The Lively Arts - James Herriot: The Vet Who Writes Books (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2026-09-29 | The Lively Arts - James Herriot: The Vet Who Writes Books (BBC)
How the BBC Began - 3. Shooting the Rapids (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-20 | The story of the BBC’s development of impartiality – starting with the General Strike of 1926, when the BBC was only three years old. In this major national crisis, John Reith, as its general manager, judged that his battle to prevent it being taken over by the government as an organ of propaganda was more important than a strict adherence to impartiality.But 30 years later, in the Suez crisis, the BBC infuriated Downing Street by allowing the opposition equal time on the airwaves for the first time. Fifteen years further on, a controversial documentary about Harold Wilson’s shadow cabinet, entitled Yesterday’s Men, caused a rupture in relations between the Labour Party and the BBC.The programme also describes the way Roman Catholic grievances in Northern Ireland were effectively ignored by the BBC in the years before the Troubles.At the same time, Reith’s notion that the BBC should aim its programming 'above the heads' of the audience led to the creation of the Third Programme on radio and the fortnightly arts programme Monitor on television – which set out to make the highbrow popular.As the BBC jealously guarded its independence from the state, some producers within the BBC struck out on their own, making programmes which were effectively outside the control of management.Presenters and producers of those days reflect with some embarrassment on the way women were treated on and off screen – by contributors, and by top BBC executives.Among the participants in this landmark series are Joan Bakewell, David Attenborough, Paul Fox, Denis Tuohy, Martin Bell, Tony Bilbow, Monica Sims, David Dimbleby and Humphrey Burton – and Lord Reith’s secretary, Dorothy Singer.
How the BBC Began - 2. Building the Audience (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-20 | BBC Television’s first female newsreader, Nan Winton, tells the story of how she was sacked because the editor preferred men to read the news. That editor, Michael Peacock, describes his shame at the whole episode. Staff working in the BBC’s monitoring service near Reading explain the critical role they played in defusing the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when the world was on the brink of nuclear war. And Tony Blackburn describes the alarm his new colleagues at Radio 1 felt when he said he worked without a script: it meant their morning delivery of coffee and doughnuts was under threat.
How the BBC Began - 1. Accident and Opportunity (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-19 | 3-part BBC documentary series. Contains language which may offend.The eyewitnesses and participants in the BBC’s early history recount some of the triumphs and disasters as new frontiers of broadcasting were mapped out – often by accident rather than design. Presenter James Burke tells how the Queen Mother helped to shape the BBC’s coverage of one Apollo space mission. BBC executive Sir Huw Wheldon describes the tension of producing Sir Winston Churchill’s one appearance on television. And June Spencer, famous for her role as Peggy in The Archers, shows the letter she received from a listener who was worried that she didn’t know about her unmarried daughter's pregnancy.*Had to trim some clips from 'The War Game' and 'Doctor Who'.
BBC - The Secret Files 2 Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-19 | Penelope Keith looks into the BBC's secret dealings with some of the 20th century's most intriguing figures, including Winston Churchill, Tony Hancock and Alec Guinness.
BBC - The Secret Files Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-18 | Penelope Keith uncovers the secrets behind some of the BBC's greatest artists and programmes as she delves into the corporation's written archives. *Had to edit a short clip from 'Dad's Army'.
Televisions Opening Night - How the Box Was Born (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-18 | BBC documentary. In a unique experiment, Dallas Campbell, Professor Danielle George and Dr Hugh Hunt join forces in an attempt to restage the very first official broadcast on British television, exactly 80 years after it made history.The very first official broadcast came from Alexandra Palace on 2 November 1936 - but there are no surviving recordings. To find out just what went on, this 21st-century team attempts to piece back together and recreate every aspect of the show from scratch - from the variety acts to the cameras - using the original technology and filming techniques to capture the excitement of the day.It's not going to be easy. At the dawn of TV, two rival camera technologies competed live on air to take control of the fledgling industry. The system that went first on opening night was a seven-foot tall mechanical monster built by John Logie Baird's company. It was called the 'Flying Spot' and at its heart was a huge steel disc spinning almost at the speed of sound - meaning mechanical engineer Hugh had better be careful as he attempts to resurrect it. Meanwhile, Danielle finds out how the rival and highly experimental, all-electronic camera system had problems of its own.The team uncovers the mixed influences of high-minded radio and bawdy variety shows on early TV, at a time when it was still a science experiment and not a mass medium. They seek advice from pre-war television pioneers, including Logie Baird's former assistant, now aged 104 but still full of handy tips about how to build a mechanical camera.Dallas learns just how much harder his job would have been 80 years ago, when the very first television announcer Leslie Mitchell was plastered in bizarre make-up and given a cue for 'action' that bordered on physical assault! Dallas also meets one of the performers in front of the camera on the original night - now in her nineties - to find out what it was like to be part of television history.As they prepare for broadcast, the team discovers a story of cogs and gears, electron beams and dancing girls - and one mad night that, for better or worse, helped invent television as we know it.
