Jan Vokes, a cleaner and bartender, recruits her reluctant husband Brian and local accountant Howard Davies to help her bring together a syndicate of villagers to breed a foal - which they raise on an allotment and name Dream Alliance. On the racetrack, he proves himself to be more than a match for the multi-million-pound race horses he comes up against - a true working-class champion, taking on the establishment at their own game. But much more than this, Dream begins to alter the lives of everyone in the syndicate, not least Jan's. He is everything to her: friend, confidant and an escape from a life of always putting other people's needs first. Dream Horse is a classic story of triumph against adversity, and a tale of how a woman strives to make her dream a reality in a place where hope is thin on the ground.
A stellar cast led by Ian McDiarmid and Tim Piggott-Smith reveal the complex behind-closed-doors story of the countdown to World War One in this political thriller following the catastrophic chain of events that led from the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28th June 1914 to the declaration of war between Britain and Germany on 4th August. Written by Mark Hayhurst this tense and gripping serial set within the corridors of power in Whitehall and Berlin tracks the unfolding crisis through the eyes of leading politicians and civil servants struggling to prevent the world's first global war. With scripts crafted from primary source research 37 Days also stars Sinead Cusack Bill Paterson Nicholas Farrell Kenneth Cranham rising star James McArdle and a leading cast from Germany and France.
The come-from-behind winner of the 1981 Oscar for Best Picture, Chariots of Fire either strikes you as either a cold exercise in mechanical manipulation or as a tale of true determination and inspiration. The heroes are an unlikely pair of young athletes who ran for Great Britain in the 1924 Paris Olympics: devout Protestant Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a divinity student whose running makes him feel closer to God, and Jewish Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), a highly competitive Cambridge student who has to surmount the institutional hurdles of class prejudice and anti-Semitism. There's delicious support from Ian Holm (as Abrahams's coach) and John Gielgud and Lindsay Anderson as a couple of Cambridge fogies. Vangelis's soaring synthesised score, which seemed to be everywhere in the early 1980s, also won an Oscar. Chariots of Fire was the debut film of British television commercial director Hugh Hudson (Greystoke) and was produced by David Puttnam. --Jim Emerson
Winner of four Academy Awards (including Best Picture), this internationally acclaimed motion picture recounts the poignant true story of two British sprinters vying for gold in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), a driven athlete of Jewish ancestry, runs to overcome prejudice and to achieve personal fame; his rival, Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a devout Scottish missionary, competes for the glory of God. An inspirational story of spirit and strength in the face of enormous odds, the film combines the finest elements of athletic competition and human drama to create a compelling and timeless cinematic classic.
Identical mixed-sex twins separated during a shipwreck both believe the other dead. When Viola dresses as her 'dead' brother for better protection little does she realise that her living brother will be on the scene as well. Based on the William Shakespeare play adapted for the screen by Trevor Nunn.
Winner of four Academy Awards including Best Picture, this internationally acclaimed motion picture recounts the poignant true story of two British sprinters vying for gold in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), a driven athlete of Jewish ancestry, runs to overcome prejudice and to achieve personal fame; his rival, Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a devout Scottish missionary, competes for the glory of God. An inspirational story of spirit and strength in the face of enormous odds, the film combines the finest elements of athletic competition and human drama to create a compelling and timeless cinematic classic.
True virtue triumphs over superficiality in this distinguished BBC production of Jane Austen's celebrated novel Mansfield Park.Mansfield Park is the magnificent country residence of Sir Thomas Bertram and his family. It is here that their poor relation Fanny Price is brought up. Never allowed to forget her good fortune, Fanny is ignored by her cousins, with the exception of Edmund, who alone treats her with care and affection. But will she ever be able to win a valued place in the household and the heart of the man of her dreams?
Mindhorn is a must-see British comedy from co-writers and stars Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh) and Simon Farnaby (Star Wars: Rogue One), with a supporting cast that includes Andrea Riseborough, Essie Davis and Steve Coogan. Washed-up actor Richard Thorncroft (Julian Barratt, The Mighty Boosh) is given the chance to revive his flagging career by returning to the role which made him famous: Mindhorn, a genetically modified detective whose eye was replaced by a super-advanced optical lie detector, allowing him to literally see the truth. Decades later, when a deranged Manx criminal demands only to speak to Detective Mindhorn, Thorncroft returns to the scene of his greatest triumph for one last chance to reignite his glory days and professional credibility.
All ten episodes of the acclaimed historical hospital drama. Featuring true cases characters and events taken from the London Hospital records nurse's ward diaries and intimate memoirs these gritty medical series show the lives - and forbidden romances - of pioneering doctors and nurses a hundred years ago. Run with a will of iron by formidable Matron Eva Luckes the hospital in London's poverty-stricken East End deals with anything from infectious diseases like syphilis pneumonia and tuberculosis to shocking injuries of the times such as self-abortion injuries victims of anarchist bombings and an East End gang member wounded in a shooting. For the volunteer nurses and doctors - including Nurse Russell Dr Culpin Nurse Bennett Dr Walton and the surgeons Hurry Fenwick and cocaine-addicted Dr Dean - work is tough and relentless. Relationships between staff might be strictly forbidden but romance continues to blossom away from the Matron's gaze. In a time of great change the hospital constantly faces up to the future. Pioneering radiographers work with the perilous x-ray equipment chloroform is scandalously introduced as an anaesthetic and the use of revolutionary new electro-mechanical devices are instigated. Equally gritty and heart-warming these series bring the Edwardian hospital compellingly to life - illuminating the dramas and romances of a fascinating medical era.
