Friday 19 October 2012

More 2013 Doctor Who DVD news

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine confirms the DVD releases for the first part of 2013.

So that's how Shada's coming out on
DVD...
Next year's release schedule will begin on 7 January with The Legacy Box, containing the unfinished story Shada and Kevin Davies' 1994 documentary More than 30 Years in the TARDIS. Recording began for Tom Baker serial Shada in 1979, with the intention to air the story in 1980. However, after all the location filming in Cambridge and one of the three planned studio sessions had been completed, industrial strike action forced the remainder of the production to be abandoned. After months of speculation, the magazine confirms that the DVD will be a restored version of the 1992 VHS release, which featured narration and in-vision links by Tom Baker to summarise the missing material. North American DVD website TV Shows on DVD lists a "Flash version" among the special features, referring to the 2003 webcast of Big Finish's Paul McGann version of the story (still available to view on the BBC's website). However, it is understood that this will be computer-oriented DVD-ROM content, not viewable on a lot of DVD players. Released straight to VHS in 1994, More than 30 Years in the TARDIS is an extended version of 30 Years in the TARDIS, which was broadcast the previous year to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Doctor Who.

Animation brings the two missing
episodes of The Reign of Terror back
to life.
Later that month, on 28 January, the 1964 William Hartnell story The Reign of Terror will be released. The fourth and fifth episodes of the six-part finale of Doctor Who's first series are missing from the BBC's archives, so they are represented here by brand-new animation by Theta-Sigma, using off-air soundtrack recordings. This will be the first time that missing episodes have been reconstructed in this manner since the Patrick Troughton serial The Invasion was released on DVD in 2006.




On 18 February, the 1975 Tom Baker story The Ark in Space will be re-released on DVD as a Special Edition title. In addition to sporting brand new special features, the restoration of the story will be improved over the 2002 release, as that original DVD did not make use of a bit of restoration kit called the Transform PAL Decoder (this is now the only colour story from 1963-1989 for which this is the case).

1964's William Hartnell story The Aztecs will also be re-released on 11 March. As with The Ark in Space, more special features will be included, along with a new restoration of the serial to take advantage of the significant advances in restoration technology since the original DVD release in 2002. Most significantly, this release will include Air Lock, the third episode of the 1965 story Galaxy 4, which was discovered in 2011 after being missing from the archives for decades previously.

The magazine also reveals two releases for June 2013. One of these is 1975's Terror of the Zygons, which will complete the Tom Baker era on DVD. The other is a Blu-ray release of Jon Pertwee's first story, 1970's Spearhead from Space. This was the only Doctor Who story to be shot entirely on film between 1963 and 1989, so a high definition transfer is possible. The Blu-ray will also include two exclusive features. A Dandy and a Clown: The Life of Jon Pertwee will be a biography of the third actor to play the Doctor, produced and directed by Chris Chapman, while a tribute to the late Caroline John (who played companion Liz Shaw in this story and the rest of Season Seven) will also be presented.

There is one classic release remaining for 2012. The DVD range continues with the Special Edition re-release of The Claws of Axos on 22 October, while the recently-broadcast first part of Series Seven will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on 29 October.

Sources: Doctor Who Magazine, TV Shows on DVD, Chris Chapman, Steve Manfred

Thursday 18 October 2012

Sky gains exclusive rights to all eight Harry Potter films


Sky has made a deal with Warner Bros to hold exclusive UK television and streaming rights to all eight films in the Harry Potter series. Across a three month period starting next month, no other channels or streaming providers will be able to show any of the films, which also means that Sky Movies will be the only place to see them on television over the Christmas period.

In addition to the films being available on Sky Movies, subscribers will also be able to view them using the On Demand service which is currently being rolled out to Sky+HD boxes, via Sky Go on various internet-connected devices, and on NOW TV (the Sky-powered internet TV service) with the Sky Movies monthly pass. The eighth and final film of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, will also be available in 3D on Sky 3D. This was the only one of the films to see a 3D release in cinemas, although Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 was eventually released on Blu-ray 3D after the 3D conversion could not be completed in time for the theatrical release.

