12 best warner manufacturing bbc shows

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There's plenty of laughter in store when an unbelievably quirky contingent of sales clerks makes shopping at Grace Brothers the comic experience of a lifetime. For the first time all 69 episodes of this classic Britcom have been gathered together in one deluxe collection. Each episode is presented uncut and has been lovingly restored. Also included are two bonus discs containing over five hours of extra material!Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 794051206329 Manufacturer No: E2063

The definitive British sitcom is almost certainly Are You Being Served?, which depicts the squabbles, misadventures, and flirtations of the staff of Grace Brothers department store. The show was originally conceived as a vehicle for an irreverent junior salesman named Mr. Lucas (Trevor Bannister), but it soon became clear that mocking a social hierarchy isn't half as funny as taking it all too seriously. The show really revolves around Mrs. Slocombe (Mollie Sugden), whose wildly changing hair color and mercurial moods terrorize the rest of the staff, and cheerful but sly Mr. Humphries (the effervescent John Inman), one of the first gay characters on television treated with dignity--or at least no more indignity than anyone else (the show makes some noise about not being sure if Mr. Humphries is gay or not, but no one in the audience will have any question). But the rest of the cast is superb as well: Frank Thornton as the elegant but leering floorwalker Capt. Peacock, Wendy Richard as the sexy, impish Miss Brahms, Arthur Brough as cantankerous Mr. Grainger (who, sadly, died after the fifth season; other characters took his position on the sales staff, but never quite matched up), and Nicholas Smith as the self-serving but incompetent manager Mr. Rumbold form a comic ensemble that has rarely been equaled.

These characters, written with affection and played with superb comic dash, endlessly jockey for status and salary while simultaneously creating an alternative family (the core structure for any sitcom on either side of the Atlantic). Are You Being Served? deserves its devoted fan base, who will revel in this comprehensive 14-DVD box set (which includes specials about Inman, Sugden, and Richard, as well as other extras). --Bret Fetzer

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British television program THE OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST invited musical acts to appear and in the show's studio space guests would give exclusive live performances. Running from 1971 to 1987 the series featured many of the most important acts in pop music many in their early days when they were still virtually unknown. This compilation gathers the first three compilations in the OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST series and includes performances by U2 John Lennon R.E.M. Bob Marley Rory Gallagher The Police Lynyrd Skynyrd Elton John and others. Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS UPC: 794051235121 Manufacturer No: E2351

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Peep Show: Series One (DVD)

While there are some things people will never say or do, there's nothing they'll never think. Welcome to the private world of Jeremy and Mark -- two very ordinary weirdos. Wannabe pop star Jeremy (Robert Webb) is a lazy man with big ideas, mostly about himself. His old friend and roommate is the astonishingly tragic Mark (David Mitchell), an obsessive loser with a no-pain, no-gain view of the world. In an inventive twist, Jeremy and Mark's inner thoughts can be heard - whether they be dark, stupid, or embarrassingly over-blown. Or sometimes all three...

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Only Fools and Horses: Complete Series 4-5 plus Specials (DVD)

One of the most popular and best-selling comedy series in British history! Join cockney trickster Del Boy Trotter and his family in their get-rich-quick scheming and back-of-a-lorry sales pitch. The Rothschilds of Peckham, otherwise known as Trotter's Independent Traders (TIT for short) cause untold trouble - and countless laughs - in their bid to become millionaires.

