TELEVISION - 2011
Barbara Windsor : A Comedy Roast - A panel of celebrities line up to celebrate and denigrate actress Barbara Windsor. The Roast is compered by Jimmy Carr and also features Alan Carr, Patrick Kielty, Bernard Cribbins, Cheryl Ferguson and Christopher Biggins (10, 46 minutes, 1 Disc, Channel 4, PAL)
Hattie Jacques Tribute - To celebrate the life of actress Hattie Jacques, the BBC re-broadcast 2 episodes of programmes she featured in with Eric Sykes + her appearance on "This is Your Life" in 1963. The 1st programme is "Sykes and a Haunting" from 1962 and is in Black and White. The 2nd programme is "Stranger" from the 1st series of "Sykes" from 1972. This episode features Peter Sellers as a criminal on the run. The "This is Your Life" epsiode is in Black and White (10, 2011 re-broadcasts with each show approx. 30 minutes in length, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Arctic with Bruce Parry - Explorer Bruce Parry travels in and around the Arctic circle meeting indigenous tribes to discover how climate change and the advance of the modern world is affecting their lives, and also experiences life amongst the people by staying for days at a time, living as they do. Bruce travels to Siberia, Greenland, Alaska, Canada and Northern Europe (10, 5 episodes at 1 hour each, 3 Discs, BBC, PAL)
Under Pressure : Vernon Kay - Radio 1 DJ and television personality Vernon Kay is tasked with re-forming his Youth American Football team from 1988 to play a 1 off game against the British College champions. The ex-players from the Manchester All-Stars are now in their 40's. The programme follows training and preparation for the game (10, 46 minutes, 1 Disc, ITV, PAL)
Let's Dance for Comic Relief - Celebrities re-create famous dances and compete against each other to raise money for Comic Relief. Celebrities include comedian Russell Kane (Beyonce), Comedian Noel Fielding (Kate Bush), Actors James Thornton and Charlie Baker (Puttin' on the Ritz) and ex-model Katie Price (Queen). The winner was James Thornton and Charlie Baker. Coverage includes all 3 semi-finals + the final (10, 2 Discs, BBC, PAL)
Comic Relief - Fund raising event with comedy as the theme. Includes special editions of "Outnumbered" with Andy Murray, Downton Abbey, Miranda and The Inbetweeners. Sketches include Take That hosting a Fake That tribute band and Smithy organising who will go to Africa to make an appeal film (10, 7 hours, 4 Discs, BBC, PAL)
Wonders of the Universe - In a series of 4 episodes of 1 hour duration, Professor Brian Cox finds answers in science to the age old questions of "Who are we ?" and "Where do we come from ?". The episodes are Destiny, Stardust, Falling and Messengers (10, 2 Discs, BBC, PAL)
Dancing on Ice - Live coverage of the Final. Sam Attwater, Laura Hamilton and Chloe Madeley vie for the right to skate the "Bolero" in the final. Sam Attwater wins on the public vote (10, 1 Disc, ITV, PAL)
The Sky at Night - 10/04/11 - Astronomer Patrick Moore celebrates the 700th episode of the series with a question-and-answer session with a few friends ; Chris Lintott, Prof Brian Cox, Prof Alan Fitzsimmons, Dr. Lucie Green and Astronomer Royal Martin Rees. The questions are asked by celebrity amateur astronomer Jon Culshaw (10, On the same disc as the Space Shuttle : A Horizon guide - 1 hour, BBC, PAL)
The Space Shuttle: A Horizon Guide - A documentary chronicling the life of Nasa's Space Shuttle, examining the triumphs and tragedies over the 30 years of it's service. Includes interviews with Shuttle pilots and crews (10, On the same disc as The Sky at Night 700th episode - 1 hour, BBC, PAL)
Sir Bobby Charlton: Football Icon - The story of the ex-Manchester United and England star whose remarkable career included the Munich Air Crash of 1958 and the winning of the World Cup in 1966. The programme includes interviews with former players, coaches and family and also with the man himself (10, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
The Royal Wedding : Prince William and Kate Middleton - The full BBC coverage from the day + 1 documentary + ITV Local news reports from Kate's home town (10, 8.5 hours of coverage, 6 Discs, BBC - Edwards/Rayworth/Bruce, PAL)
The Quite Remarkable David Coleman - To celebrate the 85th birthday of the pioneering sports TV presenter, friends and family remember his TV career that started in 1954 (10, 1 hour, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
The Comedy Genius of John Sullivan - Friends and colleagues remember writer John Sullivan, who passed away in 2011. Sullivan wrote the TV shows "Only Fools and Horses" and "Citizen Smith" as well as others. The Disc also contains Sullivan's 1st ever TV outing in 1977, the 1st episode of Citizen Smith + a 1978 episode of "The Two Ronnies" which Sullivan wrote for (10, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
