"Actor: Lill Roughley"

• Brassed Off | DVD | (10/09/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Take The Full Monty, add a sharper emotional edge and replace the strutting strippers with a dignified British band. That's the essence of Brassed Off, a bittersweet gem released in 1996, a year before its more popular (and Oscar-nominated) counterpart. In the Yorkshire town of Grimley, there has always been a coal mine, just as for the last 111 years there has been a brass band and it seems that Danny (the wondrous Pete Postlethwaite) has been the director for every one of those years. Tory economic policies, however, are closing coal mines around the country in favour of nuclear power and Grimley appears to be next on the list. Danny is unfazed by the threat, claiming, "It's music that matters." But some of the men are about to quit the band until the appearance of Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald at her most radiant), who dazzles the all-male group (including old flame Andy, played by Ewan McGregor) first with her beauty, then with her flügelhorn playing. The new member gives the band a boost as they continue to perform and compete but closure remains very real, as director Mark Herman (Little Voice) accompanies the band's performances (played with gusto by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band) with scenes of angry labour-management confrontations and family strife. In this context, some of the characters claim that the music is an irresponsible form of escapism. It becomes clear, however, from a touching performance of "Danny Boy" to the stirring conclusion at Royal Albert Hall, that music is an expression of the human spirit, a bit of beauty and sanity in a harsh world. With defiance, the band can play "Land of Hope and Glory" even when the land offers them neither. --David Horiuchi

• Keep The Aspidistra Flying | DVD | (12/07/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  In this wonderfully witty adaptation of George Orwell's novel Gordon (Grant) and Rosemary (Bonham Carter) may be a middle class 1930s couple but they've got some very modern ideas. Eccentric Gordon whose budding poetry skills have led him into thinking he might just be a literary genius decides to give up his nice job as an advertising copy writer in a bid to embrace poverty and his art. However long-suffering girlfriend Rosemary has to work hard to keep her career (and their unco

• Brassed Off | DVD | (17/09/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  It's 1992 and the miners of Grimley Colliery are facing uncertainty. Not only is their pit under threat but the Grimley Colliery Band is on the verge of breaking up - that is until Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald) arrives. As the only female member of the band she somehow manages to rekindle their enthusiasm for the forthcoming National Championship as well as rekindling a childhood romance with Andy (Ewan McGregor).

• Victoria Wood - At The Albert Hall - Live | DVD | (25/11/2002) from £11.52   |  Saving you £5.73 (55.85%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Victoria Wood Live at the Albert Hall provides proof, if any were needed, that after two decades at the top of her profession, Wood is one of a small handful of British comedians of either sex capable of filling the country's largest venues. For the consistently high quality of her penetrating observations of the mundane she has no equal. Recorded in 2001, this performance has all the hallmarks of her microscopic examinations of life's perplexing minutiae and trivia. From her recent hysterectomy to Paul Daniels, from the NHS help line to wheelie bin covers, from Americans in Disneyworld to the ageism of catalogue mailing lists, nothing escapes Wood's attention. Not even in-vogue authors: she refuses to read "Captain Corelli's friggin' Mandolin" as it sits reproachfully at her bedside. Wood even provides her own interval act: a devastatingly accurate parody of a vulgar, second-rate cabaret singer shot to stardom on the wings of a cruise ship docu-soap. Jane McDonald's sense of humour will never face a harder test. More poignant are Wood's observations on parenthood and marriage, with all the physical ailments of middle age ("We've only got one fully operating leg between us"). She has since separated from her husband, the magician Geoffrey Durham. Fans will await the impact of that on her stand-up material with some interest. --Piers Ford

• Joint Account | DVD | (05/09/2016) from £45.99   |  Saving you £-16.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  A successful businesswoman wants to give up work, but her house husband likes things the way they are Meet the Braithwaites. Belinda Braithwaite (Hannah Gordon) and David Braithwaite (Peter Egan) enjoy a very unconventional marriage. Belinda works full-time as an outspoken and respected bank manager. David is a stay-at-home-Dad, who takes care of the household, shares coffee mornings and innuendos with their flirty neighbor Louise (Lill Roughley) and volunteers at the Citizens Advice Bureau. Tired of the rat race, and with the kids now at university, Belinda wants to quit her exhausting job for a simpler life as a housewife. But David has other ideas. He doesn't relish the prospect of returning to a full-time job and does everything he can to persuade Belinda to continue wearing the trousers. John Bird stars as Belinda's deputy at the bank who firmly believes a woman's place is in the home. With an eye on the top job he'd love to see her go and makes office life as unpleasant as he can to try and edge her out. Will David find a ˜proper' job? Will Belinda quit the bank? Will Louise ever have her wicked way with David? Stars BAFTA winner Peter Egan (Chariots of Fire) and Hannah Gordon (Upstairs, Downstairs / My Wife Next Door) Directed by Mike Stephens (The Brittas Empire / ˜Allo ˜Allo) Written by Don Webb (Byker Grove)

