Television

• Treme - Season 1 (HBO) | Blu Ray | (30/05/2011) from £12.59   |  Saving you £37.40 (297.06%)   |  RRP £49.99

  As Treme opens, a group of New Orleans residents are celebrating their first "second-line parade" since Hurricane Katrina blew through the city and across the Gulf Coast just three months earlier. Folks are strutting and dancing, a brass band is blowing a joyful noise--it's a celebration of "NOLA's" resilience and proud spirit ("Won't bow--don't know how," as they say). But there's darkness just below this shiny surface, and anyone familiar with The Wire, cocreator-writer David Simon's last show, won't be a bit surprised to find that he and fellow Treme writer-producer Eric Overmyer aren't shy about going there. The New Orleans we see is a city barely starting to recover from what one character calls "a man-made catastrophe… of epic proportions and decades in the making." Many people's homes are gone, and insurance payments are a rumor. Other locals haven't come back, and still others are simply missing. The people have been betrayed by their own government, and New Orleans's reputation for corruption is hardly helped by the fact that the police force is in such disarray that the line between cop and criminal is sometimes so fine as to be nonexistent. Bad, but not all bad. NOLA still has its cuisine, its communities, and best of all its music, which permeates every chapter, from the Rebirth Brass Band's "I Feel Like Funkin' It Up" in episode 1 to Allen Toussaint and "Cha Dooky-Doo" in episode 10. There's Dixieland and zydeco, natch, but also hip-hop and rock; there are NOLA stalwarts like Dr. John, Ernie K-Doe, Lee Dorsey, and the Meters (as well as appearances by Elvis Costello, Steve Earle, and others), but plenty of younger, lesser knowns, too. Whether we hear it in the street, in a club or a recording studio, at home, or anywhere, music is the lifeblood of the city and this series, and it's handled brilliantly. Treme has a lot of characters and their stories to keep up with. There's trombonist Antoine Batiste (Wendell Pierce), a wonderful player but kind of a dog, especially to his current baby mama and his ex-wife, LaDonna (Khandi Alexander), a bar owner who's desperately searching for her missing brother. There's Creighton Bernette (John Goodman), a writer preoccupied with telling the world what's really going on in the city, and his wife Toni (Melissa Leo), a lawyer and thorn in the side of the authorities. There's Davis McAlary (Steve Zahn), a well-meaning but annoyingly clueless radio DJ, his occasional girlfriend Janette (Kim Dickens), who's struggling to keep her restaurant open, and Albert Lambreaux (Clarke Peters), who returns from Houston, finds his house in ruins, and sets about rebuilding it. You might not like all of them. Not all get through the series unscathed, or even alive. But that's part of the deal. The show feels authentic: dialogue (natural, plain, and profane), story lines, locations, camera work, the utter lack of gloss and glamour--this is no Chamber of Commerce travelogue. It's not a documentary either, but there are moments when it's just down and dirty enough to pass for one. --Sam Graham

• Grand Designs: Series 7 | DVD | (27/09/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Grand Designs: Series 7 (2 Discs)

• Virgin of the Secret Service - The Complete Series | DVD | (01/04/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Spectacular adventure exotic locations beautiful girls dare-devil heroes dastardly villains humour and romance: these are the ingredients of Virgin of the Secret Service an all-action drama series with a difference!

• The Atomic Bomb Movie | DVD | (18/01/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Trinity And Beyond - Atomic Bomb Movie

• Hellsing Ultimate: Parts 1-4 Collection | Blu Ray | (29/07/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99

  The rogue vampire Alucard is the Hellsing Organization's deadliest instrument in its mission to protect the British Empire from satanic ghouls and Nazi freaks. He is not alone in his assault on the occult; the master has a servant. Policewoman Seras Victoria accepted Alucard's gift of dark salvation after falling in the line of duty and now the remnants of her human soul struggle against her growing vampire urges. Together they haunt the shadows as a sinister force of good - and tonight the foggy streets of England shall flow with the blood of their evil prey.Contains OVA episodes 1-4.

