in the mood for some witty repartee, but otherwise this series is little more than a quaint relic of a bygone age. --Simon Leake
ID1 - John, an ambitious young copper, is sent undercover into the hardcore football gangs to track down the generals' - the shadowy figures who orchestrate the violence. Gradually, the hard drinking, hard fighting macho world proves irresistible and John slowly finds himself turning into one of the thugs he has been sent to destroy. ID2 - 20 years on from the ferocious and deeply upsetting original fi lm a young British Asian police officer is going deep undercover into the heart of the Shadwell FC firm. The team's resurgent hooligan element are fired up by a takeover from a Russian billionaire and adventures into Europe, whilst plans to build a new mosque in the shadow of Shadwell's ground create an explosive environment for Mo to defuse. As football and political violence create a perfect storm of social unrest this undercover copper is faced with the question of who he really is and where he belongs. Bonus: ID2 - Making Of Deleted Scenes
A Private Function is a hysterically funny tale of social climbing and a stolen pig starring Monty Python legend and famous world traveller Michael Palin (A Fish Called Wanda; Brazil; Time Bandits; The Missionary).
""Everybody's Favourite Shaggy Dog Story!"" Young Billy can't keep Digby the lovable sheepdog he brought home from the pound so he decides to leave him with animal expert Jeff (Jim Dale). But while Jeff's back is turned Digby accidentally drinks a top secret chemical which makes him grow... and grow... and grow! The gigantic Digby is soon being chased all over the country. The army think he dangerous and want to blow him up. Two thieves are trying to sell him to the circus! In this frantic and hilarious race against time Billy and the hapless Jeff must get to Digby with the antidote or lose him forever. With and all star cast including Spike Milligan and Victor Spinetti Digby The Biggest Dog In The World is a classic adventure story for the whole family. Available for the first time on DVD!
Crime drama directed by Philip Davis. Policeman John (Reece Dinsdale) is assigned with his superior, Trevor (Richard Graham), to a secret four-man squad set up to bust a violent football firm. The gang seem to be responsible for much of South London's violent crime, as well as regular crowd trouble at Shadwell Town football club. Not long after becoming fully integrated into the group, John gives Trevor cause for concern as his darker side is gradually unleashed, drawn in by the buzz of football hooliganism.
In an effort to halt the escalating violence of fanatical football supporters, four young policemen are sent undercover. One of these, John (Reece Dinsdale), soon finds his own personality changing and feels a sense of belonging he never felt on the force...
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