Top 250 Movies Like In Search Of The Dark Ages

A list of the best movies similar to In Search of the Dark Ages. If you liked In Search of the Dark Ages then you may also like: Xenogenesis, Yesterday, Network, Nothing But the Night, Radio Parade of 1935 and many more great movies featured on this list.

In Search of the Dark Ages was a television series, written and presented by Michael Wood, and first shown in 1979. It is also the title of a book written by Wood to support the series, which was published in 1981. The television series consisted of a series of separate programmes, hence the collective title is often written as In Search of ... The Dark Ages. It began with In Search of Offa, recorded in 1978 by BBC Manchester, and shown on 2 January 1979. Subsequent programmes in the first series were on Boadicea, King Arthur and Alfred the Great, shown with a re-run of Offa over successive nights in March 1980. The first series was such a success when shown in an off-peak slot on BBC Two that a second series was broadcast in 1981, with subjects including William the Conqueror, Ethelred the Unready, Athelstan and Eric Bloodaxe.

Xenogenesis

A woman and an engineered man are sent in a gigantic sentient starship to search space for a place to start a new life cycle. Raj decides to take a look around the ship. He comes across a gigantic robotic cleaner. Combat ensues.

Yesterday

Jack Malik is a struggling singer-songwriter in an English seaside town whose dreams of fame are rapidly fading, despite the fierce devotion and support of his childhood best friend, Ellie. After a freak bus accident during a mysterious global blackout, Jack wakes up to discover that he's the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles.

Network

When veteran anchorman Howard Beale is forced to retire his 25-year post because of his age, he announces to viewers that he will kill himself during his farewell broadcast. Network executives rethink their decision when his fanatical tirade results in a spike in ratings.

Nothing But the Night

When various trustees of the Van Traylen Orphanage begin dying in close order, it's at first written off as a coincidence. But, when a school bus accident very nearly takes out three more of them along with a group of orphans, Col. Bingham (Christopher Lee) and his pathologist friend, Mark (Peter Cushing), begin looking into the deaths. They come to think the answer lies with one of the girls on the bus, who has vivid memories of things she could not possibly have seen.

Radio Parade of 1935

One of the first screen outings for Will Hay. Hay plays the Director General of the National Broadcasting Group (NBG) who hides away in his office unaware that the general feeling about his programming is that it is too high-brow and the public are not happy. However, when he discovers this he decides to take action and promotes Jimmy, his Head of the Complaints Department, to Programme Director. Jimmy decides that a series of variety spectaculars are what the public want and sets about hiring the acts. But obstacles are put in his way and he discovers that the NBG has its own cluster of wannabe variety stars.

Richard The Lionheart

King Henry II tests the loyalty and honor of his son Richard sending him to a secret castle known as the Knight's Martyr. There, the Prince must fight against adversaries representing the virtues of a knight.

Roughly Speaking

In the 1920s, enterprising Louise Randall is determined to succeed in a man's world. Despite numerous setbacks, she always picks herself back up and moves forward again.

James Dean: The First American Teenager

Stacy Keach narrates this documentary that chronicles the abbreviated life and career of iconic brooding bad boy James Dean, from his obscure early days working in television to his rise to stardom in films such as Rebel Without a Cause. Clips from Dean's movies are intermingled with candid interviews with the star's friends and Hollywood colleagues, including Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dennis Hopper.

A Kind of Loving

As Vic Brown vacillates between infatuation and disinterest for his co-worker Ingrid Rothwell, she finds out that she is pregnant and Vic has to reconcile how he thought his life would go with what life actually has in store for him.

The King of Comedy

Aspiring comic Rupert Pupkin attempts to achieve success in show business by stalking his idol, a late night talk-show host who craves his own privacy.

Knighty Knight Bugs

King Arthur's kingdom and the knights of the Round Table are in the doldrums since the Dark Knight stole the Singing Sword and put it under the protection of a fire-breathing dragon. The king's jester, Bugs Bunny, says only a fool would try to steal it back, so the king orders him to try. The jester boldly enters the Dark Knight's castle, initially catching his adversaries napping, but when the Singing Sword wakes the knight and the dragon, can Bugs complete his mission? He's a clever fool. A moat, portcullis, and catapult all figure in the face off.

