"Actor: Patsy Rowlan"

• Bless This House | DVD | (07/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The movie of the successful TV series in which two arguing families discover that their respective offsprings have been having a secret affair and plan to marry...

• Bless This House - Series 2 | DVD | (30/01/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Sid James plays Sid Abbott - Mr Average Married Man. A representative for a stationery firm. Sid's interest in live are the three C's: Chelsea Courage bitter and Crumpet and not necessarily in that order. In common with most married men however he finds these ambitions constatnly thwarted by his wife son and daughter also not necessarily in that order. Sid likes to think he is with it but in actual fact he would not know it if he saw it. Diana Coupland plays his attractive

• Carry On Dick | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £14.26   |  Saving you £-4.27 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The 18th century, with its frills and bawds, was ideal territory for the Carry On movies: Carry On Dick is one of the few of the series where one notices the quality of the art direction in intervals between terrible old Talbot Rothwell jokes and the creaking of standard farce moments. Captain Fancy (Kenneth Williams) is sent to the remote village of Upper Denture to arrest Big Dick Turpin (Sid James) and makes the mistake of confiding in the local Rector, the Reverend Flasher (who is Big Dick's secret alter-ego). Dick has troubles of his own: his liaison with his housemaid and henchperson Harriet (Barbara Windsor) is perpetually interrupted by his amorous housekeeper Hattie Jacques). Meanwhile, Joan Sims struts around the plot as the proprietor of a touring show of scantily clad young women. This is not one of the best of the series--a certain mean-spiritedness creeps in to the humour as does the self-conscious awareness that 1974 was a date a little late for some of the more sexist jokes--but any film with Kenneth Williams discussing satin coats with his tailor has something going for it. On the DVD: Sadly, the DVD has no frills: it is presented in mono and 4:3 screen ratio.--Roz Kaveney

• Carry On Girls | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £15.05   |  Saving you £-5.06 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Carry On Girls was the last really successful instalment of the epic series of British film comedies. It's studded with gems of cameo performances and a tremendously innuendo-laden Talbot Rothwell script that is easily the equal of any of its predecessors. The setting, a beauty contest to raise the profile of the dismal resort Fircombe-on-Sea, is ripe for politically incorrect activity of the sort that could only be conducted by Sid James at the height of his lecherous powers. Enter Bernard Bresslaw in a corset, Wendy Richard as Ida Downs, Barbara Windsor as Miss Easy Rider and a host of other semi-clad lovelies and watch as the whole thing rises to a slapstick climax of frisky old colonels, bikinis, bosoms and itching powder. In the smaller roles, Joan Hickson (BBC television's Miss Marple) is hilarious as an elderly woman who believes she is a man-magnet and the always under-used Patsy Rowlands excels as the downtrodden mayor's wife, a worm who finally turns. But in many ways this is June Whitfield's film. As the terrifying reactionary councillor Mrs Prodworthy, with a butch lesbian sidekick, she plots the downfall of her male colleagues with classic lines. "Rosemary, get the candle", she orders as Patsy Rowlands requests initiation into the cause. Margaret Thatcher never sounded so ominous. On the DVD: Like most of the other DVD Carry On releases, this one is presented in 4:3 format with a mono soundtrack. All right, you don't really need anything more sophisticated to recreate the cosy ritual of Carry On watching in your living room. And the print is good and sharp. But apart from the usual scene index, the lack of extras reflects a disappointingly unimaginative approach to celebrating a genre of film comedy that, for all its low budget reputation, provided a showcase for the cream of a whole generation of British comic actors. They deserve better.--Piers Ford

• Bless This House - The Complete Third Series | DVD | (17/04/2006) from £14.83   |  Saving you £3.16 (17.60%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Sid James plays Sid Abbott - Mr Average Married Man. A representative for a stationery firm. Sid's interest in life are the three C's: Chelsea Courage bitter and Crumpet and not necessarily in that order. In common with most married men however he finds these ambitions constatnly thwarted by his wife son and daughter also not necessarily in that order. Sid likes to think he is with it but in actual fact he would not know it if he saw it. Diana Coupland plays his attractive

• Dangerous Davies - The Last Detective | DVD | (12/01/2004) from £59.99   |  Saving you £-43.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  A detective who is a danger to both himself and others finds himself investigating a fifteen year old murder unofficially. Based on the book by Leslie Thomas.

