Shop Newsletter |
Friday 27th March 2020 |
Good afternoon! Now we're all properly in lockdown, this week's newsletter focuses on the recently released treats you can already own. First, let's have a quick run-down of the newly announced titles since last time...
Coming soon
The Green Man
An irreverent black comedy adapted by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat from their play Meet A Body, The Green Man marked the directorial debut of camera operator Robert Day.
Alastair Sim plays Hawkins, a timid watchmaker with a part time job - he is also a professional assassin who bumps off the people we love to hate. But when philandering MP Sir Gregory Upshott (Raymond Huntley) is the intended target, vacuum cleaner salesman William Blake (George Cole) and Hawkins's new neighbour Ann Vincent (Jill Adams) repeatedly get in the way. As the time of the assassination draws ever closer and Hawkins tracks his victim to a dilapidated seaside hotel called The Green Man, the laughs and the tension steadily rise to a brilliant climax.
This brand-new HD restoration comes complete with new interviews, including one with Stephen Fry.
At Home With The Braithwaites
Amanda Redman stars with Peter Davison, Lynda Bellingham and Sylvia Syms in the highly popular and critically acclaimed series following the fortunes of a lottery-winning but hilariously dysfunctional family.
Originally transmitted in the early 2000s, At Home With The Braithwaites received a number of award nominations, including from BAFTA, the British Comedy Awards and the International Emmys, and won the TV Quick Award in 2000 for the Best New Drama. This complete set brings all four series together.
The Trip To Greece
Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan have taken themselves off to Greece for their latest series of The Trip, so expect plenty of moussaka and feta and bickering as the two comedians eat their way around the Greek islands.
Lady Godiva Rides Again
Dennis Price and Stanley Holloway star in this classic early-1950s comedy from legendary film-makers Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat.
A cautionary tale of fame and fortune, Lady Godiva Rides Again also stars Kay Kendall and very young Diana Dors and George Cole, and is featured here as a brand-new high definition transfer from original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.
A starstruck provincial waitress wins the local beauty contest to ride as Lady Godiva in the town pageant. She goes on to win first prize in the Fascination Soap Beauty Contest and immediately finds herself plunged into a strange new world of privilege, glamour... and not a little danger!
Military Wives
Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan star in this new comedy drama about a group of military wives who come together to form a choir. With their husbands deployed in Afghanistan, their wives left behind at their English military base form a choir, led by officers' wives Kate (Scott Thomas) and Lisa (Horgan), to cope with their husbands' absence and take their minds off the conflict. What begins with some performances in the local village culminates in a televised concert performance at the Festival of Remembrance in London's Royal Albert Hall. Can the women come together to make the choir a success?
Inspired by the real Military Wives Choirs movement, the film should be in cinemas right now so is available from today to rent through streaming services.
Looking On The Bright Side
Beloved by the British public for her string of hit pre-war films, Gracie Fields's Lancastrian earthiness, impish humour and memorable songs have endeared her to many generations of fans.
Looking On The Bright Side sees Gracie starring opposite romantic lead Richard Dolman in this joyous, early '30s musical romance. It is presented here as a brand-new high definition transfer from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Gracie and Laurie are an item, both onstage and off - he writes the songs and she sings them. Then Laurie has a taste of fame when he gets his first song published and spurns Gracie in pursuit of a glamorous actress.
Friday Night Dinner - Series 6
Channel 4's hit sitcom is back for a sixth tasty helping of squirrel (from tonight, at 10pm).
The six mouth-watering new episodes are already available to pre-order on DVD, as brothers Adam and Jonny return to the family home for a Friday night dinner of roast chicken, crimble-crumble and all-round craziness. In this series Dad buys a grotty old caravan - and starts living in it, Mum almost has a heart attack when the boys both get 'females', Jonny buys the world's most disgusting coat, Adam gaffer-tapes Jonny's phone to the ceiling, Aunty Val takes up sexting, Horrible Grandma wreaks havoc in the Goodman household - and Jim gets a brand-new dog.
Another Shore
A whimsical comedy from Ealing Films starring Robert Beatty as an idle fantasist and Moira Lister as the girl who falls for what she believes is his poetic charm. Supported by Stanley Holloway and directed by the legendary Charles Crichton, Another Shore is featured here as a brand-new high definition transfer from original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.
Gulliver Shiels lies abed in Dublin, loafing to the best of his ability. He whiles away his time dreaming of a South Sea island that, he believes, will be bequeathed to him for an act of selfless charity. When he bumps into ace toper Alastair McNeil, Shiels believes that McNeil could be the benefactor of his daydreams.
For more, see our full list of new releases and products coming soon.