Ian Lewis, Director of Sky Movies, said: "We’re delighted to be extending our partnership with Warner Bros to deliver Sky Movies customers exclusive access to the entire Harry Potter™ collection, which will not be available on any other TV channel or streaming service this Christmas. To make it even better, Sky Movies customers can also enjoy the entire series of films on demand through their Sky+HD box, or watch them while they are on the move via their smartphone or mobile tablet."

Josh Berger CBE, President and Managing Director of Warner Bros UK, Ireland and Spain, said: "The Harry Potter™ film franchise is a uniquely British success story, one that was conceived and produced here in the UK with a largely British cast and crew and beloved by millions of people around the world. For the first time ever, Sky Movies customers can look forward to enjoying all of the movies in this record-breaking series in one place at one time."

This is not the only agreement to be made between Sky and Warner Bros; Sky Movies will be the first UK subscription service to show a number of the studio's films.

Source: Sky

Tuesday 9 October 2012

November 2012 DVDs from BBC Worldwide

News on the new releases heading your way soon...

UPDATE: A handful of the titles listed in this article will form BBC Worldwide's first foray into UltraViolet. Specifically, these are John Bishop Live: Rollercoaster Tour 2012, Attenborough: Sixty Years in the Wild and this year's Top Gear special, along with Doctor Who: Series 7 Part 1 (out on 29 October). UltraViolet allows purchasers of a DVD or Blu-ray which includes the feature to stream a digital copy of the content to internet-connected devices such as a PC or compatible mobile device (it does not work, however, with iTunes).

Today, BBC Worldwide issued a press release for the DVD (and, in some cases, Blu-ray) releases that are due next month. These titles are listed below:


London 2012 Olympic Games
Available: 29 October
RRP: £30.63 / £35.73
Experience once again the magnificent performances from outstanding athletes such as Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Chris Hoy and Jessica Ennis. Marvel at the many amazing achievements, including Mo Farah’s double gold, Oscar Pistorius’ Olympic Games début and Nicola Adams’ gold in the boxing ring.  Relive Team GB’s 29 gold medal triumphs and recapture the moments which made these Olympic Games so special; from the electrifying atmosphere in the stadium on ‘Super Saturday’ to judo’s Gemma Gibbons’ tearful dedication and the pure emotion of swimmer Chad le Clos’ father.

Jubilee Tribute to the Queen by the Prince of Wales
Available: 5 November
RRP: £13.27
A personal tribute to Her Majesty the Queen by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. Through previously-unseen photographs and cine films from Her Majesty's private collection  many of them taken by the Queen herself  the Prince reflects on various public events and private family moments during the sixty years of the Queen's reign. The film includes footage of nine-year-old Charles and his younger sister Princess Anne on a family beach holiday in Norfolk in 1957. In some light, the Prince himself has never seen the footage before.

Life on Earth (Remastered)
Available: 5 November
RRP: £23.48
Available on Blu-ray for the first time ever, Life on Earth, the first of David Attenborough’s great surveys of life on the planet has been re-mastered to HD quality – sharper and clearer than it has ever been seen before.
The landmark 1979 series tells the story of the development of life on Earth; from the first single-cell organism that appeared in the seas about 3,500 million years ago, to the millions of diverse and complex animals and plants that share the world with us today.
It features breathtaking photography and unforgettable footage – including David Attenborough’s legendary encounter with the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, remarkable film of a live coelacanth (long believed extinct), a tiny tadpole ejected from the mouth of a Darwin frog and the amazing interior of a cave full of bats.

