Paul Merton's Weird and Wonderful World of Early Cinema

In 1920s New York City, W. C. Fields is a successful headlining entertainer, but when his girlfriend leaves him and his broker loses his money, Fields begins anew in California. Working at a wax museum, Fields eventually lands a film role that ascends him to stardom. Back in the limelight and palling around with John Barrymore and the like, Fields meets an aspiring actress Carlotta Monti at a party, with whom he forms a rocky relationship.

A celebration of the life and career of one of America's most influential and celebrated filmmakers and comedians—Buster Keaton—whose singular style and fertile output during the silent era created his legacy as a true cinematic visionary.

H₂O (1929) is a short silent film by photographer Ralph Steiner. The film serves as a cinematic tone poem, showcasing the dynamic nature of water through its various forms.

An exploration of the history, artistry and emotional power of cinema sound, as revealed by legendary sound designers and visionary directors, via interviews, clips from movies, and a look at their actual process of creation and discovery.

Farce about the casting of a gay actor in a gay role on a television series which had previously been played by a straight man. When the original star of a fictional gay-themed action series called "Espionage" unexpectedly dies, network executives go looking for a new actor. They cast Kerry Mitchell (Scott Victor Nelson), unknown, but also openly gay. They spin the idea of an openly gay actor playing a gay role is something new and refreshing. As Kerry gets prepared for the media onslaught, he is also hiding something which could ruin everything! Also starring Matthew Jett Schaefer and Gabrielle Docktor in this independent "mocumentary" style film co-written and co-directed by Mike Heim and Christopher Long.

Everyone has a skeleton or two in his or her closet, but what about the director behind some of the most successful thrillers ever to hit the silver screen? Could M. Night Shyamalan be hiding a deep, dark secret that drives his macabre cinematic vision? Now viewers will be able to find out firsthand what fuels The Sixth Sense director's seemingly supernatural creativity as filmmakers interview Shyamalan as well as the cast and crew members who have worked most closely with him over the years. Discover the early events that shaped the mind of a future master of suspense in a documentary that is as fascinating as it is revealing.

An account of the rise and fall of a silent film comic, Billy Bright. The movie begins with his funeral, as he speaks from beyond the grave in a bitter tone about his fate, and takes us through his fame, as he ruins it with womanizing and drink, and his fall, as a lonely, bitter old man unable to reconcile his life's disappointments. The movie is based loosely on the life of Buster Keaton.

This documentary traces the history of the B-Western from it's silent movie origins to its demise in the early 1950s. The film contains a large number of scenes from early silents and seldom seen films, as well as old photographs of the stars and one-sheet advertisements for lost films.

On the brink of their beloved single screen independent movie theater being shut down forever, a misfit band of theater workers face the corporate evil, foreclosure and the unthinkable...having to decide what they want to be when and if they ever grow up. Concessionaires Assemble!

In 1915, Kansas theatre usher Merton Gill is a rabid silent-movie fan. When he brings Mammoth Studios free publicity by imitating star Lawrence Rupert's heroics, they bring him to Hollywood to generate another headline; he thinks he'll get a movie contract. Disillusioned, he haunts the casting offices, where he meets and is consoled by Phyllis Montague, bit player and stunt-woman. When Merton finally gets his "break," though, it's not quite what he envisioned.

Do you know who George Peele is? Do you enjoy horror parodies? If you answered yes to either of these, this film is for you. If you answered yes to both. What are you waiting for?! From the team that was told repeatedly, "I can't sell a black and white horror movie!" Comes their next masterpiece, Silent But Deadly, A killer mime is on the loose, taking out a troupe of teen tropes in this outrageous horror comedy. If the meta jokes, and absurd references don't do it for you, the low brow fart jokes will. It's got something for everyone, unless of course you are a child, my mother, or have any taste.

Andrew Graham-Dixon explores the ancient Christian practice of preserving holy relics and the largely forgotten art form that went with it, the reliquary. Fragments of bone or fabric placed inside a bejewelled shrine, a sculpted golden head or even a life-sized silver hand were, and still are, objects of religious devotion believed to have the power to work miracles. The documentary features interviews with art historian Sister Wendy Beckett and Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum.

Long treated with indifference by critics and historians, British silent cinema has only recently undergone the reevaluation it has long deserved, revealing it to be far richer than previously acknowledged. This documentary, featuring clips from a remarkable range of films, celebrates the early years of British filmmaking and spans from such pioneers as George Albert Smith and Cecil Hepworth to such later figures as Anthony Asquith, Maurice Elvey and, of course, Alfred Hitchcock.

