| 221 |
Ethel & Ernest (2016) #956
ANIMATION
Main
Directed by Roger Mainwood. With Jim Broadbent, Brenda Blethyn, Luke Treadaway, Pam Ferris. This hand drawn animated film, based on the award winning graphic novel by Raymond Briggs, is an intimate and affectionate depiction of the life and times of his parents, two ordinary Londoners living through extraordinary events. |
| 222 |
West Side Stories - The Making of a Classic (2016) #961
DOCUMENTARY-MUSIC
Main
1 hour. BBC. West Side Story is one of the best-loved musicals of all time. A modern-day Romeo and Juliet, its timeless story and exhilarating dance and music continue to excite audiences around the globe. Songs such as Maria, Somewhere, Tonight and America have all become some of the biggest hits in showbusiness. And yet, West Side Story had an uneasy birth and was even turned away by producers when it was first put together in the 1950s by Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerome Robbins and Arthur Laurents. Now, as the world prepares to celebrate the 60th anniversary of West Side Story in 2017, dancer Bruno Tonioli and broadcaster Suzy Klein go in search of the true stories behind the inception of this classic show. For the first time on television, they hear first-hand from those involved in the show when it opened on Broadway in September 1957, including Sondheim himself, producer Hal Prince and original cast members from both show and movie, including Chita Rivera Carol Lawrence and Rita Moreno. With the BBC Symphony Orchestra and specially cast singers, we re-live some of the wonderful music and, in the company of Suzy and Bruno, we discover how West Side Story placed the 1950s phenomena of racial tension and teenage gangs centre stage to create a hit that changed musical theatre forever. |
| 223 |
The Jungle Book (2016) #964
FILM
Main
Directed by Jon Favreau. With Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba. After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub named Mowgli embarks on a journey of self discovery with the help of panther, Bagheera, and free spirited bear, Baloo. Disney |
| 224 |
John Berger: The Art of Looking (2016) #967
DOCUMENTARY
Main
BBC. 1 hour. Art, politics and motorcycles - on the occasion of his 90th birthday, this is an intimate portrait of the late writer and art critic whose groundbreaking work on seeing has shaped our understanding of the concept for over five decades. The film explores how paintings become narratives and stories turn into images, and rarely does anybody demonstrate this as poignantly as Berger. Berger lived and worked for decades in a small mountain village in the French Alps, where the nearness to nature, the world of the peasants and his motorcycle, which for him deals so much with presence, inspired his drawing and writing. The film introduces Berger's art of looking with theatre wizard Simon McBurney, film director Michael Dibb, visual artist John Christie, cartoonist Selçuk Demiral and photographer Jean Mohr, as well as two of his children - film critic Katya Berger and the painter Yves Berger. The prelude and starting point is Berger's mind-boggling experience of restored vision following a successful cataract removal surgery. There, in the cusp of his clouding eyesight, Berger re-discovers the irredeemable wonder of seeing. Realised as a portrait in works and collaborations, this creative documentary takes a different approach to biography, with Berger leading in his favourite role of the storyteller. |
| 225 |
Cunk on Shakespeare (2016) #968
COMEDY
Main
30 mins. BBC. Comedy from Charlie Brooker starring Philomena Cunk, the witless commentator from Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe. Philomena knows absolutely nothing about Shakespeare, but that won't stop her attempting to present a groundbreaking documentary about him. Fresh from her triumphs on Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe investigating time ('It'll always be an unknowable mystery, like how phones work') Winston Churchill ('Imagine how good his tweets would have been'), and Donald Trump ('There's this amazing stuff on his head; it's not hair, it's like a sort of furry gas'), Philomena Cunk has finally been given her own show - about William Shakespeare. Cunk will leave no stone unturned as she gets to the bottom of the Bard, visiting his birthplace, exploring the Globe, studying priceless artefacts and interviewing literally six different experts, including renowned actor Simon Russell Beale, Educating Yorkshire teacher Matthew Burton and top Shakespearean scholar Professor Stanley Wells. Shorter than Hamlet, funnier than King Lear and easier to spell than Cymbeline, Cunk On Shakespeare is absolutely the last word in Shakespeare documentaries. |
| 226 |
Cunk on Christmas (2016) #968
DOCUMENTARY-COMEDY
Main
30 mins. BBC. Mockumentary starring Diane Morgan as Philomena Cunk, who explores the traditions and trappings of Christmas. Philomena looks at pagan winter festivals, the Nativity story, 'Sir Charles Dickings' and Santa Claus, and also grills a variety of experts to try and expose hard truths about Christmas. |
| 227 |
Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) #982
FILM
Main
Directed by Stephen Frears. With Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson. The story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, despite having a terrible singing voice. |
| 228 |
Will Britain Ever Have a Black Prime Minister? (2016) #990
DOCUMENTARY
Main
1 hour. BBC. British TV and movie star David Harewood investigates the obstacles facing black Britons in rising to positions of power and influence, and calculates the statistical chances of someone from his own background ever becoming prime minister. In this personal film, Harewood tackles some of our biggest institutions, including top universities and the BBC, to find out why so many barriers remain to black people achieving their potential. |
| 229 |
Imagine: DANGER! Cornelia Parker (2016) #995
DOCUMENTARY
Main
Imagine reveals the darker side of one of Britain's most original and inventive artists. A sculptor working with found materials, Cornelia Parker creates beauty from acts of brutality - an exploded shed, piles of squashed silver, the charred remnants of a burnt church suspended in time. Born in 1956 to a German mother and an English father in rural Cheshire, Parker always struggled to fit in. Art was her escape. In 2016 she embarked on the most high-profile commission of her career - the roof of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Alan Yentob follows Parker's creative process in a film that sees her delve deep into America's history, cinema and art, as well as her own personal past. |