Trials of Life (Remastered)
Available: 5 November
RRP: £23.48
David Attenborough’s remarkable 1990 landmark series has been re-mastered to HD quality for this release – sharper and clearer than it has ever been seen before. Examining animal behaviour from birth to adulthood, twelve 50-minute episodes each feature a different aspect of the journey through life, from finding food and hunting to making homes and protecting the next generation.
The series remains a TV classic, renowned for its many incredible wildlife sequences including killer whales beaching themselves to catch sea lions, chimpanzees undertaking a brutal hunt for colobus monkeys, footage from the inside of an army ant bivouac and the amazing surge to the sea of millions of red crabs on Christmas Island.

The British
Available: 5 November
RRP: £25.52
This bold and exciting series brings Britain’s tumultuous history to vivid life in an exciting new style combining gripping drama, spectacular CGI and compelling commentary.
This seven-part series takes viewers on an amazing journey from the Roman invasion to the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, looking at the people and events that shaped the nation. Surprising and thought-provoking, The British focuses not only on the battles, monarchs and leaders who have shaped our history, but also on the reformers, inventors, pioneers and unsung heroes who changed the face of Britain.

Gary Tank Commander  Series 3
Available: 5 November
RRP: £20.42
Series 3 of Gary Tank Commander provides fresh challenges for Gary as he tussles with a cocky fitness instructor who makes fun of his physique, a confidence trickster who seems to have mind control powers over him and, as ever, an increasingly angry Sergeant Thomson.

The Secret of Crickley Hall
Available: 5 November
RRP: £13.27
A chilling haunted house thriller based on the bestselling novel by James Herbert and starring Suranne Jones.
A year after their little boy goes missing, Gabe and Eve Caleigh and their two daughters move to Crickley Hall to try and escape the past. It's a chance for a fresh start. Then cellar doors start to open of their own accord, unseen children cry through the night and a frenzied spectre wields a cane. But just as the Caleighs are ready to move out, Eve hears her missing son.

Hunderby
Available: 5 November
RRP: £20.42
A shipwreck survivor is washed ashore near a small English village. There, she is swept off her feet by widowed pastor Edmund and the two soon marry, the puritanical Edmund believing his bride to be untouched by another man. But, she has a history, a dark past that she cannot escape. As Helene moves into Edmund's home and battles to keep her past a secret, she must navigate the house keeper's devious scheming, her husband's harsh critique and a potential new love interest. In a gothic setting populated with a cast of fiends, physicians, hunchbacks, wastrels, maids, crones, and an adorable puppy called Wilfred, Hunderby oozes with the dark and absurd humour that has become Julia Davis' trademark.

Strike Back - Vengeance
Available: 5 November
RRP: £25.52
British Special Forces Sergeant Michael Stonebridge and US ex-Delta Force commando Damien Scott are thrust back into the field at the orders of maverick new Section 20 commanding officer, Major Rachel Dalton. When enigmatic billionaire businessman Conrad Knox resolves to play God with the future of Southern Africa using weapons stolen from the crumbling regime in Libya, Section 20 are the only force capable of confronting his deadly scheme. Strike Back: Vengeance is a heart-pounding thrill-ride set across five electrifying stories. Section 20 are tasked with rescuing British hostages from a Somali warlord in Mogadishu; chasing an infamous al-Qaeda operative into a terrifying siege in the Algerian desert; turning a scientist concealing a deadly secret in Cape Town; diffusing a scheme to overthrow the government of Zimbabwe and finally countering a nuclear plot that will change the face of Africa forever. But when Knox and his generals attack the very heart of Section 20 and the private lives of its operatives: the fight becomes personal…

John Bishop Live: Rollercoaster Tour 2012
Available: 12 November
RRP: £20.42 / £25.52
Playing to nearly half a million fans in this year’s arena tour, his ambitiously visual new show really does take traditional stand-up comedy into a whole new world.
John’s first release remains the fastest selling début stand-up DVD of all time, and he’ll be hard to avoid on TV this Christmas, appearing in BBC One’s Who Do You Think You Are? this Q4 and John Bishop’s Britain (BBC One, over 6.5M viewers).