Talking Pictures - John Mills (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-17 | A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by the Oscar-winning actor Sir John Mills, capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.
Parkinson - David Niven (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-17 | First transmitted in 1972, Michael Parkinson's special guest, David Niven, draws on stories from his past including his first introduction to ‘the fairer sex’, his time in the Army, his adventures as a jobbing actor and the itchy feet that led to him leaving Hollywood to live in France.
Talking Pictures - David Niven (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-17 | A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by the Oscar-winning actor David Niven, capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.
Talking Pictures - Deborah Kerr (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-17 | A look back at the career of British actress Deborah Kerr, with vintage television interviews and classic archive clips telling how she left Britain in the 1940s and became one of Hollywood's biggest stars.
Martin Scorsese Remembers Powell and Pressburger (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-16 | Acclaimed director Martin Scorsese reveals why the films by the legendary team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger resonate so strongly with him and are on his recommended list of essential viewing for any fan of cinema. I Know Where I’m Going, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The Red Shoes and A Matter of Life and Death are all seemingly a world away from what most movie-goers would associate with the director of Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas. But Powell and Pressburger rank amongst the biggest influences on Scorsese’s career, and here, he explains why it’s so important for him to celebrate their work.
This Cultural Life - Thelma Schoonmaker (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-16 | John Wilson talks to three-time Oscar-winning film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, who, for over five decades, has been Martin Scorsese’s cutting room collaborator. Having edited Scorsese's first feature film in 1967, Thelma has worked on every one of his movies since Raging Bull, including Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed, Wolf of Wall Street, right up to his most recent features, The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon. As the widow of legendary British film-maker Michael Powell, Thelma has also played a key role in the restoration of classic Powell and Pressburger films, including The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus and A Matter of Life and Death.
I Know Where Im Going - 50 Years On (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-16 | Programme made in 1994 for the fiftieth anniversary of the classic movie I Know Where I'm Going! by maverick film-making duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, set on a Hebridean island and starring Dame Wendy Hiller and Roger Livesey.
Michael Powells Return to The Edge of the World (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-16 | In 1978, Michael Powell, accompanied by leading actors John Laurie and Grant Sutherland, revisited the island of Foula, 40 years after they filmed The Edge of the World, to find out what became of the islanders and the impact the film had on their lives.
Artworks - Michael Powell (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-16 | Profile of the life and career of renowned British film director Michael Powell, from 2005, the year of his centenary. Featuring interviews with Stephen Frears, Alan Parker and Martin Scorsese.
Michael Caine - Acting in Film (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-15 | Michael Caine gives a masterclass on the craft of acting for the silver screen by conducting a workshop with five actors using scenes from some of his films.
Parkinson - Michael Caine (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-15 | Michael Parkinson talks to actor Michael Caine about his life and career, in a programme that first aired in 2002.
Talking Pictures - Michael Caine (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-15 | A look at the life of acting legend Michael Caine, using rarely seen television interviews and classic archive clips to tell the story of one of Britain's most successful actors. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.
Sean Connery - In His Own Words (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-15 | Featuring archive interviews with Sean Connery from over 50 years in the business. Friends, actors and directors including Robert Carlyle, Dougray Scott, Laurence Fishburne, Terry Gilliam and George Lucas pay tribute to Scotland's greatest movie star.
Talking Pictures - Sean Connery (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-15 | A look at the life of Sean Connery, using rarely seen television interviews and classic archive clips to tell the story of his life and career. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.
Norman Jewison - Hollywood Veteran (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-14 | First shown in 1999, Tim Sebastian talks to director and producer Norman Jewison, whose acclaimed films include In the Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof and Moonstruck.
Scene by Scene - Rod Steiger (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-14 | Rob Steiger talks to Mark Cousins about his celebrated roles in On the Waterfront, Dr Zhivago and In the Heat of the Night, and shares anecdotes about James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor.