Out now
#ZoologicalSociety
A brand-new musical comedy concept album from Northampton's Royal & Derngate, written by multi-award-winners Vikki Stone and Katie Mulgrew.
Revealing the innermost thoughts of a troupe of loveable zoo animals both onstage and online: from gossiping giraffes and depressed monkeys to a penguin nervous about becoming a single mother and two pandas feeling the pressure to procreate, this brand-new musical comedy is definitely for grown ups only! The cast includes Natasha Barnes, Sharon D Clarke, Arthur Darvill, Jason Manford and Vikki Stone, with the London Musical Theatre Orchestra and Chorus.
Appointment With Venus
Based on a true story, Appointment With Venus is a fine example of the indomitable British spirit during World War 2 in the face of Nazi tyranny.
The Nazis occupied the Channel Islands in 1940: amongst the population on the tiny island of Amorel is Venus, a pedigree cow, whose ability to produce high quality milk is legendary. So well-known is Venus that she has even come to the attention of Hitler who wants to send her to Germany to breed with the Teutonic herds he claims are the best in the world.
To deny Hitler his prize and boost morale at home, British Special Forces - led by Major Moreland (David Niven) and ably assisted by Nicola Fallaize (Glynis Johns) and the Islanders - mount a dangerous operation to rescue Venus and return her to England.
A superb ensemble cast includes Kenneth More, Noel Purcell, Bernard Lee and Richard Wattis.
The Goes Wrong Show - Series 1
The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society undertake another (overly) ambitious endeavour, held back by prolific over-actor Robert Grove, the screen-hogging Sandra Wilkinson and the artistically mistrusted Dennis Tyde.
From the team behind theatre smash hits The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Groan Ups and Magic Goes Wrong comes this first BBC series.
Six brand-new, hand-crafted, half hours of theatrical catastrophe include the gripping courtroom drama A Trial To Watch and World War II spy thriller The Pilot (which is not the pilot). The Goes Wrong Show is simply Mischief's biggest disaster yet.
Kill Ben Lyk
Multiple bullets, multiple targets, one name - 'Kill Ben Lyk!'
In this wild action thriller, a killer must be taken out before they continue their murder spree across London. With the potential targets being held in a safehouse, they must work together to find out the identity of the killer before time runs out.
This independently-produced Franco-British comedy crime thriller is available to buy now to download.
Love, Life & Laughter
Love, Life & Laughter sees Gracie Fields starring opposite '30s leading man John Loder in this decidedly working class spin on a Ruritanian romance, presented here as a brand-new high definition transfer from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Publican's daughter Nellie catches a handsome stranger's eye whilst impersonating Nell Gwyn at a charity pageant. This is no ordinary admirer, however, but the Crown Prince of Granau - who is so enamoured with Nellie's charms that he's compelled to break off his engagement and desert his fiancée.
The Fast Lady
The stars of Very Important Person - James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter - return with lively performances in this highly popular comedy from the early 1960s.
Prominently featuring Julie Christie in a very early role, The Fast Lady is featured here as a brand-new high definition restoration from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Fervent cyclist Murdoch Troon 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...
Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators - Series Three
The third series of the hit BBC daytime programme. Combining corpses, comedy and cracking mysteries, this quirky crime drama has won hearts of viewers in more than 200 countries to date.
Now that Lu has passed her private investigator exams and Frank's tidied himself up a bit, there's no stopping them. But murder, kidnap, blackmail and infidelity still abound in the pretty tourist town of Stratford-upon-Avon. An ageing heavy metal star with a pact with the devil. A Shakespeare museum full of deadly secrets. A King Lear story set in a carpet warehouse. Welcome to the birthplace of the Bard, where low-life criminals get caught up in deliciously high drama.
Guest stars in Series 3 range from Vic Reeves to Rosie Jones, and Sally Lindsay and Don Gilet to Josie Lawrence.
Cold Feet - Complete Series One - Nine
Absorb yourself in all nine series of this heartfelt, truthful comedy drama - including all the classic episodes as well as four new series.
More than twenty years ago, the attempts of six thirty-somethings to find true love - or at least keep their relationships on track - captured the hearts of a nation. In the latest series we reunite with the now fifty-somethings as they battle with love, marriage, friendship, careers, infidelity and children. Facing whatever mid-life throws at them.
Laced with comedy and tragedy, the big stories and daily minutiae of real life are observed and tackled in a way that only the award-winning Cold Feet can.
Series 9 is available on its own if you've already got the rest.