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Robin Hood fights nobly for justice against the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne while striving to win the hand of the beautiful Maid Marian.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

With the 70s behind him, San Diego's top rated newsman, Ron Burgundy, returns to take New York's first 24-hour news channel by storm.

The Batman vs. Dracula

Gotham City is terrorized not only by recent escapees Joker and Penguin, but by the original creature of the night, Dracula! Can Batman stop the ruthless vampire before he turns everyone in the city, including The Caped Crusader, Joker and Penguin, into his mindless minions?

Batman vs. Two-Face

Former Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent, one side of his face scarred by acid, goes on a crime spree based on the number '2'. All of his actions are decided by the flip of a defaced, two-headed silver dollar.

Bright Lights

Husband-and-wife vaudeville stars separate when success goes to his head.

Dragonslayer

The sorcerer and his apprentice Galen are on a mission to kill an evil dragon to save the King’s daughter from being sacrificed according to a pact that the King himself made with the dragon to protect his kingdom.

The Fox and the Hound

When a feisty little fox named Tod is adopted into a farm family, he quickly becomes friends with a fun and adorable hound puppy named Copper. Life is full of hilarious adventures until Copper is expected to take on his role as a hunting dog -- and the object of his search is his best friend!

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Television made him famous, but his biggest hits happened off screen. Television producer by day, CIA assassin by night, Chuck Barris was recruited by the CIA at the height of his TV career and trained to become a covert operative. Or so Barris said.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

In 1921, a young man, having read Mark Twain's classic novel of the same title, dreams that he himself travels to King Arthur's court, where he has similar adventures and outwits his foes by means of very modern inventions including motorcycles and nitroglycerine.

Excalibur

A surreal adaptation of Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte d'Arthur", chronicling Arthur Pendragon's conception, his rise to the throne, the search by his Knights of the Round Table for the Holy Grail, and ultimately his death.

Madman

Madman Marz, the titular subject of a local folklore legend who murdered his family before escaping into the woods, is inadvertently summoned to a campsite, where he begins stalking and killing the camp counselors.

The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog

London. A mysterious serial killer brutally murders young blond women by stalking them in the night fog. One foggy, sinister night, a young man who claims his name is Jonathan Drew arrives at the guest house run by the Bunting family and rents a room.

Tristan & Isolde

An affair between the second in line to Britain's throne and the princess of the feuding Irish spells doom for the young lovers.

Alfred the Great

While Old England is being ransacked by roving Danes in the 9th century, Alfred is planning to join the priesthood. But observing the rape of his land, he puts away his religious vows to take up arms against the invaders, leading the English Christians to fight for their country. Alfred soundly defeats the Danes and becomes a hero. But now, although Alfred still longs for the priesthood, he is torn between his passion for God and his lust for blood.

Faeries

The king of the faeries sends for a young hunter after his shadow escapes and threatens his kingdom.

Ghostwatch

For Halloween 1992, the BBC decides to broadcast an investigation into the supernatural, hosted by TV chat-show legend Michael Parkinson. Parky (assisted by Mike Smith, Sarah Greene & Craig Charles) and a camera crew attempt to discover the truth behind the most haunted house in Britain. This ground-breaking live television experiment does not go as planned, however.

Britannia Hospital

Britannia Hospital, an esteemed English institution, is marking its gala anniversary with a visit by the Queen Mother herself. But when investigative reporter Mick Travis arrives to cover the celebration, he finds the hospital under siege by striking workers, ruthless unions, violent demonstrators, racist aristocrats, an African cannibal dictator, and sinister human experiments.

The Last Broadcast

In December 1995, a four-man team from the public-access program, "Fact or Fiction", braved the New Jersey's desolate Pine Barrens determined to deliver a live broadcast of the legendary Jersey Devil. Only one came out alive. It took the jury ninety minutes to sentence the lone survivor to life in prison. One year later, a filmmaker decides to mount his own investigation...

Pure Country 2: The Gift

Three angels bestow the gift of song to a young girl, who must follow a series of rules in order hold on to it during her rise to fame and fortune.

Studio 54

Studio 54 was the epicenter of 70s hedonism - a place that not only redefined the nightclub, but also came to symbolize an entire era. Its co-owners, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell, two friends from Brooklyn, seemed to come out of nowhere to suddenly preside over a new kind of New York society. Now, 39 years after the velvet rope was first slung across the club's hallowed threshold, a feature documentary tells the real story behind the greatest club of all time.