• Ashes To Ashes - Series 1 - Complete | DVD | (28/02/2011) from £24.70   |  Saving you £15.29 (61.90%)   |  RRP £39.99

  A triumphant return for DCI Gene Hunt, Ashes To Ashes takes some of the characters from the superb time-shifting police drama Life On Mars, and moves the action to the early 1980s. So it’s out with the Cortina, in with the Audi Quattro, and straight down to some terrific television. Joining DCI Hunt -- again played with terrific force and stature by Philip Glenister -- is Keeley Hawes, as DCI Alex Drake. Like John Simm’s character in Life On Mars, DCI Drake suddenly finds herself in 1981, with no clear reason why. This provides the platform for another terrific show, the first series of which is fully present and correct here. Ashes To Ashes is tonally a little different from Life On Mars, but maintains the wonderful attention to period detail (and a healthy 80s soundtrack to match), and the willingness to mix in some fun alongside the serious business of police work. Ashes To Ashes is some achievement. It grounds out an identify for itself, stepping out of the shadow of Mars. And the rapport between Hawes and Glenister is a real highlight. But there’s so much to enjoy here, backed up by the promise of another series in the offing. For now, though, there’s plenty to get your teeth into here, thanks to a quality, very British drama that’s simply compelling television. --Jon Foster

• South Park Season 13 | DVD | (27/09/2010) from £24.28   |  Saving you £0.71 (2.80%)   |  RRP £24.99

  South Park: Season 13 (3 Discs)

• Doctor Who: Jon Pertwee Complete Season Four (BD) | Blu Ray | (15/10/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Booth at the End | DVD | (11/07/2016) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  A chilling psychological thriller from Michael Eisner's groundbreaking multi-platform studio Vuguru, written by Christopher Kubasik (What Lives Inside). A father whose child is dying of leukaemia. An elderly woman who wants to restore her husband's failing memory. A nun who no longer hears the voice of God. A man who wants to wipe out every trace of his second marriage. In desperate straits, they each enter a Faustian pact with a mysterious man who always sits in the same seat at the local diner in an unnamed American city. The Man (Xander Berkeley 24, CSI, Terminator 2) can make their fondest desire a reality, but only if they complete the task he assigns them a task that can have deep, even deadly consequences. One must rob a bank; another must protect a little girl; one has to make a number of people cry; another is instructed to build a bomb and set it off in a crowded restaurant. Sometimes the assignments are in direct opposition to one another, sometimes the clients have to work together. Each story is revealed at close quarters from the same spot in the diner, through dialogue in which The Man shifts from confessor to therapist to puppetmaster. As the stories begin to intersect, some clients mess up or change their minds, while others complete their task only to discover that what they wished for isn't what they really wanted after all.

• Big Brother - Uncut - The Official Video | DVD | (11/12/2000) from £9.98   |  Saving you £3.01 (30.16%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Big Brother was the TV event of 2000. The set-up--put 10 members of the public in a specially constructed house, keep them under 24-hour surveillance and watch them sweat out the weekly evictions of one of their number, voted by us, the public--was derived from a hugely successful Dutch programme, and gripping, unmissable stuff it proved to be over here, too. Because you already know the outcome--and if you don't, where were you last summer--the game-show aspect of the programme doesn't really work on DVD or video. But that was never really the point. It was the personalities involved that made the show such compulsive viewing, and they remain as lively as ever.On Big Brother--Uncut and the DVD To add some spice, Channel 4 have included scenes that were "too hot" for television: when Nicola decides to do some nude body painting, we see a bit more flesh now; some of the conversations between the contestants are a bit saucier than the original broadcast versions; and there are some hilarious close-ups of a few of the housemates picking their nose. But the best thing about Big Brother: Uncut is what made the whole show such big news in the first place: Nasty Nick's downfall, here played out in all its excruciating detail.Given what we know about him, it's fun to see Nick try his hand at some team-building exercises the producers designed to select the 10 contestants before the programme aired. This scene is also included on "Inside Big Brother", a making-of documentary accompanying "Big Brother: Uncut". Made while the Big Brother show was still being broadcast, there's an agreeable urgency to this programme. The Channel 4 producers interviewed here seem a little bewildered by the show's success. John Del Mol, the co-creator of the Dutch show, hazards a guess that the British show was such a hit because it was so well cast, and there's a fascinating look into the design of the house--"penal chic" was the effect they were after. Also included in this package are profiles of the various contestants, but these feel a little redundant, if only because, over the course of the show, we learn a lot more about the housemates than what's on these skimpy resumes. The profiles do, however, tell us that most of the contestants harbour show-biz ambitions. Now, why is that not a surprise? --Edward Lawrenson

• Smallville - Season 10 | Blu Ray | (31/10/2011) from £33.00   |  Saving you £26.99 (81.79%)   |  RRP £59.99

  Emerging from his darkest hour only to find the path to his destiny blocked by ghosts from the past Clark finds himself tempted toward darkness at every turn by shadows in the present. Despite insurmountable odds will Clark be powerful enough to step into the light and claim his rightful place as Earth's mightiest protector? Taking flight in its tenth and final season this modern retelling of a hero's legendary origins continues to blend realism action heart and humor as Clark Kent (series star Tom Welling) soars toward claiming his birthright.

