"Actor: Tom Lewis"

  • Gentleman Jack [DVD] [2019]Gentleman Jack | DVD | (15/07/2019) from £5.89   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Halifax, Yorkshire, 1832. Charismatic, swashbuckling Anne Lister (Suranne Jones) determines to transform the fate of her ancestral home Shibden Hall. To do this, she must re-open her coal mines and marry well. But Anne has no intention of marrying a man. True to her own nature she plans to marry a woman and embarks on an epic, unconventional love story. Gentleman Jack brings all the warmth, wit and complexity of the writing of Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax) to the remarkable true story of Anne Lister.

  • Cast Away [DVD] [2000]Cast Away | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £5.99   |  Saving you £14.00 (233.72%)   |  RRP £19.99

    Cast Away reunites star Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis in their first collaboration since the heavy-handed sentimentality of Forrest Gump. Thankfully, this time their film's life-affirming message is delivered with more subtlety, attributable both to an extraordinarily committed, physically demanding central performance from Hanks and to Zemeckis' technically masterful but carefully understated direction. It's also a film with three distinct "acts" or, to be old-fashioned about it, a proper beginning, middle and end. The story follows schedule-obsessed but fulfilled FedEx supervisor Chuck Noland (Act 1) on a personal journey into the bleakest, most solitary despair (Act 2), before Helen Hunt, in the thankless role of ex-girlfriend, unwittingly allows him to glimpse an optimistic future full of untapped possibilities (Act 3). Hanks' sojourn on the island is the centrepiece, but this is no tropical island idyll: following a terrifying plane crash (the one sequence in the film where Zemeckis shows off his uncanny ability to choreograph action), life on the island is seen to be a depressing and bitter experience filled with disappointment, danger and suicidal despair. Having lost all hope of rescue, ultimately Noland's greatest test is not to survive, but to find a reason to survive. He has no Man Friday for company, just a volleyball named "Wilson" that is both a narrative device allowing Hanks to deliver dialogue and an intriguingly pagan personification of the island's spirit under whose protection Noland is finally able to summon fire (significantly, and heartbreakingly, Wilson leaves him as he regains contact with the world). In an era of MTV-style film editing, Zemeckis and Hanks fearlessly take their time establishing with total conviction the grim realities of Noland's situation, his devastating loss of hope and the means by which he achieves his escape. Like Contact before it, Cast Away is a refreshingly thoughtful piece of mainstream cinema that explores weighty existential issues but retains a warm human intimacy. On the DVD: The luminous anamorphic print with vivid Dolby 5.1 soundtrack is accompanied on the first disc by a technical commentary from Zemeckis and key crew personnel. It's plenty insightful for budding filmmakers, although for pure listening pleasure one might have preferred a more relaxed piece with just the director and Tom Hanks. The second disc includes a 30-minute making-of documentary in which the director sums up the moral of the movie--"Surviving is easy but living is difficult". This draws on material from the three other mini-documentaries about survival skills, Wilson the volleyball and the Fijian island location of Monu Riki respectively. There's also a section on the sometimes surprising use of CGI effects and a storyboard-to-film comparison sequence. Tom Hanks chats with American TV host Charlie Rose about this movie and his career in the extensive 50-minute interview. Trailers, artwork and stills round out a valuable two-disc set. --Mark Walker

  • Randall And Hopkirk Deceased - The Complete Series 1 [2000]Randall And Hopkirk Deceased - The Complete Series 1 | DVD | (29/10/2001) from £19.95   |  Saving you £0.04 (0.20%)   |  RRP £19.99

    This is the entire first series of Reeves and Mortimer's long-awaited take on the cult classic Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and it's surely the most re-watchable of television series, not least because of its improbable plots. The anticipation which preceded the show was a drama in itself. How will it compare with the original? Would Reeves and Mortimer be able to cut it in acting roles? Will the cast be upstaged by her wardrobe? The answers were, of course, "perfectly", "no problem" and "probably not, but the BBC wardrobe department certainly excelled themselves for this series". In fact, the premise of this humorous supernatural detective fantasy (a genre which probably contains nothing other than this series and the original)--a dead private detective comes back as a ghost to assist his partner, who is the only mortal who can see him--could easily have occurred as one of those surreal narratives from the duo's comedy shows. A must-see. On the DVD: the DVD includes a lively behind-the-scenes documentary (broadcast at the beginning of the series), an unfunny collection of outtakes and a rather better music video which comes on like Blue Velvet "re-imagined" by Cubby Broccoli.--Roger Thomas