Terror in the Aisles

A non-stop roller coaster ride through the scariest moments of the greatest terror films of all time.

The Green Knight

An epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, The Green Knight tells the story of Sir Gawain, King Arthur's reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men.

Death Ray 2000

A flamboyant secret agent from UNIT, a secret counterespionage group, teams with a lady spy to retrieve a stolen device capable of destroying the world from the clutches of a sinister munitions magnate. Pilot film for the television series "A Man Called Sloane" (1979).

Cinderella

Julie Andrews was nominated for an Emmy for portraying the titular scullery maid who finds true love with a prince in this legendary adaptation of one of the most famous fairy tales of all time. A musical, made-for-television, with music by Richard Rodgers and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, it is the only of the legendary composing team's musicals created specifically for that medium. It was originally broadcast live on CBS on March 31, 1957, and was a phenomenal success, viewed by more than 107 million people. Though it originally aired in full color, only a black & white kinescope of the production has survived.

Gone in the Night

Upon arriving at a remote cabin in the redwoods, Kath and her boyfriend find a mysterious younger couple already there — the rental has apparently been double-booked. They decide to share the cabin with these strangers until the next morning, but her boyfriend disappears with the young woman, which sends Kath in a spiral to find an explanation for their sudden breakup — but the truth is far stranger than she could have imagined.

The Great Bank Hoax

When the prominent citizens of a small town discover that the officers of the local bank have been embezzling money from it, they decide to rob the bank themselves.

The Big Heist

Based on the 1986 book "The Heist: How a Gang Stole $8,000,000 at Kennedy Airport and Lived to Regret It", by Ernest Volkman and John Cummings, this TV movie tells the story about the 1978 Lufthansa Heist at JFK Airport in New York - the largest cash robbery ever committed on American soil. The heist was also the subject of the much better-known 1990 film "Goodfella"s, directed by Martin Scorsese. It was also the subject of another made-for-television film: "The 10 Million Dollar Getaway" from 1991.

King Arthur, the Young Warlord

This is the inspiring, epic journey of a noble warrior's quest to prove his worth, his might, and his destined fate to become the next ruler of Britain.

Rose: A Love Story

The story of a young couple living alone in the woods, who must contend with a life-altering illness that manifests itself in a violent and terrifying way. Rose’s disease is a vampiric, parasitic thirst for blood. As her hunger grows, all humanity seems to give way to a feral violence that harms both her and those around her. Their loving relationship strains under the burden of Rose’s illness, and it is only a matter of time until the secluded life that they have built is upended entirely.

Best: His Mother's Son

Best – His Mother’s Son (BBC Two) was a gloomy drama about Ann Best, mother of George, who was strictly teetotal until her mid-40s, when she had her first sip of sherry to celebrate her son’s footballing success. Ten years later, she was dead from alcoholism-related heart disease. The recreation of late-Sixties Belfast was accurate and, thank goodness, intelligently subdued: no comedy Ulster accents and no point-scoring subplot about the Troubles.

3 Nuts in Search of a Bolt

An out-of-work method actor is hired by a male model, an ecdysiast, and a car salesman who live together to save money. They want the actor to listen to their problems and go see a psychiatrist, so they can get counseling for cheap. The psychiatrist is intrigued by the split personalities indicated by the three separate sets of problems presented by the actor, and soon producers are climbing out of the woodwork trying to buy the rights to the film, while the actor is having trouble keeping his act together.

Lady Godiva of Coventry

Fictionalized account of events leading up the famous nude ride (alas, her hair covers everything) of the militant Saxon lady.

Clarissa & the King's Cookbook

Clarissa Dickson Wright tracks down Britain's oldest known cookbook, The Forme of Cury. This 700-year-old scroll was written during the reign of King Richard II from recipes created by the king's master chefs. How did this ancient manuscript influence the way people eat today? On her culinary journey through medieval history she reawakens recipes that have lain dormant for centuries and discovers dishes that are still prepared now.