• Guy Martin: Wall of Death | DVD | (05/09/2016) from £4.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (160.32%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Guy Martin aims to smash the world record for the fastest speed ever recorded on a Wall of Death, exceeding 50mph. Not only that, Guy wants to go even further and be the first man ever to break 70mph! First, Guy will learn how the Wall of Death spectacle grew in the early 1900s in the USA, before visiting the 'Ken Fox Troupe' to help construct the largest Wall of Death ever created for his stunt. Then Guy's education begins... He will visit fighter pilots to learn how to deal with massive 6G forces during his record attempt, modify his very own 'Anti-G' suit to counteract the effects on his body, and of course build a record-breaking bike to withstand the intense pressures he will face. Once the stage is set, Guy will risk his life attempting to land a most unusual speed world record.

• Weapons That Changed the World | DVD | (08/09/2014) from £7.98   |  Saving you £7.01 (46.80%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Weapons That Changed The World examines military firearms that transformed history. Each episode focuses on one important firearm -- from the Colt M1911 semi-auto pistol to the AK-47 assault rifle - examines its forerunners and successors, and sees how the development of one weapon triggered another. With the help of leading experts, host Wil Willis, former Army Ranger and Air Force Pararescueman, attempts to master the greatest military weapons on all time. In addition, each episod...

• Muhammad Ali - Through The Eyes Of The World | DVD | (28/01/2002) from £12.43   |  Saving you £3.56 (22.30%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Muhammad Ali - Through the Eyes Of the World' is a unique account of one of the great icons of the 20th century featuring interviews with members of Ali's entourage actors fellow sportsmen and ordinary people from the inhabitants of mountain top villages in the Andes to those living in teeming cities in Africa. These recollections and anecdotes are combined with Ali's personal memorabilia rare footage fight archive and specially shot film of Ali today to produce the most complete account ever of this extraordinary man. Many celebrities give their own personal accounts of Ali including Henry Cooper Mickey Duff Tom Jones & Linford Christie.

• A Story of Children and Film | DVD | (28/04/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  A Story of Children and Film is the world's first movie about kids in global cinema. It's passionate poetic portrait of the adventure of childhood: its surrealism loneliness fun destructiveness and stroppiness: as seen through 53 great films from 25 countries. A story of children and film is an eye opener a landmark film and a celebration of both childhood and the movies.

• Last Exile Complete Season 1 Collection DVD | DVD | (17/06/2013) from £9.99   |  Saving you £30.00 (300.30%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Take flight with Last Exile. Studio Gonzo presents a richly romantic action-adventure fantasy set in a world where retro-futuristic vehicles permeate the skies. Against this lavish background are the lives of young and heroic van ship sky porters - Claus and Lavie - who are forced to take on the mission to deliver a mysterious girl Alvis to the battle ship Silvana. Before they know it they become entangled in an aerial adventure between two countries gripped in an eternal war of magnificent air battleships.

• Sooty - Panto Palaver | DVD | (03/11/2014) from £5.94   |  Saving you £5.04 (170.85%)   |  RRP £7.99

• Victoria Series 1 | Blu Ray | (28/08/2017) from £17.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Victoria is the landmark account of the early years on the throne of one of britain's greatest queens. jenna coleman (doctor who) plays victoria, taking her first faltering steps from capricious, hormonal teenager to respected monarch. central to the drama is the scandalous friendship between victoria and her first prime minister lord melbourne (bafta nominated rufus sewell; the man in the high castle), and the romance with her cousin prince albert (tom hughes; the game).

• Natural World Collection | DVD | (11/06/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Conceived by Sir David Attenborough in 1967 The Natural World continues to delight audiences young and old. This collection consists of 6 new episodes: On the Trail of Tarka; The Bear Man of Kamchatka; An Eye for an Elephant; The Restless River; Invasion of the Crocodiles; Buddha; Bees and the Giant Hornet Queen.

• Oil in the Blood | Blu Ray | (14/10/2019) from £14.18   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The philosophy of individualism is embedded in motorcycling. The desire to be different and unique, is at the root of the motorcyclist's imagination. Modifying, customising, and changing bikes is at the very heart of the biker. Custom motorcycle culture has experienced a renaissance in recent years, and what was once a niche subculture now bears a significant influence on the international mainstream motorcycle industry. Filmed over three years, Oil In The Blood features interviews with almost 300 bike builders, riders, journalists, artists and racers from Britain, Europe, Japan, Australia, the Far East, Africa and the US alongside major manufactures Harley Davidson, Yamaha, Royal Enfield, Ducati and BMW. The very heartbeat of motorcycle culture has been brought together for the very first time in this brand new documentary film.