Alan Partridge: Mid Morning Matters
Available: 12 November
RRP: £20.42
Steve Coogan is back as one of Britain’s best loved comedy creations, Alan Partridge in Mid Morning Matters. Alan is still working as a disc jockey, this time on 'North Norfolk Digital' where he is occasionally joined by 'Side-kick Simon'. Originally commissioned by Foster's for 10 minute slots on their website, the programmes have been edited into half hour DVD friendly format.

The Thick of It  Series 4
Available: 12 November
RRP: £20.42
Government embarrassment, ministerial cock-up, coalition rows, backroom deals, policy U-turns, spin-doctoring, political back-stabbing, wild media speculation, and more time spent with one's family. It can only be the eagerly-anticipated return of Armando Iannucci’s Westminster political comedy. Rebecca Front and Peter Capaldi reprise their BAFTA-winning roles as Nicola Murray and Malcolm Tucker, now consigned to the opposition benches, but still desperate for power. Roger Allam returns as Peter Mannion, the new Secretary of State for Social Affairs, supported by his team of special advisors and thwarted by his new coalition partners. With Chris Addison, Vincent Franklin, Olivia Poulet, Joanna Scanlan, James Smith, Will Smith, Geoffrey Streatfeild, and Ben Willbond.

The Thick of It  Series 1-4 Box Set
Available: 12 November
RRP: £38.80
Featuring every episode from the hugely popular Thick of It. Join the farce that is the department of Social Affairs and Citizenship as it farcically stumbles its way through the corridors of power. Starring a fantastic cast: Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison, Rebecca Front, Roger Allam and a host of other British talent.

Limmy's Show – Series 2
Available: 12 November
RRP: £20.42
A unique blend of comic characters, sketches, observation, animation, music and dancing. Starring Brian Limond AKA Limmy who writes, directs, performs and guides the viewer throughout the show. His character creations include Falconhoof the fearless TV adventure call phone-in host, Dee Dee – a zoned-out waster and occasional intergalactic space traveller and a vignette from a shirtless figure who tells the world, “she turned the weans against me”.

Andrew Marr's History of the World
Available: 12 November
RRP: £25.52
In this ambitious and creative new series, Andrew Marr embarks on the greatest story ever told – the epic story of human history. Bringing 70,000 years of human history to life, this epic series travels through time to the big stories of history. Each film explores a crucial turning point in history, featuring dramatic reconstruction, computer graphics and gripping story-telling. From the early settlers in Mesopotamia to the wonders of Egypt and Rome and from the French Revolution to the Industrial Revolution, viewers are within history; shoulder to shoulder with the people who have shaped the world as we know it today.

Vikings
Available: 12 November
RRP: £20.42
The accepted history of the Vikings is of a band of blood-thirsty pirates raiding the peaceful monasteries of Christendom… and all of it is completely true. The Vikings took no prisoners, relished cruel retribution and prided themselves as warriors… But this is only a small part of the story. The Vikings themselves did not write their history… so we have to discover it. Presented by Neil Oliver, we see the Vikings from their point of view, which reveals an extraordinary story of a people who came back from the brink of destruction and in the course of 200 years reached around a quarter of the globe and built an empire.

The Pajama Men – In the Middle of No One
Available: 12 November
RRP: £20.42
Their unique brand of comedy which requires no more than their pajamas and an endless assembly of voices has consistently wowed audiences and critics wherever the Pajama Men have played over the past few years and has built up an ever growing army of enthusiastic fans. In the Middle of No One sees a lone explorer leave his wife and child behind in search of things most people have never seen, let alone know about. Meanwhile a dim-witted and affable genius space-man (who discovered time travel in a morally confusing way) struggles to make the right decision by doing exactly the wrong thing. You'll also meet some vicious housewives, a gigantic sea monster known only as the Ice Beast, an unhelpful robot, a very rare bird and more, as the Pajama Men jump from character to character in the blink of an eye.

