"Actor: Peter John"

• School For Scoundrels / The Green Man | DVD | (14/04/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  In School for Scoundrels wimpy Ian Carmichael wants to impress girls and get one over on all-round show-off and cad Terry Thomas (playing gloriously to type). Discovering Alastair Simms' unorthodox school Carmichael happily enrols and learns the quaint tricks of the day for securing the admiration of a fair lady. Ultimately as a star pupil he teaches the Master a thing or two about true love when everything turns out just fine in the end. Appealing to all male sensibilities is the idea of a magical set of simple rules for winning someone's affections. Set in the tweed-rich environment of an English boarding school makes this an even quainter notion. To watch this classic comedy is to cock one's snoot at womanisers everywhere while unavoidably making a mental list of anything that might actually work! The three central performances are brilliantly realised, particularly the role reversal between Carmichael and Thomas. Try playing a tennis match after a viewing without calling "hard cheese". -Paul Tonks

• A Challenge For Robin Hood | DVD | (18/01/2010) from £10.18   |  Saving you £5.81 (57.07%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A Challenge For Robin Hood (Hammer)

• Tarka The Otter | DVD | (03/12/2001) from £11.42   |  Saving you £-1.43 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Really good feature films about animals are as rare as hen's teeth. Based on the classic novel by Henry Williamson, Tarka the Otter is one of the very best. This is one of those highly unusual films told almost entirely from an animal's point of view, yet which refrains from Disney-style sentimentality and anthropomorphism. Set in 1920s England, the film simply follows the life of an otter, and shot over a period of two years captures the glory of the English countryside with some magnificent cinematography. Drama comes not just from the daily struggle to survive, but from the ever present threat of human hunters, and from the vicious otter hound, Deadlock. With narration by Peter Ustinov and a screenplay by the naturalist and author Gerald Durrell Tarka the Otter is a British film classic. While a family film, it is a realistic portrayal of the countryside, and as such contains some scenes that young children and animal lovers may find upsetting. The only other notable feature to star an otter is Ring of Bright Water (1969), while The Bear (1988) is another rare movie to tell its tale from the animal's perspective. --Gary S Dalkin

• 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)

• Blow Out | DVD | (29/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  ""A great movie!"" -Pauline Kael The New Yorker. John Travolta (Pulp Fiction Face/Off) stars in this riveting mystery/thriller filled with powerful performances intense action and an ""engrossing web of suspense and intrigue"" (Blockbuster Entertainment Guide). Written and directed by master filmmaker Brian De Palma (Mission: Impossible) Blow Out is a heart-stopping adventure hailed by Rolling Stone as ""an American moviemaking triumph!"" Jack Terri (Travolta) is a talented audio tech

• The Raven | DVD | (20/10/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  One of the most sublimely silly products to emanate from Roger Corman's studio, The Raven has the very loosest of connections with the Edgar Allen Poe poem that gives it its title and which Vincent Price intones sepulchrally at the beginning. A retiring magician, Craven (Price) has opted out of the power struggles of peers such as Dr Scarabus (Boris Karloff) to brood on his dead wife and bring up his daughter. The arrival of Bledlo (Peter Lorre), an incompetent drunk whom Scarabus has turned into the raven of the title, involves him in everything he had renounced--life is complicated further by the arrival of Bledlo's son Rexford, played by a staggeringly young Jack Nicholson. The special effects are almost perfunctory, yet the culminating magical duel between Price and Karloff is inventive and charming; this is one of those films that looks as if the actors enjoyed making it; while the script by Richard Matheson has a blithe awareness of its own shortcomings that makes it hard to dislike. On the DVD: The Raven comes to DVD with very boxy remastered mono sound, but is presented in its original widescreen 2.35:1 ratio, formatted for 16:9 TVs. The only extra is the original theatrical trailer. --Roz Kaveney

• Mum Series 1 | DVD | (26/02/2018) from £3.47   |  Saving you £5.78 (261.54%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Cathy is attempting to move on with her life after the death of her husband. Through a year of new beginnings she rebuilds her life surrounded by her sometimes problematic family and friends.