| 230 |
Perfect Pianists at the BBC (2016) #1003
MUSIC
Main
1 hour. BBC. David Owen Norris takes us on a journey through 60 years of BBC archive to showcase some of the greatest names in the history of the piano. From the groundbreaking BBC studio recitals of Benno Moiseiwitsch, Solomon and Myra Hess in the 1950s, through the legendary concerts of Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein, to more recent performances, including Alfred Brendel, Mitsuko Uchida and Stephen Hough, David celebrates some of the greatest players in a pianistic tradition which goes back to Franz Liszt in the 19th century. Filmed at the Cobbe Collection, Hatchlands Park. |
| 231 |
Robot Wars (2016) #1006
TV DRAMA
Main
1 hour. BBC. Series 8 Episode 1. Robot Wars launch show presented by Dara O Briain and Angela Scanlon. Forty teams of amateur robot fighting enthusiasts battle it out over a series of rounds in a huge purpose-built arena, aiming to become the Robot Wars champion. It's not just the competition they have to contend with, as the arena is patrolled by four huge House Robots which are geared up to attack anyone who strays into their Corner Patrol Zones. There are also fire, spikes, the Flipper and the Pit, dangerous hazards designed to cause maximum damage to the competitors. In between their fights, teams have time to repair their robots and plan for their next fights in the pits area. In this episode, the most famous fighting robot in history, Razer, faces up against a host of other fighting robots for the chance to become the Robot Wars champion. Eight teams made up of families and friends from across the country put their homemade robots to the test. The winner at the end of this show will go forward to the grand final. |
| 232 |
Storks (2016) #1015
FILM
Main
Directed by Nicholas Stoller, Doug Sweetland. With Andy Samberg, Katie Crown, Kelsey Grammer, Jennifer Aniston. Storks have moved on from delivering babies to packages. But when an order for a baby appears, the best delivery stork must scramble to fix the error by delivering the baby. |
| 233 |
The Infiltrator (2016) #1016
FILM
Main
Directed by Brad Furman. With Bryan Cranston, John Leguizamo, Diane Kruger, Amy Ryan. A U.S. Customs official uncovers a money laundering scheme involving Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. |
| 234 |
Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) #1020
FILM
Main
Directed by Travis Knight. With Charlize Theron, Art Parkinson, Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes. A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armour worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past. |
| 235 |
Moana (2016) #1021
FILM
Main
Directed by Ron Clements, Don Hall, John Musker. With Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison. In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by the Demigod Maui reaches Moana's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the Demigod to set things right. |
| 236 |
A United Kingdom (2016) #1037
FILM
Main
Directed by Amma Asante. With David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, Tom Felton, Jack Davenport. The story of King Seretse Khama of Botswana and how his loving but controversial marriage to a British white woman, Ruth Williams, put his kingdom into political and diplomatic turmoil. |
| 237 |
War and Peace (2016) #1055
TV DRAMA
Special
With Paul Dano, James Norton, Lily James, Adrian Edmondson. As the Russian conflict with Napoleon reaches its peak, five aristocratic families face the possibility of their lives being changed forever. BBC. 6 Episodes. Episode 1 Russia is drawn into war with France, changing the lives of three young people forever. Episode 2 As Andrei prepares for a great battle, Pierre struggles with married life. Episode 3 Pierre fights a duel. Natasha and Sonya receive unexpected proposals. Episode 4 Natasha is shocked by Andrei's decision to delay the wedding and travel abroad for a year. Episode 5 Napoleon outrages the Russian emperor by marching his army towards Moscow. Episode 6 As Napoleon marches into Moscow, the Rostovs rush to leave the city. |
| 238 |
Young, Gifted and Classical: The Making of a Maestro (2016) #1059
DOCUMENTARY
Main
1 hour. BBC. Sheku Kanneh-Mason made history in 2016 when he became the first black winner of the BBC Young Musician competition. Sheku has six musically gifted siblings and this film explores their extraordinary talents and issues of diversity in classical music. We follow Sheku and his brothers and sisters and examine the sacrifices that parents Stuart and Kadie make in order to support their children in pursuing their musical dreams. Told through the prism of family life we get an understanding of what it is that drives this family to be the best musicians they can be. At the heart of the story is 17-year-old Sheku, and we see him coming to terms with his Young Musician win and the pressures and opportunities it brings. His life is changing dramatically as he now has to learn to deal with the challenges of becoming a world-renowned cellist. He gets advice from those who have trodden this path already, including international violinist Nicola Benedetti and renowned cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, discovering what it takes to be a famous international solo musician. The documentary culminates with Sheku's biggest performance to date, playing at the world-famous Royal Festival Hall in London, with Britain's first all-black and ethnic minority orchestra, Chineke!. As the preparations for this groundbreaking concert begin, the film explores what it means to be a young, black, classical musician in today's society. |
| 239 |
Hidden Figures (2016) #1064
FILM
Main
Directed by Theodore Melfi. With Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner. The story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program. |
| 240 |
Nina (2016) #1073
FILM
Main
Directed by Cynthia Mort. With Zoe Saldana, David Oyelowo, Kevin Mambo, Ronald Guttman. The story of the late jazz musician and classical pianist Nina Simone including her rise to fame and relationship with her manager Clifton Henderson. |
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