  • The Chant Of Jimmie Blacksmith [Blu-ray]The Chant Of Jimmie Blacksmith | Blu Ray | (26/08/2019) from £26.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Eureka Entertainment to release the internationally acclaimed masterpiece THE CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH, Fred Schepisi's depiction of horrific racially-motivated crimes, as part of The Masters of Cinema Series in a definitive Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition on 19 August 2019, presented with a Limited Edition slipcase [2000 copies only]. One of the most important films in all of Australian cinema, and perhaps the key critical work of that country's internationally acclaimed film movement of the 1970s, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith is nothing short of a masterpiece a bracing and emotionally wrenching study of the effects of institutionalised racism and colonialism on a land's indigenous peoples, and an unflinching look at the repercussions of violence for both aggressors and victims. Based on the early 20th-century exploits of Jimmy Governor, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith follows its title character, a half-Aboriginal, half-white young man attempting to make his way as a farmhand, but facing only prejudice and deception from society. When the parentage of his child is called into question and he is further robbed by his white employers, Jimmie's barely suppressed rage explodes, triggering a wave of violence that would shock a nation. Directed by Fred Schepisi (Six Degrees of Separation) from a Booker-nominated novel by Thomas Keneally (Schindler's Arc the book on which the film Schindler's List was based), The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith stands alongside The Harder They Come and Sweet Sweetback's Baadassss Song as one of the most powerful 1970s cinema explorations of rebellion and uprising, and the costs that are paid on both sides. Called the one great Australian film that I have seen by Pauline Kael, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith is a powerful experience. Features: LIMITED EDITION O-CARD (First 2000 copies only) - featuring newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith Australian Version [122 mins] presented in 1080p on Blu-ray (with a progressive encode on the DVD), from a restoration completed by Umbrella Entertainment The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith International Version [117 mins] from a brand new restoration completed in 2019 from the original film elements (Blu-ray only) Uncompressed monaural soundtrack (on Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Brand new and exclusive audio commentary by film critic and writer Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (Australian Version) Audio commentary by director Fred Schepisi (Australian version) Interview with Fred Schepisi [39 mins] Celluloid Gypsies: Making The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith [36 mins] A conversation with director Fred Schepisi and cinematographer Ian Baker [64 mins] The Chant of Tom Lewis interview with Tom E. Lewis [26 mins] Q&A session with Fred Schepisi and Geoffrey Rush, from the 2008 Melbourne International Film Festival [34 mins] Making us Blacksmiths Documentary on the casting of Aboriginal lead actors Tom E. Lewis and Freddy Reynolds Stills Gallery Theatrical Trailer Reversible sleeve PLUS: A collector's booklet featuring a new essay by Travis Crawford; a reprint of Pauline Kael's original review of the film; and rare archival imagery

  • Redeeming Love [DVD]Redeeming Love | DVD | (05/12/2022) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Based on the bestselling novel by Francine Rivers, and with a cast including Famke Janssen (X-Men), Jaime-Lee O'Donnell (Derry Girls), Abigail Cowen (Stranger Things, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), and Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries, The Final Girls), Redeeming Love is a life-changing tale of unconditional love and perseverance, following a young couple whose relationship clashes with the harsh realities of the California Gold Rush of 1850. This powerful and timeless love story centres on a woman who knows nothing but betrayal. Having being sold into prostitution as a child, Angel survives with hatred towards herself and the men that use her. But then fate delivers Michael Hosea, a farmer who believes God wants Angel to be his wife. Encountering a love unlike anything she has ever experienced, and facing demons that seem unsurmountable, Angel runs from her new life, and the man she doesn't think she deserves. Can Michael convince Angel that only she holds the power to choose the life she wants?