Threesome
Available: 12 November
RRP: £20.42
Alice (Amy Huberman) lives with her boyfriend Mitch (Stephen Wight) and their gay best mate Richie (Emun Elliott). They are an unconventional and inseparable trio who live, laugh and large it together. After one particularly big night out, they have an unplanned threesome  resulting in an unexpected pregnancy. Deciding that the thing that should split them up could actually keep them together, they decide they are going to have the baby and raise it as a threesome.

Him & Her  Series 2
Available: 12 November
RRP: £20.42
Series 2 of Him & Her sees the return of Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani to their unmade bed as young lovers Steve and Becky, alongside the ensemble cast including Kerry Howard (Laura), Ricky Champ (Paul), Joe Wilkinson (Dan) and Camille Coduri (Shelley). This series sees Becky moving into Steve’s place permanently. Their relationship blossoms above the nitty gritty of living together – but there’s trouble on the horizon. Laura’s working with Steve’s ex-girlfriend, who’s a bit too interested in Steve. Meanwhile, upstairs, Dan’s back with his girlfriend and is more miserable than ever. And Paul’s up to his old tricks again.

Him & Her  Series 1 & 2
Available: 12 November
RRP: £25.52
Steve and Becky are young, unemployed and lazy. All they want to do is eat, drink and have sex – so they do. They don’t want to get a job  so they don’t. They’re happy to spend their days watching DVDs in Steve’s bedsit, but they’re constantly interrupted by Dan  the lonely bloke from upstairs  Laura and Paul  Becky’s sister and her fiancé or, most frighteningly for Steve, Becky’s parents. Series 2 of Him & Her sees Becky moving into Steve’s place permanently. Their relationship blossoms above the nitty gritty of living together – but there’s trouble on the horizon. Laura’s working with Steve’s ex-girlfriend, who’s a bit too interested in Steve. Meanwhile, upstairs, Dan’s back with his girlfriend and is more miserable than ever. And Paul’s up to his old tricks again.

Red Dwarf X
Available: 19 November
RRP: £20.42 / £25.52
Space battles, quantum entanglement, and love triangles with snack dispensers are just some of the problems facing the Dwarfers. The posse also stumble across the mysteriously abandoned SS Trojan while Lister grapples with the problem of being his own father and Kryten and Cat become quantum entangled, forcing them to do everything in unison. The series finale finds the boys surrounded by a simulant war cruiser and its fleet of attack ships. Armed with only two forks and a pencil sharpener, the Dwarfers begin to wonder whether this is the beginning of the end.
Includes over 150 minutes of deleted scenes, outtakes, interviews and extras plus a special reversible collector's sleeve.

Daniel Sloss – Live
Available: 19 November
RRP: £20.42
Scotland’s half-man-half-Xbox, hormone-ridden comic prodigy is currently one of the fastest rising stars of UK comedy. He started doing stand-up aged 16 and has made a string of high profile TV appearances including Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, 8/10 Cats,  Jason Manford’s Comedy Rocks, Sport Relief and Mock the Week as well as starring in his own BBC show The Adventures of Daniel.

Westlife – The Farewell Tour Live at Croke Park
Available: 19 November
RRP: £20.42 / £25.52
In 2012 Westlife embarked on what was their final tour together. Over a three month period The Farewell Tour travelled to more than 100 venues worldwide culminating in a spectacular homecoming concert to 85,000 fans at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin.
Essential for all Westlife fans, this DVD captures this once in a lifetime moment recorded at their final concert and invites fans to join Shane, Mark, Kian and Nicky for an epic music event and unforgettable farewell.

Celebrity Juice: Too Juicy for TV 2!
Longerer, Funnierer, Juicierer…
Available: 19 November
RRP: £20.42 / £25.52
The BAFTA award-winning Celebrity Juice returns with a second DVD and it’s even morerer juicy! Join Keith, Fearne and Holly for lots of unseen material, exclusively filmed content and all the best bits from Series 4-6.