An infant child is raised by apes after being shipwrecked off the west coast of Africa. As he grows he learns the laws of the jungle and eventually claims the title Lord of the Apes. Yet years later when he is returned to civilization as the Earl of Greystoke Tarzan (Christopher Lambert in his first English speaking role) remains uncertain as to which laws he should obey; those of man or those of the jungle...
Set in Nazi-occupied France at the height of World War Two the story centres on a young Scottish woman (Cate Blanchett) working with the French Resistance in the hope of rescuing her lover, a missing RAF pilot shot down behind enemy lines.
Sex, Chips and Rock 'n' Roll spins a complex web of secret loves and twisted ambitions against the backdrop of the early British music scene. It's a rock n' roll soap opera, but it's smartly written and engagingly acted, full of subtle commentary on the cultural changes cutting across British society. Manchester in 1965 seems like a dead end to two sisters, flirty Arden (Emma Cooke) and bookish Ellie Brookes (Gillian Kearney). They ache to get out from under the thumb of their domineering grandmother (Sue Johnston), and when their cousin Norman (David Threlfall) proposes to Ellie, she accepts. But just then the sisters meet a struggling band called the Ice Cubes, who grudgingly play back-up for a smarmy singer named Larry B Cool (Phil Daniels) while trying to land a record deal. Arden throws herself at the group's leader, Dallas (Joseph McFadden), but Dallas finds himself drawn more to Ellie, who's also an aspiring songwriter. From there the multi-dimensional characters take unexpected turns, and you'll quickly find yourself drawn into their lives. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com
Down-on-their luck, upper-class family rent out a wing of their stately home to a lower-class family.
Winner of four Academy Awards including Best Picture this internationally acclaimed motion picture recounts the poignant true story of two British sprinters vying for gold in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) a driven athlete of Jewish ancestry runs to overcome prejudice and to achieve personal fame; his rival Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) a devout Scottish missionary competes for the glory of God. An inspirational story of spirit and strength in the face of enormous odds the film combines the finest elements of athletic competition and human drama to create a compelling and timeless cinematic classic.
This mini-series based on Joanna Trollope's novel explores the internal politics and scandals of a British cathedral choir school. It features the singing voice of first-time actor and boy treble soloist Anthony Way a real-life student at the St. Paul's Cathedral Choral School in London.
37 Days37 Days: The Countdown to World War 1 is a masterful tense and gripping three 'part political thriller set within the corridors of power in Whitehall and Berlin tracks the unfolding crisis through the eyes of leading politicians and civil servants struggling to prevent the world's first global war. A stellar cast led by Ian McDiarmid and Tim Piggott-Smith reveal the complex behind-closed-doors story of the countdown to World War One in this political thriller following the catastrophic chain of events that led from the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28th June 1914 to the declaration of war between Britain and Germany on 4th August. One Month In SummerThe British Foreign Office led by foreign secretary Sir Edward Grey receives news of an assassination in the Balkans. In Berlin the Kaiser thinks he can exploit it for his own advantage. One Week In JulyWar in Europe is becoming a real possibility. Under pressure from the cabinet the British foreign secretary unravels a tangled web of intrigue between Austria Germany Russia and France while the German military command conspires to force the Kaiser's hand. Who will gain the upper hand? One Long WeekendThe last hours of peace. With the continental powers pushed to the brink Sir Edward Grey seems unsure of whether to keep Britain out of the conflict. Desperate negotiations resignations and a battle of wills in the Cabinet reach a crescendo with Germany's ultimatum to Belgium. Which way will Britain go?
Mindhorn is a must-see British comedy from co-writers and stars Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh) and Simon Farnaby (Star Wars: Rogue One), with a supporting cast that includes Andrea Riseborough, Essie Davis and Steve Coogan. Washed-up actor Richard Thorncroft (Julian Barratt, The Mighty Boosh) is given the chance to revive his flagging career by returning to the role which made him famous: Mindhorn, a genetically modified detective whose eye was replaced by a super-advanced optical lie detector, allowing him to literally see the truth. Decades later, when a deranged Manx criminal demands only to speak to Detective Mindhorn, Thorncroft returns to the scene of his greatest triumph for one last chance to reignite his glory days and professional credibility.
True virtue triumphs over superficiality in this distinguished BBC production of Jane Austen's celebrated novel Mansfield Park. Set in 18th century England Jane Austen's tale of virtue and vice tells of young impoverished Fanny Price who arrives at the elegant country estate of her uncle Sir Thomas Bertam. Snubbed by everyone except her cousin Edmund Fanny begins her long struggle for acceptance by her shallow relatives who believe wealth automatically means quality. When
From acclaimed Black British filmmaker Horace Ove (Pressure 1975) comes this comedy of manners in which a West Indian cricket team from Brixton travel to a Suffolk village to play against the local team as the culmination of the village's 'Third World Week'. Ove subtly explores and undermines white and black stereotypes and succeeds in linking two familiar but strange cultures through the simple device of a sports game.
Lipstick On Your Collar (2 Discs)
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