My Family - the end - finally

My Family has finally come to an end. A lot of people say it "ended" back in June '04. Others believe it reached the end of the line in May '08. One thing for sure, they flogged it to the point that even the main actors couldn't stand it. These days the BBC works in mysterious ways.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Family_%28TV_series%29

The Riff Raff Element + Civvies

The Riff Raff Element was an early 90's comedy-drama serial with a solid cast.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Riff_Raff_Element
Unfortunately, the video tape of Ep 2.5 is messed up from start to finish. Watchable, but annoying.

Civvies was a Lynda La Plante thing.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0182008/

Sugartown + The Hour

Sugartown
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugartown_%28TV_series%29

The Hour
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hour_%28drama_series%29

Winners & Losers

Winners & Losers, the popular Australian drama about "the lives of four women living in Melbourne after they win a large amount of money in the Oz Lotto" wrapped up it's first series either today or yesterday depending on what part of the world you're in. It will be returning next year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winners_%26_Losers
Packed To The Rafters, on hiatus since mid-March, now returns and will end its 4th series in early December.

Making Waves + North & South

2 drama serials from 2004. One was award-winning, one was not.

Making Waves
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Making_Waves_%28TV_series%29

North & South
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_and_South_%28TV_serial%29

The Pillars Of The Earth

The Pillars of the Earth is a Canadian-produced mini-series based on the Ken Follett novel.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pillars_of_the_Earth_%28TV_miniseries%29

Between The Lines + Virtual Murder

Between The Lines was a 90's cop drama starring Neil Pearson (Chelmsford 123, Drop The Dead Donkey, Trevor's World Of Sport, See You Friday, All The Small Things, The State Within, The Booze Cruise, recent appearances in George Gently, Marple, Midsomer Muders), Tom Georgeson (Boys From The Blackstuff, Juliet Bravo, The Last Place On Earth, G.B.H., Justice, Crimson Petal and The White), Siobhan Redmond (Alfresco, Bulman, The Smoking Room, Taggart), Tony Doyle (Aphrodite Inheritance, Ballykissangel, Band Of Gold....his daughter Susannah starred with Pearson in Dead Donkey).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Between_The_Lines_%28TV_series%29

Virtual Murder
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Murder

Marcus Lush - New Zealand

Last December I posted a 12-episode program called Off The Rails: A Love Story in which Marcus Lush takes viewers on a journey throughout New Zealand by rail as he explains how the lines enabled the country to grow and prosper.
If you've always wanted to experience the beauty of New Zealand but the trip there isn't in your future, these two discs are the next best thing.
Here are 3 more programs with Marcus Lush, one about New Zealand's North Island, one the South Island and one about Antarctica....a bit south of the south island.
Also included is a 43-minute program about the south island and a 1985 4-episode program by Peter Hayden and his journey across the south island, coast-to-coast,  at 45° S latitude. (The last 10 minutes of episode 3 is missing due to a disc problem.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Lush

Room At The Bottom

Room At The Bottom was an 80's sitcom starring James Bolam and Keith Barron. Also in most, but not all, episodes was Richard Wilson, Deborah Grant, Oliver Cotton and Erica Hoffman. George Baker was in several episodes and Michael Jayston, Stephanie Cole and Roger Lloyd Pack guest star....among others.
http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/room/index.html
Some of these files have a peculiar audio noise in the background here and there but it doesn't effect the dialogue at all. Seems to effect the laugh track or low background noise and sounds like R2D2 under water.

Some other programs these actors are known for:

James Bolam - The Likely Lads, When The Boat Comes In, Only When I Laugh, The Beiderbecke Trilogy, Father Matthew's Daughter, Andy Capp, Second Thoughts, Close And True, Born And Bred, New Tricks.

Keith Barron - Telford's Change, Leaving, Duty Free, Haggard, The Good Guys, Take Me, Dead Man Weds, The Chase, Where The Heart Is.

Richard Wilson - Crown Court, A Sharp Intake Of Breath, Only When I Laugh, Tutti Frutti, High And Dry, Hot Metal, Selling Hitler, Cluedo, Under The Hammer, Duck Patrol, Born And Bred, Merlin, One Foot In The Grave.

Deboarah Grant - Bouquet Of Barbed Wire, Another Bouquet, Bread, Bergerac, Peak Practice, Not Going Out.

Oliver Cotton - (sometimes confused with Paul Chapman) Sensitive Skin, The Camomile Lawn.

Erica Hoffman - Brush Strokes, Chelmsford 123, House of Cards trilogy.

George Baker - The Fenn Street Gang, Bowler, I Claudius, No Job For A Lady, Inspector Wexford.  

Spirited - Disc 1

Spirited - Disc 1
Spirited is an Australian drama program currently in its second series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirited_%28TV_series%29

Smörgåsbord Disc 30

Colin, who's locked in the jaws of winter in southern New Zealand, provided this collection of 6 films, 5 of which are adaptations of books by the late New Zealand author Ronald Hugh Morrieson.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Hugh_Morrieson

Some of these films are quite rare, as are some of his books, so to provide those of us outside of New Zealand with the chance to have all 5 films on 1 disc was very generous of Colin.

One Of Those Blighters is a 50-minute film about the life and times of Morrieson himself, filmed about 10 years after his death at the age of 50.

The Scarecrow
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarecrow_%281982_film%29

Came A Hot Friday
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Came_a_Hot_Friday

Pallet On The Floor

Predicament

The Makutu Of Mrs. Jones is not a Morrieson story. It's a short film from 1983 based on a story by Witi Ihimaera.

Smörgåsbord - Disc 29

Smörgåsbord Disc 29

This one is all Down Under with 3 films from Australia and 2 from New Zealand.