Clint Eastwood - The Man with No Name (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-14 | BBC documentary first shown in 1977. Profile of Clint Eastwood, the iconic actor and director, in which he talks to Iain Johnstone. Featuring contributions from Richard Burton, Sergio Leone, Don Siegel, Pauline Kael and Dilys Powell and extracts from some of Eastwood's films, including Rawhide, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Where Eagles Dare, The Outlaw Josey Wales and The Enforcer.
Talking Pictures - John Wayne (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-14 | A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by Hollywood legend John Wayne, capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career.
Talking Pictures - Westerns (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-14 | Once upon a time in the cinema, about one fifth of all Hollywood releases were cowboy films, and the Western dominated so much that it seemed that every major star would pull on a Stetson, saddle up and - if they were lucky - ride off into the sunset. In this episode of Talking Pictures, Sylvia Syms looks back through the BBC’s archives to tell the story of what is perhaps cinema’s most enduring and most visual genre. It’s a tale covering the golden age of the 1940s and 50s, the European influence of the spaghetti westerns, and the stars that keep the western alive and popular even today, told through classic interviews with some of the biggest names to ever draw a six-shooter, including Gary Cooper, James Stewart, Yul Brynner, Paul Newman and, of course, the two giants of the genre, John Wayne and Clint Eastwood.
Robert Redford - Film 93 with Barry Norman (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-13 | In this exclusive interview from 1993, Robert Redford talks to Barry Norman about his dislike of acting, his looks, his support for independent film-makers through his Sundance Institute and his latest film, A River Runs through It.Known for his wish for privacy and concern for the environment, Redford shuns the glamour of the West Coast to live in Utah. So how does he view the film community in Hollywood? And will he ever team up on screen with Paul Newman again?
Robert Redford Talks to Melvyn Bragg (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-13 | In a programme from 1976, actor Robert Redford talks with Melvyn Bragg about America, politics, ecology and movies.
Talking Pictures - Robert Redford (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-13 | The career of Robert Redford, one of the big screen's greatest heartthrobs, is examined in this exploration of the BBC archives, with rarely seen interviews showing that he was always much more than just a pin-up. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.
Talking Pictures - Paul Newman (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-13 | An examination of the life of actor Paul Newman, using rarely seen interviews from the BBC archives to tell the story of a career that made him one of Hollywood's greatest superstars. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.
Paul Newman at the NFT (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-13 | First shown in 1973. American actor Paul Newman talks to Joan Bakewell and members of the audience at the National Film Theatre, London. Featuring extracts from some of his most famous films, including The Silver Chalice, Somebody Up There Likes Me, The Hustler, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, WUSA, Judge Roy Bean, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon and Marigolds.
Omnibus: Elizabeth Taylor - Englands Other Elizabeth (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-12 | BBC documentary. Profile drawn from Elizabeth Taylor's visit to Britain in 2000, during which she received her damehood from the Queen. Hollywood's last great star talks for the first time in years about her career, her life and the challenges of the future.From her early days as a child star in Lassie Come Home and National Velvet to becoming the century's biggest star of all - in Cleopatra - her life, her loves and her work have all been lived to an intensity no other star can match.Joined by Shirley MacLaine, Rod Steiger and Angela Lansbury, Taylor remembers the glory days of working with Richard Burton, Montgomery Clift, Rock Hudson, James Dean and Paul Newman. Plus how filming never stopped regardless of what life threw at her, the pain and pleasure of two Oscars - one for a film she can hardly bear to remember - and, not least, the feelings she has for Britain, where she was born and how it was her English accent that launched her on the way to stardom at the very beginning.
Elizabeth Taylor - A Tribute (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-12 | Friends, family and co-stars share their memories of Elizabeth Taylor, the Hollywood icon.Famous for her many husbands, love of diamonds and her AIDS fundraising, the actress who won two film Oscars and was awarded an honourary Oscar for her Humanitarian work, is celebrated by Liza Minnelli, Joan Collins, Pierce Brosnan, Angela Lansbury, Sir David Frost, Larry King, Robert Hardy, Barry Norman and Richard Burton's nephew Guy Masterson.
Talking Pictures - Charlton Heston (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-12 | A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by Oscar winning Hollywood actor Charlton Heston, capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.
The Epic That Never Was (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-12 | Archive BBC documentary first shown in 1965. In 1937, shooting began at Denham Studios on Sir Alexander Korda's ill-fated film I, Claudius, from the books by Robert Graves. The story of why it remained unfinished is told by Dirk Bogarde, with interviews with several of those involved and scenes from the original London Films production.