• The Avengers : The Definitive Dossier 1968 (Box Set 3) | DVD | (10/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  John Steed partnered with Tara King sees out the Sixties in style! Eight more episodes see elegant confrontations between our cool heroes and a variety of evil blaggards. This is 'The Avengers' at their most surreal and imaginative! Episode titles include: Super Secret Cypher Snatch Game False Witness Noon-Doomsday The Morning After Love All Take Me To Your Leader Stay Tuned

• Carry on | DVD | (20/11/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £199.99

  This box set features a veritable campsite of bawdy comedic treats from the Carry On crew! Includes: 1. Carry On Abroad (1972) 2. Carry On Again Doctor (1972) 3. Carry On Doctor (1967) 4. Carry On Don't Lose Your Head (1966) 5. Carry On England (1976) 6. Carry On Follow That Camel (1967) 7. Carry On Matron (1972) 8. Carry On at Your Convenience (1971) 9. Carry On Behind (1975) 10. Carry On Camping (1969) 11. Carry On Dick (1974) 12. Carry On Emmanuelle (1978) 13. Carry On Girls (1973) 14. Carry On Henry (1971) 15. Carry On Holiday 16. Carry On Loving (1970) 17. Carry On Up The Jungle (1970) 18. Carry On up the Khyber (1968) 19. Carry On Sergeant (1958) 20. Carry On Nurse (1959) 21. Carry On Teacher (1959) 22. Carry On Constable (1960) 23. Carry On Regardless (1961) 24. Carry On Cruising (1962) 25. Carry On Cabby (1963) 26. Carry On Jack (1963) 27. Carry On Spying (1964) 28. Carry On Cleo (1964) 29. Carry On Cowboy (1965) 30. Carry On Screaming! (1966)

• Dateline Diamonds | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Stars - The Small Faces. Kiki Dee & The Chantelles An all star cast of British actors all of whom will be familiar to British TV audiences - Conrad Phillips William Lucas George Mikell and Patsy Rowlands and a rare appearance form a young Kenny Everett. Kenneth Cope plays Lestor Benson the Small Faces manager who has a hitherto unknown criminal past. The threat of blackmail and it's likely destruction of the Small Faces' career leads him to agree to smuggle diamonds into Amsterdam via a Pirate radio station. The crime looked perfect until we discover that the daughter of the police chief investigating the diamond theft is a big Small faces fan... Very much of its time the film has wonderful nostalgia value both for its plot drama and some vintage music.

• Carry On Again Doctor | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The title of Carry On Again Doctor (1969) says it all; almost the same cast playing similar characters to their previous year's outing in Carry On Doctor. This one rejoices in the alternative title "Bowels are Ringing". But the enduring popularity of these films owes almost everything to their basic formula and if this one occasionally seems a bit cobbled together, all the old favourites are still there, working away. This time, the setting moves from the National Health Service to the private sector and even stretches as far as the "Beatific Islands" when Jim Dale is exiled to a missionary clinic for his overzealous attention to the female patients, who include Barbara Windsor of course. There, orderly Sid James rules the roost of the clinic with his harem of local women. Trivia addicts can spot Mrs Michael Caine in a brief role as a token dusky maiden. The second half of the Talbot Rothwell script picks up nicely as the characters converge on the private hospital back in England where Dale rakes in the money with a bogus weight loss treatment. Hattie Jacques is in fine form as Matron, Kenneth Williams fascinates with his usual mass of mannerisms and Joan Sims is stately as the Lady Bountiful figure financing most of the shenanigans. It's a tribute to their professionalism that we can still lose ourselves in some of the creakiest old jokes around. On the DVD: Bog standard 4:3 picture format and mono soundtrack provide an adequate viewing experience, especially as today most people will be more familiar with these films from television transmissions than from their cinema release. However, the lack of extras is a shame. Apart from the scene index, there is nothing to distinguish the DVD from its video equivalent. At the very least, a cast list or star biographies would add a little value. --Piers Ford