The Queen in Ireland - For the 1st time in 100 years, a reigning British monarch made a state visit to the Republic of Ireland. The Queen and Prince Philip met with President Mary McAleese before laying a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance, which commemorates those who died in the fight for Irish independence. The 1st day of the trip ended with a visit to the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth in Dublin, named after Elizabeth I. Coverage starts as the Queen arrives and ends while she is visiting Trinity College (10, 1 hour 45 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Our 'Enry : A tribute to Sir Henry Cooper - A posthumous tribute to British Heavyweight Boxer Henry Cooper, including interviews with family and friends and colleagues + clips from some of his fights (10, 43 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Britain's got Talent - The Live Final. A hotly contested final was won by singer Jai McDowall, beating singer and hot favourite Ronan Parke into 2nd place. Jai McDowall's win earned him the £100,000 prize money + a chance to perform at the Royal Variety performance (10, Includes ITV2 post-show, 2 Discs, ITV, PAL)
Family Guy : The Star Wars Trilogy - A collection of the 3 special editions of "Family Guy" that re-told the story of Star Wars using the characters from the show. The 3 episodes are "Blue Harvest", "Something, Something, Something Dark Side" and "It's a Trap !". Each episode is 41 minutes long and are the TV versions (10, 1 Disc, FOX, PAL)
50 Greatest Harry Potter Moments - A look at 50 moments that defined the Harry Potter film series, including the 1st ever meeting between Harry, Ron and Hermione + the deaths of Dobby and Sirius. Narrated by Robbie Coltrane and featuring interviews with the cast, JK Rowling and celebrity fans of the show (10, 1 hour 30 minutes, 1 Disc, ITV, PAL)
The Space Shuttle : The Final Mission - British ex-NASA scientist Kevin Fong follows the final weeks of the final Space Shuttle launch with a behind-the-scenes look at the program. Includes interviews with scientists, astronauts and staff responsible for a successful launch (10, 1 hour, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
The Space Shuttle's Last Flight - A retrospective look at the Space Shuttle program including interviews with scientists, astronauts and people involved in the design and running of the Space Shuttle (10, 1 hour 27 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
9/11: Day That Changed the World - To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, America's key decision-makers reflect on how they managed the crisis. Includes interviews with Former vice president Dick Cheney, ex-defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, mayor of New York at the time Rudy Giuliani and former First Lady Laura Bush (10, 1 hour 30 mins, 1 Disc, ITV, PAL)
Newsnight: The 9/11 Decade - Kirsty Wark presents an edition of the current affairs show from New York, marking the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The programme examines the impact of the American response to the incidents, and political and cultural figures discuss how the world has changed over the past decade (10, On the same disc as the UK memorial service, 1 hour 5 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
America Remembers September 11th - Coverage of the memorial ceremony from Ground Zero in New York, marking the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks (10, 1 hour 45 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Britain Remembers September 11th - Coverage of the memorial ceremony from the US Ambassadors residence in Grosvenor Square in London, marking the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks (10, 1 hour - On the same disc as the Newsnight: The 9/11 Decade, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
David Croft : A Tribute - As a tribute to TV comedy writer David Croft, who died in September, the BBC ran a eulogy presented by writing partner John Lloyd and followed it with 3 of his best shows ; 1972 Dad's Army, 1977 Are You Being Served ? and 1984 'Allo 'Allo (10, 1 hour 32 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Frost on Satire - David Frost examines the power of television satire in the UK and America and asks whether it is able to alter the course of political events. With contributions from UK satirists Rory Bremner, Ian Hislop and John Lloyd + US satirists Chevy Chase, Tina Fey and Will Ferrell. Also includes an interview with Lorne Michaels, producer of Saturday Night Live (10, 1 hour, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Holy Flying Circus - A drama documentary about the 1979 cinema release of Monty Python's Life of Brian, presented in a Pythonesque style. The documentary is told from the Python's point of view with Charles Edwards as Michael Palin and Darren Boyd as John Cleese (10, 1 hour 30 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
