TELEVISION - 2019
Imagine : Jo Brand - No Holds Barred - Alan Yentob looks at the life and career of British female comedian Jo Brand, who blazed a trail for Female stand-up comedians in the 1980's and 1990's. He starts at her working-class roots in south London, through her teenage tearaway years in Hastings and her working life as a psychiatric nurse before breaking through as a comedian and ultimately a Television presenter. Includes contributions from Peter Capaldi, Alan Davies, Victoria Coren Mitchell, Mark Thomas, Mary Beard, Morwenna Banks and Ian Hislop (10, 1 hour, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
The Paras : Men of War - A fly-on-the-wall documentary following the selection, training and combat exercises of new army recruits as they strive to qualify to join the most elite and controversial regiment in the British army - the Parachute Regiment (10, 3 Episodes of 48 minutes each, 2 Discs, ITV, PAL)
American History's Biggest Fibs - Historian Dr. Lucy Worsley revisits 3 moments of American History to uncover the true story of the time and not the myth that surrounds the events. The 3 moments investigated are "The American Revolution", "The Civil War" and "Supremacy" (10, 3 Episodes of 1 hour, 2 Discs, BBC, PAL)
The Brexit Storm : Laura Kuenssberg's Inside Story - BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg goes inside the 9 months between Prime Minister Theresa May's infamous Chequers cabinet meeting and her last failed chance to push through her Brexit deal in the House of Commons. She covers the in-fighting in the Tory party, the cabinet resignations and backbench plots and offers personal insights into what was going on (10, 1 hour, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Celebrity SAS : Who Dares Wins - 12 celebrities take on the SAS selection process in Chile to raise awareness for "Stand Up To Cancer". Former SAS soldier Ant Middleton and his instructors put the celebrities through their paces to find who has the right stuff to be selected and celebrities that cannot take it are encouraged to quit. The celebrities are Victoria Pendleton, Camilla Thurlow, Wayne Bridge, Jeremy Irvine, AJ Odudu, Jeff Brazier, Heather Fisher, Ben Foden, Louise Mensch, Andrea McLean, Dev Griffin and Sam Thompson (10, 5 episodes of 46 minutes, 3 Discs, Channel 4, PAL)
Bear's Mission with David Walliams - Survivalist Bear Grylls spends a weekend with Comedian and Writer David Walliams in the Devon countryside, abseiling down cliffs and climbing rope ladders up a viaduct (10, 46 minutes, 1 Disc, ITV, PAL)
Jocky Wilson Said - The story of the rise and fall of cult Scottish sporting hero and 2-time World Darts Champion, Jocky Wilson. Wilson rose from unemployment in Kirkcaldy to the top of the Darts World in the early 1980's, before succumbing to a drinking problem that forced him out of the game in the mid 1990's and into life as a recluse before passing away in 2012. Includes archive footage and interviews with friends and darts contemporaries including Bobby George, John Lowe and Phil Taylor (9, Copied from the Internet, 1 Hour, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
D-Day 75 : Tribute to the Heroes - Live from Southsea Common in Portsmouth, Huw Edwards introduces coverage of the National Commemorative Event taking place to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Over 300 of the last surviving D-Day veterans will join the Queen and the President of the United States Donald Trump, together with other world leaders from the Allied Nations in Portsmouth. The commemorations will tell the remarkable story of the build up to the D-Day Landings through veteran testimony, theatrical performances and musical numbers, culminating with a spectacular flypast featuring aircraft old and new, including the Red Arrows (10, 4 hours, 2 Discs, BBC - Edwards, PAL)
D-Day 75 : Remembering the Fallen - Live coverage of the commemorative service taking place in Bayeux War Cemetery in Normandy to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, together with other foreign dignitaries, join veterans at the cemetery in Bayeux for a poignant service of remembrance, to pay tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of all those who served and lost their lives fighting for the restoration of peace. The service features commentary from Fergal Keane (10, 4 hours, 2 Discs, BBC - Raworth, PAL)
