Discover Movies

Guilty-pleasure movies and the perceptions surrounding them.

A tribute to British comedian Mel Smith, who died in July 2013, aged 60, featuring home video footage, rare archive material and many classic sketches. Far more than a comic actor, Smith also wrote and edited a host of celebrated TV comedies in the 1980s and 90s. He was a theatre and film director, and as a TV producer he was responsible for several innovative comedy series. Friends and colleagues, including Griff Rhys Jones, John Lloyd and Richard Curtis, talk about Smith's talents, both in front of- and behind the camera. The programme also traces his time at Oxford and, before that, Latymer Upper School, where Smith's talents were first spotted.

A candid, fly-on-the-wall BBC television documentary portrait of Russian Nationalist politician, Vladimir Zhirinovsky. The film shows the leader on a cruise surrounded by two hundred supporters getting plenty of media attention in New York. We are left with the nagging question: to what extent is Zhirinovsky really dangerous? To take that further, to what extent are populist politicians truly dangerous?

Documentary following Bristol’s mayor, Marvin Rees, as he and the city respond to the extraordinary events which followed the toppling of the Colston Statue in the summer of 2020.

In this David and Goliath story for the 21st century, a group of proud Scottish homeowners take on celebrity tycoon Donald Trump as he buys up one of Scotland's last wilderness areas to build a golf resort.

Mark Cousins' next two segments in his 16-hour saga about the history of documentary cinema. The 1980s, an era fundamental from a socio-political perspective.

Pure tranquillity in rural Somerset, a world away from the war raging on the continent.

The story of Tasmanian-born actor Errol Flynn whose short & flamboyant life, full of scandals, adventures, loves and excess was largely played out in front of the camera - either making movies or filling the newsreels and gossip magazines. Tragically he was dead from the effects of drugs and alcohol by the time he was only 50 & the myths live on. But there is another side of Flynn that is less well known - his ambitions to be a serious writer and newspaper correspondent, his documentary films and his interest in the Spanish Civil War and Castro's Cuba

No fewer than five once or future prime ministers on show at the momentous 1923 election.

The making of Stanley Kubrick's classic space epic, presented by James Cameron, including unseen footage.

Gilbert White was a "parson-naturalist", a pioneering English naturalist, ecologist and ornithologist. He is best known for his Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne. Michael Wood explores the scientific life of the remarkable man.

Picnickers in punts, ‘bumpers’ and bubbly.

A behind the scenes look at the making of Sleepy Hollow.

Formed in 1975 from the remnants of a British blues band and a California soft-rock duo, Fleetwood Mac evolved into one of the most successful pop-rock groups of the 1970s--a reputation no doubt cemented by their 1977 masterpiece RUMOURS. One of the bestselling albums of all time, RUMOURS' impeccable songwriting, lush vocal harmonies, and polished production stand as testament to the band's cohesive powers--a fact made even more remarkable by the romantic tensions roiling amongst its members at the time (Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were ending their long-term romantic relationship; Christine and John McVie were getting a divorce). This episode of the CLASSIC ALBUMS series recounts the making of Fleetwood Mac's career-making opus through interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and live performances of timeless gems such as "Don't Stop," "Dreams,""Go Your Own Way," "You Make Loving Fun," "The Chain," and more.

Celebrating Billy Connolly's 75th birthday and 50 years in the business, three Scottish artists - John Byrne, Jack Vettriano and Rachel MacLean - each create a new portrait of the Big Yin. As he sits with each artist, Billy talks about his remarkable life and career which has taken him from musician and pioneering stand-up to Hollywood star and national treasure.

Hosted by Keeley Hawes, star of the popular television series The Durrells, this documentary reveals the adventures of the eccentric Durrell family once they left Corfu, Greece.

A documentary about the life and career of UK singer-songwriter and Adverts frontman, TV Smith.

