"Actor: Jo Jackson"

• Goodfellas | 4K UHD | (12/12/2016) from £19.89   |  Saving you £2.42 (12.17%)   |  RRP £22.31

  Martin Scorsese's 1990 masterpiece GoodFellas immortalises the hilarious, horrifying life of actual gangster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), from his teen years on the streets of New York to his anonymous exile under the Witness Protection Program. The director's kinetic style is perfect for recounting Hill's ruthless rise to power in the 1950s as well as his drugged-out fall in the late 1970s; in fact, no one has ever rendered the mental dislocation of cocaine better than Scorsese. Scorsese uses period music perfectly, not just to summon a particular time but to set a precise mood. GoodFellas is at least as good as The Godfather without being in the least derivative of it. Joe Pesci's psycho improvisation of Mobster Tommy DeVito ignited Pesci as a star, Lorraine Bracco scores the performance of her life as the love of Hill's life, and every supporting role, from Paul Sorvino to Robert De Niro, is a miracle.

• Dawson's Creek: Complete Season 1 | DVD | (14/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Even viewers who consider themselves beyond their teen-angst years might find Dawson's Creek compelling. In the first series we are introduced to Dawson (James Van Der Beek) and Joey (Katie Holmes), who for years have watched movies and slept in the same bed; but they find that as they enter high school their relationship will inevitably change. That becomes especially clear when Dawson is immediately attracted to Capeside's sexy new arrival, Jen (Michelle Williams). Meanwhile, their friend Pacey (Joshua Jackson) pursues an unachievable love object. Creator Kevin Williamson based Dawson's Creek on his own youth, and even though the characters may not really look or sound 15 years old, the Dawson-Joey-Jen interplay--especially embodied by the sad-eyed and cynical (but still adorable) Joey and the smart but emotionally inept Dawson--gives the show its heart. And just like Williamson's fresh take on the teen-horror genre, Scream, Dawson's Creek has a winking self-awareness, for example when Dawson says they're having a "90210 moment" or explains that they use big words because they watch too many movies. Highlights of the first series include Dawson's discovery that his perfect home life may not be so perfect, an unwelcome reminder of Jen's past, the Breakfast Club takeoff "Detention", the Scream takeoff "The Scare", a beauty contest in which two unlikely competitors square off, and the heart-rending finale. --David Horiuchi

• Eddie | DVD | (13/09/2004) from £6.85   |  Saving you £-0.86 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Available for the first time on DVD! A New York limo driver wins a competition to become coach of the New York Knicks...

• Dawson's Creek - Season 6 | DVD | (30/01/2006) from £15.98   |  Saving you £19.01 (118.96%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Dawson (James Van Der Beek) returns to Boston after working as an assistant director in Los Angeles over the summer and reunites with Joey (Katie Holmes) who has spent a relatively angst-free summer in Capeside. However there are plenty of obstacles to overcome for the long-time star-gazers. Meanwhile Pacey is trying to make it in the world of business without selling his soul; Jack worries that Professor Freeman might be aware of his crush; and could Audrey have developed a drin

• D3 - The Mighty Ducks | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £5.38   |  Saving you £9.61 (178.62%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Disney's third and the funniest film of everyone's favourite hockey team The Mighty Ducks. They've just won a scholarship at a pretigious prep school but they are given an icy reception and it looks as though their winning streak is coming to an end. Can they find their form or will they have to relinquish their scholarship?

