Shop Newsletter |
Friday 17th January 2020 |
Good evening! It's our first Shop Newsletter of the year - and somehow the month is already more than half way through?! What? No, we're not sure how that happened either, but it does mean there's a whole load of new releases to let you know about. Let's start off with one of last year's hottest titles at the British cinema, followed by a host of exciting new HD restorations from archive heroes Network Distributing.
Coming soon
A Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
It's one small step for lamb in Shaun's new out of this world adventure! When a mischievous alien crash-lands near Mossy Bottom farm, Shaun sets on a thrilling rescue mission to help return her home, while a secret government UFO organisation is hot on their trail, can Shaun and the flock avert Farmageddon before it's too late? From the multi-award-winning studio that brought you Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit, hold on to your seats as we blast off on an exciting and heart-warming sci-fi comedy adventure.
A box set including the first Shaun The Sheep film is also available to order, on both DVD and regular Blu-ray.
The Love Ban
A rumbustious sex comedy from the esteemed team of director Ralph Thomas and producer Betty Box, The Love Ban (aka It's A 2'6" Above The Ground World) stars Hywel Bennett and Nanette Newman as an enthusiastically procreative couple with a family planning problem.
Based on the hit stage play - and also featuring Nicky Henson and John Cleese - it is presented here as a brand-new high definition transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
The Duke Wore Jeans
British pop icon Tommy Steele stars in a wonderfully exuberant musical comedy as a Cockney who wins the heart of a princess when he poses as an aristocrat. Featuring songs written by Lionel Bart, Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased) star Mike Pratt and Steele himself, The Duke Wore Jeans's soundtrack album scored a number one hit in 1958. The movie has been freshly remastered in high definition from the original film for this sparkling new release.
When the son of an impoverished aristocrat is manoeuvred into a potential arranged marriage under guise of selling access to their famous prize bull, he finds salvation in a chance meeting with a chirpy Cockney lad who happens to be his exact likeness.
Play It Cool!
Another pop feature, "Britain's Elvis Presley" - Liverpudlian idol Billy Fury - stars in this charming, pre-Beatles-era tale. One of Michael Winner's earliest films and a 1962 box-office hit spawning a top-ten single and EP, Play It Cool! features cameos from some of the most recognisable stars of the Sixties and beyond, with Bobby Vee, Helen Shapiro and Shane Fenton (aka Alvin Stardust) among the artistes encountered by Fury and his fictional band.
Billy Universe and the Satellites, a happy-go-lucky rhythm and twist group, are en route to Brussels to compete in a song contest; on the same flight is Ann Bryant, who's being sent abroad by her wealthy father to try to curb her infatuation with disreputable popster Larry Granger. When fog forces the plane to return to the airport, Billy and friends persuade Ann to join them in the West End, where they will search for Larry. What follows is a whirlwind musical tour of London's nightclubs!
Again, it's presented in a brand new HD remaster from the original film stock.
Wilt
In this remaster, Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith star in the film based on Tom Sharpe's much-loved novel, adapted by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick.
Teacher Henry Wilt spends his evenings walking his dog and fantasising about murdering his domineering wife, Eva. Whilst incredibly drunk at a party, Wilt's entanglement with a life-size inflatable doll ends with him dumping it in a convenient hole at a building site. The following morning, when Eva cannot be found, Wilt's activities attract the suspicion of the dogged Inspector Flint of Norwich CID, who firmly believes that Mrs Wilt is now pushing up twenty tons of pre-mixed concrete...
The Fast Lady and Father Came Too!
James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter give lively, starring performances in this highly popular comedy from the early 1960s and its follow-up, both newly remastered and restored in HD, available on Blu-ray for the first time.
Prominently featuring Julie Christie in a very early role, The Fast Lady follows fervent cyclist Murdoch Troon after he is run unceremoniously off the road by impatient car-driving tycoon Charles Chingford. While tracking down Chingford to give him a piece of his mind, Murdoch falls for his beautiful, car-mad daughter and finds himself talked into buying a 1927 vintage Red Label Speed Bentley in order to impress her! But first, he has to learn how to drive...
Featuring a remarkable array of comedy talent - including Ronnie Barker, Kenneth Cope, Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd - Father Came Too! focuses on newlyweds Dexter and Juliet Munro, who purchase a ramshackle cottage in order to escape her overbearing father, Shakespearean actor-manager Sir Beverly Grant. But Sir Beverley soon turns up on the doorstep, determined to "help"... and the incompetent builder and his skiffling workmates hired by his son-in-law quickly earn the full force of his temper.
