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Eight complete BBC miniseries from the pen of controversial and celebrated playwright Dennis Potter. In 'The Singing Detective' (1986), Michael Gambon stars as an unsuccessful writer who, whilst lying in a hospital bed suffering from a very bad case of psoriasis, escapes from his misery by 'dreaming' about one of his own pulp thrillers along with some of his childhood memories. With a mixture of fantasy, reality and hit songs from the 1940s, this is widely regarded as Potter's most significant work. In 'Pennies From Heaven' (1978), Bob Hoskins stars as Arthur Parker, a song-sheet salesman frustrated by his work and his marriage. Desperate for romance and understanding, Arthur falls for an innocent young schoolteacher called Eileen (Cheryl Campbell), with harrowing results. 'Casanova' (1971) is Potter's version of the famous story of the 18th-century Italian adventurer and libertine Giovanni Jacopo Casanova (played by Frank Finlay). As Casanova is imprisoned in Venice in 1755, he casts his mind back to his many colourful affairs and adventures. In the harrowing 'Brimstone and Treacle' (1976), which was not screened until 1987 - 11 years after it was first made - because of its controversial subject matter, an evil conman (Michael Kitchen) enveigles his way into the house of a respectable family by claiming that he knew their catatonic daughter before her accident. He actually lusts after the daughter, but his obsession proves to be his undoing. 'Stand Up Nigel Barton' and its sequel 'Vote Vote Vote For Nigel Barton' (1965) are Potter's satirical television plays about working class, Oxford-educated journalist Nigel Barton (Keith Barron), desperate for success and willing to use any means to get it. In 'Stand Up Nigel Barton', Barton leaves his mining community on a scholarship to Oxford, and has to deal with the snobbery of the university because of his background, and the prejudices of his friends and family when he returns home. In 'Vote Vote Vote For Nigel Barton', a successful career at Oxford has led to an even more successful career as a political journalist. Campaigning on behalf of the Labour Party, Barton soon begins to lose his political idealism and causes a scandal when he starts airing his true thoughts about the nature of politics in this country. 'Blue Remembered Hills' (1979) is set in 1943. A group of schoolchildren spend the day playing in the fields and woods of the Forest of Dean, but before long this idyllic world is shattered by an unexpected tragedy. Using adult actors to play the child parts, Potter throws the conventions of the dramatic depiction of childhood into stark relief. Finally, 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' (1978) is Potter's adaptation of the classic novel by Thomas Hardy. Eighteen years after drunkenly selling his wife and daughter to a sailor, Michael Henchard (Alan Bates) is set to become mayor of Casterbridge. When his wife and her daughter return, they set a disastrous chain of events in motion, and demonstrate that one wrong decision can completely destroy a life.

Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 or region free DVD player in order to play This mammoth box set features eight works of Dennis Potter spread over eleven discs The Singing DetectiveSlowly recovering from a terrible skin disease in a busy National Health hospital cynical thriller writer Phillip Marlow continues to unravel the traumas of his wartime boyhood while working through the plot of his greatest detective story - with himself as a crooning &39;40s detective on the trail of murderous Nazi plotters But what is real and what is imagined? As childhood memories return - to the evocative accompaniment of hits like "It&39;s A Lovely Day Tomorrow" "After You&39;ve Gone" and "The Teddy Bear&39;s Picnic" the clues to his own past and the plot of his book slowly begin to slot together Pennies From HeavenIn Dennis Potter&39;s Pennies From Heaven Bob Hoskins plays Arthur a salesman dealing in sheet music who falls in love with a school teacher called Eileen (Cheryl Campbell) When Eileen discovers that she is pregnant and that Arthur is already married to Joan (Gemma Craven) she runs away Arthur is determined to give up everything to find her again he believes in happy endings just like in the songs he loves so much CasanovaThe Italian adventurer and libertine Giovanni Jacopo Casanova lived from 1725 to 1798 but in this six-part series Dennis Potter attempted to find a contemporary relevance through his central themes of sex and religion He commented that Casanova "was concerned with religious and sexual freedom and these are the things we have to address ourselves to now" Casanova was imprisoned in Venice in 1755 and Potter used that event as a central device constantly inter-cutting to contrast Casanova&39;s amorous escapades radiant joyful and brightly lit with his oppressive solitary confinement in the gloom of a half-darkened cell Brimstone And TreacleIn Dennis Potter&39;s Brimstone And Treacle Sting delivers one of his finest performances as Martin Taylor a mysterious stranger who arrives on the doorstep of the Bates household and soon worms his way into their lives Mr and Mrs Bates (Denholm Elliott and Joan Plowright) soon grow to trust Martin but his intentions are less than honourable when it soon becomes clear that he is lusting after their comatose daughter Stand Up Nigel BartonThe first part of Dennis Potter&39;s semi-autobiographical double bill taken from the &39;Wednesday Play&39; series of BBC films Nigel is very clever lad and desperately eager to succeed He&39;s aware of the fashionable potency of being both brilliant and working class New glamorous experiences aren&39;t enough maybe politics is the answer Vote Vote Vote For Nigel BartonThe concluding part of Dennis Potter&39;s semi-autobiographical double bill After a successful Oxford education Nigel is a successful journalist An important by-election looms which could put him on road to Cabinet post Front page publicity causes problems Blue Remembered HillsDennis Potter&39;s play is set in the Forest of Dean on a summer day in 1943 Seven children go out to play The seven children are all played by adult actors to act as a &39;magnifying glass to show what it&39;s like to be a child&39; The Mayor Of CasterbridgeThomas Hardy&39;s powerful tale of a rich and respectable man who drunkenly auctions his wife and child at a West Country fair The remorse of the Mayor of Casterbridge finally destroys him Actors Michael Gambon Patrick Malahide Bob Hoskins Cheryl Campbell Frank Finlay Norman Rossington Sting Denholm Elliott Joan Plowright Keith Barron Jack Woolgar Helen Mirren Michael Elphick John Bird Alan Bates & Janet Maw Director Jon Amiel Piers Haggard Richard Loncraine Gareth Davies & David Giles Certificate 15 years and over Year 1986 ; 1978 ; 1971 ; 1982 ; 1965 ; 1979 ; 1978 Screen Fullscreen 43 Languages English - Dolby Digital (20) Stereo Duration 27 hours and 45 minutes (approx)