  • The Gruffalo's Child - Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler Collection [DVD] [2019]The Gruffalo's Child - Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler Collection | DVD | (11/02/2019) from £10.73   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    This collection brings together the much-loved family films based on the wonderful books written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. The Gruffalo's Child is the tale of the brave little Gruffalo who ignores her father's warnings and tiptoes out into the snow in search of the Big Bad Mouse. She meets Snake, Owl and Fox but no sign of the fabled Mouse. He doesn't really exist... or does he? Featuring the voices of Helena Bonham Carter, Rob Brydon, Robbie Coltrane, James Corden, Shirley Henderson, John Hurt and Tom Wilkinson. Also available in the collection: The Gruffalo, Room On The Broom, Stick Man, The Highway Rat and Zog.

  • Prime Suspect 7Prime Suspect 7 | DVD | (06/11/2006) from £6.08   |  Saving you £6.91 (113.65%)   |  RRP £12.99

    This tense uncompromising drama by distinguished dramatist and novelist Lynda La Plante has received critically acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic; winning 14 international awards including a BAFTA for Best Drama Serial and Best TV Actress (Helen Mirren). Retirement loom large for Detective Inspector Tennison but as her exemplary career draws towards its inevitable conclusion Jane is paying dearly for 35 years of repressed rage and loneliness. When the body of a missing schoolgirl is discovered the hunt for her killer begins. However as Jane and her team struggle to track down the brutal child murderer the world-weary Detective Tennison begins to unravel.

  • Doctor Who - The Collection - Season 17 - Limited Edition Packaging [Blu-ray] [2021]Doctor Who - The Collection - Season 17 - Limited Edition Packaging | Blu Ray | (20/12/2021) from £54.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Build your own Doctor Who archive with this collectors' set. Destiny Of The Daleks City Of Death The Creature From The Pit Nightmare Of Eden The Horns Of Nimon Shada With all episodes newly remastered from the best available sources, this Blu-ray box set also includes extensive and exclusive Special Features including: Brand New Documentaries: Including a Making-Of documentary for Destiny Of The Daleks, and new featurette for The Creature From The Pit. Tom Talks: A candid interview with Tom Baker as he gives us his unique take on life, the universe and everything. Douglas Adams Tribute: Friends and colleagues remember the Doctor Who writer/script editor and creator of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. In Conversation: Matthew Sweet chats to Bob Baker, writer of Nightmare Of Eden, co-creator of K9 and one of the creative forces behind Wallace & Gromit. Behind The Sofa: New episodes with actors Colin Baker, Katy Manning, Matthew Waterhouse, Nicola Bryant, June Hudson, Graeme Harper & Mat Irvine Lalla Ward Interview: An extensive interview discussing her first year on the programme Updated Special Effects: View Nightmare Of Eden with optional new effects Shada: An updated version of the ˜lost' story, completed with enhanced animation and presented in six episodes for the very first time, alongside the original 1992 VHS and 2017 versions Exclusive New Audio Commentaries: With Tom Baker on episodes of Destiny Of The Daleks and City Of Death, and Lalla Ward & Catherine Schell on City Of Death Extended Episode: An early cut of The Creature From The Pit Part Three Blu-ray Trailer: A familiar face returns in a brand new mini-episode of classic Doctor Who Immersive 5.1 Surround Sound: On Destiny Of The Daleks and Shada Rare Gems From The Archives: BBC archive material covering the promotion of this season Convention Footage: A triumphant 1997 appearance from Tom Baker HD Photo Galleries: Including many previously unseen images Production Subtitles: Behind-the-scenes information and trivia on every episode Scripts, Costume Designs, Rare BBC Production Files And Other Rarities From Our PDF Archive And Lots More! The seven-disc box set also includes hours of special features previously released on DVD.

