Secrets of Highclere Castle

Chambord: The Castle, the King and the Architect

December 2015 •French

Chambord, the most impressive castle in the Loire Valley, in France, a truly Renaissance treasure, has always been an enigma to generations of historians. Why did King Francis I (1494-1547), who commissioned it, embark on this epic project in the heart of the marshlands in 1519? What significance did he want the castle to have? What role did his friend, Italian genius Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) play? Was he the architect or who was?

Your Heritage: The River Tyne

January 1962 •English

As the Cold War bristles with menace in the 60s, the youth at Kielder Workman’s Club celebrate free time with an American dance called the ‘Twist’. But it’s the Faustian pact with industry this brilliant travelogue focuses on first as it maps the path of the River Tyne. The sounds of heavy machinery and graft pitch us into Newcastle’s shipyards and collieries, whilst drugs spin off a machine called Bliss in Winthrop Laboratories’ production-slick war against pain.

Dont Look Back

May 1967 •English

In this wildly entertaining vision of one of the twentieth century’s greatest artists, Bob Dylan is surrounded by teen fans, gets into heated philosophical jousts with journalists, and kicks back with fellow musicians Joan Baez, Donovan, and Alan Price.

The Final: Attack on Wembley

May 2024 •English

As England reach the final of the Euros at last, 6,000 ticketless football fans storm Wembley stadium, leaving destruction in their wake.

Cows Knocked Up by Fog

October 2002 •German

Catchy mix of farce and documentary. Portrait of a Berlin theatre company made up entirely of the homeless, alcoholics and junks. They call themselves ‘rats’ and take the film over to have a party.

Francis Bacon in His Own Words

January 2009 •English

A collection of BBC archive material about painter Francis Bacon, including a previously unseen interview recorded in 1965.

Dark Water: The Murder of Shani Warren

February 2023 •English

Twenty-six-year-old Shani Warren was found drowned in Taplow Lake, Buckinghamshire, with her hands tied and feet bound together in 1987. Revealing how it took a forensic breakthrough to solve the 35-year mystery of the death of The Lady in the Lake.

Imagine… Pet Shop Boys: Then and Now

April 2024 •English

Featuring exclusive access to their recent tour and their new album, this documentary reveals the fascinating world of Pet Shop Boys, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe.

Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic

December 2011 •German

The lives of Stan Laurel (1890-1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892-1957), on the screen and behind the curtain. The joy and the sadness, the success and the failure. The story of one of the best comic duos of all time: a lesson on how to make people laugh.

Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes

August 2022 •English

From breathtaking highs — a World Cup win, an astonishing last stand in the Ashes, and an inspiring England captaincy — to the lows — a trial for affray, personal tragedy, and mental health challenges, which saw him take time away from the game — the documentary follows Ben Stokes in an honest film about the man behind the extraordinary cricketer.

Discovering England

March 1991 •English

It would be difficult to find more comprehensive tour through the byways and highways, lanes and paths, nooks and crannies, major sights and unexpected discoveries of enchanting England! After seeing the fascinations of London, It's out into the country for spectacular lakes and streams, green hills and dales, charming houses and inns, castles and cathedrals, thatched roofs and the cobblestone streets of scores of colourful towns in between, from Aldeburgh to York.

Vom Nazi zum englischen Fußballidol - Torwartlegende Bert Trautmann

July 2021 •German

How could a German Wehrmacht soldier become a celebrated soccer idol of the Britons in the post-war period? The documentary by Radio Bremen shows the moving life story of the soccer star of the 1950s in a torn Europe and how an enemy became a friend. With his legendary appearance in the English Cup Final 1956, in which he played until the end despite a broken neck, Bert Trautmann set up a memorial for himself in the history of sport. Already in the same year, he is chosen as England’s footballer of the year, and by his club Manchester City even as best player of all times. Bernhard “Bert” Trautmann is one of the most popular and best-known soccer players in England.

Scholastic England

December 1948 •English

This MGM Traveltalk short focuses on the history of England's colleges in Cambridge, Oxford, and Eton and the towns that surround the campuses.

Living With Lions

November 1999 •English

Exclusive two-disc film documenting the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa in the summer of 1997. The unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the team shows the preparations, the training, the fun, the team selection, the 'earthy' language, the bonding, the awesome task of playing and some shocking footage of injuries. Despite securing the series with wins in the first two tests, the Lions remained motivated by the prospect of a 3-0 whitewash, a feat never achieved against the Springboks throughout the century.

Interview With A Murderer

June 2016 •English

A famed criminologist reexamines the evidence in this powerful interview with murderer Bert Spencer, suspected in the killing a paperboy in 1978.

Of Time and the City

October 2008 •English

British director Terence Davies reflects on his birthplace of Liverpool - his memories of growing up there and how it has changed in the years since - in the process meditating on the internal struggles and conflicts that have wracked him throughout his life and the history of England during the second half of the 20th century.

Glimpses of Old England

October 1949 •English

This Traveltalk series short focuses on the sights and culture that define "Old England". Included is a visit to the Cotswold Hills area, a ride on the Wye River, and visits to Tintern Abbey in Wales and Laycock Abbey in Wiltshire, England.

The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II

July 2013 •English

Ludwig II of Bavaria, more commonly known by his nicknames the Swan King or the Dream King, is a legendary figure - the handsome boy-king, loved by his people, betrayed by his cabinet and found dead in tragic and mysterious circumstances. He spent his life in pursuit of the ideal of beauty, an ideal that found expression in three of the most extraordinary, ornate architectural schemes imaginable - the castle of Neuschwanstein and the palaces of Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. Today, these three buildings are among Germany's biggest tourist attractions. Dan Cruickshank explores the rich aesthetic of Ludwig II - from the mock-medievalism of Neuschwanstein, the iconic fairytale castle that became the inspiration for the one in Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty, to the rich Baroque splendour of Herrenchiemsee, Ludwig's answer to Versailles. Dan argues that Ludwig's castles are more than flamboyant kitsch and are, in fact, the key to unravelling the eternal enigma of Ludwig II.

Buckingham : les princesses malheureuses

May 2023 •French

Châteaux d'Alsace

March 2011 •French