Celebrity Juice – The Bang Tidy Box Set
Available: 19 November
RRP: £30.63
This juicy box set will contain both Celebrity Juice releases plus a bonus disc of unseen footage!

Rev. Series 2 plus Christmas Special
Available: 19 November
RRP: £20.42
BAFTA award-winning comedy series Rev. returns with six divine new episodes and a Christmas special, and a host of new faces and guest characters. Tom Hollander is back as the Rev. Adam Smallbone, struggling to remain relevant in his inner-city parish where he’s largely derided or ignored except by the intimidating Archdeacon and the demanding and irritating few who attend his church… From Lay Reader Nigel, who thinks he should be a vicar, to hard-drinking Colin on an eternal quest for enlightenment, cassock-chasing Adoha and local crackhead Mick who isn’t quite the sophisticated grifter he thinks he is. Meanwhile, Adam’s trying to live down the embarrassing pass he made at headmistress Ellie last series, and at home, Alex, played by Olivia Colman, has lost patience with being a vicar’s wife.

Also coming soon:
Rev. Series 1 & 2 plus Christmas Special Box Set
Available: 19 November  
RRP: £30.63

Diversity – Digitized: Trapped in a Game
Available: 19 November
RRP: £20.42
Diversity – Digitized: Trapped in a Game is the current brand new, live tour which sold out to great success at the London O2 Arena, Birmingham LG Arena and many more. After the success of two sell out tours, Diversity announced their biggest UK Arena tour to date with a new show for 2012.  Digitized: Trapped in a Game follows the group’s journey after they become trapped in a video game and challenged to complete various levels within the game to allow them to return to the 'real' world. Incorporating a vast range of dance styles, Digitized: Trapped in a Game includes street dance, hip hop and even a cheeky bit of Zumba accompanied by a fantastically diverse musical playlist, featuring Daft Punk, Lenny Kravitz, DJ Fresh, Stevie Wonder, LMFAO as well as many others. 

Attenborough: Sixty Years in the Wild
Available: 19 November   
RRP: £20.42 / £25.52
Sir David Attenborough has been at the forefront of natural history film making for over half a century, witnessing an unparalleled period of change in our planet’s history. In this unique and important series he delivers his testimony in a trio of spectacular films, focusing on three areas which have transformed most profoundly over his career: film making, science and the environment. During his extraordinary career he has seen, first-hand, more of the natural world than anyone else, and witnessed how our remarkable planet has changed more rapidly and extensively than ever before.

Top Gear DVD Special 2012
Available: 19 November
RRP: £20.42 / £25.52
Jeremy Clarkson and James May join forces to bring you this year's Top Gear exclusive.

Jason Byrne Live: Cirque du Byrne
Available: 19 November
RRP: £20.42
Jason Byrne, the ringmaster of comedy, presents his all new stand-up show Cirque du Byrne filmed during the sell-out UK tour. With a riotous set captured at London's Hammersmith Apollo, Jason shows just why he is one of the fastest and biggest selling comedians of all time at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival and across the UK. Opening with a high-octane spectacular, Jason's devilishly inspired and deftly delivered stand-up comedy will have you roaring with laughter.

Danny Bhoy: Live at the Festival Theatre
Available: 26 November
RRP: £20.42
Danny Bhoy is one of the most in-demand stand-ups on the planet. A natural gift in storytelling combined with a razor-sharp wit makes him one of the most unique and exciting comedians to emerge in the past few years. Recent barnstorming appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman and BBC One's Live at the Apollo tell only part of the story. Over the past decade, this young Scot has quietly built a huge global following on one of the most reliable social media platforms of all, word of mouth. This DVD features a special performance on his return to his home city of Edinburgh. Filmed at the prestigious Festival Theatre, it features material taken from his past two highly acclaimed shows By Royal Disappointment and Messenger (Please Do Not Shoot).