Eruption
"Eruption is a New Zealand-made drama that follows several Auckland families in the days before a volcanic eruption in their city. The Director of Civil Defence Emergency Management, John Hamilton, said, while Eruption is a drama, the science that drives it is real and the wider messages about preparedness for disasters are relevant to all the country. The show’s producers, Gibson Group, worked with the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management, GNS Science, the University of Auckland and civil defence organisations in Auckland in developing the script. For Auckland, the warning signs of volcanic unrest shown in Eruption are realistic – the volcanic field is closely monitored, and scientists and civil defence officials would be able to provide early warning if magma began moving towards the surface, again. Likewise, the other areas of New Zealand living with volcanoes – Taranaki, the central North Island and Bay of Plenty – are closely monitored and the precautions people need to take are similar."

Loot
"Jon Peregrine (Jason Donovan) is a forensic accountant, who takes his job seriously. So when his brother-in-law commits suicide as the result of an involvement in a share rort, Peregrine is determined to unocver and expose the criminals. When Peregrine's ex-wife Cynthia (Anita Hegh) hires him to find a missing mafia boss, he realises that the financial scandal goes much deeper than a share rort and involves the laundering of drug money from Thailand. Peregrine will not rest until he figures out what has happened - and dealt with those responsible. Loot is a fast-paced financial thriller, with a little humour, a little romance and loads of action. There are creditable performances from Donovan and Hegh, and support from other familiar faces including Barry Otto and Mark Mitchell."

Scorched
"Sydney 2012. There has been no rainfall for over 200 days. The city has nearly run out of water and is fast becoming reliant on its desalination plant. During a severe heatwave the city is ringed by bushfires which simultaneously break their containment lines leaving Sydney under siege and without sufficient water to defend itself."

Tangiwai
"It's 1953. Bob Blair and 19-year-old Nerissa Love are deeply in love. Their love story alone is the stuff of movies but what makes Bob and Nerissa's story one of legends is that catastrophic events will cause their private love story to play out its final scene on an unlikely public stage. While Bob goes off to play cricket for his country in South Africa, Nerissa makes a fateful decision to travel to Auckland to be with her friend for Christmas. While Bob smashes wickets in Johannesburg, the train Nerissa is on heads straight for a bridge that spans the Whangaehu River - a place better known as Tangiwai - "River of Tears". When news of the train crash and Nerissa's death - along with 150 other Christmas travellers - reaches the cricket team in South Africa, Bob is devastated. But what follows is an act of courage and defiance that stands as one of our most dramatic moments in sporting history. Bob Blair's actions on the cricket field - batting through tears to try and save his battered team - reflect the heroism being played out back home as the nation faces its worst ever disaster. Tangiwai explores a great tragedy through the eyes of two young people who embody all the hope of the post-war generation, a generation who were desperate to forge a new, independent path for themselves."

The Postcard Bandit
"The story of notorious Australian bank robber Brendan Abbott, who according to the myth, sent postcards to authorities hot on his trail while on the run across the country."

Smörgåsbord - Disc 28

The Lost Prince

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Prince

Riot at the Rite
from IMDB: "In the spring of 1913, Parisian businessman Gabriel Astruc opens a new theater on the Champs Elysées. The first performance is the premiere of Igor Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring', danced by the Ballet Russes. The rehearsal process is extremely fraught: the orchestra dislike Stravinsky's harsh, atonal music; the dancers dislike the 'ugly' choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky. The volatile, bisexual Nijinsky is in a strained relationship with the much older Sergei Diaghilev, the Ballet Russes' charismatic but manipulative impresario. Public expectation is extremely high after Nijinsky's success in 'L'apres-midi d'un faune'. Finally, 'The Rite of Spring' premieres to a gossip-loving, febrile, fashion-conscious Parisian audience sharply divided as to its merits."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473080/

Freefall
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freefall_%28TV_programme%29

Accidental Farmer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accidental_Farmer

Toast
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toast_%28film%29

Prince John: The Windsors' Tragic Secret
documentary to go with The Lost Prince
"Had he lived beyond the tender age of 13, the sixth and youngest child of King George V and Queen Mary would have been the present Queen’s uncle. As hitherto understood on the basis of scraps of information about what used to be a very private family, John’s was a short life characterised by neglect and being ruthlessly locked away from public view on account of his severe epilepsy and a learning difficulty that may have been related to autism. His elder brother Edward once described him as "more of an animal than anything else". However, as befits a programme made by Blakeway Productions, whose reputation for factual programming is top-notch, this film depicts a story that was indeed tragic – but more complex than we might otherwise have believed. It uses the testimony of individuals with personal knowledge of the fate of the young prince – including nonagenarian Elsie Hollingsworth, whose father was John’s coachman – plus letters and photographs never seen before on television. This might not add up to a mass of new material, and it certainly shows a family teetering near the border of dysfunctionality, but it enables us to glimpse more sympathetically the struggle which the ultra-correct George and his emotionally repressed wife actually faced."

Love Your Garden + A Man And His Garden

Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh
http://www.itv.com/loveyourgarden/experts/alan-titchmarsh/
http://thehorticulturalchannel.info/2011/05/love-your-garden-with-alan-titchmarsh/

Geoff Hamilton: A Man And His Garden
Five-part BBC series celebrating the life and work of Geoff Hamilton, Britain's favourite gardener, who died from a heart attack on 4 August, 1996. Narrated by Richard Briers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Hamilton

Beechgrove Garden - Series 4 Disc 1

Beechgrove Garden is a long running gardening program from BBC Scotland that is both informative and helpful. The Garden itself is located just west of Aberdeen in what could be considered somewhat harsh territory so it's great for those that garden in challenging areas.
http://www.beechgrove.co.uk/