Mad and Bad: 60 Years of Science on TV

From Raymond Baxter live on Tomorrow's World testing a new-fangled bulletproof vest on a nervous inventor to Doctor Who's contemporary spin on the War on Terror, British television and the Great British public have been fascinated with the brave new world offered up by science on TV. Narrated by Robert Webb, this documentary takes a fantastic, incisive and funny voyage through the rich heritage of science TV in the UK, from real science programmes (including The Sky At Night, Horizon, Tomorrow's World, The Ascent of Man) to science-fiction (such as The Quatermass Experiment, Doctor Who, Doomwatch, Blake's 7, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), to find out what it tells us about Britain over the last 60 years.

Lance Loud!: A Death in An American Family

Eldest son Lance, of the Loud family profiled on PBS in 1973, became the first openly gay man on television and a gay icon for his generation. When Lance entered hospice in 2001 with a terminal HIV and hepatitis C co-infection, he asked original filmmakers Susan and Alan Raymond to film a final episode of the series. Lance reflects upon his days with Andy Warhol, his band The Mumps, a career as a writer and the experience of being the first reality TV star. It is a celebration of life and a cautionary tale.

We Love Are You Being Served?

Grace Brothers shut up shop over thirty years ago but for one night only we are reopening that infamous department store, climbing into the lift and going up to celebrate everything we love about Britain's brashest bawdiest sitcom, Are You Being Served?. Featuring side-splitting clips and behind the scenes footage, prepare to have your ribs well and truly tickled as we pay tribute to the true-blue sitcom phenomenon that is Are You Being Served?

Sitcom: The Adventures of Garry Marshall

A day-in-the-life documentary with Garry Marshall. Marshall was an executive producer for ABC and was responsible for such hit shows as Laverne and Shirley, Happy Days, and Mork and Mindy. This tape features several behind the scenes segments from these shows' productions. Marshall is also interviewed about the nature of television production and comedy.

CBS Reports: Don't Touch That Dial!

A CBS Reports documentary on the development and production of two prime-time network shows, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and "Family Ties", c.1982.

Lucy and Desi

Explore the unlikely partnership and enduring legacy of one of the most prolific power couples in entertainment history. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz risked everything to be together.

We Need a Blockbuster, Charlie Brown

A documentary short detailing the making of the classic cartoon "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," and the particular pressure the creative team felt after the massive success of its former creation, "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

Montgomery Clift

A documentary incorporating footage of Montgomery Clift’s most memorable films; interviews with family and friends, and rare archival material stretching back to his childhood. What develops is the story of an intense young boy who yearned for stardom, achieved notable success in such classic films as From Here to Eternity and I Confess, only to be ruined by alcohol addiction and his inability to face his own fears and homosexual desires. Montgomery Clift, as this film portrays him, may not have been a happy man but he never compromised his acting talents for Hollywood.

Information Violence

Keith Meets Keith

Keith Allen meets his long-term hero, Keith Floyd, who transformed the presentation of gastronomy on British television.

Tales of Television Centre

Various actors, presenters, directors and other staff who have worked at the iconic BBC Television Centre at Shepherd's Bush in London reminisce about their time there.

Control Room

A chronicle which provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jazeera, the Arab world's most popular news outlet. Roundly criticized by Cabinet members and Pentagon officials for reporting with a pro-Iraqi bias, and strongly condemned for frequently airing civilian causalities as well as footage of American POWs, the station has revealed (and continues to show the world) everything about the Iraq War that the Bush administration did not want it to see.

British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves

Documentary celebrating the British sitcom and taking a look at the social and political context from which our favourite sitcoms grew. We enjoy a trip through the comedy archive in the company of the people who made some of the very best British sitcoms. From The Likely Lads to I'm Alan Partridge, we find out the inspiration behind some of the most-loved characters and how they reflect the times they were living in.

The Birth of Television

In this feature-length documentary from 1976, Leslie Mitchell and special guests recall the birth of BBC Television forty years before.

Drama Out of a Crisis: A Celebration of Play for Today

Marking Play for Today’s 50th anniversary, Drama Out of a Crisis is a compelling exploration of the series, its origins, achievements, controversies and legacies. Featuring a rich and surprising range of archive extracts and original interviews with many who created the series, including producers Kenith Trodd, Margaret Matheson and Richard Eyre, and directors Mike Leigh, David Hare and Ken Loach.

The Cardinal and the Corpse

‘The Cardinal and the Corpse' marks the beginning of Petit’s loose partnership with writer Iain Sinclair. There’s a nod towards narrative here involving a book-search launched by graphic novelist Alan Moore and a dealer (the dapper but barking Driffield), but it’s little more than an excuse to showcase a number of authors and other miscreants.

Eurovision Secrets & Scandals

A revelatory documentary uncovering amazing stories about what really goes on behind the scenes at Eurovision. With contributions from former winner Cheryl Baker, former loser Andy Abraham and former host Jan Leeming.

An American Family Revisited: The Louds 10 Years Later

A ten-year update on the Loud family and their reflections on becoming the first reality TV stars. Their experience of becoming media celebrities and the parents' subsequent divorce changed them in many ways. Each family member explains how they were affected by these dramatic life events.

Anatomy of a 'Homicide: Life on the Street'

A brief look at the history of "Homicide: Life on the Street", one of the best shows on television and its ratings history as well as some of the people on the show, as well as behind the camera. The primary focus of this PBS documentary is the "Subway" episode which aired on December 5, 1997 on NBC. This two-hour documentary follows the "Subway" episode from conception to award nominations.

Our World

Various international presentions are featured through satellite uplink.