Back to Life - Written and starring British actress and writer Daisy Haggard. She plays Miri Matteson, a thirty-something ex-con moving back in with her parents in Hythe in Kent after a long stretch inside. Miri and her parents have to cope with the tide of resentment against her return, even as she struggles to live a normal life. Meanwhile, she learns the true story of what happened the day of the murder that she went down for (9, 6 episodes of 23 minutes, 2 Discs, BBC, PAL)
The Graham Norton Show - 17/05/19 - Comedian Jack Whitehall sits in for Graham Norton. His guests are Comedian and Author David Walliams, Footballer Peter Crouch, Actor Luke Evans and Actress Gwendoline Christie. Music comes from Sam Fender (10, 50 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Britain's Next Prime Minister : The Channel 4 debate - Channel 4 newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murthy hosts a live debate between the main challengers for the leadership of the Conservative Party, which is also the role of Prime Minister. Of the 6 candidates, only 5 turned up : Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, Sajid Javid and Rory Stewart. Favourite Boris Johnson declined to attend. The candidates faced questions from a studio audience drawn from across the country (10, 1 hour 15 minutes, 1 Disc, Channel 4, PAL)
Our Next Prime Minister - BBC Politics presenter Emily Maitlis interviews the 5 Conservative candidates vying to become the next Prime Minister ; Boris Johnson, Sajid Javid, Michael Gove, Rory Stewart and Jeremy Hunt. The 5 candidates fielded questions via video-link from all around the country, on subjects such as Brexit, Taxes, Poverty and Islamaphobia (10, 1 hour, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Britain's Next Prime Minister : The ITV debate - ITV newsreader and journalist Julia Etchingham interviews the 2 candidates vying for the position of leader of the Conservative Party, which is also the role of Prime Minister. The 2 candidates are Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt (9, 49 minutes, 1 Disc, ITV, PAL)
The UK's Next Prime Minister - BBC News special from the 23/07/19 as the winner of the Tory Leadership contest is revealed. Boris Johnson defeated Jeremy Hunt to become leader of the Conservative Party and the next Prime Minister. Includes the "Politics Live" show from the same day that discusses the aftermath of the vote (10, 2 hours, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
The New Prime Minister - BBC News special from the 24/07/19, presented by Andrew Marr, on the day Conservative minister Boris Johnson took office as the new Prime Minister. Coverage also includes his full maiden speech outside #10 Downing Street (10, 40 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
8 Days : To the Moon and Back - To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing, this dramatic reconstruction uses actual NASA audio from the Apollo 11 crew to tell the story of the mission. Actors play the parts of the crew but lip-sync to the audio of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. The documentary covers the launch, the first sight of the moon, the dramatic Lunar descent and ascent and the journey home. Original archive footage from the Apollo programme is combined with newly shot film and cinematic CGI to create the ultimate documentary of the ultimate human adventure (10, 1 hour 30 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
The Sky at Night - 09/06/19 - The show looks at the impending return to the Moon. Dr.Jim Green from NASA looks at the new era of Lunar exploration while other experts look at accommodation on the Moon, the search for Water on the Moon and the answer to the Geology of the Moon (8, On the same disc as the 27/09/60 and 14/07/19 The Sky at Night, 29 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
The Sky at Night - 14/07/19 - The show looks back at the role the BBC played in reporting on the Space Race, from the 1950's through to the 1st Moon Landing in 1969. Includes archive action and interviews with 1960's TV presenter James Burke, British Astronaut Helen Sharman and Professor John Zarnecki (8, On the same disc as the 27/09/60 and 09/06/19 The Sky at Night, 1 Hour, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Chasing the Moon - The story of the race to the Moon, from the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 to Apollo 11, and the first man to set foot on the Moon, in 1969. Includes interviews with the key players, including Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Sergei Khrushchev who is the son of former Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev, + archive coverage from NASA (10, 6 Episodes of 47 minutes, 3 Discs, BBC, PAL)