Camelot

Shot live from the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City, this presentation of the 1980 Broadway revival of the beloved Lerner & Loewe classic follows King Arthur, who founds the kingdom of Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table. Their goal: fight for justice and right, but Arthur only sees his ideal crumble when his wife Guenevere falls in love with his favorite knight, Sir Lancelot.

Behind the Eight Ball

The story takes place at a summer theater in the Berkshire Mountains, where heroine Joan Barry (Carol Bruce) is staging a Broadway-bound musical comedy. Only one problem: two guest stars are shot and killed on two successive evenings, right in front of the audience. Hoping to solve the mystery, detective William Demarest demands that everyone -- actors and theatergoers alike -- return the following weekend to restage the show. But with no major performer willing to assume the fatal guest-star slot, Joan is forced to hire the Three Jolly Jesters (Al, Harry and Jimmy Ritz), Manhattan washroom attendants with showbiz aspirations.

Louis 19, King of the Airwaves

Be careful what you wish for...it just may come true. This is the underlying theme of this French-Canadian comedy drama that follows the travails of a TV addict who wins a talent contest and finds himself the subject of an embarrassingly revealing television series. Louis Jobin is a rather depressive young salesman who works in an electronics store. At night he is a passionate channel surfer, sitting upon his couch staring at his television. When Channel 19 announces a talent contest. Louis immediately enters. The contest winner will become the subject of a TV show with Channel 19 filming every movement, 24 hours a day for three months. Louis wins the contest and is at first elated by his prize but then begins to feel otherwise after he becomes a celebrity.

The Secret Policeman's Other Ball

Following the success of the 1979 show and the financial benefits accruing to Amnesty from the spin-off movie, TV special and record albums – Cleese, Lewis and Walker planned the next show to be a more spectacular event. Cleese focused on broadening the comedic talent to be presented at the show. In addition to the Amnesty show stalwarts drawn from the Oxbridge/Monty Python/Beyond The Fringe orbit, he invited newcomers such as Rowan Atkinson’s colleagues from the BBC TV show Not the Nine O'Clock News including Pamela Stephenson and Griff Rhys Jones; comedian Victoria Wood and regional comic Jasper Carrott. Lewis secured a return appearance by Billy Connolly and a debut appearance by "alternative" comedian Alexei Sayle who Lewis had recently discovered and was managing. Building on the success of Pete Townshend's 1979 appearance Lewis recruited other rock musicians to perform at the 1981 show including Sting, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Donovan and Bob Geldof.

Captain America II: Death Too Soon

Crimefighting Captain America rights more wrongs by doing battle with a fanatical terrorist who uses his deadly drug that causes accelerated aging to finance his world revolution.

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

In medieval England, Merlin and King Arthur banish the evil enchantress Morgana and her son Mordred to the ends of the universe as Morgana vows revenge. In present day, Knights descendant Penn doesn't take much stock in the legends of his supposed ancestors, even as the descendants meet in Thailand to practice fighting. But when Morgana and her son return to earth, armed with alien technology and hell-bent on destroying every last descendant of King Arthur and his knights, Penn must to come to terms with who he was born to be, and bring together the new Knights of the Round Table to save themselves and the earth from Morgana's total vengeance.

Arthur & Merlin

In dark ages Britain, a time of magic and legend, a powerful druid is bent on destroying the Celtic people. Arthur, a banished warrior, and Merlin, a hermit wizard, embark on a heroic quest to stop the druid and save their people, before the Celts are lost forever and become a myth themselves.

The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold

Sent in search of a Christmas tree, cabin boy Dinty Doyle lands on a mysterious, uncharted Irish island where he accidentally releases a bad-tempered banshee from her pine tree prison. Leprechaun Blarney Kilakilarney knows that in order to survive, the banshee will try to swipe his clan's pot of Christmas gold. With some magical assistance from Lord Patrick, the king of the wee folk, Dinty and Blarney make a plan to outwit the gold-hungry hag before Christmas morning dawns.

The Road to Coronation Street

The story of how 22 year old writer Tony Warren conceived, wrote and fought for the record breaking UK TV series Coronation Street.

