Christopher Eccleston

28 Days Later

Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs -- and it's absolutely impossible to contain.

The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising

A boy's life is turned upside down when he learns that he is the last of a group of immortal warriors who have dedicated their lives to fighting the forces of the dark.

The Others

Grace is a woman who lives in an old house kept dark because her two children, Anne and Nicholas, have a rare sensitivity to light. When the family begins to suspect the house is haunted, Grace fights to protect her children at any cost in the face of strange events and disturbing visions.

eXistenZ

A game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.

Elizabeth

The story of the ascension to the throne and the early reign of Queen Elizabeth the First, the endless attempts by her council to marry her off, the Catholic hatred of her and her romance with Lord Robert Dudley.

Revengers Tragedy

A film adaptation of the 1606 satirical tragedy by Thomas Middleton, relocated to a post-apocalyptic Liverpool. Christopher Eccleston plays the revenge-obsessed Vindice, who has sworn to kill the evil Duke (Derek Jacobi) who murdered his one true love.

Death and the Compass

In a totalitarian future, in a nightmare metropolis, inhabited only by criminals and police, Erik Lonnrot, a gifted detective, investigates a series of strange murders and disappearances that seem to implicate a insane crime lord. (Re-released in 1996 as a feature film, 86 minutes.)

Jude

In late 19th-century England, Jude aspires to be an academic, but is hobbled by his blue-collar background. Instead, he works as a stonemason and is trapped in an unloving marriage to a farmer's daughter named Arabella. But when his wife leaves him, Jude sees an opportunity to improve himself. He moves to the city and begins an affair with his married cousin, Sue, courting tragedy every step of the way.

Amelia

A look at the life of legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart, who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world.

Gone in Sixty Seconds

Ex-car thief Randall Raines is forced out of retirement to save his brother Kip after a boost gone wrong. With the help of allies old and new, they race to meet the demands of notorious crime boss Raymond Calitri as the police are in hot pursuit.

Robbo: The Bryan Robson Story

Robbo is a remarkable feature film that tells the story of one of England and Manchester United’s greatest ever midfielders. From a working class kid in the North East of England to a national treasure honoured by the Queen, this new film gives a previously unseen insight into the man they call ‘Captain Marvel’.

Shallow Grave

When David, Juliet, and Alex find their new roommate dead with a large sum of money, they agree to hide the body and keep the cash. However, this newfound fortune gradually corrodes their friendship.

I Am Dina

In Northern Norway during the 1860s, a little girl named Dina accidentally causes her mother's death. Overcome with grief, her father refuses to raise her, leaving her in the care of the household servants. Dina grows up wild and unmanageable, with her only friend being the stable boy, Tomas. She summons her mother's ghost and develops a strange fascination with death as well as a passion for living.

Lennon Naked

A profile of John Lennon in the late 1960s as the Beatles are set to fall apart.

Set the Night on Fire: The Story of Ewan MacColl

Born James Henry Miller in 1915, MacColl became prominent on the folk scene in the 1950s and was also a labour activist and actor. This affectionate documentary offers insights into all these aspects of his life and features new versions of some of his songs, including The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. Contributors include Billy Bragg and his widow, Peggy Seeger.

The Hour

The hour before actors go on stage at the National Theatre in London is a performance in and of itself.

Heart

A woman, plastered in blood, is arrested by a grave, and a tale of loss, lust and jealousy slowly unfolds.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. JOE team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos.

A Price Above Rubies

About a young woman who is married to a devout Jew and the problems that trouble their marriage because of the woman wanting something more out of her life.

Roots

Presentation of Arnold Wesker's play of the 1950s. A young girl returns to her family home in Norfolk, having been educated in cultural and political matters by her boyfriend Ronnie. Through trying to pass on what she has learned, she discovers her own voice and views.

Let Him Have It

In 1950s England, slow-witted Derek Bentley falls in with a group of petty criminals led by Chris Craig, a teenager with a fondness for American gangster films. Chris and Derek's friendship leads to their involvement in the true case which would forever shake England's belief in capital punishment.

Continental Drift

Springing Lenin: An eccentric Scottish spinster greets the collapse of communism by snapping up a statue of Lenin on the cheap and towing it home across a bemused or hostile Europe. Business with Friends: Two members of the British fascist movement bring fraternal greetings to their neo-Nazi counterparts in Berlin. Can't Stop Me Dreaming: Marijke and Pieter were in love. Now it has gone sour. But they still have to finish their George Formby documentary on location in Lancashire

The Invisible Circus

After learning that her sister, Faith, has committed suicide in Portugal, Phoebe, an 18-year-old hippie, decides to uproot from her San Francisco home to travel to Europe. Phoebe hopes to discover and experience the life that led to her sister's death by retracing her footsteps, which eventually leads to Wolf -- Faith's boyfriend. However, as Phoebe's journey continues, a series of visions of Faith pushes her mind to the brink.