• The Wrong Arm Of The Law | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £7.47   |  Saving you £2.52 (33.73%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Peter Sellers stars as gang-leader Pearly Gates who has a double life as Monsieur Jules the manager of a fashion house. The criminal world of London is being reduced to chaos by an Australian 'IPO mob' who acting on information provided by Gates' girlfriend Valerie (Nanette Newman) impersonate police officers and take the spoils of the true criminals after the crime has been safely committed. The crimes are relatively victimless involving jewellery thefts from the rich or robbe

• The Complete Victorian Farm Collection Boxed Set | DVD | (22/08/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £99.99

  Tales From The Green Valley Turning the clock back over 400 years fi ve archaeologists and historians take on the challenge of running a farm for a year as it was in the 1600s when King James I held the throne. Victorian Farm & Victorian Farm Christmas In Victorian Farm Ruth Goodman Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands devote a year of their lives to re-creating life in a 19th century rural environment. From the warmth of summer to the depths of winter they rediscover this almost forgotten world. And in Victorian Farm Christmas the team return to prepare for a truly festive holiday season. Victorian Pharmacy Historian Ruth Goodman Professor of Pharmacy Nick Barber and PhD student Tom Quick open the doors to an authentic Victorian Pharmacy. They source ingredients mix potions and dispense cures. But in an age when skin creams contained arsenic and cold medicines were based on opium the team needs to be highly selective. Edwardian Farm The Victorian Farmers Alex Langlands Peter Ginn and domestic historian Ruth Goodman return to experience life on an Edwardian Farm. Setting up home at Morwellham Quay in Devon the intrepid trio have to get to grips with the trials and tribulations of life at the turn of the 20th century.

• Babylon 5: The Gathering | DVD | (08/04/2002) from £12.93   |  Saving you £7.06 (54.60%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Gathering", the feature-length pilot episode for Babylon 5, still ranks amongst the best of introductions to any TV science fiction show. In 1993 there was just nothing else to compare with its wall-to-wall CGI effects backed up by eye-popping architectural and interior production design, costumes, alien make-up and hairstyles. A couple of flat performances let down an otherwise intriguingly cast ensemble, but these problems would vanish in the series. Here, character introduction and development was refreshingly left to fend for itself within an elaborate narrative structure that kicked-off several plot threads at once. Creator Michael Straczynski ambitiously starts proceedings with a multi-layered mystery concerned with the nature and destiny of the soul. Political shenanigans, trigger-happy action stereotypes and wavering physics linger in the viewer's memory, but the tantalising tale told by smooth Commander Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) about the "hole in his mind" makes the strongest impression. Considering how convoluted the show's mysteries would become, "The Gathering" remains an essential starting point. On the DVD: Babylon 5: The Gathering is presented here in its 1998 Special Edition version. However, nowhere on the packaging is this stated. In fact, the back-cover credits are incorrect: apart from anything else, this version features a new score by Christopher Franke and not Stewart Copeland's original. Special effects and sound quality are also superior to the original version, even if still only presented in 1.33:1 ratio and two-channel Dolby.--Paul Tonks

• Murphy's War | DVD | (15/02/2004) from £13.92   |  Saving you £-9.93 (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  Murphy, a stranded Irish merchant seaman is the sole survivor of a WWII German U-boat attack in foreign waters. Rescued by Louis, a French oil engineer, he is taken to a village hospital and treated by Dr. Haiden, a strong willed and beautiful doctor. Murphy teaches himself how to fly a run down plane, and with a rocky start and some daredevil flying he begins a plan of attack.

• The African Queen | DVD | (16/07/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The African Queen, John Huston's 1951 classic set in Africa during World War I, garnered Humphrey Bogart an Oscar for his role as a hard-drinking riverboat captain who provides passage for a Christian missionary spinster (Katharine Hepburn). Taking an instant, mutual dislike to one another, the two endure rough waters, the presence of German soldiers, and their own bickering to fall finally into one another's arms. Based on CS Forester's novel, this is classic Huston material--part adventure, part quest--but this time with a pair of characters who'd all but given up on happiness. Bogart (a long-time collaborator with Huston on such classics as The Maltese Falcon and Key Largo) and Hepburn have never been better, and support from frequent Huston crony Robert Morley adds some extra dimension and colour. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com On the DVD: A trailer, a gallery of contemporary posters and stills, plus some text biographies of the principals, simply whet the appetite for the main extra feature here: an audio commentary by veteran cinematographer Jack Cardiff. The man responsible for the lush, albeit studio-bound jungle textures of Black Narcissus faced innumerable challenges lighting real Borneo jungle in the heart of the Congo for Huston's ambitious project, and here he relates all the behind-the-scenes anecdotes of disease, infestation and disaster that plagued the production. It's a real treat to hear one of the last survivors of the Golden Age filmmaking happily reminiscing about one of cinema's classic pictures, talking companionably of Huston, Bogie and Katie Hepburn and what everyone--cast and crew alike--endured to finish the picture, from lepers carrying their gear to the location, Huston fishing while directing, hornets stinging the crew, to terrible sickness brought on by drinking unfiltered lake water (except Bogie and Huston, who stuck religiously to the whisky!). The movie itself, in its original 1.33:1 ratio, looks just fine, and the sound is an unfussy digitally remastered mono. --Mark Walker