  • Harry Potter 8-Film Collection [Blu-ray] (2001) [Region Free]Harry Potter 8-Film Collection | Blu Ray | (03/06/2024) from £33.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Year 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - The magical adventure begins when Harry Potter is to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Year 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Cars fly, trees attack and a mysterious house-elf warns Harry of great danger as he returns for his second year. Year 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Harry must confront soul-sucking Dementors, outsmart a werewolf and learn the truth about the escaped prisoner of Azkaban - Sirius Black. Year 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Harry must overcome a deadly dragon, fierce water demons and an enchanted maze only to find himself in the cruel grasp of He Who Must Not Be Named. Year 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - When few believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, Harry must secretly train his friends for the wizarding war ahead. Year 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - As Lord Voldemort tightens his grip on both Muggle and wizarding worlds, Harry and Dumbledore work to find the key to unlock Voldemort's defenses. Year 7 - Part 1: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 - Harry, Ron and Hermione set out to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort's power - the Horcruxes. On their own and on the run, the three must rely on one another more than ever...but Dark Forces threaten to tear them apart. Year 7 - Part 2: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 - In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here.

  • Red Hill [DVD]Red Hill | DVD | (30/05/2011) from £4.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (160.32%)   |  RRP £12.99

    Stressed out police officer Shane Cooper (True Blood star Ryan Kwanten) relocates to the dusty farming village of Red Hill with his pregnant wife Alice to start a family. But when news of a prison break sends the local law enforcement officers into a panic Shane's first day on duty rapidly turns into a nightmare. For Jimmy Conway a convicted murderer serving life imprisonment busts out of jail and heads to the sleepy settlement seeking bloody revenge. Caught in the middle of the terrifying confrontation Shane is forced to take the law into his own hands in order to survive. A taut horror western which unfolds over the course of a single day and night and told with explosive action and chilling violence director Patrick Hughes' highly satisfying shocker is a heady combo of No Country for Old Men Assault on Precinct 13 and Dead Man's Shoes.

  • Charlotte Gray [2002]Charlotte Gray | DVD | (05/01/2004) from £5.58   |  Saving you £4.41 (79.03%)   |  RRP £9.99

    Set in Nazi-occupied France at the height of World War Two the story centres on a young Scottish woman (Cate Blanchett) working with the French Resistance in the hope of rescuing her lover, a missing RAF pilot shot down behind enemy lines.

  • Phantom of the Open [Blu-ray] [2022] [Region Free]Phantom of the Open | Blu Ray | (25/07/2022) from £7.71   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    The Phantom of the Open tells the remarkable true story of Maurice Flitcroft, a crane operator and optimistic dreamer from Barrow-in-Furness who, with the support of his family and friends, managed to gain entry to the 1976 British Open qualifying, despite never playing a round of golf before. With pluckiness and unwavering self-belief, Maurice pulls off a series of stunning, hilarious and heartwarming attempts to compete at the highest level of professional golf, drawing the ire of the golfing elite but becoming a British folk hero in the process.

  • Futurama: Season 1Futurama: Season 1 | DVD | (28/01/2002) from £8.26   |  Saving you £31.73 (384.14%)   |  RRP £39.99

