"Actor: Ronald Pickup"

• Cambridge Spies | DVD | (02/06/2003) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Cambridge Spies, the BBC's moody 2003 dramatisation of the most notorious debacle in the history of the British Secret Service, raises the spectre of the treachery of Philby, Burgess, MacLean and Blunt for a generation of viewers who can only imagine the shockwaves generated by their duplicity. Inevitably the story suffers from the basically repellent quality of its raw material. Determinedly non-judgemental, it frequently stumbles along a precarious path between romantic eulogy and fact-based fable of the perils of idealism. For all the handsome casting, the characters have little charm to compensate for their deeds. Their motivations are sketched only vaguely. Even in moments of personal vulnerability, however poignant the performances, sympathy is at a premium. But it has its high points as an atmospheric soap opera: the recreation of a period that stretches from the radical aspects of 1930s university life at Cambridge to Cold War London, dipping into the Spanish Civil War and the Washington diplomatic circle en route, is vivid. The acting, too, is fine. Tom Hollander's rampantly dissolute Burgess verges constantly on parody. But Toby Stephens (Philby), Samuel West (a frosty Blunt) and Rupert Penry-Jones (an emotionally wrung-out MacLean) work wonders with Peter Moffat's insubstantial script. On the DVD: Cambridge Spies is a handsome production with a cinematic quality enhanced by an appropriately edgy soundtrack and widescreen presentation. The main extra is the commentary shared by director Tim Fywell, producer Mark Shivas and writer Peter Moffat. It's a rather self-congratulatory affair, but includes some interesting insights: attempts to film some events in their real location met with refusal, suggesting that in some quarters, the outrage and embarrassment that Burgess, Philby and MacLean left in their wake is still very close to the surface. --Piers Ford

• The Thirty Nine Steps | DVD | (15/01/2001) from £4.99   |  Saving you £5.00 (100.20%)   |  RRP £9.99

  It's not the 1935 Hitchcock classic, but this sturdy 1978 adaptation of John Buchan's The Thirty Nine Steps is still a rollicking good adventure. In keeping with the Boys' Own derring-do of the story (set in Edwardian London and the Scottish Highlands), the movie maintains a brisk pace that's interrupted only for tea or cocktails. Robert Powell is Richard Hannay, the man who unwittingly becomes embroiled in a dastardly Prussian plot to assassinate the Greek Prime Minister. Framed for murder, Hannay must flee to Scotland and attempt to clear his name whilst outwitting the prune-faced Prussian agents. Among all the deftly choreographed action sequences and careful period settings there's a strong vein of humour in the film, and if it wasn't for the numerous murders there would be little reason for PG certification. The grand dénouement comes with the realisation that the predicted time for the assassination is linked to Big Ben; unlike the earlier movie this version climaxes memorably with Powell hanging from the clock's minute hand. It might not be Hitchcock behind the lens, but it's still jolly good fun. --Joan Byrne

• The Mission | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £4.99   |  Saving you £9.00 (180.36%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Set in the quasi-mystical rain forests of South America 'The Mission' presents each man with his greatest challenge. The priest (Irons) has come to spread the word of God amongst the Guarani Indians; the mercenary (De Niro) has come to enslave them. With the passing of time their destinies become entwined...

• Fortunes Of War (Three Discs) (DVD) | DVD | (23/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  The Balkans 1939. British professor Guy Pringle (Kenneth Branagh) arrives in Romania with his new bride Harriet (Emma Thompson) and becomes enmeshed in the politics of anti-fascism. Despite Harriet's serious misgivings Guy's social circle soon includes members of the British Secret Service who want to involve him in dangerous missions and a downtrodden prince who zeroes in on Guy's generous nature and winds up living with the Pringles. Thus the stage is set for this mesmerizing story of marriage tested by accidental betrayal callous insensitivity and a world in upheaval. Based upon the autobiographical novels of best-selling author Olivia Manning and set in places as far-flung as Bucharest Athens and Cairo Fortunes of War is majestic in both its scope and its vision.

• Hustle - Series 2 | DVD | (19/09/2005) from £7.25   |  Saving you £25.00 (417.36%)   |  RRP £30.99

  The con is on! Hustle follows the fortunes of a gang of five expert con artists let loose on the streets of London. From rare comic books to antique banknotes they are specialists in the way of the grifter and all are keen to liberate cash from the amoral and undeserving... Gold Mine: Mickey Danny Albert Ash and Stacie return from a well-earned break to discover that old time grifter Harry Holmes (Ronald Pickup) has been banged up. After attempting to con ruthless