• Robin And Marian | DVD | (12/08/2002) from £12.63   |  Saving you £0.36 (2.85%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Robin Hood (Connery) is an old man when he returns with his best friend Little John to England after the Crusades. Maid Marian (Hepburn) has entered a nunnery King Richard is a raving lunatic his Brother John a moron and the age of great adventure has seemed to have passed Robin by. But when The Sheriff of Nottingham (Shaw) once again threatens Sherwood Robin gathers his faithful men and band of peasants to fight oppression in this high-spirited adventure in which Robin Hood and Maid Marian rediscover their love...

• Lifeforce | Blu Ray | (24/05/2022) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Thunderbirds: Volume 4 | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £7.01   |  Saving you £8.98 (56.20%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Filmed in VIDECOLOR--[explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax]--and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence of Thunderbirds is itself a masterclass in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a)the show is in colour and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic: Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, pre-dating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armaggedon by 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishising gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies like The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work here. As to the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audience's affections to their cool machines--the real stars of the show--while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (number plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catchphrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company.) The puppet stunt-work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is nail-bitingly choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood. On this DVD: The four episodes are: "Vault of Death", "The Mighty Atom", "City of Fire" and "The Imposters". Amazon.com

• All Creatures Great and Small - Series 1, Part 2 | DVD | (05/05/2003) from £8.25   |  Saving you £18.00 (257.51%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Based on James Herriot's autobiographical best sellers 'If Only They Could Talk' and 'It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet' the long running TV series 'All Creatures Great and Small' continued to satisfy the Herriot hysteria of the British public.

• Thunderbirds: Volume 5 | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £9.17   |  Saving you £6.82 (74.37%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Filmed in VIDECOLOR [explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax] and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence of Thunderbirds is itself a masterclass in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a) the show is in colour and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic: Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, pre-dating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armaggedon by 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishising gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies like The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work here.As to the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audiences' affections to their cool machines--the real stars of the show--while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (number plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catch phrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company.) The puppet stunt-work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is nail-bitingly choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood.On this DVD: The four episodes are: "The Man from MI5", "Cry Wolf", "Danger at Ocean Deep" and "Move and You're Dead".

• The Dalek Collection | DVD | (25/09/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Doctor Who And The Daleks: Eccentric scientific genius Dr. Who activates the T.A.R.D.I.S. a remarkable time machine disguised as an ordinary callbox. But when the Doctor his granddaughters and their friend Ian are transported to the mysterious planet Skaro they discover a race of innocent humanoids under siege by evil robot-like Daleks. Can the Doctor protect this peaceful society from destruction as well as save the entire universe from a diabolical invasion of the future? (Dir. Gordon Flemyng 1965) Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. The remarkable Doctor and his companions use their time machine the T.A.R.D.I.S. to travel to the Earth's future. But when they arrive they discover a battle-raveaged world where mankind has been conquered and enslaved by the diabolical Daleks. Can Doctor Who foil their fiendish plan to mine the Earth's nuclear core? (Dir. Gordon Flemyng 1966)

• When Worlds Collide | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £15.65   |  Saving you £-2.66 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In this Oscar-winning science fiction movie from producer George Pal an impending collison with a runaway star signals the destruction of Earth! The government refuses to listen to scientists but private industrialists finance the building of a spaceship which will carry a limited number of people to another planet to begin a new civilisation. As doomsday approaches they race against time and the panic of those who will be left behind. The potential pulverising impact of the co

• Thunderbirds: Volume 2 | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £4.90   |  Saving you £11.09 (226.33%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Filmed in VIDECOLOR [explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax] and SUPERMARIONATION"! The opening sequence of Thunderbirds is itself a masterclass in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a) the show is in colour and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic: Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, pre-dating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armaggedon by 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishising gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies like The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work here.As to the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audiences' affections to their cool machines--the real stars of the show--while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (number plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catch phrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company.) The puppet stunt-work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is nail-bitingly choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood.On this DVD: The four episodes are: "Edge of Impact", "Day of Disaster", Thirty Minutes After Noon" and "Desperate Intruder".