The Kennedys: A Culture Show Special - As a result of the TV series "The Kennedys", a panel of experts discuss the historical fascination with John F Kennedy, looking at his rise to power and his tenure as President, and discuss the merits and failures of the TV series. The panel are led by Jonathan Freedland and include Historian Professor Tony Badger, political journalist John Sergeant, political commentator Anne McElvoy and Sarah Bradford, biographer of Jackie Kennedy (10, 1 hour on the same disc as JFK: The Making of Modern Politics, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
JFK: The Making of Modern Politics - Andrew Marr discusses the impact that John F Kennedy had on the making of modern politics as a result of his election campaign of 1960 (10, 1 hour on the same disc as The Kennedys: A Culture Show Special, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Frost on Nixon - Joan Bakewell talks to Sir David Frost about his landmark interviews with former United States president Richard Nixon in 1977. The programme is followed by the original BBC airing of the interview which was culled from over 23 hours of footage. The interview with Joan Bakewell is 45 minutes long. The Nixon interview is 1 hour 15 minutes long (10, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Frozen Planet - Documentary following the lives of animals that visit and live on the Arctic and Antarctic continents. The episodes are "To the Ends of the Earth", "Spring", "Summer", "Autumn", "Winter", "The Last Frontier" and "On thin ice". Each episode is 1 hour (10, Original BBC broadcast, 3 Discs, BBC, PAL)
Fry and Laurie : Re-United - British comedians Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie are re-united on the 30th anniversary of their 1st meeting to reflect on their lives and careers together. Disc also includes 2 episodes of "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" (10, 1 Disc, Gold, PAL)
Sir Jimmy Savile Tribute - A posthumous tribute to the former DJ, TV celebrity and charity fund-raiser who died in 2011. 2 shows (As it Happens + How's about that then ?) detail his life and career and include footage of Top of the Pops and Jim'll Fix It and also interviews with family, friends and people whose lives in changed through his charity work (10, 1 hour 30 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Bear's Wild Weekend with Miranda Hart - Adventurer/Explorer Bear Grylls takes comedienne Miranda Hart on a weekend expedition to the Swiss Alps, living in the wild and conquering natural obstacles (10, 50 minutes, 1 Disc, ITV, PAL)
Bear's Wild Weekend with Jonathan Ross - Adventurer/Explorer Bear Grylls takes TV chat show host Jonathan Ross on a weekend expedition to the rainforest of the Canary Islands, living in the wild and conquering natural obstacles (10, 50 minutes, 1 Disc, ITV, PAL)
Perspectives : Down by the River - Actor Hugh Laurie travels to New Orleans and explains his passion for Blues music. Includes behind the scenes footage of Hugh recording his Blues album and also includes footage of his performance at Latrobes in New Orleans, along with Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas and Tom Jones (10, 46 minutes, 1 Disc, ITV, PAL)
If Walls Could Talk: The History of the Home - Historian Dr. Lucy Worsley examines the history of 4 rooms in the modern house and follows its changes through 800 years of domestic history. The rooms featured are The Living Room, The Bathroom, The Bedroom and The Kitchen (9, 4 episodes of 45 minutes length, 2 Discs, BBC, PAL)
Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency - To mark the 200th anniversary of the Regency period, historian Dr. Lucy Worsley examines what life was like during this period of cultural, artistic and political change (10, 3 episodes of 1 hour length, 2 Discs, BBC, PAL)
My Life in Books - Series 1 - Anne Robinson hosts a chat show which invites well-known personalities to discuss the books they most love and why (10, 10 episodes of 30 minutes each - 2 episodes per disc, 2 Discs, BBC, PAL)
Disc 1
Episode 1 - Writer PD James and TV presenter Richard Bacon
Episode 2 - Writer Giles Coren and Comedian Sue Perkins
Episode 3 - TV presenter Clare Balding and Comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli
Episode 4 - TV presenter Sir Trevor McDonald and Comedian/Actor Rebecca Front
Episode 5 - Historians and Father and Son Peter Snow and Dan Snow
Disc 2
Episode 6 - Nun Sister Wendy and Interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
Episode 7 - Writer Jeanette Winterson and Politician Alastair Campbell
Episode 8 - Duchess of Devonshire and Actor Elizabeth McGovern
Episode 9 - Actor Larry Lamb and Comedian Sarah Millican
Episode 10 - Writer Robert Harris and TV presenter Trinny Woodall