    Set in the year 3000, Futurama is the acme of sci-fi animated sitcom from Simpsons creator Matt Groening. While not as universally popular as The Simpsons, Futurama is equally hip and hilarious, thanks to its zippy lateral-thinking contemporary pop cultural references, celebrity appearances (Pamela Anderson and Leonard Nimoy are among a number of guest stars to appear as disembodied heads in jars) and Bender, a distinctly Homer Simpson-esque robot. Part of Futurama's charm is that with decades of sci-fi junk behind us we've effectively been living with the distant future for years and can now have fun with it. Hence, the series stylishly jumbles motifs ranging from Lost in Space-style kitsch to the grim dystopia of Blade Runner. It also bridges the gap between the impossible dreams of your average science fiction fan and the slobbish reality of their comic reading, TV-gawping existence. Groening himself distinguishes his two series thus: "The Simpsons is fictional. Futurama is real." The opening series (premiered in 1999) sees nerdy pizza delivery boy Fry transferred to the 31st century in a cryogenic mishap. There, he meets the beautiful, one-eyed Leela (voiced by Married with Children's Katey Sagal) and the incorrigible alcoholic robot Bender. The three of them join Fry's great (x30) nephew Professor Farmsworth and work in his intergalactic delivery service. Hyper-real yet strangely recognisable situations ensue--Fry discovers he is a billionaire thanks to 1,000 years accrued interest, Leela must fend off the attentions of Captain Kirk-like Lothario Zapp Brannigan, and Fry accidentally drinks the ruler of a strange planet of liquid beings. --David StubbsOn the DVD: As with the earlier Fox release of The Simpsons, Season 1 this otherwise excellent three-disc set is let down by clunky menu navigation. There are way too many copyright warnings, no "Play All" facility, and you have to click back and forth to begin each new episode or find the additional features. By way of compensation, the menus look great and there's a goodly selection of extras on each disc. The entertaining commentaries are by Matt Groening and various members of his creative team, including producer David X Cohen and John DiMaggio (the voice of Bender) and Billy West (Fry). There are a handful of deleted scenes for certain episodes, plus the script and storyboard for the very first episode and an interactive stills gallery. The 4:3 picture is pin-sharp as is the Dolby 2.0Surround.--Mark Walker

  • The Gruffalo - 20th Anniversary Special Edition, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler Collection [DVD] [2019]The Gruffalo - 20th Anniversary Special Edition, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler Collection | DVD | (11/02/2019) from £6.75   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    The 20th Anniversary special edition includes a set of five exclusive Gruffalo postcards. The Gruffalo is one of the most loved children's stories of all time and tells the story of a mouse who is forced to rely on his wits for survival when confronted by three hungry animals. To scare them away he invents an imaginary monster with terrible teeth and terrible claws. But what happens when he comes face to face with his own creation? Featuring an all-star voice cast of Helena Bonham Carter, Rob Brydon, Robbie Coltrane, James Corden, John Hurt, and Tom Wilkinson. Also available in the collection of much-loved family films based on the wonderful books written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, are: The Gruffalo's Child, Room On The Broom, Stick Man, The Highway Rat and Zog.

  • Otley (Standard Edition) [Blu-ray]Otley (Standard Edition) | Blu Ray | (26/06/2023) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Gerry Otley (Tom Courtenay - The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Billy Liar, 45 Years) is a charming scrounger who stumbles unwittingly into espionage, murder and double crossing as he is mistaken for a spy, kidnapped, and then becomes romantically embroiled with a sexy foreign agent, played by Romy Schneider (Purple Noon, Ludwig, Death Watch). Adeptly balancing thrills and laughs, this Sixties comic spy thriller from writer-director Dick Clement (TV's The Likely Lads; Porridge; Auf Wiedersehen, Pet) is a stellar addition to the British canon of post-Bond spy flicks. Product Features High Definition remaster Original mono audio Audio commentary with director Dick Clement and film historian Sam Dunn (2018) The Guardian Lecture with Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (2008): archival audio recording of an interview conducted by Dick Fiddy at London's National Film Theatre Tom Courtenay on 'Otley' (2018, 6 minutes): interview with the renowned British actor Ian La Frenais on 'Otley' (2018, 17 mins): interview with the acclaimed co-writer of Otley Original theatrical trailer Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

  • The Relic [1997]The Relic | DVD | (25/02/2002) from £10.33   |  Saving you £2.65 (36.10%)   |  RRP £9.99

    The Relic is the story of a monster that runs amok in a Chicago museum on the very day the institution is holding a glitzy reception. Naturally, the museum bosses want to go ahead with their public relations even as the creature is decapitating victims. Penelope Ann Miller plays a scientist on the run from the critter (which is at times computer generated and reminiscent of the raptors in Jurassic Park), and Tom Sizemore is a cop looking for his cold-blooded (in every sense) killer. Peter Hyams (Timecop) directs, and as always he excels at managing the plastic action at the cost of real feeling and logic. (Much of the story is pretty laughable.) --Tom Keogh