Stewart Francis Live: Outstanding in his Field
Available: 26 November
RRP: £20.42
This specially-filmed performance of the 2012 stand-up show from killer-gag purveyor, Stewart Francis, features a brand new crop of brilliant one-liners and wisecracks.  Delivering devastating jokes at maximum laughs-per-minute, Francis has earned rave reviews. Having regularly stolen the show on the BBC’s Mock the Week, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow and Live at the Apollo, he has established himself as a premier league comedian and has produced one of the year’s most eagerly-awaited comedy DVDs. 

Brazil with Michael Palin
Available: 26 November
RRP: £20.42 / £25.52
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world  both in terms of population and geography. Over 192 million people call this land their home. Taking up over half of South America, Brazil is a mix of races, religions, sophistication, wildness, wealth, poverty and unexplored wilderness. The country is considered one of the rising global powers  less scary than China, less authoritarian than Russia and less chaotic than India with vast natural resources, a burgeoning industrial base and a strong currency that make it the envy of all. In this programme Michael Palin visits Brazil for the very first time, travelling from the lost world of Amazonia to the buzzing metropolis of Rio de Janeiro, to meet the people and visit the places that shape this nation.

American Friends
Available: 26 November
RRP: £16.33
Francis Ashby, a senior Oxford don on holiday alone in the Alps, meets holidaying American Caroline and her companion Elinor, the blossoming Irish-American girl she adopted many years before. Ashby finds he enjoys their company, particularly that of Elinor, and both the women are drawn to him. Back at Oxford he is nevertheless taken aback when they arrive unannounced. Women are not allowed in the College grounds, let alone the rooms. Indeed any liaison, however innocent, is frowned on by the upstanding Fellows.

Parky's Picks
Available: 26 November
RRP: £22.46
Michael Parkinson personally chooses his favourite and most ground breaking interviews. Having interviewed some 2000 names over a career that has spanned 40 years, Parky looks back and chooses the interviews that were the most entertaining, eye opening, informative and just his plain favourites. This release will see especially extended clips giving more of an insight into each interviewee.

Hebburn
Available: 26 November
RRP: £20.42
Co-written by Graham Duff (Ideal) and starring Jim Moir (Vic Reeves). Hebburn is the home town of stand-up comedian Jason Cook, who has created this warm, true-to-life comedy based on his own experiences of growing up in the North East of England. It tells the tale of the Cook family and their son, Jason, who has left Tyneside for the bright lights and glamour of Manchester. He’s secretly married a middle class Jewish girl, Clare, and realises that it is about time he introduced her to his family...

Earth: 24/7 Wild
Available: 26 November
RRP: £25.52
In a new and exciting marriage of real time unfolding wildlife drama and exciting stories, witness the most charismatic animals on earth as they experience life’s ultimate challenges in the first few vulnerable weeks of life. The four specials focus on lions in the Maasai Mara; bears in Minnesota; elephants in Kenya and macaques in Sri-Lanka  Earthwatch captures the trials and tribulations of life as it unfolds before our eyes.

Getting On  Series 3
Available: 26 November
RRP: £20.42
The BAFTA-award winning Getting On returns for more dark humour among the bedpans; set in the backwaters of the National Health Service this third series sees King Edwards closed and Den, Kim and Dr Moore transferred 12 miles to a newer ward. Cuts, restructuring and life events once again dominate the daily grind. Devised and written by its three principal cast, the real challenge lies in just getting on with life in a world where few things work smoothly and messy choices are the order of the day. Over six shifts we watch as the staff cope with mounting bureaucracy and shine a light on the everyday.