The Iron Maiden
From the director and producer team of the Carry On films comes this joyous 1962 caper, which aimed to do for the steam engine what Genevieve had done for the motor car.
Aeroplane designer Jack Hopkins is notably absent from his creation's latest test flight. He is, in fact, many miles away indulging his greatest passion: an old, steam-powered showman's traction engine called The Iron Maiden. Jack has his heart set on entering the prestigious Annual Steam Rally at Woburn Abbey, but hadn't reckoned on some fierce and devious opposition as before he even arrives there!
Michael Craig is the engineering genius whose hobby spells trouble for boss Cecil Parker, with Alan Hale Jr. as an American tycoon who eventually comes to share his passion. Anne Helm, Joan Sims, Sam Kydd and Jim Dale are amongst the other stars in this wonderful comedy.
Some Girls Do
Richard Johnson returns as Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond in this action-packed take on the exploits of H.C. McNeile's famous fictional hero - this time with an added dose of late '60s whimsy when Drummond comes up against a gang of armed, gorgeous fembots. Some Girls Do is presented here as a new high definition transfer from original film elements in its original aspect ratio.
Drummond is hot on the trail of his nemesis, the devious Carl Petersen, who is hell-bent on sabotaging the new British fighter airplane. Peterson must be stopped - whatever the cost - but this time he's protected by a bodyguard of murderous female androids...
Monty Python's Flying Circus - Complete Series 2
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of a genuinely iconic series, Network presents Monty Python's Flying Circus, starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, in all its HD glory! This unrivalled restoration has been produced from the best available materials, painstakingly restored... and includes just the right amount of lovely spam, wonderful spam... Previously edited sketches have been returned to their original length, while filmed sequences and Terry Gilliam's animations have been newly scanned in high definition, adding unimaginable depth and clarity to classic moments. From the archive come genuine rarities including previously unseen studio outtakes and extended versions of filmed sketch material, making this the ultimate in television restoration and a must-have for every generation of Python fan!
We've a copy of the Blu-ray DigiPak release - including a great, authoritative book about this second series - to give away. Enter now!
Worzel Gummidge
One of the big family TV hits of the festive period, this is the brand new BBC adaptation of Worzel Gummidge.
Inspired by the classic books of Barbara Euphan Todd, these two episodes introduce the witty, mischievous scarecrow who mysteriously comes to life to a new generation. Directed, written by and starring the multi BAFTA Award-winning Mackenzie Crook (The Office, Detectorists), the series is a timely and revealing examination through humour of how everybody needs a place to call home... including scarecrows.
Other stars are Michael Palin, Rosie Cavaliero, Steve Pemberton, Thierry Wickens, Vicki Pepperdine & Zoe Wanamaker.
Sick Of It 2
Karl and his grumpy alter ego return in the acclaimed tragi-comedy about a middle aged man haunted by the voice in his head. Surreal, joyful, poignant, and peppered with Karl's trademark wit and comic philosophising, Series 2 plunges us deeper into the world of the lovable loser as he lurches from one existential crisis to another.
When Karl's elderly Aunt Norma hires a sparky young care worker to replace him as her caregiver, Karl begins a mission to make more of himself. His hapless attempts at self-improvement are soon derailed while what began as outright hostility towards Norma's new carer blossoms into an unlikely attraction. With everything else falling apart in Karl's world, will they get it together? Or will Karl and his alter ego manage to sabotage his life once again?
Act Your Age
The BBC Radio 4 panel game that pits three comic generations against each other, presented by Simon Mayo. Will the Up and Comers, the Current Crop or the Old Guard be crowned as the Golden Age of Comedy?
In these eighteen episodes, the contestants share their favourite jokes, trade comedic banter and go up against each other in quickfire rounds including 'Generation Why', in which they use stand-up to point out the shortcomings of their generation, 'Against the Clock', where two comedians compete against each other to get their laughs in the shortest time and 'Dear Simon', which sees the panellists turn agony aunt (or uncle) to try and solve a listener's problem.
Bristow - The Complete Series 1-3
Michael Williams stars in all three series of the BBC Radio 4 sitcom based on Frank Dickens's famous comic strip character. Bristow is a middle-aged, ineffectual buying clerk for the Chester-Perry Organisation. He is merely a small cog in a gigantic wheel...and he knows it. But he has his own small ways of rebelling, and together with sparring partner, Jones, and tea lady, Mrs Purdy, he weaves hopeless tangles of red tape to confound the system and liven up everyone's day.
All 14 episodes from three series of the comedy are included.