Ten years ago exactly, more or less, give or take a day or two, six young men sat down, or maybe stood, or perhaps some of them just lounged, and wrote the first episode of a new series called Owl Stretching Time. They were called Graham Chapman , John Cleese, Terry Gilliam , Eric Idle,Terry Jones and Michael Palin and later both they and the series became known as Monty Python 's Flying Circus . Today they are the best known British comedy group in the world, famous from Cathay to Kathmandu, from Sydney to Sidcup (except in Japan where the programme is called The Gay Boys' Dragon Show ... say no more). To commemorate their tenth anniversary a BBC team tracked them down in the deserts of Tunisia where they were filming their Life of Brian and almost persuaded them to examine the genesis, the genius and the gender of Monty Python.

Annina van Neel tirelessly works to reclaim and honor the neglected history of St. Helena after the remains of thousands of freed slaves are uncovered on the remote island.

Documentary about the making of the 1948 British film, including interviews with members of the production team.

A sociological portrait of the United Kingdom after the historic Brexit vote of 2016. A funny, sometimes terrifying and non-judgemental look at the new populist politics sweeping western democracies.

The great Moroccan storyteller Mohammed Mrabet telling two stories to Shakib.

Oscar Peterson and Andre Previn look at some of the styles and personalities involved in the development of piano jazz.

Hatton Garden, London’s historic jewellery quarter, is an old fashioned world where deals are done on the shake of a hand and cash is king, full of wheeling dealing characters from scrap gold dealers to high end diamond traders, to veteran goldsmiths.

The Channel Tunnel linking Britain with France is one of the seven wonders of the modern world but what did it take to build the longest undersea tunnel ever constructed? We hear from the men and women, who built this engineering marvel. Massive tunnel boring machines gnawed their way through rock and chalk, digging not one tunnel but three; two rail tunnels and a service tunnel. This was a project that would be privately financed; not a penny of public money would be spent on the tunnel. Business would have to put up all the money and take all the risks. This was also a project that was blighted by flood, fire, tragic loss of life and financial bust ups. Today, it stands as an engineering triumph and a testament to what can be achieved when two nations, Britain and France put aside their historic differences and work together.

strolling (2014-2016) twenty seven episodes, various lengths, colour, digital, uk/usa/jamaica/netherlands/italy/france/belguim strolling is a documentary series that follows the dialectical ruminations of people of the black african diaspora whilst walking within their locality. the series began in london and expanded to paris, amsterdam, brussels, milan, new york and kingston, covering various subjects. the series also explores the physical manifestations of these intimate yet global discussions. emeke, who was the cinematographer and editor on this project, takes a deliberately subjective approach, lingering the lens on fleeting and subtle secondary processes that emerge manifest through hands, feet, gesture and positionality to the space in which each interviewee occupies, perhaps made possible by emeke’s decision to film subjects alone, or with only one other person present.

Joanne is a model, a teacher, a fighter, a chameleon. But when her private semi-nude photos went public, this woman of many talents came to be simply known as 'the topless teacher'. Together with her former student, artist Simon Fujiwara, she seeks to reclaim her image through social media and branding tactics. Shifting between advertisement and portraiture, this meta-narrative on identity manages to infuse playfulness in its layered commentary on who you are and how you're seen.

The annual championship meeting of England's premier athletics association.

Like all great science fiction shows, there are kernels of truth and nuggets of science fact scattered throughout the incredible ‘Doctor Who’ universe. In this special, we are going to explore these dynamic ‘Doctor Who’ moments where science fiction and science fact converge and mingle.

Richard Hammond celebrates 50 years of Bond's amazing history with cars revealing the entertaining behind-the-scenes stories of the most iconic cars.

Amateur taxidermist, Walter Potter, became an unlikely success by putting his creatures in human positions and scenarios, referred to as anthropomorphic taxidermy. Potter's Museum, filled with his creations and collection of oddities and curiosities dazzled millions for over a hundred years until the collection's unfortunate separation in 2003. While largely about the man and his creations, the film also takes a look at the obsessive nature of collecting, as well as the controversial history of stuffing dead animals.