49 Up

49 Up is the seventh film in a series of landmark documentaries that began 42 years ago when UK-based Granada's World in Action team, inspired by the Jesuit maxim "Give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man," interviewed a diverse group of seven-year-old children from all over England, asking them about their lives and their dreams for the future. Michael Apted, a researcher for the original film, has returned to interview the "children" every seven years since, at ages 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 and now again at age 49.In this latest chapter, more life-changing decisions are revealed, more shocking announcements made and more of the original group take part than ever before, speaking out on a variety of subjects including love, marriage, career, class and prejudice.

Sir Alex Ferguson: Secrets of Success

A look at Sir Alex Ferguson's guide to succeed at leading after his 26 year career as Manchester United's manager.

Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor

Writer, producer, puppeteer, songwriter--America's Favorite Neighbor takes a thorough look at the career of legendary children's television host Fred Rogers. Produced for Pittsburgh's WQED, this informative documentary tracks his rise as floor manager for various NBC programs, such as Your Hit Parade, to the major awards he received later in life, such as the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Along the way, he's seen launching public TV programs The Children's Corner, which featured a soon-to-be-famous puppet named King Friday, and Canada's MisteRogers. The latter, naturally, was followed by Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which made its national debut in 1968, and would eventually became the longest running program in PBS history. Hosted by fellow Pennsylvania native Michael Keaton (Batman), who worked on his show in the early days, America's Favorite Neighbor is suitable for all ages, but is geared more towards adults, particularly parents and educators.

Pippin

The musical uses the premise of a mysterious performance troupe, led by a Leading Player, to tell the story of Pippin, a young prince on his search for meaning and significance. In 1981, a stage production of Pippin was videotaped for Canadian television. The stage production was directed by Kathryn Doby, Bob Fosse's dance captain for the original Broadway production, and David Sheehan directed the video adaptation, with Roger O. Hirson in charge of the music. Ben Vereen returned for the role of Leading Player, while William Katt played the role of Pippin. However, this version was a truncated adaptation and several sections of the play were cut. An extended version running 135 minutes is also available.

Go West, Young Girl

A lighthearted Western about a peppery New England lady who goes west to seek her fortune by writing about her experiences, and the attractive widow of a cavalry officer, both of whom go in search of Billy the Kid, teaming up to outwit gamblers, bounty hunters, and rough-and-tumble lawmen.

Purlie

Based on Davis' 1961 play Purlie Victorious (which was later translated into the 1963 film Gone Are the Days! and which included all of the original Broadway cast, including Ruby Dee, Alan Alda, Beah Richards, and Godfrey Cambridge), Purlie is a musical with a book by Ossie Davis, Philip Rose, and Peter Udell, lyrics by Udell, and music by Gary Geld. It won two Tony Awards and was also nominated for Best Musical. This 1981 television adaptation is directed by Rudi Goldman and stars Broadway cast members Guillaume, Moore, Hemsley, and Hopkins, with Brandon Maggart as Cotchipee, Clarice Taylor as Idilla, and Don Scardino as Charlie. The production won a CableACE Award.

Elstree Calling

A series of 19 musical and comedy "vaudeville" sketches presented in the form of a live television broadcast hosted by Tommy Handley (as himself).

She Loves Me

BBC production of the 1963 Broadway musical which was based on Ernst Lubitsch's 1940 film "The Shop Around The Corner."

Anglian Lives: Alan Partridge

A documentary on the life and career of Norwich's finest broadcaster, Alan Gordon Partridge. In the programme Alan is asked tough questions about his divorce, Toblerone addiction and his autobiography 'Bouncing Back' by formidable interviewer Ray Woollard. The documentary will show rare and previously unseen footage of Alan broadcasting on Radio Norwich, commentating on sport and reading extracts from his book. He also talks candidly about the state of television today, his hatred of London and his three rules for life.

Fawlty Towers: 50 Years of Laughs

A celebration of John Cleese and Connie Booth's acclaimed sitcom following the misadventures of Torquay hotel owner Basil Fawlty. The programme explores its phenomenal success, with a selection of its finest moments, and contributions from fans, experts and supporting cast members.

Richard III: The Unseen Story

In this special follow-up programme, the only television team with access to the dig and the scientific tests on the skeleton uses unseen footage and conducts two days of additional interviews to tell this extraordinary forensic detective story in even greater scientific and archaeological detail.