• The Crunch and Other Stories | DVD | (25/09/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Best known for his pioneering Quatermass stories and harrowing adaptation of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four, as well as later TV triumphs like The Stone Tape and The Woman in Black, Nigel Kneale is widely regarded as one of Britain's greatest scriptwriters. Making his name at the BBC in the 1950s, he subsequently wrote acclaimed dramas for ITV over the following decades of which three are presented here. The plays on this set showcase some of Kneale's most enduring themes: a deep sympathy for the plight of the individual facing an unimaginable threat; the unease and paranoia of the Cold War era, and fears of an uncertain near-future; and the volatility and potential menace of the crowd. THE CRUNCH stars Harry Andrews as a prime minister attempting to avert a nuclear catastrophe in London; Maxwell Shaw, Anthony Bushell and Peter Bowles are among his co-stars. LADIES' NIGHT is a chilling story of misogyny as members of a gentlemen's club turn on a woman who ridicules them; a strong cast includes Alfred Burke, Ronald Pickup and Bryan Pringle. GENTRY stars Roger Daltrey in a blackly comic suspense drama in which a couple buy a shabby house in an up-and-coming area but find themselves drawn into the aftermath of an armed robbery.

• Inspector Lynley - Series 1 And Pilot | DVD | (08/07/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small star as popular crime-fighting duo Inspector Lynley and DS Havers in the series originally adapted from the novels of Elizabeth George. Episodes Comprise: 1. Pilot: A Great Deliverance (Part 1) 2. Pilot: A Great Deliverance (Part 2) 3. Well-Schooled in Murder 4. Payment in Blood 5. For the Sake of Elena 6. Missing Joseph

• The Riff Raff Element: The Complete Series | DVD | (21/08/2017) from £19.67   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Down-on-their luck, upper-class family rent out a wing of their stately home to a lower-class family.

• The Jury | DVD | (14/11/2011) from £9.52   |  Saving you £15.47 (162.50%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Written by Peter Morgan (The Other Boleyn Girl, The Queen), The Jury is a compelling, character based drama series which focuses on the everyday people who find themselves at the centre of one of the most controversial criminal re-trials of their time.Focussing on the retrial of a man sentenced for the murder of three women - all killed following internet dates. A key piece of evidence was deliberately ignored by the CPS, possibly because the police were under pressure for a quick conviction and blackmail was being used over a senior person involved with the investigation who was having an affair. Ultimately, we will see the man acquitted but it will be an imperfect, messy, human triumph for the jury by acquitting the man.Gripping, dark and emotionally charged as jurors are forced to face their prejudices as they come to grips with the complexities and unwanted attention of being a key player in such a high profile Old Bailey trial.

• Worst Week Of My Life - Series 1 | DVD | (21/11/2005) from £6.29   |  Saving you £13.70 (217.81%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Getting married should be the best experience of your life but for publisher Howard Steel it becomes a nightmare of gargantuan proportions. Everything that possibly could go wrong does and unfortunately for Howard most of this transpires because of his utmost attempts to do the right thing. From evading Cassie - an office colleague with whom he had a one night stand at the christmas party two years ago and who is now hell bent on ruining the big day - to the charming of his in-

• Jennie - Lady Randolph Churchill - The Complete Series | DVD | (27/07/2009) from £6.99   |  Saving you £13.00 (185.98%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Jennie - Lady Randolph Churchill: The Complete Series (2 Disc)

• Worst Week Of My Life - Series 2 | DVD | (09/10/2006) from £9.29   |  Saving you £10.70 (115.18%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In series two Howard and Mel, now married, have a baby on the way. Unsurprisingly things are far from smooth going and Howard manages to make the Cook family hate him even more!

• Long Day's Journey Into Night | DVD | (19/09/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The world's foremost actor Laurence Olivier and one of America's greatest playwrights Eugene O'Neill are brought together in this acclaimed stage production by the National Theatre Company of O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece. Long Day s Journey into Night gives an autobiographical account of Eugene O'Neill s claustrophobic and explosive home life fused by a drug-addicted mother a father who wallows in drink after realising he is no longer a famous actor and an older brother who is an emotionally unstable misfit. Laurence Olivier won an Emmy Award and a BAFTA nomination for his performance in this production which also marks one of his rare appearances on television.