Moon Launch Live - A reconstruction of the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon Landing, from the launch on the 16th July to the Splashdown on the 24th July, told through the NASA audio and ABC/CBS news coverage of the time. Includes NASA coverage of the LM descent and the moon-walk (10, 2 Episodes of 48 minutes and 1 hour 7 minutes, 1 Disc, Channel 4, PAL)
First Steps : 50 Years after Apollo 11 - CNN looks back at the Apollo 11 mission with memories from Michael Collins, Ed Fendell (CM Comms), Gerry Griffin (Flight Director), Jerry Bostick (Flight Dynamics Officer) and Bill Capentier (Flight Surgeon) (9, On the same disc as 2019 The Day we Walked on the Moon, 26 minutes, 1 Disc, CNN, PAL)
The Day we Walked on the Moon - In a look back at the day man landed on the moon, people involved with the mission and people watching at home give their memories of the day. Includes archive footage of the mission + interviews, among others, with Michael Collins, Gene Kranz and Frank Borman (9, On the same disc as 2019 First Steps : 50 Years after Apollo 11, 46 minutes, 1 Disc, ITV, PAL)
Stargazing Live : Moon Landing Special - To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, Professor Brian Cox and amateur astronomer Dara O Briain travel to Cape Canaveral in Florida. They interview astronaut Charlie Duke, who was Capcom for Apollo 11, about his experiences both with Apollo 11 and with his own Moon landing with Apollo 16. Also astrophysicist Dr Kevin Fong looks at Spacewalk Technology while mathematician Dr Hannah Fry looks at a future Mars buggy (9, 1 hour 30 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC - Cox/O'Briain, PAL)
BBC Proms - The Sounds of Space - Filmed at the Royal Albert Hall, the London Contemporary Orchestra, conducted by Robert Ames, perform songs from various Science Fiction films. The pieces performed are from the following films : Gravity (2013), Under the Skin (2013), Sunshine (2007), Tron (1982), The Innocents (2018), Moon (2009), Forbidden Planet (1956), Alien:Covenant (2017), Arrival (2016) and Interstellar (2014) (10, 1 hour 13 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Extreme Tribe : The Last Pygmies - British Video-Journalist Livia Simoka travels to the remote jungle of the Republic of the Congo to spend five months living with the isolated pygmy tribe, the Mbendjele. She integrates herself into their society and witnesses's 1st hand the ups and downs of their lives while also looking at how things will change when the new logging road will arrive and expose the tribe with the outside world (9, 3 episodes of 46 minutes, 2 Discs, Channel 4, PAL)
Fighter Pilot : The Real Top Gun - A fly-on-the-wall documentary following 2 sets of British pilots : 1 set learning how to be fighter pilots at the "Top Gun" school on Anglesey in Wales and another set, members of the legendary RAF Dambuster squadron, learning how to fly the UK's latest Fighter, the F35 Lightning, at the US Marines base in South Carolina (9, 3 episodes of 46 minutes, 2 Discs, ITV, PAL)
Loose Women : 06/09/19 - To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show, 13 past and present panelists took part in a special reunion episode complete with a quiz, a musical number and a visit from former presenter Stacey Solomon’s new baby Rex. Also, for the first time ever, the four anchors of the show – Andrea McLean, Christine Lampard, Ruth Langsford and Kaye Adams – sat at the desk together. Each section of the episode saw a different line-up of four women sitting at the desk, with the rest becoming the “fifth Loose woman” in the crowd (9, 42 minutes, 1 Disc, ITV, PAL)
The Cameron Years - Using an exclusive interview with David Cameron, the episodes look at David Cameron's career as leader of the Conservative party and as Prime Minister, and his role in the events that led to the EU referendum. Also includes interviews with leading allies and critics from his team, party, and coalition partners (9, 2 episodes of 1 hour each, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Johnson v Corbyn : The ITV Election Debate - Julia Etchingham hosts the pre-election debate between the leaders of the 2 main parties : Boris Johnson for the Conservatives and Jeremy Corbyn for Labour. Both leaders answer questions from the audience on Brexit, the NHS and the Monarchy (9, On the same disc as the 2019 ITV Election Interviews, 50 minutes, 1 Disc, ITV, PAL)
The ITV Election Interviews - Nina Hossain interviews the leaders of 4 of the smaller parties prior to the election. The leaders are Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrats), Nicola Sturgeon (SNP), Nigel Farage (Brexit Party) and Sian Berry (Green Party) (9, On the same disc as the 2019 Johnson v Corbyn : The ITV Election Debate, 1 Hour, 1 Disc, ITV, PAL)
