"Actor: Richard Braun"

• Stargate SG-1: Season 1 | DVD | (21/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  Like the very best of SF TV, Stargate SG-1 began very simply. Of course it had the benefit of a movie preceding it--in which the alternate universe, its rules and its characters were largely established--so this premiere season was therefore able to concentrate on good storytelling. In 1997 not every new show was obsessed with securing a syndication-guaranteed franchise (same goes for Buffy debuting the same year), instead one-off episodes were the way of things, exploring interesting scenarios and conundrums. Naturally there were allusions to the feature film, but most were subtle and inspired. For example, a trip to retrieve the trapped professor who'd worked on the Gate decades ago was an unusual way of tying up loose ends. Some groundwork was laid for continuation should the show be renewed into an ongoing series. Knowing that these elements were pure wishful thinking at the time makes the tapestry of System Lords and the interlinks with our history and mythology all the more enjoyable in revisiting the show from its beginnings. With Richard Dean Anderson, leading the team in a far more charismatic and empathetic way than Kurt Russell in the movie, the series also benefited from some spot-on casting that instantly won audiences over. Special effects and use of studio sets may be less dazzling in these initial shows, but its solid grounding in old-fashioned SF won for the show a loyal audience. --Paul Tonks

• Stargate SG-1: Season 3 | DVD | (24/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £59.99

  With a well-established framework of back-story and an increasing list of adversaries, the third series of Stargate SG-1 was the place where casual viewers began to fall away. Unless you were taking notes it was becoming ever harder to stay on top of the Goa'uld history and their constant scheming. Fortunately by now a solid fanbase had appeared worldwide--with clubs, conventions and Web sites galore--so the ratings didn't slip even while ancient gods kept appearing and reappearing. Daniel Jackson could always be trusted to illuminate any relevant myth or legend (or find them in five minutes on the internet), while Carter's memory download from last year supplied the necessary ties with the rebellious Tok'ra. Away from the story arc the show's all-important stand-alone tales gave some thorny old subjects a new SF spin, including organised religion, the use of children in the passing on of knowledge, and leading an alternative life. O'Neill's sarcastic wit went into overdrive this year and Teal'c could be relied upon for a sneer or fish-out-of-water joke. Further comic relief came from Sam "Flash Gordon" Jones and Dom DeLuise, but perhaps the funniest thing of all was the wig Carter would apparently be wearing in an alternate universe. --Paul Tonks

• Playing with Dolls | DVD | (07/03/2016) from £11.06   |  Saving you £4.93 (44.58%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Cindy finds herself in dire straits when she loses her job and her roommate runs out on her, leaving her with no money to pay the rent. A phone call offering her a dream job - to house-sit at a cabin for a wealthy man is just what she needs to turn her life around. Agreeing to take the job, she follows instructions to a beautiful home in the middle of the woods. What Cindy doesn't realise once she's there is that she's being stalked by a masked serial killer, who's been purposefully released from an insane asylum to carry on his murderous rampage. She's also being watched by a mysterious voyeur, who seems to really be enjoying the show

• Die Walkure - Wagner | DVD | (02/05/2005) from £21.20   |  Saving you £13.79 (39.40%)   |  RRP £34.99

  In the second work of Wagner's epic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen Wotan faces the consequences of his actions begun in Das Rheingold while his daughter Brunnhilde emerges as the heroic voice of the conscience he strives to silence. Struggles of power mix with adulterous and incestuous love in an episode of dramatic vengeance. Filmed at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu in 2003 Harry Kupfer's acclaimed production first staged in Berlin numbers among the greatest productions of modern times and is recorded in sumptuous surround sound.

• The Unbelievable | DVD | (08/04/2002) from £7.89   |  Saving you £0.10 (1.30%)   |  RRP £7.99

• Various Composers - Concerto Italiano | DVD | (05/04/2004) from £11.94   |  Saving you £3.05 (20.30%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Various Composers - Concerto Italiano