In the Old Stone Age, a disparate gang of early humans band together in search of a new land. Following their leader’s promise of a better life, the tribe take their chances and embark on a perilous quest across unknown and treacherous terrains. But when they suspect a malevolent, potentially mystical, being is hunting them down, the terrified clan are forced to confront a danger they never envisaged. Shot in an isolation bubble in the Scottish Highlands during the pandemic, Andrew Cumming’s visionary survival horror is a masterclass in expansive world-building that belies its humble origins. With committed performances from its cast, who speak in a fictional prehistoric language (don’t worry, there are subtitles), this is genre filmmaking at its most breathtakingly ambitious. And it’s bloody scary too.

When a mysterious letter calls James back to Silent Hill in search of his one true love, he finds a once-recognizable town transformed by an unknown evil. As James descends deeper into the darkness, he encounters terrifying figures both familiar and new and begins to question his own sanity as he struggles to make sense of reality and hold on long enough to save his lost love.

After a tragic ending to her short-lived super hero stint, Jessica Jones is rebuilding her personal life and career as a detective who gets pulled into cases involving people with extraordinary abilities in New York City.

Terry and Julian is a British sitcom that aired on Channel 4 in 1992. Starring Julian Clary, it was written by Clary, Paul Merton and John Henderson. The title is a spoof the title of the long-running BBC sitcom Terry and June, whose star June Whitfield made a guest appearance in one episode of Terry and Julian.

Fresh from his appearances on Whose Line is it Anyway?, Paul starred in his own comedy series on Channel 4, featuring a mix of surreal sketches, links and stand-up routines

Paul Merton's Birth of Hollywood is a 2011 BBC documentary series written, directed and presented by Paul Merton. The three-part series traces the rise of the American film-making industry in Hollywood through from the early years of film-making to the foundation of the major motion-picture studios and the new class of the film star.

A worldwide guided tour of the greatest movies ever made and the story of international cinema through the history of cinematic innovation.

Comic Relief takes over the Great British Bake Off tent. Different celebrity faces battle it out with their baking skills to claim one of the coveted Comic Relief Star Baker titles.

Five programmes that trace a remarkable decade in British film-making through interviews with its stars and directors.

Documentary revealing the weird and wonderful stories of some of the natural world's most incredible parents.

Get set for It’s Not Rocket Science, a brand new entertainment series that celebrates science and the world around us through thrilling, big-scale experiments and emotive personal stories. Fronted by actor Ben Miller, stand up comedian Romesh Ranganathan and presenter Rachel Riley, all of whom share a passion for science and technology, the fast paced and informative six-part series brings science to life in all its many forms, showcasing brand new gadgets and technology, and using awe inspiring innovation. Every week, one of the presenters will put their lives in jeopardy in a series of daredevil, high-risk experiments, where only science can save them. Rachel plays with fire, quite literally, as she zip wires through a wall of flames, Ben Miller finds himself strapped to a high speed wrecking ball and hurtling towards Romesh, and Romesh is pinned to the floor with a full size fridge plummeting towards him. Resident scientist Dr Kevin Fong will preside over the high-octane activity as the trio put their trust in science to survive…

Renowned baker and star of the Great British Bake-Off travels to cities around the globe in search of amazing bakes.

Modern day treasure hunter, Drew Pritchard is one of Britain's leading architectural salvage dealers, traveling the length and breadth of the country in search of weird and wonderful objects. Drew loves the thrill of the hunt and while he gets his hands dirty in the country's architectural backwaters, a crack team of restorers are back at base giving old and rare finds a new lease of life. We've seen them at work on Salvage Hunters, restoring, repairing and refining Drew's finds but for the first time, Salvage Hunters: The Restorers is going behind-the-scenes with this expert team to see what it really takes to transform junk into gems.

Dad’s Army is Britain’s favourite sitcom but 3 of the original 80 episodes have been lost. Now, using the original scripts by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, those three episodes have been recreated as faithfully as possible and come to the screen for the first time since 1969. The brilliant new cast includes Kevin McNally as Captain Mainwaring, Robert Bathurst as Sergeant Wilson, Kevin Eldon as Lance Corporal Jones, David Hayman as Private Frazer, Mathew Horne as Private Walker, Timothy West as Private Godfrey and Tom Rosenthal as Private Pike.

Janina Ramirez travels in the footsteps of some of the world's greatest explorer-archaeologists revealing how our understanding of the sites they excavated are still shaped by their interpretations.

Paul Hollywood goes on a culinary and cultural road trip across Japan, exploring the extraordinary country through its food and unique eating experiences

In this new series Rick Stein reveals the Cornwall that he knows and loves: a unique part of the British isles with a strong sense of identity and a history rooted in its Celtic past. With his famous natural inquisitiveness, Rick shares the road less travelled – championing the food, history, music, art and culture of the county many locals argue should be a country in its own right.