Independent Welsh filmmaker Karl Francis uses amateur and professional actors to explore the community impact of the 1975 closure of the Ogilvie Colliery in the Rhymney Valley, a few miles from his family home. Critical of the National Coal Board and the trade unions, the film focuses on the fractious interactions between politicians and union leaders, teasing out the forces that are attempting to divide the community.

The filmed account of a large Canadian rock festival train tour boasting major acts. In the summer of 1970, a chartered train crossed Canada carrying some of the world's greatest rock bands. The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Buddy Guy, and others lived (and partied) together for five days, stopping in major cities along the way to play live concerts. Their journey was filmed.

The joys of 1960s modern education - as seen at a not-exactly-typical local comp.

A thoughtful and intimate portrait of super cool self-confessed rock chick Chrissie Hynde. The documentary film details one summer in the life of Hynde - shopping for clothes in Paris, hanging out with Sandra Bernhard in New York, life in London and a special trip back to her home town of Akron, Ohio.

Documentary telling the story of seven bleak months of industrial chaos that changed Britain forever. Featuring memories and anecdotes from famous faces.

A documentary celebrating 20 years of the work of Kaleidoscope, an organisation devoted to the preservation of archive television.

This was the band's second performance at the music festival and their first since the success of 'Nevermind' had elevated them to the position of what magazines called the "biggest" rock band in the world. It was also sadly their final concert in the United Kingdom.

Steve Davis goes back to the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield to celebrate 40 years of the world snooker championship, talking to some of the players forever ingrained in the sport's history. The venue has become the home of snooker since the championships moved there in 1977, helping to create memorable moments and scenes of drama that live on to this day. Featuring interviews with former champions Stephen Hendry and Dennis Taylor, six-time runner-up and fans' favourite Jimmy White, and celebrity snooker addicts Richard Osman and Stephen Fry.

Go behind the scenes of the 2023 Men's Ashes Series, one of the most memorable series between England and Australia in living memory, and one not short of controversy. Hear from the key England protagonists, including captain Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Stuart Broad, as they take you through the highs and lows of the five-match series. The heartbreak at Edgbaston, the tension at Lord's, elation at Headingley and frustration at Emirates Old Trafford. And all rounded off with a fairytale ending for one of our all-time greats at the Kia Oval. Our Take breaks down the remarkable series, telling our take in a way it's never been told before.

Urban free climbers are a new breed of daredevils, young men and women who illegally climb cranes and buildings without any safety equipment, then hang from them, hundreds of metres above the ground, one slip from certain death... Free climbing originated in Eastern Europe, but has recently spread to Britain. James Kingston is a 23-year-old who lives with his mother near Southampton. In his spare time James scales the local 100m cranes and 200m radio towers. Now James embarks on a journey to the spiritual home of urban free climbing, Ukraine, where he teams up with the infamous Mustang Wanted, the craziest climber of them all. As Mustang and James explore Kiev, the pair push themselves to new extremes, climbing derelict buildings and tightrope-walking hundreds of metres above the city, before finally heading to the iconic Moscow bridge to attempt Mustang's latest death defying stunt. Don't Look Down is fascinating, revealing and nerve-wracking.

In this journey through the seasons, you’ll experience a year in the life of hundreds of plant-eating dinosaurs. From the moment they hatch, these prehistoric giants face natural disasters and ferocious predators while hunting, feeding, playing, and undertaking epic migrations. Based on scientific data, the digital dinosaurs come to life against the backdrop of modern Alaska.