• Marvel Studios Collector's Edition Box Set - Phase 3 Part 2 | Blu Ray | (11/11/2019) from £39.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Black Panther: After tragedy forces yound Prince T'Challa to assume Wakanda's throne, he is faced with the ultimate test, putting the fate of his country and the entire world at risk. Pitted against his own family, the new king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and embrace his future as an Avenger. Avengers: Infinity War: An unprecedented cinematic journey ten years in the making and spanning the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War brings to the screen the ultimate showdown of all time. The Avengers and their Super Hero allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the poweful Thanos. Ant-Man and the Wasp: From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes Ant-Man and the Wasp. Still reeling from the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang is enlisted by Dr. Hank Pym for an urgent new mission. He must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside the Wasp as they join forces to uncover secrets from the past. Captain Marvel: Set in the 1990s, Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that follows the journey of Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes. While a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth, Danvers finds herself and a small cadre of allies at the center of the maelstrom. Avengers: Endgame: The grave course of events set in motion by Thanos that wiped out half the universe and fractured the Avengers ranks compels the remaining Avengers to take one final stand in Marvel Studios' grand conclusion to twenty-two films, Avengers: Endgame. Spider-Man: Far From Home: Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) returns in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Our friendly neighborhood Super Hero decides to join his best friends Ned, MJ, and the rest of the gang on a European vacation. However, Peter's plan to leave super heroics behind for a few weeks is quickly scrapped when he begrudgingly agrees to help Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) uncover the mystery of several elemental creature attacks. Spider-Man and Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) join forces to fight the havoc unleashed across the continent but all is not as it seems. Bonus Features: 'Marvel 3.2 Bonus Disc: Black Panther: Come to Wakanda Before; Come to Wakanda After Avengers: Infinity War: The Directors' Roundtable Avengers Ant-Man and the Wasp: 10 Years of Marvel Studios: The Art of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; Online Close-Up Magic University Captain Marvel: What Makes a Memory: Inside the Mind Frack; Journey Into Visual Effects With Victoria Alonso Each Individual Film Disc Contains: Black Panther: Play Movie With Director Ryan Coogler's Intro; Featurettes - From Page To Screen: A Roundtable Discussion; Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years - Connecting The Universe; Exclusive; Sneak Peek At Ant-Man And The Wasp; Gag Reel; Deleted Scenes; Audio Commentary Avengers: Infinity War: Intro By Directors Joe And Anthony Russo; Featurettes: Strange Alchemy, The Mad Titan, Beyond the Battle: Titan & Wakanda; Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, Audio Commentary by Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, and Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely Ant-Man and the Wasp: Play Movie With Intro By Director Peyton Reed; Making Of Featurettes: Back In The Ant Suit: Scott Lang, A Suit Of Her Own: The Wasp, Subatomic: Super Heroes: Hank & Janet, Quantum Perspective: The VFX And Production Design Of Ant-Man And The Wasp; Gag Reel And Outtakes: Gag Reel, Stan Lee Outtakes, Tim Heidecker Outtakes; Deleted Scenes: Worlds Upon Worlds, Worlds Upon Worlds With Commentary, Sonny's On The Trail, Sonny's On The Trail With Commentary; Audio Commentary Captain Marvel: Becoming a Super Hero, Big Hero Moment, The Origin of Nick Fury, The Dream Team, The Skrulls and the Kree, Hiss-sterical Cat-titude; Deleted Scenes: Who Do You Admire Above All Others , Starforce Recruits, Heading to Torfa, What, No Smile? , Black Box, Rookie Mistake; Gag Reel; Audio Commentary; Play Movie With Intro By Directors Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck Avengers: Endgame: Audio Commentary; Play Movie with Intro by Directors Joe and Anthony Russo Spider-Man: Far From Home: Peter's To-Do List - A Short Film; Deleted Scenes; Cast Bloopers Avengers Endgame Bonus Disc: Remembering Stan Lee; Setting the Tone: Casting Robert Downey Jr.; A Man Out of Time: Creating Captain America; Black Widow: Whatever It Takes; The Russo Brothers: Journey to Endgame; The Women of the MCU; Bro Thor; Gag Reel; DELETED SCENE: Goji Berries; DELETED SCENE: Bombs on Board; DELETED SCENE: Suckiest Army in the Galaxy; DELETED SCENE: You Used to Frickin' Live Here; DELETED SCENE: Tony and Howard; DELETED SCENE: Avengers Take a Knee Added Value: 6 Original Theatrical Posters 6 Matt Ferguson Art Cards Infinity Gauntlet We Love You 3000 Art Card