• Hallelujah - Series 1 | DVD | (01/01/1900) from £8.84   |  Saving you £6.15 (69.57%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Dame Thora Hird stars in one of her own personal favourite roles as the balmiest woman in the Salvation Army! The Sally Army are in need of some salvation themselves - salvation that is from their own dotty Captain Emily Ridley (Thora Hird). For over forty-two years Captain Emily has been in the forefront of the Army's battle against sin and sinners in that modern Sodom and Gomorrah - Yorkshire. She's all fired up with a wild enthusiasm that regular members finda little embarrassing. Now the top brass at the Salvation Army want her to retire but Captain Emily isn't quite ready to hang up her tambourine just yet! First broadcast on Yorkshire Television in 1983 you can now enjoy the entire first series (seven hilarious episodes) of Hallelujah! in one complete collection.

• Hallelujah! - Series Two | DVD | (18/05/2009) from £9.15   |  Saving you £5.84 (39.00%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Dame Thora Hird stars in one of her own personal favourite role as the barmiest woman in the Salvation Army!

• Kenneth Williams, British Comedy Heroes | DVD | (08/11/2008) from £13.48   |  Saving you £-3.49 (-34.90%)   |  RRP £9.99

  In this hilarious programme we revisit some of Kenneth Williams' funniest moments from an illustrious career that has made him one of Britain's best loved comedy heroes. Laugh again at some of the best sketches ever written for film and television and a few that may have escaped you from his earlier career. In addition to archive interviews with Mr Williams himself we also hear the first hand reflections of his long term partner's Barbara Windsor and Jack Douglas and others he starred with such as Patsy Rowlands Michael Anderson and Barry Took who all pay tribute to the comic genius that was Kenneth Williams. Although sadly missed Kenneth Williams will continue to entertain us on TV screens for years to come via the comic legacy that is the classic series of Carry On films as well as his unforgettable TV appearances such as 'A Celebrity Audience With...' and much more.

• Dateline Diamonds | DVD | (24/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £10.99

  A swinging sixties musical adventure featuring appearances from the Small Faces and David Hemmings. Lester Benson the manager of a top rock band; The Small Faces is hiding a secret. His true name is Arthur Gittins and he is and ex-con. This explosive secret could ruin his career and destroy the band. Enter a diamond thief who knows lester's true identity. Desperate to ship his hoard of stolen stones out to Amsterdam he blackmails The Small Faces' manager into smuggling the contraband onto an offshore pirate radio ship where it will be collected by Kiki Dee's crooked agent! It looks like the perfect crime but unfortunately the daughter of the police chief heading the case is a big Small Faces fan. Featuring four top tracks from The Small Faces two great performances by the Chantelles and a sizzling number from Kiki Dee 'Dateline Diamonds' is a true rock 'n' roll gem!

• Hallelujah | DVD | (19/04/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Thora Hird stars as indefatigable Salvation Army Captain Emily Ridley in this popular sitcom which reunites her with In Loving Memory creator and writer Dick Sharples. Also starring Patsy Rowlands (Carry On...) and Geoffrey Bayldon (Catweazle) with guest appearances from Thora Hird's Last of the Summer Wine co-star Michael Aldridge and Countdown legend Richard Whitely Hallelujah! ran from 1981 to 1984; this release comprises the complete first series. For over forty years Emily Ridley has fought the Devil and all his works with a vigour and sincerity second to none. Unfortunately latter-day sinners seem reluctant to respond to the old hellfire-and-brimstone brand of evangelism and Emily's superiors decide it's time for her to lay down her arms and retire from the battlefield. She's posted to the quiet little Yorkshire town of Brigthorpe which she is convinced is in urgent need of salvation...

• Hallelujah - Series 2 - Complete | DVD | (05/07/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Dame Thora Hird stars in one of her own personal favourite roles as the balmiest woman in the Salvation Army! The Sally Army are in need of some salvation themselves - salvation that is from their own dotty Captain Emily Ridley (Thora Hird). For over forty-two years Captain Emily has been in the forefront of the Army's battle against sin and sinners in that modern Sodom and Gomorrah - Yorkshire. She's all fired up with a wild enthusiasm that regular members finda little embarrassing. Now the top brass at the Salvation Army want her to retire but Captain Emily isn't quite ready to hang up her tambourine just yet!