The Mary Millington Movie Collection
Almost 41 years since Mary Millington's death, this special edition Blu-ray box set (individually numbered and limited to 3, 000 units) features the adult star's most glamorous film roles as new, stunning HD restorations, including: Come Play With Me (1977, the UK's longest-running film at the cinema); The Playbirds (1978); Confessions From The David Galaxy Affair (1979); Queen Of The Blues (1979); Mary Millington's True Blue Confessions (1980); and Respectable: The Mary Millington Story (2015), an in-depth documentary chronicling her extraordinary life.
The set is filled with scintillating new extras, packaged in a collectable case (displaying brand new artwork throughout) and includes a huge 80-page book with an introduction from David Sullivan and notes by biographer Simon Sheridan.
Vent - The Complete BBC Radio Series 1-3
Vent charts coma patient Ben's (Neil Pearson) journey from the depths of unconsciousness, where he travels through the distinctly odd landscape of his own mind, to recovery and his attempts to readjust to the real world. In Series 1 and 2, as his mum and wife Mary sit round his bedside and wonder how to wake him up, Ben's mind is busy elsewhere. In his imagination, he lives with his two-year-old daughter Blitz (now miraculously grown up), encounters celebrities such as Sue Lawley, Elvis Presley and Tom Paulin, relives memories from his past and gets into a compromising situation with a fellow inmate at a strangely familiar Torquay hotel. Meanwhile, an imaginary sitcom written by him, about coma patients in a hospital, plays in the background.
StarDog And TurboCat
Launched into space by his scientist owner in 1969, loyal dog Buddy crash lands in the present-day in a small town where pets are ruthlessly rounded up by animal-hating cop Peck. Desperate to be reunited with his owner, Buddy recruits genius millionaire cat Felix to help him on a madcap adventure across town. But when they encounter rabbit Cassidy and her misfit organisation of animal rights activists G.U.A.R.D., Buddy and Felix are forced to confront Peck and become the heroes they need to be!
Starring Luke Evans, Nick Frost, Gemma Arterton and Bill Nighy, it's a funny animated adventure about friendship, heroism and belief in the human capacity for good that introduces the whole family to the greatest heroes ever unleashed. The Blu-ray release of this British comedy film includes both 2D and 3D versions.
Jeremy Hardy Speaks Volumes
Jeremy Hardy, who died in February 2019, was perhaps the most distinctive and brilliant comedian to arise from the 80s Alternative Comedy circuit. He regularly entertained the millions who heard his outrageous rants on The News Quiz, his notoriously bad singing on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, or his hilarious monologues and sketches on the award-winning Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation and Jeremy Hardy Feels It.
Often referred to as 'the comedian's comedian', Jeremy's comedy could be both personal and political, ranging in topics from prison reform to parenting, from British identity to sex. His comedy could be biting, provocative and illuminating, but it could also be surreal, mischievous and, at times, very silly. Outspoken and a lifelong socialist, Jeremy's greatest skill was that, through his warmth and humanity, he always brought the audience along with him.
Jeremy Hardy Speaks Volumes is a fitting celebration to this brilliant comedian. Containing material from his stand-up to his radio monologues and political satire to the joyfully silly gems - and curated to encompass everything about Jeremy that fans adored - Jeremy Hardy Speaks Volumes is wise, daft, outrageous, satirical, personal and, above all, very funny: like Jeremy himself.
Last Christmas
The new Christmas comedy, written by Emma Thompson and based around the music of Wham! and George Michael.
Kate (Emilia Clarke) harumphs around London, a bundle of bad decisions accompanied by the jangle of bells on her shoes, another irritating consequence from her job as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop. Tom (Henry Golding) seems too good to be true when he walks into her life and starts to see through so many of Kate's barriers. As London transforms into the most wonderful time of the year, nothing should work for these two. But sometimes, you gotta let the snow fall where it may, you gotta listen to your heart ... and you gotta have faith.
For more, see our full list of new releases and products coming soon.
Out now
Miranda Hart's Joke Shop - The Complete BBC Radio Comedy Series
The complete BBC Radio 2 collection by the BAFTA nominated and NTA award winning Miranda Hart.
Miranda is an unconventional woman. She's six feet tall, self-conscious and posh. And is frequently mistaken for a man. She's also invested her inheritance in a joke shop that she runs with her friend Stevie while trying to deal with her outrageously embarrassing mother. Though surrounded by chocolate willies, Miranda is determined to suss out what it takes to be a girly girl and to not look a complete idiot every time she meets the gorgeous Gary. Starring Miranda Hart, Sarah Hadland, Patricia Hodge and Tom Ellis. This collection also includes the previously unavailable pilot episode where Alison Steadman played Miranda's mother, Penny, and Morwenna Banks was Stevie.