• D2 - The Mighty Ducks | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Emilio Estevez and everybody's favourite hockey teams THE MIGHTY DUCKS are back on the ice and ready to score big laughs in this hilarious action-packed comedy. The mighty misfit champions are gearing up for the game of their lives as they represent Team USA in the Junior Goodwill Games in Los Angeles. Together they must rekindle the magic to outscore the favoured Iceland team. But first they must win an even tougher battle - surviving the glamorous fast-paced Hollywood lifestyle

• Midsomer Murders - Series 1-2 - Complete | DVD | (06/04/2009) from £18.68   |  Saving you £41.31 (221.15%)   |  RRP £59.99

  This major new Midsomer Murders initiative sees the films released for the first time as series sets with a complete redesign and repackaging. Starring John Nettles (Bergerac) and Daniel Casey (Steel River Blues) this is the complete Series One and Two.

• Marvel Studios Collector's Edition Box Set - Phase 3 Part 2 | Blu Ray | (11/11/2019) from £41.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Black Panther: After tragedy forces yound Prince T'Challa to assume Wakanda's throne, he is faced with the ultimate test, putting the fate of his country and the entire world at risk. Pitted against his own family, the new king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and embrace his future as an Avenger. Avengers: Infinity War: An unprecedented cinematic journey ten years in the making and spanning the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War brings to the screen the ultimate showdown of all time. The Avengers and their Super Hero allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the poweful Thanos. Ant-Man and the Wasp: From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes Ant-Man and the Wasp. Still reeling from the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang is enlisted by Dr. Hank Pym for an urgent new mission. He must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside the Wasp as they join forces to uncover secrets from the past. Captain Marvel: Set in the 1990s, Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that follows the journey of Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes. While a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth, Danvers finds herself and a small cadre of allies at the center of the maelstrom. Avengers: Endgame: The grave course of events set in motion by Thanos that wiped out half the universe and fractured the Avengers ranks compels the remaining Avengers to take one final stand in Marvel Studios' grand conclusion to twenty-two films, Avengers: Endgame. Spider-Man: Far From Home: Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) returns in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Our friendly neighborhood Super Hero decides to join his best friends Ned, MJ, and the rest of the gang on a European vacation. However, Peter's plan to leave super heroics behind for a few weeks is quickly scrapped when he begrudgingly agrees to help Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) uncover the mystery of several elemental creature attacks. Spider-Man and Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) join forces to fight the havoc unleashed across the continent but all is not as it seems. Bonus Features: 'Marvel 3.2 Bonus Disc: Black Panther: Come to Wakanda Before; Come to Wakanda After Avengers: Infinity War: The Directors' Roundtable Avengers Ant-Man and the Wasp: 10 Years of Marvel Studios: The Art of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; Online Close-Up Magic University Captain Marvel: What Makes a Memory: Inside the Mind Frack; Journey Into Visual Effects With Victoria Alonso Each Individual Film Disc Contains: Black Panther: Play Movie With Director Ryan Coogler's Intro; Featurettes - From Page To Screen: A Roundtable Discussion; Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years - Connecting The Universe; Exclusive; Sneak Peek At Ant-Man And The Wasp; Gag Reel; Deleted Scenes; Audio Commentary Avengers: Infinity War: Intro By Directors Joe And Anthony Russo; Featurettes: Strange Alchemy, The Mad Titan, Beyond the Battle: Titan & Wakanda; Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, Audio Commentary by Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, and Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely Ant-Man and the Wasp: Play Movie With Intro By Director Peyton Reed; Making Of Featurettes: Back In The Ant Suit: Scott Lang, A Suit Of Her Own: The Wasp, Subatomic: Super Heroes: Hank & Janet, Quantum Perspective: The VFX And Production Design Of Ant-Man And The Wasp; Gag Reel And Outtakes: Gag Reel, Stan Lee Outtakes, Tim Heidecker Outtakes; Deleted Scenes: Worlds Upon Worlds, Worlds Upon Worlds With Commentary, Sonny's On The Trail, Sonny's On The Trail With Commentary; Audio Commentary Captain Marvel: Becoming a Super Hero, Big Hero Moment, The Origin of Nick Fury, The Dream Team, The Skrulls and the Kree, Hiss-sterical Cat-titude; Deleted Scenes: Who Do You Admire Above All Others , Starforce Recruits, Heading to Torfa, What, No Smile? , Black Box, Rookie Mistake; Gag Reel; Audio Commentary; Play Movie With Intro By Directors Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck Avengers: Endgame: Audio Commentary; Play Movie with Intro by Directors Joe and Anthony Russo Spider-Man: Far From Home: Peter's To-Do List - A Short Film; Deleted Scenes; Cast Bloopers Avengers Endgame Bonus Disc: Remembering Stan Lee; Setting the Tone: Casting Robert Downey Jr.; A Man Out of Time: Creating Captain America; Black Widow: Whatever It Takes; The Russo Brothers: Journey to Endgame; The Women of the MCU; Bro Thor; Gag Reel; DELETED SCENE: Goji Berries; DELETED SCENE: Bombs on Board; DELETED SCENE: Suckiest Army in the Galaxy; DELETED SCENE: You Used to Frickin' Live Here; DELETED SCENE: Tony and Howard; DELETED SCENE: Avengers Take a Knee Added Value: 6 Original Theatrical Posters 6 Matt Ferguson Art Cards Infinity Gauntlet We Love You 3000 Art Card