The Borrowers

Family adventure based on Mary Norton's classic children's books about a race of tiny people who live under the floorboards, resourcefully surviving by borrowing bits and pieces from the large residents who dwell above. After being discovered by 'human beans', borrower Arrietty and her parents are forced to leave their home while attempting to evade the clutches of obsessive scientist Professor Mildeye.

Thor: The Dark World

Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos… but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

The King and Us

It's April 1974 and Manchester United are facing the prospect of relegation. Anthony never misses a match and it's the crucial last match of the season. Anthony's wife, Jenny, is pregnant but the baby is not due for another couple of weeks. At least, that's what they think.

Strumpet

Strayman, a spontaneous poet, is landlord to a pack of stray dogs. Unable to resist another of life's strays, he hooks up with Strumpet, a shy, homeless girl with an extraordinary gift for music. After Strayman's neighbour overhears them singing, the three set off for London - Strayman's dogs in tow - in search of fame, fortune, and Top Of The Pops.

Song for Marion

Arthur is a grumpy pensioner who can't understand why his wife Marion would want to embarrass herself singing silly songs with her unconventional local choir. But choir director Elizabeth sees something special in the reluctant Arthur and refuses to give up on him. As she coaxes him out of his shell, Arthur realizes that it is never too late to change.

Anchoress

A 14th-century peasant becomes transfixed by a statue of the Virgin Mary, and petitions to be walled into a cell attached to the church as a religious hermit.

Othello

With freshly rechristened characters and brand-new dialogue, this British TV production of Othello is a "rethinking" of Shakespeare's play, albeit still retaining the original's power and potency. The story is set in the London of the near future, a crime-ridden metropolis virtually torn apart by racial hostilities. By order of the Prime Minister, black police officer John Othello (Eamonn Walker) is promoted to Commissioner, a post dearly coveted by Othello's friend, mentor and fellow officer Ben Jago (Christopher Eccleston). Seething with jealousy, Jago contrives to discredit Othello in the eyes of the public, and to destroy John's interracial marriage to the lily-white Dessie (Keeley Hawes). Among those used as unwitting dupes to gain Jago's ends are Othello's trusted lieutenant, Michael Cass (Richard Coyle), scrupulously honest police constable Alan Roderick (Del Synnott), and Jago's own wife, Lulu (Rachael Stirling).

Sunday

Sunday tells the story of an infamous day in Derry, North of Ireland and how the events of that day were subsequently covered up by the British Government of the time. On Sunday 30th January 1972 a peaceful civil rights march against internment (imprisonment without trial), organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) ended with 13 marchers shot dead and 15 wounded. It became known throughout the world as Bloody Sunday. Told primarily from the perspective of the Derry community, juxtaposed with the British Army/state's preparations and reaction to the day, Sunday communicates the forensic and emotional truth of what happened

The Importance of Being Morrissey

Featuring interviews by famous fans and followers, this rare documentary encapsulates the essence of the controversial, enigmatic, and deliciously melancholic bard.

The Second Coming

Steven Baxter is the Son of God, and can produce the miracles to prove it. How does the world react when he announces it has to produce a Third Testament within five days, or else it's Judgment Day?

Young Woman and the Sea

This is the extraordinary true story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel. Through the steadfast support of her older sister and supportive trainers, she overcame adversity and the animosity of a patriarchal society to rise through the ranks of the Olympic swimming team and complete the 21-mile trek from France to England.

My Name Is Leon

Leon, a mixed-race boy, and Jake, his white baby brother, are separated after their mother has a breakdown. Leon is determined to find him and gets unexpected support along the way.

With or Without You

Rosie and Vincent have known each other for ten years, and have been married for five. She doesn't like her job, he isn't too pleased working with her dad. They're trying to have a baby. One morning Benoit, a Frenchman and former pen pal of Rosie, whom she never met, comes to visit. Did Rosie love him? Does she love him now?

New Orleans, Mon Amour

One year after Hurricane Katrina, troubles arise for a surgeon who, despite remarrying his ex-wife and starting his life anew, becomes reacquainted with an former girlfriend.