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Over its incredible 16-year run from 1971-1987 The Old Grey Whistle Test was THE destination in the U.K. to see cutting ed live performances by the hottest emerging acts in music. Until now! On Sept. 16 BBC Video is importing a DVD jam-packed with 28 vintage live performances from The Old Grey Whistle Test. Most have NEVER BEEN SEEN IN THE U.S. The first in a series of three Old Grey Whistle Test DVD compilations to be exported to the U.S. The Old Grey Whistle Test features performances by such legends as John Lennon Elton John Bob Marley Lynyrd Skynyrd Rory Gallagher The Police REM and U2 often at the start of their legendary careers! PLUS historic interviews with Mick Jagger John Lennon Keith Richards Robert Plant Bruce Springsteen and Elton John - over three hours of music and interviews in total - all on one DVD that will be a must have for music fans everywhere! Complete Playlist (in order of appearance on the program): Alice Cooper "Under My Wheels"; Elton John "Tiny Dancer"; Curtis Mayfield "We Gotta Have Peace"; Randy Newman "Political Science"; Bill Withers "Ain't No Sunshine"; Rory Gallagher "Hands Off"; The Wailers "Stir It Up"; Roxy Music "Do The Strand"; The Edgar Winter Group "Frankenstein"; Captain Beefheart "Upon the My O My"; Little Feat "Rock 'n' Roll Doctor"; John Lennon "Stand By Me"; Lynyrd Skynyrd "Freebird"; Emmylou Harris "Amarillo"; Bonnie Raitt "Too Long At The Fair"; Tom Waits "Tom Traubert's Blues"; Talking Heads "Psycho Killer"; XTC "Statue of Liberty"; Blondie "(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear"; Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers "American Girl" The Police "Can't Stand Losing You"; Bruce Springsteen "Rosalita"; Iggy Pop "I'm Bored"; The Specials "Message to You Rudi"; The Damned "Smash It Up/I Just Can't Be Happy Today"; The Ramones "Rock 'n' Roll High School"; U2 "I Will Follow"; REM "Moon River" / "Pretty Persuasion"Running Time: 192 min. Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS UPC: 794051181220 Manufacturer No: E1812

For better and for worse, The Old Grey Whistle Test was probably the most resolutely serious music program ever broadcast on television. During its 16-year run it showcased only the most earnest exponents of whichever musical style was currently popular, and given that the program's heyday coincided with the early '70s, some of the footage included here (e.g., the prog noodlings of the Edgar Winter Group) will provide humor as exquisite as only unintentional comedy can. However, the good stuff collected here is very good, both in terms of performance (Tom Petty snarling "American Girl", a pre-irony U2 whooping up "I Will Follow") and historical interest, notably a shockingly youthful Elton John crooning "Tiny Dancer." The 180-minute DVD offers remarkably pristine picture and extraordinarily vivid sound, regardless of vintage. However, the menu won't allow direct access to the individual songs other than through the artist gallery (and there is a "Random play" option), and the track listing itself is unhelpfully hidden in the packaging. --Andrew Mueller and Mark Walker

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Merlin: The Complete Third Season (Repackage/DVD)

Merlin is back with even more magic, adventure and romance as the young wizard struggles to protect Prince Arthur in the perilous world of Camelot. While battling deadly assassins, mystical monsters and the most powerful sorcerers Camelot has ever seen, Merlin must work harder than ever to conceal his unique abilities while King Uther redoubles his war against magic. Featuring exciting new villains, white-knuckle stunt sequences, and spectacular CGI monsters, Merlin season three is more thrilling than ever.

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Red Dwarf: III (DVD)

Boldly going where no one in their right mind would ever go, this hilarious, cult Sci Fi spoof takes you on a joyride three million years into the future. Those ubiquitous anti-heroes of space travel - Lister, Rimmer, Cat and Kryten - are following up their spectacularly successful series I & II DVD's. In Red Dwarf Series III, the inept crew stumble further into deep space facing an emotion-sucking polymorph, a psychotic mechanoid and a version of Earth where time runs backwards.

The third series of Red Dwarf introduced some radical changes--all of them for the better--but the scripts remained as sharp and character-focused as ever, making this a fine candidate for the show's best year. Gone were the dull metallic grey sets and costumes, gone too was Norman Lovett's lugubrious Holly, replaced now by comedienne Hattie Hayridge, who had previously played Hilly in the Series 2 episode "Parallel Universe". New this year were custom-made costumes, more elaborate sets, the zippy pea-green Starbug, bigger special effects and the wholly admirable Robert Llewellyn as Kryten.