• Goodfellas | Blu Ray | (17/04/2019) from £7.99   |  Saving you £17.00 (212.77%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Scorsese's classic tale based on the true life rise and fall of a small time gangster gets the two disc 'Special Edition' treatment with many new & exclusive DVD extras.

• Bugsy Malone | DVD | (17/02/2003) from £6.48   |  Saving you £2.51 (38.73%)   |  RRP £8.99

  New York, 1929: a war rages between two rival gangsters, Fat Sam and Dandy Dan in Alan Parker's much-loved kiddie mob flick.

• You Should Have Left (DVD) | DVD | (12/10/2020) from £8.85   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In this psychological thriller from Blumhouse Productions and legendary screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, Panic Room), Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried star as a couple seeking a restful vacation in a remote home in the Welsh countryside. What at first seems like a perfect retreat distorts into a terrifying nightmare when Theo's (Bacon) grasp on reality begins to unravel, and he suspects that a sinister force within the house demands a reckoning for secrets of the past.

• Avengers Collection (1-3 Box-set) | 4K UHD | (26/11/2018) from £24.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Avengers Assemble: Marvel presents Marvel's Avengers Assemble, the Super Hero team-up of a lifetime. Iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America assemble for the first time ever in this new action-packed Marvel saga, starring Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself needing a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Marvel's Avengers Assemble is packed with action, adventure and spectacular special effects. Avengers Age of Ultron: Marvel Studios presents the global phenomenon Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron. Good intentions wreak havoc when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) unwittingly creates Ultron (James Spader), a terrifying A.I. monster who vows to annihilate humanity. Now, Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo)alongside Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) must reassemble to defeat Ultron and save mankind if they can! Avengers Infinity War: An unprecedented cinematic journey ten years in the making and spanning the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War brings to the screen the ultimate showdown of all time. The Avengers and their Super Hero allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the poweful Thanos.

• A Man Called Horse | DVD | (07/06/2004) from £5.99   |  Saving you £10.00 (166.95%)   |  RRP £15.99

  American Indians were "cool" in 1970, the year A Man Called Horse made its vigorous, feverishly real, and occasionally shocking debut alongside Little Big Man and Soldier Blue. Unlike the latter two films, however, Horse is less an allegory for Vietnam-era America and more of a vision quest for historical identity. In one of his defining roles, Richard Harris plays an English aristocrat captured by Dakota Sioux in 1825. Over time, he adopts their way of life and eventually becomes tribal leader--but not before undergoing savage initiation rituals, the most famous of which involves being suspended by blades inserted beneath Harris's pectoral muscles. Horse looks clunky, quaint, and inadvertently demeaning in some respects today, but the film's Native-American milieu is at least defined on its own terms, making no concessions to familiar Western conventions. The real draw is Harris, whose performance has a soulful integrity. --Tom Keogh