Getting On Box Set (Series 1-3)
Available: 26 November
RRP: £30.63
Set in the geriatric ward of an NHS hospital, Getting On is centred around four brilliantly observed members of hospital staff – return-to-practise nurse Kim Wilde (Jo Brand), the lowest form of life on the ward after the lino; Sister Den Flixter (Joanna Scanlan), drowning in paperwork and beset by personal problems and the jargon-fuelled, stool-obsessed ward doctor, Pippa Moore (Vicki Pepperdine). The black comedy flows thick and fast as the staff get on with the daily round of bowel movements and hip problems whilst battling the endless form-filling, self-obsessed consultants, cuts and bickering in the furthest backwaters of the NHS.

Strictly Come Dancing – The Show Stoppers
Available: 26 November  
RRP: £18.37
Strictly Come Dancing judges Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli look back over the past nine series and personally select their best Strictly dances, giving us all the Strictly Greatest Hits!

Me & Mrs Jones
Available: 26 November
RRP: £20.42
Sarah Alexander stars as Gemma Jones  a divorced mother of three who leads a hectic life juggling working from home with looking after her twin girls and dealing with her child like ex-husband Jason and his demanding Swedish girlfriend Inca. When handsome dad Tom asks her out on a date, Gemma is the envy of all the other mums in the playground but then her grown up son Alfie returns home from travelling abroad with his charming 24-year-old friend Billy and Gemma finds herself, for the first time ever, with more than one possible love interest.

The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler: Leading Millions into the Abyss
Available: 26 November
RRP: £20.42
Adolf Hitler was, arguably, the most extraordinary leader who has ever lived. He left behind a legacy of destruction that is without parallel in history. Yet there is a paradox at the heart of the story of Hitler: given his violent and hate-filled character, why did millions support him, ultimately to the destruction of their own country? These three films examine Hitler’s relationship with the people he led both before and after the Second World War, with the help of testimony from people who were there, compelling archive film and dramatic reconstructions.

Wednesday 3 October 2012

Updates on the BBC One HD nations and BBC Two HD

BBC One HD for the nations is coming
soon...
 Viewers of BBC One in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will probably be pleased to hear that variants of BBC One HD which are specific to those nations are on track to launch very soon.

Writing on her blog yesterday, Alix Pryde (Director of BBC Distribution) said that these versions will be launched "over the next few months". Currently, there is just one version of BBC One HD available, which covers the whole of the UK. Therefore, no regional content is currently available on the channel - during such programming, BBC One HD either displays a place-holder screen asking viewers to switch to their regional BBC One channel, or a sequence of clips from the channel's high definition shows is broadcast, with a caption along the bottom informing viewers of the regional content currently airing on BBC One.

While viewers of BBC One HD in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will soon be seeing an end to this, with their regional shows available on the channel, the same cannot yet be said for viewers in England, which is divided into no less than twelve separate regions. Therefore, launching a version of BBC One HD for each of those will be a far more costly and technically complex undertaking.

...and so is BBC Two HD, but not as
soon as thought!
The same blog post also briefly touches upon the forthcoming BBC Two HD (which is expected to replace the existing BBC HD channel), revealing that the HD simulcast of that channel has been delayed until 2013.

Pryde mentions that "plans announced earlier this year to convert BBC HD into BBC Two HD are progressing towards completion next year". While this is good news in some respects, it does place a question mark over HD content from channels other than BBC One and BBC Two. Until such time as HD simulcasts of BBC Three, BBC Four, CBBC et al. are launched, HD broadcasts of shows from these channels will have to wait until the programmes are repeated on BBC One or BBC Two.

Additionally, the replacement of BBC HD with BBC Two HD also casts doubt on future 3D broadcasts from the BBC. In the past, events such as Wimbledon in 2011 and 2012, the London 2012 Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, the 2011 final of Strictly Come Dancing and this year's Last Night of the Proms have been broadcast in side-by-side 3D format on BBC HD for viewers with 3D-enabled televisions, while a 2D HD feed has been provided simultaneously on BBC One HD. Once BBC HD has been converted into a simulcast of BBC Two, though, this will not be possible.

Information on the launch dates of the BBC One HD nations and BBC Two HD will be reported here as they are revealed.