She was a gifted artist he was an eminent writer and together they created a controversy that sent shock waves through polite society. This is the true story of Dora Carrington and Lytton Strachey - their lives their loves and the desires they unleashed in a relationship that dared to challenge the taboos of England between the wars.
In his centenary year the genius of playwright Terence Rattigan is at last being recognised and The Terence Rattigan Collection is an invaluable compendium of his finest work performed by some outstanding casts. Rattigan had a profound understanding of the human heart in all its complexity. He is the master of an emotional restraint which gives his work its unforgettable power and attracts in this collection star actors of the calibre of Sean Connery and Colin Firth Penelope Wilton and Judi Dench Ian Holm and Michael Gambon Eric Porter and Geraldine McEwan. Among the plays included on this DVD are The Deep Blue Sea in which Hester Collyer sacrifices everything for a younger man who cannot return her love and The Browning Version in which a schoolmaster's emotional shell is cracked by an unexpected act of kindness. In The Terence Rattigan Collection great acting and great story-telling combine to make compulsive viewing.
Alfred Hitchcock was at the height of his fame and creativity when, in 1962, he chose an unknown fashion model to star in his most ambitious film - The Birds. But as he sculpted Tippi Hedren into the perfect Hitchcock blonde of his imagination, he became obsessed with the impossible dream of winning the real woman's love. Their mutual desires - hers for fame, his for fantasy - would all but destroy both of their careers in what would become a passionate and destructive struggle for survival.Screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes has interviewed Tippi Hedren, and surviving members of Hitchcock's crew. This film tells their full tragic story for the first time. Starring Toby Jones (Harry Potter, Titanic, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Sienna Miller (Layer Cake, Alfie, Factory Girl), supported by Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter, Vera Drake) and Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey). Directed by Julian Jarrold (Appropriate Adult).
In revealing the strength of the marriage which left Queen Victoria so devastated as a widow, the colourful costume drama Victoria and Albert could almost serve as a prequel to the film Mrs Brown. In common with that dramatisation, this TV drama features performances (and cameos) from some of Britain's finest actors, this time including Jonathan Pryce, David Suchet, Penelope Wilton, Peter Ustinov, Richard Briers and the wonderful Nigel Hawthorne as Lord Melbourne. Victoria Hamilton and Jonathan Firth are the impressive leads who command the viewer's attention through the lengthy process of turning Albert and Victoria's arranged marriage into a love story, from their first inauspicious meetings, to Albert's dissatisfaction over the impotence of his position. Concentrating as it does on Victoria's early reign means the drama does tend to skip over the couples' later years with their children and disappointments over their heir, Bertie, but overall this story has all the romance, settings, make-up and wigs of a fine costume drama. On the DVD: Victoria and Albert comes as a two-disc set that features an informative 25-minute "making of" documentary presented by the producer, that includes contributions from the Screenwriter, Director, stars Jonathan Firth and Penelope Wilton, and the Director of Photography. The filmographies are somewhat abridged but the Victoria Timeline is interesting for those wanting to learn more about the authentic history of events. --Rachel Ediss
Mr. Brian Stimpson ran his life -- and everyone else's -- by the clock. Then one day at 2:09 and 43 seconds... The clock decided to strike back. In this hilarious comedy hit written by Michael Frayn (Noises Off) John Cleese stars as the compulsively punctual headmaster of a British high school. But on the day Stimpson is to give a major speech at a posh teachers conference he finds himself in a frantic cross-country chase filled with missed trains confused cops strange monks odd old ladies and stolen clothes. Can Stimpson make up for precious lost time or is the entire world conspiring to make him late for the most important appointment of his life?
Written by the successful team of John Esmonde and Bob Larbey 'Ever Decreasing Circles' was first broadcast by the BBC in February 1984. Richard Briers Penelope Wilton and Peter Egan star in this popular suburban-set comedy. Episode 1: Martin lives in a cul-de-sac and is a pillar of the community. He is chairman of just about every club committee. The equilibrium of the Close where he lives is disturbed when new neighbour Paul moves in next door... Episode 2: Paul masterminds a take-over at the general meeting of the Motor Club and Martin is relieved of his chairmanship. Ann is hopeful of a renewed social life but their new freedom is short lived... Episode 3: Martin is beginning to find his new neighbour's unconventional behaviour a potential danger to the harmony of the Close. 'Goings-on' of this kind have never happened before and something has to be done... Episode 4: Martin Ann Howard and Hilda spend their holidays together at the same resort at the same and even book it on the same day every year; a ritual that has remained for seven years but one that is unsettled when Paul offers them all the chance of a villa in Spain... Episode 5: In Martin's absence Paul is voted onto the committee to organise a Vicars and Tarts Dance for the RSPCA. When Martin's role is diminished he resorts to blackmail to take credit for the success of the event...
A writer in the process of a divorce moves to the countryside. She employs a gardener and becomes emotionally attached to him. However the gardener hides a secret.
Based on the memoir of John Bayley this tells the story of his marriage to acclaimed writer Iris Murdoch, from when they met as teachers at Oxford to her struggle with Alzheimer's disease forty years later.
The Passion re tells the last week of Jesus' life putting the viewer at the heart of the action with the story being told from three different viewpoints: the religious authorities the Romans and Jesus. Compelling visually arresting drama of the greatest story ever told...
