Jane gives up being an office typist and works in an aircraft factory.
A look at Britain's beloved canal network via a fact-filled cruise along the first superhighways of the Industrial Revolution. In the age before mechanisation, a frenzy of canal-building saw a new army of workers carve out the British landscape, digging out hundreds of miles of waterways using picks, shovels and muscle.
A brief history of British aviation and the development of both civil and military aircraft. Made for the Festival of Britain.
A generation before the famous Nazi blitz of London during WWII came the first aerial terror bombings of London by German zeppelins during WWI. Monstrous machines two football fields long filled with flammable hydrogen gas carried tons of explosives over the unprotected capitol. Explore these deadly creations with historians and engineers who delve deep into these terrifying war machines.
A history of the American War of Independence.
Comprising new and archival footage, this film observes rituals performed by the South Asian, African, and Caribbean diaspora in Britain, demonstrating an appreciation of land, community values, and the universe we share with other species and planets.
Over 300,000 children were given food aid in the UK last year. While politicians argue about why so many kids are experiencing food poverty, we ask the children themselves to tell us why they think the cupboards are bare.
3.5 million children are growing up in poverty in the UK. It’s one of the worst rates in the industrialised world and successive governments continue to struggle to bring it into line. Struggling & without a voice, 'Poor Kids' shines a light on this pressing issue.
Set in the rugged landscape of 1790s Britain, Tornado, a young and determined Japanese woman, finds herself caught in a perilous situation when she and her father’s traveling puppet samurai show crosses paths with a gang of ruthless criminals led by Sugarman and his ambitious son Little Sugar. In an attempt to create a new life for herself, Tornado seizes the opportunity to take matters into her own hands and steal the gold from their most recent heist.
A short film written by Michelle Crane and directed by Francis Castelli Preston, 1972. This true story explores the secrets we keep within and why. A young boy reluctantly visits his Granny for the afternoon unknowingly helping her to pack away a significant part of her life. This short film tells us about Lizzy Ashcroft as an older woman living alone, in contrast to her ‘golden days’ travelling, playing sports and experiencing a freedom in the 1920’s and 30’s unlike her generation had ever known before. The film explores why despite being a footballer for fifteen years, she finally had to retire in 1935 and subsequently packed away this important, happy, part of her life. It leaves us questioning how we don’t always truly know those who are closest to us.
A newly-broken-up couple must temporarily reconcile their differences and travel the food festivals and markets of Britain together as they try and make a success of the food truck that they sunk their savings into before they split up.
This spiritual successor to the 1942 original explores the vibrant yet tumultuous growth of Britishness over the past century. The film gives voices to a new reality of Britain, one that has been formed through the flourishing multiculturalism the country has seen since the original film was made. Academics and artists are interviewed to explore both past and present, and consider what a future Britain may look like.
Augustus Northmore Welby Pugin is far from being a household name, yet he designed the iconic clock tower of Big Ben as well as much of the Palace of Westminster. The 19th-century Gothic revival that Pugin inspired, with its medieval influences and soaring church spires, established an image of Britain which still defines the nation. Richard Taylor charts Pugin's extraordinary life story and discovers how his work continues to influence Britain today.
British animation short from Paul Vester.
Beautifully made and historically important pipe organs are being scrapped in their hundreds. Once at the centre of British culture pipe organs are now neglected and unloved.
Documentary to mark the WI's centenary. Lucy Worsley goes beyond the stereotypes of jam and Jerusalem to reveal the surprisingly radical side of this Great British institution.
Tom vows to love and protect his Zombie Wife 'til death do they part. Zombie Wife needs feeding, and Tom must fulfill her needs. Day after day, he risks his life to bring home the bacon that his Zombie Wife craves. They long for their life back: a family who used to sing and dance together. Family is unity, unity is power, and they were, and are, invincible when they dance.
Shown as part of the BBC's Modern Times series. Think of England shows Parr talking to the many people he encountered in the summer of 1999. He innocently asked people what it took to be English, and this simple question provided many revealing answers.
Guyanese painter Aubrey Williams (1926-1990) returns to his homeland on a “journey to the source of his inspiration” in this vivid Arts Council documentary, filmed towards the end of his life. The title comes from the indigenous Arawak word ‘timehri’ - the mark of the hand of man - which Williams equates to art itself. Timehri was also then the name of the international airport at Georgetown, Guyana's capital, where Williams stops off to restore an earlier mural. The film offers a rare insight into life beyond Georgetown, what Williams calls “the real Guyana.” Before moving to England in 1952 he had been sent to work on a sugar plantation in the jungle; this is his first chance to revisit the region and the Warao Indians - formative influences on his work - in four decades. Challenging the ill-treatment of indigenous Guyanese, Williams explored the potential of art to change attitudes. By venturing beyond his British studio, this film puts his work into vibrant context.
Chronicles the musical career of British post-punk art rockers Wire.