The Kemps: All Gold

Spandau Ballet brothers Martin and Gary Kemp return to the BBC for a New Year comedy documentary special. Rhys Thomas OBE has been given unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to their lives for a whole year, and what a momentous one it’s been - with Martin publishing an explosive biography, his two wives, Pepsi and Shirlie, wanting a divorce, and Gary writing Spandau: The Ballet.

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor

In 2013, something terrible is awakening in London's National Gallery; in 1562, a murderous plot is afoot in Elizabethan England; and somewhere in space an ancient battle reaches its devastating conclusion. All of reality is at stake as the Doctor's own dangerous past comes back to haunt him.

Dodger Special: Coronation

Dodger and the gang return to London to pull off their biggest mission yet: to rob the Crown Jewels ahead of the Queen's Coronation.

Dodger Special: Train

Dodger reunites with Fagin's gang, and they try their boldest plan yet - a train robbery!

Dodger Special: Bad Egg

When a heist goes wrong, Dodger is given his harshest punishment yet - school!

Dodger Special: Christmas

A kind-hearted deed for an old friend leads Dodger to break into 10 Downing Street.

Legend

Suave, charming and volatile, Reggie Kray and his unstable twin brother Ronnie start to leave their mark on the London underworld in the 1960s. Using violence to get what they want, the siblings orchestrate robberies and murders while running nightclubs and protection rackets. With police Detective Leonard "Nipper" Read hot on their heels, the brothers continue their rapid rise to power and achieve tabloid notoriety.

When Wrestling Was Golden: Grapples, Grunts and Grannies

Timeshift turns back the clock to a time when villains wore silver capes, grannies swooned at the sight of bulky men in latex and the most masculine man in the country was called Shirley. In its heyday, British professional wrestling attracted huge TV audiences and made household names of generations of wrestlers from Mick McManus and Jackie 'Mr TV' Pallo to Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy. With contributions from inside the world of wrestling and surprising fans such as artist Peter Blake, this is an affectionate and lively portrait of a lost era of simpler pleasures, both in and out of the ring.

Emily

The film puts two English characters within the framework of a stereotypically French film, deconstructing a common sexual fantasy to explore the moment two strangers meet and attempt to fill their loneliness with each other's need.

Perfect Parents

After a violent incident in Lucy's public school, her atheist parents Stuart and Alison decide to find her a safe 'traditional' school. The only one they can afford is St. Mary of the Veil, run by nuns whose 'preference' for Catholic families is de facto exclusivity, given the waiting list. So they pose as devout, and get his murky mate Eddie to find them a priest they can 'bribe' for a parish reference, while Lucy is genuinely converted. It works, but when Stuart overhears a dark secret things take a tragic turn.

When Coal Was King

Timeshift explores the lost world of coal mining and the extraordinarily rich social and cultural lives of those who worked in what was once Britain's most important industry. It's a story told through a largely forgotten film archive that movingly documents the final years of coal's heyday from the 1940s to the 1980s. One priceless piece of footage features a ballet performance by tutu-wearing colliers. Featuring contributions from those who worked underground, those who lived in the pit villages, those who filmed them at work and at play and those - like Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall - who have been inspired by what made coalfield culture so unique.

Flesh and Blood

A man who was adopted at birth traces his real parents, and discovers that they have severe learning disabilities and do not know he exists.

Hillsborough

Drama based on the real life events of April 1989, when ninety-six Liverpool supporters were crushed to death during an F.A. Cup Semi-Final match against Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium. This movie follows three Liverpudlian families before the match, during the tragedy and at the ensuing court battles which tried to decide who was to blame and what went wrong.

An Angel on Oxford Street

A short animated film which centers around the character Saul, and his reluctant journey into Oxford Street, London where he has an unexpected life changing encounter with a rough sleeper.

Doctor Who: A New Dimension

Documentary lead-in to the premiere episode of the 2005 revival of Doctor Who. Features cast interviews, behind the scenes footage, and a look at the Doctor's past.

24 Hour Party People

Manchester, 1976. Tony Wilson is an ambitious but frustrated local TV news reporter looking for a way to make his mark. After witnessing a life-changing concert by a band known as the Sex Pistols, he persuades his station to televise one of their performances, and soon Manchester's punk groups are clamoring for him to manage them. Riding the wave of a musical revolution, Wilson and his friends create the legendary Factory Records label and The Hacienda club.