Talking Pictures - Epics (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-12 | Sylvia Syms looks through the BBC archive to discover what makes an epic. The programme looks at the history of epics, which featured lavish budgets and huge sets, from the Ten Commandments and Ben Hur through to Titanic and Gladiator. Including interviews from some of the biggest stars in the world, who starred in some of the biggest films in the world.
Scene By Scene - Jane Russell (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-11 | A rare interview with former Hollywood sex symbol Jane Russell. She talks about her difficult childhood as the eldest and only girl of six siblings, her film career and working with Marilyn Monroe.
Joan Bakewell Remembers Bette Davis at the NFT (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-11 | Joan Bakewell looks back fondly on her evening spent with the legendary screen actor Bette Davis in 1972. Joan was in awe of such an icon of the golden age of cinema but was careful not to let that put her off the job at hand. She talks about how they bonded backstage, and how Bette made a wonderful interviewee - kind, warm, interesting and totally delighted to speak to an audience of her fans.
Bette Davis at the NFT (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-11 | First shown in 1972. American actress Bette Davis talks to Joan Bakewell and to the audience at the National Film Theatre. She recalls her career as a star, her resistance to the studio's attempts to change her name, the problems she has had to face and the Hollywood image.Featuring extracts from some of Davis's most famous films, including Jezebel (1938), Elizabeth and Essex (1939), Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943), All About Eve (1950) and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962).
Rex Harrison at the NFT (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-11 | First shown in 1971, actor Rex Harrison talks entertainingly about his long stage and screen career with David Lewin and members of the audience of the National Film Theatre. Featuring extracts from some of his most famous films.
Talking Pictures - Gregory Peck (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-11 | A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by Hollywood icon Gregory Peck, capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.
Talking Pictures - James Stewart (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-10 | A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by Oscar-winning actor James Stewart, capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career. Narrated by Sylvia Syms. *Had to edit out a clip from 'The Glenn Miller Story'.
Scene by Scene - Janet Leigh (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-10 | Mark Cousins visits Beverly Hills for a revealing conversation with Janet Leigh, star of Psycho, Touch of Evil and The Manchurian Candidate. Leigh talks about her life, including her marriage to Tony Curtis and working with Orson Welles.
Hitchcock at the NFT (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-10 | First broadcast in 1969. In his 70th year, Alfred Hitchcock came to the National Film Theatre in London to talk to fellow director Bryan Forbes and to answer questions from an audience of film enthusiasts.With scenes from Blackmail (1929), The Lady Vanishes (1938), Psycho (1960), The Birds (1963) and Torn Curtain (1966). (*Had to edit out the clip from 'Torn Curtain').
Talking Pictures - Joan Fontaine (HD) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-10 | A look at the life of Joan Fontaine, one of Britain's best-loved actresses, using rarely seen archive footage of her appearances on the BBC to tell the story of her Oscar-winning career.
Talking Pictures - Robert Mitchum (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-09 | The life and career of one of Hollywood's original bad boys, Robert Mitchum, is examined using archive footage of his appearances on the BBC that illustrate why he was a favourite of film fans, and an interviewer's nightmare.
Desert Island Discs - Lauren Bacall (BBC Radio) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-09 | Roy Plomley's castaway is actress Lauren Bacall.Favourite track: My Mistress' Eyes (Sonnet 130) by William ShakespeareBook: Collected Short Stories by John CheeverLuxury: Sun tan lotion
Face to Face - Lauren Bacall (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-09 | First transmitted in 1995, Jeremy Isaacs delves into the life of Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall, who became a movie star instantly following her first screen appearances in To Have and Have Not and The Big Sleep. Born as Betty Perske, she went on to marry Humphrey Bogart and enjoyed a 50-year career under her new name, Lauren Bacall. They discuss her film career, autobiographies and her impending return to the British stage.
Scene by Scene - Lauren Bacall (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-09 | In a rare interview, Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall speaks to Mark Cousins about her career, her marriage to Humphrey Bogart and her friendships with Katharine Hepburn and Rock Hudson.*Had to trim out a clip from 'Written in the Wind'.
Talking Pictures - Lauren Bacall (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-09 | A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall, following the changes and highlights of her life and career. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.
The Rules of Film Noir (BBC) Culture Vulture Rises 2025-04-08 | BBC documentary. Bogey, Bacall and Mitchum play it tough as Matthew Sweet celebrates the hardboiled world of noir movies.*Had to edit out clips from 'The Killers'.