Richard III: The Princes In the Tower

It's one of the darkest murder mysteries in British history: did Richard III really kill his nephews in order to make himself king? Is he the greatest villain in English history, or the victim of centuries of grotesquely unfair Tudor propaganda? On the eve of Richard's reburial at Leicester Cathedral, this drama documentary assembles a stellar cast of experts, including David Starkey and Philippa Gregory, to examine all the available evidence. As it plays out the possibilities and tests the competing theories, it endeavors to get to the bottom, once and for all, of what really happened to the princes in the Tower. Is this a tale of naked ambition, cold pragmatism and bloody murder?

Ask Dr. Baden: An Autopsy Special

Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden answers viewer e-mails and investigates mysterious cases, including the disappearance of a California woman in 1981 whose remains were found more than two decades later.

The Land Where the Blues Began

An exploration of the musical and social origins of the blues, shot on location in Mississippi in 1978 by Alan Lomax, John Bishop, and Worth Long in association with the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television and broadcast on PBS in 1980. This re-release in 2009 includes two hours of additional music.

Rugby League's Legendary Watersplash Final

The Rugby League Challenge Cup final in 1968 between Leeds and Wakefield Trinity produced one of the most dramatic moments ever seen at a major sporting event. With what looked like the most easy of kicks to win the Wembley showpiece, Don Fox of Wakefield somehow missed it. Leeds won 11-10 - and so began one of the most talked-about and replayed scenes of all time in British sport. This documentary, as told by Dave Woods, looks back at that amazing match as he speaks to members of both teams, including Don’s legendary brother Neil – who talks about the impact that fateful miss had on Don’s life and career.

King Arthur's Britain: The Truth Unearthed

With exclusive access to a major new excavation, Alice Roberts discovers what King Arthur's Britain was like, including surprisingly modern connections we all share with our past.

The Paul McCartney Special

A program originally produced for the BBC, and aired on television several times in 1986. Originally conceived as a long-form promotional piece for «Press to Play», the BBC staffer (Richard Skinner) persuades Macca to talk about much more, including one of the more in-depth interviews about Wings. All of the interview bits were done at Abbey Road studio 2, leading to some reminiscing on Paul's part. Scattered among the interview are some nice McCartney film rarities (including rarely seen promo clips/videos, concert footage from both the 1973 and 1976 tours, and even a bit of the never released "One Hand Clapping" film).

A Life On Screen: Stephen Fry

In this documentary, Stephen Fry tells the story behind his success, after presenting the BAFTAs for more than ten years. With an outstanding career in film and television which began with a chance meeting with comedy partner Hugh Laurie at Cambridge, he went on to create the outrageous Melchett in Blackadder and has become a firm favourite on BBC2 with the quite interesting quiz QI. Featuring a supporting cast of friends, including interviews with Michael Sheen, Hugh Laurie and Alan Davies.

Attenborough's Journey

Following David Attenborough as he travels the globe to film his series, David Attenborough's First Life, in which he explores the very origins of life on Earth. David journeys to the parts of the world which have had special meaning to him during his 50 years of broadcasting. Beginning near his boyhood Leicestershire home, where he first collected fossils, he then travels to Morocco's arid deserts, the glaciers of Canada and crystal clear waters of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. As a prelude to the First Life series, Attenborough's Journey provides a unique insight into the mind and character of one of the world's most iconic broadcasters as he shares his passions for the natural world. Combining his global journey for First Life and archive material looking back at his illustrious career both as a programme maker and a controller of the BBC, the film reveals what makes him tick.

Television's Opening Night: How the Box Was Born

TV presenter Dallas Campbell, engineer Professor Danielle George and engineer Dr Hugh Hunt re-create the opening of the BBC's television service on 2 November 1936. This involves building the mechanical flying-spot cameras that were used by Baird's system.

A Question of Leadership

Shortly after Margaret Thatcher's election as prime minister, Ken Loach returned to documentary, convinced that the long gestation of feature films made them useless as instruments of topical social comment. But his trade union documentary A Question of Leadership, intended for national ITV broadcast, was criticised by the Independent Broadcasting Authority for its explicitly anti-government stance. It was eventually screened a year later, exclusively in the Midlands (tx. 13/8/1981). Believing that the then-new Channel 4 would be more amenable to politicised documentaries, Loach proposed the four-part Questions of Leadership (1983), a wider-ranging study of the trade union movement - but on viewing the completed programmes' strong criticism of leading trade unionists, an anxious Channel 4 shortened the series to two parts and proposed screening a 'balancing' documentary by a different filmmaker, before scrapping the broadcast altogether.