Keep Fit
One of the hugely successful run of pre-war Ealing comedies that secured George Formby's enduring popularity with the British public, Keep Fit sees everyone's favourite gawp trying, once again, to win the girl of his dreams! It is presented here as a high definition remaster from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Gormless George, a feeble department store barber's assistant, has a thing for attractive manicurist Joan. Hector, his rival for Joan's attention, is a handsome, moustache-sporting man-about-town who is no stranger to playing dirty tricks. When scrawny George becomes mistakenly involved in a local fitness campaign, he finds himself competing against the caddish Hector for his true love's affections!
Alfie Darling
Sixties icon Alfie Elkins makes a ribald return appearance in this sequel to the classic comedy-drama that shot Michael Caine to stardom.
Alan Price stars as the Jack-the-Lad with an over-active libido alongside Jill Townsend, Hannah Gordon, Rula Lenska and Joan Collins. Alfie Darling is presented here as a brand-new high definition transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Alfie makes a good living driving huge trucks across Europe, with a girl hidden away in every place he visits - as well as some along the way! Then he meets cool, aloof Abby, who resists his charms - but Alfie was never one to shy away from a challenge...
Last Holiday
Last Holiday is a 1950 black comedy starring Alec Guinness in fine form as George Bird, a mild-mannered salesman, who's been told by his doctor that he only has a short time left to live. Determined not to waste his final days, he decides to go on one last holiday to live the rest of his life to the full.
Written by renowned novelist, left-wing broadcaster and playwright J.B. Priestley, Last Holiday is a timeless parable on the notion that life is not just about how long you live, but how well.
This new restoration comes with a smattering of extra features.
Roger + The Rottentrolls - The Complete Series 1-4
The late-90s kids' fantasy comedy comes to DVD.
A thousand years ago, in a very strange valley where the rocks are all slightly mad, Merlin was trying to create a ski resort for King Arthur, when he picked up some strange Norwegian trolls in a snow cloud. Ever since, they waited for their mystical leader whose name they found carved in a rock - Roger Was Ere. So one day, when Roger Becket from Cowgill stopped at the bottom of the valley and shouted 'Roger Was Here' - from that moment on, he was King of the Rottentrolls!
This BAFTA award-winning series was written by Tim Firth (Calendar Girls, All Quiet On The Preston Front) and narrated by Martin Clunes. All four series are included in this box set.
The Jewish Enquirer - Series 1
Paul Green (Tim Downie) is an ambitious but hapless journalist working for a very small-minded publisher. He's constantly ambushed by his sister Naomi (Lucy Montgomery) for childcare duties, whilst his Dad Ronnie (Geoff McGivern) is still as competitive as a child. His single friend Simon (Josh Howie) is off the scale neurotic.
Available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, this new British sitcom is written, produced and directed by Leon The Pig Farmer's Gary Sinyor. It starts off a bit slow but quickly builds up.
Father Came Too!
James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter return in this hit follow-up to The Fast Lady and Very Important Person.
Featuring a remarkable array of comedy talent - including Ronnie Barker, Kenneth Cope, Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd - Father Came Too! is featured here as a brand-new high definition restoration from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Newlyweds Dexter and Juliet Munro 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!
Inside No. 9 - Series Five
Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith present a fifth anthology of tales.
From night-time to half-time, from the magic of Christmas to the mysteries of magic and into the minds of monsters, this series packs in a typically wide variety of situations.
Starring alongside Pemberton and Shearsmith is a wealth of talent including: Stephanie Cole (Doc Martin), Jenna Coleman (Victoria), Kadiff Kirwan (Timewasters), David Morrissey (The Other Boleyn Girl), Ralf Little (The Royle Family), Fionn Whitehead (Dunkirk), Maxine Peake (Funny Cow), Phil Davis (Poldark) and many more.
Includes all of Series 5, plus the Hallowe'en 2018 live special, Dead Line.
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. 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!
Some Girls Do is presented here as a new high definition transfer from original film elements in its original aspect ratio.
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 with Shaun The Sheep Movie is also available, in DVD or Blu-ray formats.
Say My Name
When a one-night stand gets interrupted by a robbery, two complete strangers are forced to navigate the seedy underbelly of a sleepy Welsh isle in order to get back their stolen property. Along the way, their opposing personalities and differing outlooks on life bring them to a boiling point.
This independently-made romantic comedy, written by comedian and podcaster Deborah Frances-White (The Guilty Feminist) and directed by Jay Stern, invites viewers along on the duo's night of unwanted self-discovery, that will have the couple either hating or loving each other by the morning.
Wilt
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...
Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith star as the hapless Wilt and his single-minded pursuer in this classic comedy film, adapted from Tom Sharpe's much-loved novel by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick. Co-starring Alison Steadman and Diana Quick, Wilt is presented here as a brand-new high definition transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
For more, see our full list of new releases and products coming soon.
Thanks for reading
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