• Simon & Garfunkel - The Concert in Central Park | DVD | (01/03/2004) from £11.50   |  Saving you £2.49 (21.65%)   |  RRP £13.99

  What started as a suggestion for Paul Simon to play a concert in New York's Central Park blossomed, on September 19, 1981, into a full-blown Simon and Garfunkel reunion after an 11-year hiatus, and now proves a priceless snapshot of two of America's greatest folk-rock performers. (It's also the rightful bookend to Simon and Garfunkel's acoustic Live from New York City, 1967.) Performed with a who's-who of East Coast session aces before a record-setting crowd of half-a-million fans, the Concert in Central Park finds its stars just shy of their 40th birthdays and very much in their primes, their voices sweet and pure and their playing relaxed, perfectly in tune and in synch. The show features a mix of S&G and solo Simon tunes, including all the songs that appear on the CD, with the addition of a reprise of "Late in the Evening" and the first live performance of Simon's "The Late Great Johnny Ace". This is classic material from start to finish, 87 minutes of unmitigated beauty. --Michael Mikesell

• Other Guys, the / Step Brother | DVD | (24/01/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Titles Comprise: The Other Guys: Detective Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Detective Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) are a joke at the police station. Can this down and out duo nerd and hot headed tough guy overcome a plethora of humorous obstacles accidents and misunderstandings to bust the bad guys in a high profile case and gain the respect of their peers? Talladega Nights: From the people who bought you Anchorman and The 40 Year Old Virgin comes this hilarious fast-paced comedy starring Will Ferrell as Ricky Bobby - one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. Ricky has everything a racing sensation and national hero could wish for: a luxurious mansion a smokin' hot wife (Leslie Bibb) and a loyal racing partner childhood friend Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly). But flamboyant French Formula One driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) is about to wreck Ricky's world and challenge for the supremacy of NASCAR. Now Ricky must face his demons and kick some serious asphalt if he's to get his career back on the track beat Girard and reclaim his fame and fortune. 'Cause as Ricky Bobby always says If You Ain't First Your Last!' Step Brothers: In Step Brothers Ferrell plays Brennan Huff a sporadically employed thirty-nine-year-old who lives with his mother Nancy (Mary Steenburgen). Reilly plays Dale Doback a terminally unemployed forty-year-old who lives with his father Robert (Richard Jenkins). When Robert and Nancy marry and move in together Brennan and Dale are forced to live with each other as step brothers. As their narcissism and downright aggressive laziness threaten to tear the family apart these two middle-aged immature overgrown boys will orchestrate an insane elaborate plan to bring their parents back together. To pull it off they must form an unlikely bond that maybe just maybe will finally get them out of the house.

• JAG Season 4 | DVD | (09/02/2009) from £6.99   |  Saving you £18.00 (257.51%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Come aboard for more military justice and non-stop action a all 24 episodes of JAG's fourth season arrive on DVD for the very first time! Their search for the truth takes the JAG team of lawyers around the world but what happens at home this season rivals any investigation. Harm Robb (David James Elliot) considers leaving Mac (Catherine Bell) behind when his dream of becoming a pilot is realized just as Admiral Chegwidden (John M. Jackson) welcomes a new attorney to the JAG team. But it's Bud (Patrick Labyorteaux) and Harriet (Karri Turner) with the biggest news of all - the birth of their son! JAG is back and ready for action!