Boom Bang-a-Bang! 50 Years of Eurovision

Boom-a-Bang: 50 Years of Eurovision is an one hour documentary that aired on BBC One on 16 May 2006. The programme celebrates 50 years of the Eurovision Song Contest and was presented and narrated by long serving Eurovision commentator Terry Wogan including a guest appearance from the UK representative for the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, Daz Sampson, as well as archive footage from previous UK and other entries.

Mad and Bad: 60 Years of Science on TV

From Raymond Baxter live on Tomorrow's World testing a new-fangled bulletproof vest on a nervous inventor to Doctor Who's contemporary spin on the War on Terror, British television and the Great British public have been fascinated with the brave new world offered up by science on TV. Narrated by Robert Webb, this documentary takes a fantastic, incisive and funny voyage through the rich heritage of science TV in the UK, from real science programmes (including The Sky At Night, Horizon, Tomorrow's World, The Ascent of Man) to science-fiction (such as The Quatermass Experiment, Doctor Who, Doomwatch, Blake's 7, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), to find out what it tells us about Britain over the last 60 years.

Under Milk Wood

An all star cast unite to perform a distinctive BBC Wales Television adaptation of Dylan Thomas's radio play, presented in collaboration with National Theatre Wales, to mark the centenary of Dylan Thomas' birth. The plot reveals the innermost thoughts of the residents of the small, Welsh fishing village Llareggub as it delves into the dreams of various townspeople including blind sailor Captain Cat, who is haunted by visions of drowned shipmates, Mog Edwards and Myfanwy Price, who dream of each other, and Mrs. Ogmore Pritchard, who dreams of her former husbands.

The Falklands Play

The Falklands Play is a dramatic account of the political events leading up to, and including, the 1982 Falklands War. The play was written by Ian Curteis, an experienced writer who had started his television career in drama, but had increasingly come to specialise in dramatic reconstructions of history. It was originally commissioned by the BBC in 1983, for production and broadcast in 1986, but was subsequently shelved by Controller of BBC One Michael Grade due to its alleged pro-Margaret Thatcher stance and jingoistic tone. This prompted a press furore over media bias and censorship.The play was not staged until 2002, when it was broadcast in separate adaptations on BBC Television and Radio.

Battered

Gritty drama of three interweaving stories of three women of various backgrounds and ages whose marriages are complicated by spouse-abuse by their husbands.

Death of a Prophet

After breaking ties with the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X became a man marked for death...and it was just a matter of time before his enemies closed in. Despite death threats and intimidation, Malcolm marched on - continuing to spread the word of equality and brotherhood right up until the moment of his brutal and untimely assassination. Highlighted by newsreel footage and interviews, this is the story of the last twenty-four hours of Malcolm X. Featuring the music of jazz percussionist Max Roach.

On the Threshold of Space

In the early stages of the space program, Capt. Jim Hollenbeck undergoes any experiment needed to ensure success in the new Air Force branch -- even though he's not required to be a subject in the tests. Always remaining a constant source of support, his wife, Pat, accepts his unwavering commitment to scientific progress. When Maj. Ward Thomas becomes the new head of the program, Hollenbeck must convince him of the necessity of taking the extra steps.

A Whale for the Killing

A conservationst, stranded with his family at a Newfoundland coastal resort, flies in the face of custom and fights an entire community to prevent a trapped whale's slaughter with only the support of his wife and one of the locals.

Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen

Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen is a 2009 television drama. It deals with Dr James Niven's attempts to deal with the 1918 flu pandemic in Manchester. Its screenplay was written by Peter Harness and it starred Bill Paterson as Niven, along with Mark Gatiss, Kenneth Cranham and Charlotte Riley. It was first broadcast on BBC Four on 5 August 2009.

Lilli Marlene

Lilli Marlene, a French girl working as a bar maid in her uncle's café in Benghazi, Libya, turns out to be the girl that the popular German wartime song Lili Marleen had been written for before the war, so both the British and the Germans try to use her for propaganda purposes - especially as it turns out that she can sing as well. When the Germans kidnap her in Cairo and she starts appearing in radio broadcasts from Berlin, her British soldier friends think that she's joined the enemy. They couldn't be more wrong, because after the war it turns out that her songs over the radio contained secret messages to London from British agents in Berlin.