• Mulberry - The Complete First Series | DVD | (18/02/2008) from £26.20   |  Saving you £-11.21 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Mulberry is a stylish charming witty and poignant sitcom from the celebrated writing team of John Esmonde and Bob Larbey creators of classic comedies including 'Brush Strokes' 'The Good Life' and 'Ever Decreasing Circles'. It stars Karl Howman of 'Brush Strokes' and Geraldine McEwan of TV's 'Miss Marple' fame together with comedy stalwarts Tony Selby and Lill Roughley who have starred in many a sitcom over the years including such hits as 'Get Some in' 'Love Hurts' and 'My Hero'. Mulberry (Karl Howman) the cheerful cockney son of Death and Springtime starts his 'career' as the Grim Reaper's apprentice when he is sent to collect the dour snooty acid-tongued grumpy and reclusive Miss Farnaby (Geraldine McEwan). He instead sweet talks his way in to joining the staff of Bert (Tony Selby) and Alice (Lill Roughley) in her creaky old manor house and soon becomes her personal servant. Suddenly the dull old house is not dull anymore as Mulberry endeavors to help Miss Farnaby enjoy her life during the three month extension grudgingly granted by his dad. Laughs abound as Mulberry tries to do his best for everyone concerned despite often upsetting the devoted Bert and Alice and without anyone finding out the secret of his true identity and his reasons for being there. A must see comic masterpiece that's pure enjoyment for all the family.

• My Hero - Series 3 - Episodes 1-5 | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £21.58   |  Saving you £-5.59 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Contains Episodes: Baby Talk: Keeping George's alter ego secret from Janet's parents is becoming almost impossible since the new addition to the family. With a visit expected any minute George is busy teaching the baby superhero antics. Will the truth finaly come out? Zero Tolerance: Life at the health centre takes an unexpected turn when a gun wielding lunatic rushes in demanding access to the drugs cabinet. However it is George rather than Thermoman who is left to save the day.

• Victoria Wood - An Audience With Victoria Wood | DVD | (16/09/2002) from £6.79   |  Saving you £3.20 (47.13%)   |  RRP £9.99

  As Victoria Wood once said, "There's nothing you can't say if you say it in the right way". And she goes on to prove that triumphantly in An Audience with Victoria Wood, recorded in front of fellow celebs (whom she sends up effortlessly, describing her long-time collaborator Julie Walters as "the lady with the split ends"). Victoria Wood may be the queen of suburbia but her endless takes on the finer details of banality have an acuity of which Alan Bennett would be proud. Most people cannot do monologue without lapsing into self-consciousness. But she's just brilliant. Her depiction of a nervy woman attempting to conduct a survey in the street, for instance, is priceless: "Here's my ID. Yes, I do look rather startled. It was taken in a photo booth and someone had just poked an éclair through the curtain". She's like Joyce Grenfell on speed. And it's that surreal juxtaposition of the commonplace and the wacky that makes her routines anything but. Even when she takes up residence at the piano, belting out home-made ballads (and this video includes the famous "Let's Do It"), she's both touching and amusing. At one point, she suggests that the British are no good at having fun. Get this video and prove her wrong. --Harriet Smith

• My Hero - Series 3 - Episodes 6-10 | DVD | (07/10/2002) from £29.99   |  Saving you £-14.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Contains Episodes: Shock Horror!: With baby Ollie ill the regular visits of a worried Thermoman draws the unwanted attention of a local journalist. After news breaks of Janet's affair with Thermoman it looks like his true identity is about to be revealed. Little Green Man: When Janet thinks that George is taking her for granted she is not sure what action to take. Discovering her in a compromising position with the handyman does not work. Will marriage guidance be their only hop