The benefits of the show's changes are apparent from the outset, with the mind-bending hilarity of "Backwards," in which Kryten and Rimmer establish themselves as a forward-talking double-act on a reverse Earth. After a modest two-person episode that sees Rimmer and Lister "Marooned", comes one of the Dwarf's most beloved episodes, "Polymorph." Here is the ensemble working at its best, as each character unwittingly has their strongest emotion sucked out of them. Lister loses his fear, Cat his vanity, Kryten his reserve, and Rimmer his anger ("Chameleonic Life-Forms. No Thanks"). "Body Swap" sees Lister and Rimmer involved in a bizarre attempt to prevent the ship from self-destructing. "Timeslides" delves deep into Rimmer's psyche as the boys journey haphazardly through history. Finally, "The Last Day" shows how completely Kryten has been adopted as a crewmember, when his replacement Hudzen unexpectedly shows up. --Mark Walker

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A year after their little boy goes missing, Gabe and Eve Caleigh and their two daughters move to Crickley Hall to try and escape the past. It's a chance for a fresh start. Then cellar doors start to open of their own accord, unseen children cry through the night and a frenzied spectre wields a cane. But just as the Caleighs are ready to move out, Eve hears her missing son. Time shifts between present day and 1943 as the Caleighs desperately try to find out what connects Crickley Hall to their son. Will they find Cam before the evil that stalks Crickley Hall finds their other children?

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The Musketeers: Season One (Blu-ray)

The Musketeers, Athos, Aramis and Porthos, are far more than merely royal bodyguards for King Louis XIII; they are inseparable, loyal unto death and committed to upholding justice. Together, this crack team of highly trained soldiers fight for honour, for valour, for love, and just for the pure thrill of it. When d’Artagnan arrives in Paris to avenge his father’s death he soon impresses the three Musketeers with his bravery and skill, and quickly discovers kindred spirits in these boisterous soldiers. Witty, action-packed episodic stories combine with breathtaking adventure and stunning production values to create this cinematic, blockbuster drama series with universal appeal.

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Hustle: Complete Seasons One - Four (DVD)

The art of the con is not dead. You merely can't see it. If you do see it, then it is inevitably always too late. It is an invisible crime built on the premise of finding some one who wants something for nothing and then giving them nothing for something. Choose the mark, reel them in, play on their desires and set them up. It doesn't matter whether they're black or white, male or female but they must be strictly major league. There are no quick fixes. Patience is truly a virtue in this game. All you have to do is make them believe... If you're rich, greedy, a taker... then beware! This team is driven to extract the cash from the amoral and the undeserving. They don't just con anyone and they aren't interested in your life savings. They have one golden rule: you can never con an honest man. They are con artists with a conscience. The marks are people we love to hate and can't wait to see being taken down a peg or two.

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Fades, The: Season One (DVD)

"Either the world ends, or we stop him." Now that's the kind of talk that sci-fi/horror/fantasy/suspense fans want to hear, and in the six episodes from this, its first season, the creepy, atmospheric British television show The Fades does plenty to back it up. "Fades" is the name concocted by series writer Jack Thorne for dead people--not just any dead people, but those who are trapped between this world and the next, doomed to walk the Earth without the ability to interact with it or its denizens. It's a bad scene, and the Fades aren't taking it lightly. Indeed, there's a movement among them, led by a ghastly creature called Polus (who uses his hideous green tongue to lick poison onto his victims' eyeballs), to come back to life, so they can touch, and kill, the unsuspecting human population. But there's hope, of course, in the form of a small group of folks called Angelics, who can see the Fades and know very well what they're up to. Principal among these is 17-year-old Paul (Iain De Caestecker), who, while completely unaware of his destiny as the series begins, soon realizes that his extraordinary powers make him mankind's best (and maybe last) chance. There are echoes of many other works here, including The Sixth Sense, Ghostbusters, Stand By Me, Night of the Living Dead, and any of the umpteen films featuring a young "chosen one" struggling to accept his or her fate; what's more, Paul's best friend Mac (the very entertaining Daniel Kaluuya) peppers nearly every line with film quotes and references. So it's derivative. But The Fades also manages to balance its scary moments, and there are plenty of them, with humor, realistic dialogue (especially between Paul and Mac), and special effects that are a bit limited but very convincing. There's a nice setup for the next season, too, as Paul's solution to the immediate problem (it involves locating an "ascension point" where the Fades can leave this world) may simply create another, even bigger threat. It will be well worth watching the next go-round. --Sam Graham