Ramsgate has been on the railway map since 1846. Eventually two rival companies served the town for over fifty years until the Southern Railway built a connecting line between the two. At the time of filming there were two main routes into the town, one via Ashford from Charing Cross and the route we are taking via Chatham into London Victoria. This Driver's eye view was filmed before the introduction of SouthEastern's high speed Javellin services into St Pancras. It therefore shows our 4 coach class 375 Electrostar starting off as the hourly fast service calling at selected stations to Faversham. Here we join up with a similar 4 car set from Dover. We then call at Sittingbourne and the Medway Towns of Rainham, Gillingham, Chatham and Rochester. Once over the Medway itself, our 8 coach train runs fast to Victoria calling only at Bromley South.

Documentary covering Tovey's life and career up to his untimely death in 2002. It includes rare and unreleased tracks and live footage of legendary performances, as well as classic songs recorded both under his own name and his alter ego, Fad Gadget. Put together by Frank's family in conjunction with Mute, utilising the Mute and family archives, this collection features the very first Fad Gadget demos and footage of the reborn Fad Gadget supporting Depeche Mode in 2001.

A documentary about the album cover artist, Roger Dean.

An impressive bottle of fine Scotch is in your hand. From barley to barrel, who made it and how did they do it?

In a tale of double agents and decoys, this documentary reveals, for the first time, the story of King George VI's elaborate ruse to divert German attention away from the Normandy landings in 1944.

From Oslo, to Tbilisi and of course, Hampden Park, our journey to qualifying for UEFA EURO 2024 was unforgettable. Relive the campaign that took us there with unique insights from the players and staff themselves, as they give the inside story of qualificiation.

This documentary focuses on Gavin Clark, Meadows’ friend, musician, and former member of Clayhill, and his battle to return to the stage.

With his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals, Freddie Mercury propelled his band Queen to become one of the most legendary groups of all time. Now, more than 30 years after they began to dominate the live music industry, take a look back and celebrate the band's iconic and legendary status in the international rock stratosphere. On the heels of the theatrical feature film about Mercury slated for release in 2012, this program marks the start of another decade of power and success.

A Secrets of Life short about ants.

A Letter From Ulster (1943). Northern Ireland's greatest film director Brian Desmond Hurst directed the film and his assistant director was fellow Ulsterman William (Bill) MacQuitty who went on to make the ultimate Titanic film A Night to Remember. The script was written by Terence Young who went on to direct the early Bond films. All the components were in place for a fine film and this short (32 minute) by the Crown Film Unit remains an important part of Ulster and America's cultural history. As the opening credit says "This film is dedicated to those members of the US Forces Who are our guests in these islands". The film shows American soldiers landing in Northern Ireland and settling into their new camps. The arrival of mail from 'back home' helps camp moral, however, two brothers receive none. Their commander realises that the two brothers have not sent any letters back to their parents and gives the order to write a letter home- A Letter From Ulster.

Trollywood originally started as a series of still photograps. In Los Angeles, Farley became fascinated by the phenomenon of homelessness. In particular, she dealt with trolleys: mobile homes for some, a cart for shopping for others. During her photography work, she got in contact with the owners of the trolleys, and considered writing a book about the phenomenon. In the end, she decided to make a movie.

A dramatization to promote the Territorial Army.

Chaos theory has a bad name, conjuring up images of unpredictable weather, economic crashes and science gone wrong. But there is a fascinating and hidden side to Chaos, one that scientists are only now beginning to understand. It turns out that chaos theory answers a question that mankind has asked for millennia - how did we get here?

Kate and Will Spicer's brother, Tom, has Fragile X Syndrome, the most common form of inherited learning disability. He is also a massive fan of Lars Ulrich from Metallica. They made a promise to Tom that they would get him to meet Lars. Tom's dream is their promise. Together they went on a Mission to Lars.

The changing face of 1950s Scotland.

Docudrama examining the effects of incest on a family - the secrecy, guilt, fear, and lack of communication that distort the structure of a family's relationships and make them prisoners.

Reflecting Peter O'Toole's theatrical legacy, this feature documentary is structured into four acts, each introduced by a quote about O'Toole that encapsulates his life during a specific period.