Where Hands Touch

Germany, 1944. Leyna, the 15-year old daughter of a white German mother and a black African father, meets Lutz, a compassionate member of the Hitler Youth whose father is a prominent Nazi soldier, and they form an unlikely connection in this quickly changing world.

The Happiness Salesman

Karen is resigned to a life of suburban ennui, the dreams of her youth a distant memory. On an autumn afternoon as she struggles to get her baby to sleep she is disturbed by a door-to-door Salesman. Desperate for adult companionship she engages with the enigmatic Salesman. He claims that he can sell her something that will radically change her life; he offers Karen, an opportunity to fulfill her long forgotten dreams and ambitions.

Einstein's Big Idea

Over 100 years ago, Albert Einstein grappled with the implications of his revolutionary special theory of relativity and came to a startling conclusion: mass and energy are one, related by the formula E = mc2. In "Einstein's Big Idea," NOVA dramatizes the remarkable story behind this equation. E = mc2 was just one of several extraordinary breakthroughs that Einstein made in 1905, including the completion of his special theory of relativity, his identification of proof that atoms exist, and his explanation of the nature of light, which would win him the Nobel Prize in Physics. Among Einstein's ideas, E = mc2 is by far the most famous. Yet how many people know what it really means? In a thought-provoking and engrossing docudrama, NOVA illuminates this deceptively simple formula by unraveling the story of how it came to be.

Muse of Fire

This unique feature documentary follows two actors, Giles Terera and Dan Poole, as they travel the world to find out everything they can about tackling the greatest writer of them all. Together they have directed and produced an inspiring film that aims to demystify and illuminate Shakespeare’s work for everyone: from actors, directors and students of all disciplines, right through to the "man on the street". Think Shakespeare is boring? Think again!

National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the National Theatre of Great Britain presents National Theatre: 50 Years on Stage, bringing together the best British actors for a unique evening of unforgettable performances, broadcast live from London to cinemas around the world.

Rachel's Dream

Fantasy drama Rachel's Dream was set sometime in the future when the world is besieged by technology, young Rachel discovers that through a large bank of video screens in her sister's apartment, her wishes can come true when she brings to life the image on an anti-pollution poster. This new friend helps her to make up her mind about her own future.

Dockers: Writing the Wrongs

The compelling tale of how a group of sacked dockers got together with scriptwriter Jimmy McGovern and novelist Irvine Welsh to turn their unique story into a film. In September 1995, five men were sacked for walking off the job when their overtime agreement was ditched. Dockers: Writing The Wrongs tells how the dockers spent a year producing the script based on their own experiences of the dramatic two and a half year dispute.

Dead in a Week (Or Your Money Back)

William has failed to kill himself so many times that he outsources his suicide to aging assassin Leslie. But with the contract signed and death assured within a week (or his money back), William suddenly discovers reasons to live... However Leslie is under pressure from his boss to make sure the contract is completed.

Manchester: 100 Days After The Attack

A documentary on the events when a bomb went off at the Ariana Grande concert.

Lucan

Drama about infamous aristocrat Lord Lucan, who mysteriously disappeared in 1974 after being accused of murdering his children's nanny.

King Lear

An aging King invites disaster, when he abdicates to his corrupt, toadying daughters, and rejects his loving and honest one.

RSC Live: Macbeth

Returning home from battle, the victorious Macbeth meets three witches on the heath. Driven by their disturbing prophecies, he sets out on the path to murder. This contemporary production of Shakespeare’s darkest psychological thriller marks both Christopher Eccleston’s RSC debut and the return of Niamh Cusack to the company.

A Year in the Life of a Year 2019

Rhys Thomas reviews 2019 in his usual inimitable way

The Flu That Killed 50 Million

It is 1918 and the end of WWI. Millions have died, and the world is exhausted by war. But soon a new horror is sweeping the world, a terrifying virus that will kill more than fifty million people - the Spanish flu. Using dramatic reconstruction and eyewitness testimony from doctors, soldiers, civilians and politicians, this one-off special brings to life the onslaught of the disease, the horrors of those who lived through it and the efforts of the pioneering scientists desperately looking for the cure. Narrated by Christopher Eccleston, the film also asks whether, a century later, the lessons learnt in 1918 might help us fight a future global flu pandemic.

National Theatre Live: Antigone

In the unstable aftermath of a civil war, Creon, the new King of Thebes, asserts his authority by forbidding anyone from honouring the death of the traitor Polyneices. But Antigone, Polyneices' sister, will not obey. When Creon's authority is challenged, a gripping conflict emerges between the power of an individual and the state. Polly Findlay's electric 2012 production brings Sophocles' tragedy into the modern world as a gripping political thriller.