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Ken Russell at the BBC (DVD)

The iconic award-winning English director, Ken Russell, is best known for his flamboyant style, his attention to detail and for being a controversial and visionary artist. Russells approach was determined by a desire to knock the dust off the biofilm genre: “The whole idea had degenerated into a series of third-rate cliches. I wanted to dress people in old clothes and do it in a totally unreal way, and thus make it more real than ever, and in the process send up this new civil service/academic way of doing films.” This collection includes two early films starring Oliver Reed, The Debussy Film and Dantes Inferno about Dante Gabriel Rossetti, as well as Always on Sunday about Henri Rousseau, Isadora: The Biggest Dancer in the World, A Song of Summer about Frederick Delius, and Dance of the Seven Veils about Richard Strauss. These early films paved the way for his brilliant carrier that has spanned six decades.

Many American fans, like myself, who have seen most of Ken Russell’s films, probably don’t even know these biopics he did for the BBC prior to his feature film career exist. And these six hour-long documentaries collected on Ken Russell at the BBC may be his finest works. Russell is well known for narrative features with revolutionary undertow such as Women in Love, The Devils, and Tommy, a rock opera about the Who. The films included on this three-disc set, all shot in black and white, are clearly those in which Russell established his affinity for portraying iconoclastic eccentrics, and each has its own experimental merit, stylistically and conceptually. Though it is unfortunate that there is a proliferation of cheesy re-enactments in today’s film and television, one will be surprised to see how brilliantly this pioneer did it. Each documentary, here, enlists actors to portray the artistic luminaries of various historical periods. But the films so keenly observe their characters’ behaviors, factually and poetically, that one learns about Russell’s subjects on the sly, being entertained all the while. Occasionally narrators tease their subjects by pointing out absurd moments, reminding the viewer of documentary’s subjective nature, and of the humorous potential in many historical tales.

The documentaries heighten their subjects’ flair for drama, and take interpretive liberties to recount the lives of those on screen. Impassioned explosions, nervous breakdowns, and tragic calamities are the norm. Always on Sunday (1965) studies how genius is manifest at great cost in Henri Rousseau, after the death of his wife and a friendship with Surrealist colleague, Alfred Jarry. Dante’s Inferno (1967) depicts the Pre-Raphaelite set, focusing on Dante Rosetti’s fiery persona and its negative effects on his muse, Elizabeth Siddal. In Isadora Duncan: Biggest Dancer in the World (1966), the arts and crafts-era mistress of movement maniacally travels the world in search of funding for her dancing schools. Though the characters depicted are wildly different, they share blinding passions and melodramatic means of achieving their ambitions. Many of these films are narrated in the third person, but occasionally their subjects share dialogue, elaborating the dramatic sense. Song of Summer (1968) is the breakthrough, starring young composer, Eric Fenby (Christopher Gable), who moves in with blind, paralyzed elder musician, Frederick Delius, to help finish his scores. Third-person narration fizzles out early on to allow the characters to speak about the need to create, even when handicapped. Delius and Fenby’s relationship strengthens as the two develop their music together, and gorgeous landscape scenes, or scenes depicting high human emotions, roll as soundtrack to the composer’s works as the film progresses. Heavily dramatized, the only documentary aspect to this film seems to be Russell’s dedication to tying film to music, by showing how Delius visualized his music. Ken Russell at the BBC says as much about the quality of BBC programming during the era as the director’s unhinged imagination, and it’s a wonder to view these films as precedents to what the BBC also pioneered a decade later in the 1970s, namely the much more fact-based documentaries, hosted by scientists and scholars like nature man, David Attenborough. —Trinie Dalton