Election 2019 - Coverage of the December General Election, called by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in order to create a majority government that would finally complete the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. A tight contest was expected between the Conservatives, led by Boris Johnson, and Labour, led by Jeremy Corbyn, but the Conservative Party won a landslide victory, securing 365 seats out of 650, giving them an overall majority of 80, their largest majority since 1987. The Conservatives gained seats in several Labour Party strongholds in Northern England, and Labour lost a total of 60 seats reducing them to 202 seats overall. It was the Labour Party's worst loss since 1935 (9, 12.5 hours, 6 Discs, BBC - Edwards, PAL)
A Merry Tudor Christmas - Historian Dr. Lucy Worsley recreates how Christmas was celebrated during the age of Henry VIII by eating, drinking, singing, dancing and partying like people did 500 years ago. On each of the traditional twelve days of Christmas, Lucy explores a different aspect of the season, uncovering fresh insights into the Tudor mind and casting a new light on Christmas itself (10, 1 Hour, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Cunk and other Humans on 2019 - Philomena Cunk and friends look back at the key moments of 2019 and offer their "man-of-the-people" insights (10, 30 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Frankie Boyle's 2019 New World Order - Comedian Frankie Boyle looks back at an eventful 2019 with studio guests Miles Jupp, Jamali Maddix, Sara Pascoe and Kiri Pritchard-McLean (9, 45 mins, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
A Question of Sport at 50 - A documentary telling the story of the World's longest-running television Sports quiz, from it's first episode in January 1970 through it's over 1,200 episodes to the present day. Includes interviews with former contestants and team leaders including David Vine, David Coleman, Sue Barker, Matt Dawson, Phil Tufnell, Sebastian Coe, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Alan Shearer, Denise Lewis, Alex Scott, Ian Wright, Gary Lineker, Ally McCoist, Tim Henman, Gaby Logan and Colin Jackson (9, 1 hour, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Brexitnight - 3 programmes from the night that Britain left the European Union on the 31st January 2020 : BBC News Special with Sophie Rayworth (22 minutes), Road to Brexit with comedian Matt Berry (27 minutes) and Newsnight Special with Emily Maitlis (39 minutes) (9, 1 hour 29 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Got it Covered ! BBC Children in Need - In aid of Children in Need, 10 celebrities got together to record an album to raise funds. The documentary follows the stars as they learn to sing and record their songs at Abbey Road studios. The Celebrities are Helena Bonham Carter, Jim Broadbent, Jodie Whittaker, Olivia Coleman, Shaun Dooley, Luke Evans, Suranne Jones, Adrian Lester, Himesh Patel and David Tennant (9, 1 hour 28 minutes, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey - Historian Dr. Lucy Worsley looks at the varied stories behind Christmas carols, from pagan rituals to religious conflicts, and from French dances to the First World War (9, 1 Hour, 1 Disc, BBC, PAL)
Katherine Ryan : Glitter Room - Canadian stand-up comedian Katherine Ryan presents her show "Glitter Room" in Los Angeles, talking about various topics including the School Run, Anna Kendrick, Bill Cosby, dating and being a mum (9, 1 hour 5 minutes, 1 Disc, Netflix, PAL)
Punk - A 4-part documentary looking back at the evolution of Punk music, from it's creation in the 1960's, through the hey-days of the 1970's and to it's progression to Hardcore in the 90's. Includes live action performance and interviews with key performers including Iggy Pop, Johnny Rotten, Marky Ramone, Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Wayne Kramer, Jello Biafra, Flea and Dave Grohl (9, 4 episodes of 50 minutes each, 2 Discs, SKY Arts, PAL)
Britain's Biggest Warship : Series 2 - A documentary following the British Royal Navy's new flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, on its 4-month deployment to the USA where sea trials take place with the Royal Navy's new F35b Lightning Stealth fighter. Includes interviews with test pilot Nathan Gray and action of the F35b in action (8, Copied from internet, 3 episodes of 1 hour each, 2 Discs, BBC, PAL)