  • Futurama: Season 4Futurama: Season 4 | DVD | (29/03/2004) from £6.93   |  Saving you £33.06 (477.06%)   |  RRP £39.99

    No more good news everybody--this fourth series of Futurama is the show's last. By turns frenetic and far-sighted, Matt Groening's futuristic comedy provided belly-laughs for self-confessed SF nerds, but somehow failed to connect with a broader audience, even though it was often funnier and sharper than stablemate The Simpsons. So now bid farewell to the Planet Express team--Fry, Leela, Zoidberg, Bender, Amy, Hermes, Prof Farnsworth--as well as to kindly Kif, cloned Cubert, megalomaniac Mom, mutants in the sewer, the cast of robo-sitcom All My Circuits, swashbuckling space lothario and William Shatner wannabe Zapp Brannigan, Elzar the four-armed chef, and all the other characters that made Futurama such a unique experience. This fourth and final year has all the elements that fans enjoyed so much--but also those elements that partially explain its cancellation. Recurring characters are great if you've watched the show before, as are the in-jokes; and the many parodies of classic science fiction are fine for the initiated, but risk leaving other viewers out in the cold. The show's strengths and perceived weaknesses are exemplified in the episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before", in which the original cast of Star Trek play themselves: hilarious for Trekkers, but not really for anyone else. Elsewhere we find Leela discovering her real parents aren't aliens at all but in fact live in the sewers; Kif getting pregnant; Fry discovering the fossilised remains of his faithful pet dog; and Bender being converted to steam power. Despite some ups and downs, it's still the funniest animated show on TV. Those responsible for cancelling it can bite my shiny metal … On the DVD: Futurama, Series 4 DVD box set includes a "Play All" function on each disc. Multifarious extras include cast and crew commentaries, deleted scenes, animatics, galleries and Easter eggs. --Mark Walker

  • Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts [Blu-ray]Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts | Blu Ray | (09/08/2022) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  • The Proposition (Blu-ray) [Blu-ray]The Proposition (Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (16/07/2021) from £11.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  • Futurama: Season 2Futurama: Season 2 | DVD | (29/03/2004) from £11.99   |  Saving you £28.00 (233.53%)   |  RRP £39.99

    Matt Groening's second series of the 31st century sci-fi sitcom Futurama maintained the high scripting standards of the first as well bringing improved digital animation. Couch potato Fry now seems thoroughly reconciled to his new existence, transported 10 centuries hence to "New New York" and working for Professor Farnsworth's delivery service. He's surrounded by a cast of freaks, including the bitchily cute Amy (with whom he has a romantic brush) and Hermes, the West Indian bureaucrat. Most sympathetic is the one-eyed Leela (voiced by Katey Sagal). Like Lisa Simpson, she is brilliant but unappreciated; she finds solace in her pet Nibbler, a tiny creature with a voracious, carnivorous appetite. By contrast, Bender, the robot, is programmed with every human vice, a sort of metal Homer Simpson with a malevolent streak. In one of the best episodes, Bender is given a "feelings" chip in order to empathise with Leela after he flushes Nibbler down the toilet. Elsewhere, Fry falls in love with a Mermaid when the team discover the lost city of Atlanta, Fry and Bender end up going to war after they join the army to get a discount on gum, and John Goodman guest stars as Santa Claus, an eight-foot gun-toting robot. Brimful with blink-and-you'll-miss-them hip jokes (such as the sign for the Taco Bellevue hospital) and political and pop satire, Futurama isn't a stern warning of things to come but rather, as the programme-makers put it, "a brilliant, hilarious reflection of our own materially (ridiculously) over-developed but morally under-developed society." On the DVD: Futurama's four-disc package presents the show in 4:3 with a Dolby Digital soundtrack. Among the many extras here are audio commentaries, storyboards, trailers, mock ads for "Soylent Chow" and "Human Rinds" and deleted scenes, including one from "Bender Gets Made" in which he seeks to evade the Robot Mafia by changing his identity. --David Stubbs

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