A gay man (Alan Davies) and a straight woman (Lesley Sharp) meet and do the unthinkable - they fall in love. Rose is down to earth straighforward and funny. Then she meets Bob a teacher who's certainly not expecting to meet someone like Rose. In their hearts they know they're doing the right thing but everyone around them thinks they're crazy. Are they hurtling towards the biggest heartache ever? Bob And Rose is an irresistable comedy drama from the pen of Russell T. Davis creator
Written by the successful team of John Esmonde and Bob Larbey 'Ever Decreasing Circles' was first broadcast by the BBC in February 1984. Richard Briers Penelope Wilton and Peter Egan star in the second series of the popular suburban-set comedy. Episode 1: When Martin goes to collect Mrs Beardsmore for afternoon tea at the Bryce household Ann is horrified when he returns with a minibus full of her friends. Episode 2: The cricket season begins and Martin finds it increasingly difficult to avoid picking Paul for the team. Episode 3: In an attempt to vary the guests at their dinner party Ann suggests inviting Paul and his girlfriend. During the course of the evening however Paul's wife turns up unexpectedly. Episode 4: Ann is in hospital and Martin decides to spring-clean the entire house stubbornly refusing help from anyone in the Close least of all Paul. Episode 5: Martin is desperate to win the local snooker tournament. When the tournament favourite moves away he thinks he is in with a chance until Paul decides to enter. Episode 6: Ann decides there is more to life than being a suburban housewife. Episode 7: Martin is captivated by a psychiatrist he meets at Paul's party but dumfounded when Ann suggests he goes to see him professionally. Christmas Special: Martin's Christmas is ruined when Ann volunteers use of the Bryce home to house Paul's guests.
With a touch of glamour, gutsy humour and an overwhelming desire to improve their lot in life, four women in early '80s Sheffield juggle the pressures of family, husbands and making ends meet, striving for happiness and fulfillment. A chance meeting between Steph (Sophie Rundle Peaky Blinders) and Nita (Angela Griffin Lewis) kick starts a transformation as they grasp the opportunity to become Ann Summers party organisers. Pauline (Penelope Wilton Downton Abbey), for whom Steph is a cleaner, agrees to host a party, inviting amongst others the bubbly and confident Dawn (Sharon Rooney, My Mad Fat Diary). Via exotic lingerie the four unlikely friends blossom, gaining confidence and independence as their ambition is ignited.
Written by the successful team of John Esmonde and Bob Larbey 'Ever Decreasing Circles' was first broadcast by the BBC in February 1984. Richard Briers Penelope Wilton and Peter Egan star in this popular suburban-set comedy. Episodes comprise: Relaxation Goodbye Paul? Stuck In A Loft Neighbourhood Watch The Footpath Jumping To Conclusions Half An Office.
Beautiful and heartbreaking Margot brings to the screen with breathtaking vividness the glamorous and turbulent life of Britain's first international ballet superstar. At the age of 40 Dame Margot Fonteyn (Anne Marie Duff - The Virgin Queen Shameless) was already one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century but beneath her elegantly poised facade was a woman painfully aware of the future. Torn between her loyalties to the Royal Ballet and her marriage to the notorious and increasingly unfaithful Panamanian diplomat Roberto de Arias (Con O'Neill - Telstar Criminal Justice) Margot sensed mounting pressure to consider retirement. But as her star began to wane Margot's unexpected pairing with the young Russian ''migr'' Rudolph Nureyev (Michiel Huisman - The Young Victoria De Co-assistant) caused a global sensation. Whilst Margot's private life collapsed her passionate and vibrant relationship with Nureyev transformed Margot into a worldwide celebrity and created one of the most enduring and celebrated ballet partnerships of all time.
Written by the successful team of John Esmonde and Bob Larbey 'Ever Decreasing Circles' was first broadcast by the BBC in February 1984. Richard Briers Penelope Wilton and Peter Egan star in the third series of the popular suburban-set comedy. Episode titles: Manure One Night Stand House To Let Local Hero The Campaign Cavaliers And Roundheads.
This boxset contains both series of The Borrowers based on the novel by Mary Norton. The Borrowers are a family of tiny humans who live under the stairs in an old house populated by the larger version of the human being.
The story begins one hot summers day when Leanne Wellings is taking her two young children to visit her grandfather. She stops to buy flowers at a motorway lay-by but then inexplicably vanishes -- leaving her two small children waiting for her in her car -- lost and far from home. Her two small children then set off to find her only to go missing themselves. Their ordeal is captured on CCTV cameras and before long the family's heart-stopping trauma is not only a complex police investigation but a major national news story.
First screened in 1982 this timeless story of an ageing king who decides to divide his kingdom between his three daughters stars Michael Hordern as Lear with Brenda Blethyn as Cordelia Giliam Barge as Goneril Penelope Wilton as Regan Michael Kitchen as Edmund and Anton Lesser as Edgar....
In the wildly entertaining spirit of A Fish Called Wanda BLAME IT ON THE BELLBOY delivers the year's craziest laughs! Featuring an all-star cast the hilarity kicks off when a daffy bellboy (Bronson Pinchot) accidentally switches the itinerary envelopes for three guests (Dudley Moore Bryan Brown and Richard Griffiths). His actions cause a hilarious case of mistaken identities sending the trio down a road of comic non-stop adventures! Check in today for a zany time where mix-ups
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