• Three Sisters | DVD | (04/08/2014) from £5.99   |  Saving you £4.00 (66.78%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Directed by Laurence Olivier and featuring a specially commissioned score by composer William Walton this filmed production of Anton Chekhov's classic play by London's world-renowned National Theatre Company is featured here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. The action takes place in a Russian provincial town at the turn of the century. It tells the story of Olga Masha and Irina daughters of a dead general who with their brother Andrei live out their days bound together by feelings of melancholy endless yearning and disappointment. The themes of troubled unrequited love provincial boredom and the imagined glamour of the capital to which the sisters long to return are brilliantly conveyed in outstanding performances by some of the twentieth century's greatest theatrical players. SPECIAL FEATURES [] Original Theatrical Trailer [] Image Gallery [] Promotional Material PDF

• Wagner | DVD | (09/05/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Even now Richard Wagner (1813-83) remains an enigma. His was a rags-to-riches saga with a fairy tale ending. He was loved yet hated admired yet despised a villain yet a hero who was worshipped a man whose fame and exploits were the gossip of Europe. Above all he was an incurable romantic whose love affair with Liszt's illegitimate daughter rivals that of Romeo and Juliet in excitement and drama. But he was also a dangerous political revolutionary whose influence penetrated the

• A Murder Of Quality | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  When George Smiley receives a mysterious letter from Stella Rode a teacher's wife at Carne School intimating that her husband is out to murder her he decides to phone the school only to find that Stella was killed the previous evening... Based on a novel by John Le Carre.

• Zulu Dawn | DVD | (05/01/2004) from £9.99   |  Saving you £4.00 (40.04%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Cy Endfield cowrote the epic prequel Zulu Dawn 15 years after his enormously popular Zulu. Set in 1879, this film depicts the catastrophic Battle of Isandhlwana, which remains the worst defeat of the British army by natives--the British contingent was outnumbered 16-to-1 by the Zulu tribesmen. The film's opinion of events is made immediately clear in its title sequence: ebullient African village life presided over by King Cetshwayo is contrasted with aristocratic artifice under the arrogant eye of General Lord Chelmsford (Peter O'Toole). Chelmsford is at the heart of all that goes wrong, initiating the catastrophic battle with an ultimatum made seemingly for the sake of giving his troops something to do. His detached manner leads to one mistake after another and this is wryly illustrated in a moment when neither he nor his officers can be bothered to pronounce the name of the land they're in. That it's a beautiful land none the less is made clear by the superb cinematography, which drinks in the massive open spaces that shrink the British army to a line of red ants. Splendidly stiff-upper-lipped support comes from a heroic Burt Lancaster and a fluffy, yet gruff, Bob Hoskins. Although the story is less focused and inevitably more diffuse than the concentrated events of Rorke's Drift that followed soon after, Zulu Dawn is an unflinchingly honest depiction of British Imperial diplomacy. --Paul Tonks

• My Friend Walter - The Complete Series | DVD | (24/01/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Ronald Pickup Prunella Scales and Don Henderson are among the cast of this fantasy adventure series with young actress Polly Grant giving an outstanding performance as a girl who sets out to save her family's farm with the help of a famous time-travelling ancestor. Adapted from the children s novel by Michael Morpurgo and directed by the BAFTA Award-winning Gavin Millar My Friend Walter originally screened in 1992 is available here for the first time on DVD. Bess Throckmorton a Devon farmer's daughter encounters an ancient bearded relative... and realises just how ancient he is when he reveals that he is the ghost of Sir Walter Raleigh! Sir Walter is determined to escape the Tower of London his prison for nearly four hundred years to return to the Devon farm of his youth - the only place he was ever truly happy. He wants to rediscover his family too and persuades Bess to take him home with her. On the family farm Sir Walter revisits the joys of his childhood; he also learns that the farm is now endangered by the covetous schemes of the horrible Borrowbill brothers - and devises a scheme of his own to restore the family fortunes while avenging his cruel fate. Unfortunately a mischievous spirit's idea of helping out isn't quite what Bess had in mind!

• The Fourth Protocol | DVD | (25/07/2005) from £13.90   |  Saving you £-7.91 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  On July 1 1968 America Britain and Russia signed a treaty to halt the spread of nuclear weapons. The powers then added four extra clauses. The most secret of them was and remains the final. One winter the Chairman of the KGB hatches a plan to breach this Fourth Protocol and destroy NATO. He sends an agent Major Petrofsky (Pierece Brosnan) to assemble the operation. It is now up to MI6 agent John Preston (Michael Caine) who now must race against an unknown deadline to stop him and his devasting mission. Based on the novel by the best-selling author Frederick Forsyth.

• The Mission - Two Disc Special Edition | DVD | (02/06/2003) from £16.99   |  Saving you £-3.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Roland Joffé (The Killing Fields) directs this fuzzy effort at a David Lean-like epic without David Lean's sense of emotional proportion. Lean's most important screenwriting collaborator, Robert Bolt, in fact wrote The Mission, which concerns a Jesuit missionary (Jeremy Irons) who establishes a church in the hostile jungles of Brazil and then finds his work threatened by greed and political forces among his superiors. Robert De Niro is briefly effective as a callous soldier who kills his own brother and then turns to Irons's character to oversee his penance and conversion to the clergy. The narrative and dramatic forces at work in this movie should be more stirring and powerful than they are--the problem being that Joffé is too removed from them to allow us in. --Tom Keogh