The Billion Dollar Bubble

The Billion Dollar Bubble is a 1976 film made for the BBC series Horizon and directed by Brian Gibson about the story of the two billion dollar insurance embezzlement scheme involving Equity Funding Corporation of America. The movie stars James Woods in the role of the actuary.

Oi for England

In the Moss Side, Manchester "race riots" of 1981 a struggling punk band are tempted by a sinister entrepreneur to perform at a major gig in support of British extreme Right political organizations.

Der Rosenkavalier

Live performance, new production season 1984-5. BBC 2 Television relay on 30 March 1985 of performance of February 11.

That Day We Sang

TV Film adaptation of Victoria Wood's hit musical set in Manchester in 1929 and 1969. When middle aged loners Tubby and Enid attend a reunion of the choir in which they sang as children, the music evokes powerful memories, leading them to realise they still have a chance to find happiness.

Pickwick

Pickwick is a British television musical made by the BBC in 1969 and based on the 1963 stage musical Pickwick, which in turn was based on the 1837 novel The Pickwick Papers written by Charles Dickens. It stars Harry Secombe as Samuel Pickwick and Roy Castle as Sam Weller. This television production was based on the stage musical Pickwick which had been a commercial success. It was adapted for the screen by James Gilbert and Jimmy Grafton. The musical had premiered in the West End in 1963, again with Harry Secombe in the lead role. Running at 90 minutes and made in colour, the TV musical again had lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and a score by Cyril Ornadel. The book was by Wolf Mankowitz and it was directed by Terry Hughes. The programme was first transmitted on 11 June 1969 and again on 26 December 1969. One of the better known songs from the score is "If I Ruled the World". The cast of this production differed somewhat from that of the stage musical.

The Stepmother 2

Elizabeth, a woman with dissociative identity disorder, cheats death and has now a new mission, to find a new family and live happily ever after, beyond her troubled past.

The Sacred

Fresh off the success of her first horror novel, Jessie is revered by the literaly world as the next Stephen King. While her editor anxiously awaits her next novel, she is suffering from writer's block. Out of fear of becoming a one-hit novelist, Jessie ventures to her deceased aunt's cabin in the woods to find inspiration for her new book. Having not visited in many years, Jessie has no memory of her childhood summers at the cabin or her time spent in the surrounding woods. But when darkness falls on Jessie's first night alone in the cabin, her memories begin to awaken. A dark presence resides here; one that seems to be watching Jessie every move and one that she has always been afraid of. A series of erotic, bizarre and terrifying events that force Jessie to question her own reality.

Somebody Help Me 2

Brendan and Darryl have both moved on with their lives following the events at the cabin in the woods; not unscathed however. Coming up on the anniversary, Brendan is still having nightmares that he feels will come true at any moment. His worse fears come to life when his wife and niece don't return home one night

Pursuit of a Legend

Cryptozoologist, Justin Wells, and his brother, cameraman Carter Wells, had a plan: create their own television series. They had an idea: travel the country in search of the elusive Sasquatch. They had a title: Pursuit of a Legend. They even had a place to film their pilot episode: the Widjigo Woods. What they didn’t have... was a chance in hell.

The Man in the Woods

On a snowy night in 1963 Pennsylvania, a boarding school student goes missing in the woods. Her friends, a disgraced quarterback, a shunned ex-cop, and the headmaster's wife, agree to go search for her. As they do, they confront the lies, ghost stories, and demonization that their idyllic school was built on.

A Night in the Woods

Brody, his girlfriend Kerry and their friend Leo go hiking in Dartmoor. That night jealousies, sexual tensions and strained relationships come to a head turning what should have been a peaceful camping adventure into a trip to terror. As collective paranoia reaches fever pitch it becomes clear that there is a much darker force at work in the ancient eerie surroundings. Who or what is after them? And can any one of them survive a night in the woods?

Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey

Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey is a 1981 American documentary film about the Mariel boatlift, which was first broadcast on PBS the week of June 1, 1981. Written by John Brousek, the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Saturday Night

At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. This is the story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.

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