Gavin & Stacey - A Special Christmas
The TV event of the Christmas period - quickly becoming one of the most-watched television programmes of the entire last decade - this hugely popular special revisiting Gavin & Stacey is available now on DVD.
Last time it was Billericay for Christmas, but the deal has always been to alternate, and this year we're heading to Barry where Uncle Bryn's cooking dinner for over thirteen people. He's understandably tense. Pam would secretly prefer to spend Christmas in Essex as she finds Gwen's house a bit lacking, but as long as she gets to be a doting grandparent along with Mick and Gwen, it doesn't really matter where they eat their turkey. Gavin and Stacey's baby is now nine and for them, parenthood can sometimes be a challenge. Smithy, a committed dad to twelve year old Neil the Baby makes the journey to Barry at weekends and every second Wednesday, whilst Nessa adopts her own brand of Nessa-style mothering.
Elephants To Catch Eels - The Complete Series 1-2
The complete Series 1 and 2 of the BBC Radio comedy set in an 18th-Century Cornish village. In the first series, Tamsyn Trelawny's band of 18th-century Cornish smugglers try to outwit customs officers, a hairy folk band helps Tamsyn and the smugglers to escape the law, and Tamsyn tries to keep her love-life out of the scandal rags. In the second series, Tamsyn wants to win 'Peasants' Personality of the Year', and her head is turned by hunky new band of outlaws 'Boyz 2 Rob'.
George Egg - Anarchist Cook
If you like food, you'll like this. Internationally acclaimed comedian George Egg is also a rather fanatical self-taught cook with a somewhat anarchic approach to making meals. As obsessed with culinary matters as he is with comedic ones, and finding himself dissatisfied with the quality and cost of takeaways and room-service meals while touring the stand-up comedy clubs of the world, George embarks on a project to take matters into his own surprisingly capable hands. A surreal and absurd mix of stand-up comedy and striking innovation.
Blinded By The Light
From writer/director/producer Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) comes the inspirational comedy drama Blinded By The Light, set to the music and lyrics of Bruce Springsteen's timeless songs. It tells the story of Javed (Viveik Kalra), a British teen of Pakistani descent, growing up in the town of Luton, England, in 1987.
Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he writes poetry as a means to escape the intolerance of his hometown and the inflexibility of his traditional father. But when a classmate introduces him to the music of 'The Boss', Javed sees parallels to his working-class life in Springsteen's powerful lyrics. As Javed discovers a cathartic outlet for his own pent-up dreams, he also begins to find the courage to express himself in his own unique voice.
Based on Sarfraz Manzoor's acclaimed memoir, Blinded By The Light is available now on DVD, and HMV-exclusive Blu-ray.
Life On Egg - Series 1 & 2
In this sitcom, Harry Hill stars as the governor of Britain's remotest prison. In Series 1 he has to contend with the prison inspectors, mysteriously malfunctioning CCTV cameras, escaping prisoners, and even the prison being attacked by a pair of mating whales. In Series 2 he and the team pitch a new invention to Dragon's Den, he tries to get his stomach around a food shortage, and a self-destruct button being found in the prison. Along with Harry Hill, Life On Egg also stars Gyles Brandreth who plays himself as Prisoner Brandreth.
Plebs - Series 1 - 5
The complete five series to date of ITV2's hit Ancient Rome-set sitcom Plebs, starring Tom Rosenthal, Ryan Sampson, Joel Fry and Jon Pointing.
Worzel Gummidge - The Complete Collection
With the new adaptation by Mackenzie Crook freshly in our minds, a re-release of the hugely successful 1980s version of the loveable scarecrow's adventures, is now available in this single complete box set.
Jon Pertwee stars as the walking, talking scarecrow who lives on Scatterbrook Farm, where he stands in Ten Acre field. Impossibly infatuated with Aunt Sally (Una Stubbs), a giant doll, they befriend children John and Susan Peters, whom he regularly lands in trouble with his mischievous, often childish and obstinate behaviour.
This big 9 disc set comprises all four original ITV series, the 2 follow-up Down Under series from New Zealand, and the musical Christmas special, the latter of which has been newly remastered from the series' original film negatives.
For more, see our full list of new releases and products coming soon.
Thanks for reading
You can find our full comedy shop on our website at any time, and some of the best new release news, competitions and bargains on Twitter: @BritComedyShop.
British Comedy Guide
www.comedy.co.uk