Best Ever Muppet Moments

A review of the most memorable Muppet moments to commemorate Kermit the Frog's 50th anniversary.

Tony Adams - Drunk And Dry

A look at the personal life of the Arsenal and England player

Richard III: The New Evidence

Could King Richard III's spinal deformity have prevented him from leading the charge at the Battle of Bosworth? Modern scoliosis sufferer Dominic Smee and a team of scientists and medieval warfare experts embark on an extraordinary journey to reveal new research that's changing our knowledge of a defamed medieval king.

Endless

Endless features the actor Christopher Eccleston in the role of a solitary, unnamed man, dressed in the plainest of plain clothes, encountered in the most basic of architectural environments, an empty building with bare brick walls and bare board floors.

The Kemps: All True

Spandau Ballet global superstars Gary and Martin Kemp, their lives, and their careers.

Doctor Who at the Proms

Doctor Who fan favourite Catherine Tate presents a concert of music, monsters and mayhem featuring soundtracks from the iconic series, a specially shot feature for the Fifteenth Doctor and a host of scary aliens as they thrill a packed audience at London's Royal Albert Hall. In a concert like no other in time and space, the much-loved music, performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, is accompanied by specially edited sequences from the series.

Hear Me Roar

Elizabeth Bellinger became one of the few transgender people in Britain to get married in the 1980s. She kept this ceremony secret from almost everyone until 2000 when she launched a campaign to have her marriage to Michael Bellinger legally recognized and the case went to the courts.

Doctor Who: The Next Doctor

The Doctor arrives in Victorian London. It's Christmas, but snow isn't the only thing descending on the tranquil and jubilant civilization, as familiar silver giants from an alternate reality are amassing in numbers. The Cybermen are on the move again, and the only beings who can stop them are the Doctor and... another Doctor?

Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song

It’s Christmas Day on a remote human colony and the Doctor is hiding from Christmas Carols and Comedy Antlers. But when a crashed spaceship calls upon the Doctor for help, he finds himself recruited into River Song’s squad and hurled into a fast and frantic chase across the galaxy. King Hydroflax is furious, and his giant Robot bodyguard is out-of-control and coming for them all! Will Nardole survive? And when will River Song work out who the Doctor is? All will be revealed on a starliner full of galactic super-villains and a destination the Doctor has been avoiding for a very long time.

The Dark Side of Porn: Porn Shutdown

In 2004, The San Fernando Valley porno industry came to a virtual standstill after it was revealed that popular performer Darren James became infected with HIV during a porno shoot in Brazil.

The Last Miners

The story of the final days of Britain's last deep coal mine, Kellingley Colliery in North Yorkshire, told by the rare breed of men who work half a mile underground, their wives and families, the trades unions and local MPs. A powerful, passionate and poignant tale reflecting the end of an era.

Doctor Who: Wish World & The Reality War

Belinda Chandra has been kidnapped by robots, faced a terrifying god and a creature of pure evil on her travels with the Doctor. With the TARDIS still unable to get her home to Earth, Belinda must fight for her life as the Doctor faces an almighty threat to reality itself…

Chasing Millions

The Northern Bank chain was owned by the National Australia Bank. Diana, a young Australian police detective who is in Belfast at the same time, seizes the opportunity to investigate the biggest crime of her career and prove herself to her misogynistic bosses back home who have passed her over for promotion. Diana is teamed with Crawford, a gruff, veteran Northern Irish police detective who does not want her help. As the case takes one more bizarre turn after another, Diana and Crawford learn to grudgingly respect each other. As they almost give up hope of catching the criminals, Diana comes up with an ingenious plan which will make the stolen millions worthless.

Whispers of Freedom

Described by Deadline Hollywood as the "tragic true story" of Chris Gueffroy, it follows one of the last daring attempts to escape across the infamous Berlin Wall.

Color Your Hurt

Follow the life and struggles of a young gay man growing up in the Bible Belt.

About A Bell

In a quiet English commuter town, a former parish church is knocked down to make way for a new apartment block. Locals pass by the rubble unconcerned, except for Sami Shehadi, a Syrian refugee who is upset by the lack of respect for history. After unearthing the site’s incredible origins with the help of young librarian, Bryony, the unlikely friends take action and steal the church bell to protest the redevelopment. However, amidst pressure from the police, media, and their own personal struggles, will they succeed in making this bell ring again?