DVD HEAVEN - 5 CLASSIC TV SHOWS AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON
Following the phenomenal success of Monty Python's Flying Circus, Michael Palin and Terry Jones created this unforgettable, BAFTA-winning series of comic plays for the BBC. Gleefully parodying the conventions of Boy's Own-style adventure, Ripping Yarns sees Palin taking the protagonist's role in nine rip-roaring stories from stirring tales of sporting endeavour, intrepid exploration and wartime heroism to skulduggery, supernatural mystery and murder... and, of course, the notorious exploits of Eric Olthwaite - Yorkshire's most interesting outlaw. An illustrious supporting cast includes John Le Mesurier, Iain Cuthbertson, Denholm Elliott, Joan Sanderson and Don Henderson, with Terry Jones starring in one episode and fellow former Python John Cleese also making a cameo appearance; the series was produced and directed by the multi award-winning team of Terry Hughes (The Two Ronnies), Jim Franklin (The Goodies) and Alan J.W. Bell (The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy). Both series, originally aired between 1976 and 1979, are released in this special-edition set, with special features including deleted scenes, a 1983 documentary, Comic Roots, in which Palin revisits his native Sheffield, and Secrets, the only surviving recording of Palin and Jones 1973 screenplay for the BBC's darkly comic (now sadly wiped) Black and Blue anthology series.
A staple part of children s programming throughout the eighties, Dramarama provided an early showcase for some of Britain's most accomplished screenwriters, directors and performers. This unique anthology series presented a distinctive and eclectic mix of drama from whimsical comedy to surrealistic fantasy, from supernatural fable to hard-hitting contemporary realism. This first volume presents ten memorable screenplays from Thames Television, including the hugely popular Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest developed into a series the following year and the fantasy yarn Mr. Stabs, starring David Jason as the famously malevolent magician first seen in Ace of Wands. Featuring performances from such notables as Gary Oldman, Dexter Fletcher, Pam Ferris, Peter Capaldi, Patrick Malahide, and Susan Jameson, this volume includes key examples of one of the best television shows of the 1980s.
Out of Town was a hugely successful series from Southern Television that ran for twenty-five years, each episode presented by Jack Hargreaves who, with his relaxed and amiable style, offered viewers a fascinating insight into the ways of rural life of years gone by, as well as the dwindling traditions and values of the people who inhabited a world devoid technology and who quite gratefully distanced themselves from the rat-race of modern life.
Out of Town - Vol. 9 [DVD]
COLDITZ
This classic series deals with Allied prisoners of war imprisoned at the supposedly escape-proof Colditz Castle during World War II, and their many attempts to escape captivity, as well as the relationships formed between the various nationalities and their German captors. One memorable episode portrays the attempts of a prisoner, Wing Commander Marsh (Michael Bryant), to get out of Colditz by feigning insanity. He succeeds, but is pushed to the limits of his sanity in the process…
Colditz - The Complete BBC Collection (with 5 Limited Edition Art Cards & Collector's Booklet) [DVD]
HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR
The label ‘comedy legend’ is, sadly, banded about with frequent abandon now, often rewarding those whose body of work hasn’t yet earned such words (if at all). Yet there’s little doubting the pedigree of Tony Hancock, one of Britain’s greatest comedy talents. And there’s no better place to enjoy his work than in The Tony Hancock BBC Collection. The set brings together a goldmine of Hancock’s television work, with the 37 episodes of Hancock’s Half Hour still in existence brought together. It should be stated that The Tony Hancock BBC Collection has little extra to entice those who have bought all the previously released Hancock DVDs. But for those with just a handful of those, or looking to start their collection, then this set is simply superb. A treat for fans of classic comedy young and old.
The Tony Hancock BBC Collection (8 Disc Box Set) [DVD]