• The Whistle Blower | DVD | (05/05/2001) from £5.56   |  Saving you £-2.57 (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  A 1987 espionage thriller, The Whistle Blower stars Michael Caine as Frank Jones, a businessman and regular patriotic war veteran whose son Bob (Nigel Havers) is a Russian linguist who works at GCHQ. Bob begins to express doubts to his father about aspects of his work; days later, police report to Frank that his son has died in a fall. A verdict of accidental death is recorded. However, in the midst of his grief, Frank is puzzled by aspects of the death and decides to conduct his own investigation. In so doing he finds himself pitted against an utterly unscrupulous Secret Service prepared to stop at nothing, including murder, to cover up their operations. Set at the time when concerns about GCHQ were at their height and the Cold War had yet to thaw, many of the film's concerns seem, years subsequently, to be thankfully dated. Moreover, it's hard to believe that the bumbling British Secret Services would actually be capable of organising a convivial soiree in a brewery, let alone orchestrate the sort of skulduggery they perpetrate here. Still, with a cast that features all the usual British suspects (Sir John Gielgud, James Fox, Gordon Jackson) there's no doubting the pedigree of The Whistle Blower, which, despite its ostensibly uncomfortable message, actually makes for very agreeable comfort viewing. Michael Caine is especially fine as Michael Caine. --David Stubbs

• Midsomer Murders: The Eighth Collection - Limited Edition | DVD | (04/07/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £99.99

  Beneath the tranquil surface of sleepy village life in the idyllic English county of Midsomer, exist dark secrets, scandals and downright evil. John Nettles stars as the humorous, thoughtful and methodical Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby. This special collection contains a further ten investigations including the final episode starring John Nettles. Barnaby and Jones continue to investigate the numerous murders that continue to be perpetrated in the dangerous county of Midsomer. Investigations Included: The Creeper The Great and the Good The Made-To-Measure Murders The Sword of Guillaume Blood on the Saddle The Silent Land Master Class The Noble Art Not In My Back Yard Fit For Murder Special Features: Biography of the Writer Fascinating Facts Cast Filmographies Production Notes

• Red Dwarf - Series 1 | DVD | (04/11/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Notoriously, and entirely appropriately, the original outline for Doug Naylor and Rob Grant's comedy SF series Red Dwarf was sketched on the back of a beer mat. When it finally appeared on our television screens in 1988 the show had clearly stayed true to its roots, mixing jokes about excessive curry consumption with affectionate parodies of classic SF. Indeed, one of the show's most endearing and enduring features is its obvious respect for the conventions of SF, even as it gleefully subverts them. The scenario owes something to Douglas Adams's satirical Hitch-Hiker's Guide, something to The Odd Couple and a lot more to the slacker SF of John Carpenter's Dark Star. Behind the crew's constant bickering there lurks an impending sense that life, the universe and everything are all someone's idea of a terrible joke. Later series broadened the show's horizons until at last its premise was so diluted as to be unrecognisable, but in the six episodes of the first series the comedy is witty and intimate, focusing on characters and not special effects. Slob Dave Lister (Craig Charles) is the last human alive after a radiation leak wipes out the crew of the vast mining vessel Red Dwarf (episode 1, "The End"). He bums around the spaceship with the perpetually uptight and annoyed hologram of his dead bunkmate, Arnold Rimmer (Chris Barrie, the show's greatest comedy asset) and a creature evolved from a cat (dapper Danny John Jules). They are guided rather haphazardly by Holly, the worryingly thick ship's computer (lugubrious Norman Lovett). On the DVD: Red Dwarf I arrives in a two-disc set, with all six episodes on the first disc accompanied by an excellent group commentary from Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Danny John Jules and Norman Lovett. (There's also a bonus commentary on "The End" with the two writers and director Ed Bye.) The 4:3 picture is unimpressive, but sound is decent stereo. The second disc has an entertaining 25-minute documentary on the genesis of the series with contributions from the cast, writer Doug Naylor and producer Paul Jackson. Navigate the animated menus to find a gallery of extra features, including isolated music cues, deleted scenes, outtakes ("Smeg Ups"), a fun "Drunk" music montage, model effects shots, Web links, audiobook clips, the original BBC trailer and even the entire first episode in Japanese. --Mark Walker