Derek Jacobi

After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.

Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.

When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her daughters. Never one to give up hope, Ella's fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger in the woods.

The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.

Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on the island where her father disappeared.

In a parallel universe, after overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it's part of her destiny.

London, 1956. Genius actor and film director Laurence Olivier is about to begin the shooting of his upcoming movie, premiered in 1957 as The Prince and the Showgirl, starring Marilyn Monroe. Young Colin Clark, who dreams on having a career in movie business, manages to get a job on the set as third assistant director.

Genius Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of an American tycoon aboard the Orient Express train.

Widower Cedric Brown hires Nanny McPhee to care for his seven rambunctious children, who have chased away all previous nannies. Taunted by Simon and his siblings, Nanny McPhee uses mystical powers to instill discipline. And when the children's great-aunt and benefactor, Lady Adelaide Stitch, threatens to separate the kids, the family pulls together under the guidance of Nanny McPhee.

As the war between the vampires and the Lycans rages on, Selene, a former member of the Death Dealers (an elite vampire special forces unit that hunts werewolves), and Michael, the werewolf hybrid, work together in an effort to unlock the secrets of their respective bloodlines.

In the year 1215, the rebel barons of England have forced their despised King John to put his royal seal on the Magna Carta, a seminal document that upheld the rights of free men. Yet within months of pledging himself to the great charter, the King reneged on his word and assembled a mercenary army on the south coast of England with the intention of bringing the barons and the country back under his tyrannical rule. Barring his way stood the mighty Rochester castle, a place that would become the symbol of the rebel's momentous struggle for justice and freedom.

An international assassin known as ‘The Jackal’ is employed by disgruntled French generals to kill President Charles de Gaulle, with a dedicated gendarme on the assassin’s trail.

It's a new school year for the Truham-Higgs gang. As Nick and Charlie's relationship deepens, their thoughts turn to life after the last bell rings.

England, early 20th century. The future writer and philologist John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) and three of his schoolmates create a strong bond between them as they share the same passion for literature and art, a true fellowship that strengthens as they grow up, but the outbreak of World War I threatens to shatter it.

A widowed field mouse must move her family -- including an ailing son -- to escape a farmer's plow. Aided by a crow and a pack of superintelligent, escaped lab rats, the brave mother struggles to transplant her home to firmer ground.

In 1930s England, a group of pretentious rich and famous gather together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect.

Three people — a blue-collar American, a French journalist and a London school boy — are touched by death in different ways.

Set at the dawn of the fourteenth century, a revisionist adaptation of history's most celebrated star-crossed lovers rejects classical iambic pentameter in favor of a contemporary pop music score, charting their efforts to alter the course of their tragic destiny and expose a political truth crucial to the future of the Empire.

The story of former Hollywood star Grace Kelly's crisis of marriage and identity, during a political dispute between Monaco's Prince Rainier III and France's Charles De Gaulle, and a looming French invasion of Monaco in the early 1960s.

Set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her, the story advances the theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford who penned Shakespeare's plays.

A journalist investigates a series of murders that follows the discovery of an unpublished novel by Charles Dickens in the cellar of an old Thames pub.

Brainy Roman teenager Atti is always coming up with schemes, but one ultimately goes too far, angering Emperor Nero. As punishment, the lad is exiled to the cold wet province of Roman Britain on the fringe of the Roman Empire. Whilst there, Atti is captured by—and eventually befriends—Orla, a feisty Celt. When he's returned to his regiment, he's horrified to find himself pitted against Orla and her tribe at the Boudican revolt's Battle of Watling Street.

Following the suicide of an elderly Jewish man, investigative journalist Peter Miller sets out to hunt down an SS Captain and former concentration camp commander. In doing so he discovers that, despite allegations of war crimes, the former commander has become a man of importance in industry in post-war Germany, protected from prosecution by a powerful organisation of former SS members called Odessa.

Before Alice went to Wonderland, and before Peter became Pan, they were brother and sister. When their eldest brother dies in a tragic accident, they each seek to save their parents from their downward spirals of despair until finally they are forced to choose between home and imagination, setting the stage for their iconic journeys into Wonderland and Neverland.

In 1415, in the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother now marrying the murderer... his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.

Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."

In 1949, composer Roman Strauss is executed for the murder of his wife. In 1990s Los Angeles, a detective comes across a mute amnesiac woman who is somehow linked to the Strauss murder.

The story of a long-lost book that mysteriously reappears and connects an old man searching for his son with a girl seeking a cure for her mother's loneliness.

An ancient skeleton has been discovered in Jerusalem in a rich man's tomb. Colouration of the wrist and leg bones indicates the cause of death was crucifiction. other signs, include a gold coin bearing the marks of Pontius Pilate and faint markings around the skull, lead authorities to suspect that these could be the bones of Jesus Christ. Politicians, clerics, religious extremists and those using terror as a means to an end, find their beliefs and identities tested while risking their lives to unearth the truth.....

A British Special Boat Service commando tracks down an international terrorist cell.

During World War 2 the Germans arrested people at random off the streets of Paris and in retaliation to sabotage by the resistance announced the execution of one in ten prisoners. Chosen as one of the victims, lawyer Chavel trades his place with another man in return for all his possessions. At the end of the war he returns to his house and tries to integrate himself with the family of the man who traded places with him, all the while hiding his true identity. However matters are complicated when a stranger arrives claiming to be Chavel.

When a leak of information in the African section of British Intelligence is discovered, a security man is brought in to investigate.

When an unpleasant and cruel nobleman spites his stepson by ceding his estate to the abbey, he ends up being poisoned by one of Brother Cadfael's medications.

A washed-up Hollywood action hero is tricked into starring in a small English town’s chaotic Christmas pantomime, where a straight-talking dance instructor and his estranged daughter just might help him rediscover the magic of the season.

A look at the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.

A love story offering an intimate look inside the marriage of Winston and Clementine Churchill during a particularly troubled, though little-known, moment in their lives.

After again attempting to commit murder, a Jewish man with a mysterious past and extraordinary intelligence, charisma, and body control returns to an insane asylum, where he makes a startling discovery.

A French detective in London reconstructs the life of a man lying in hospital with severe injuries with the help of journals and a psychiatrist. He realises that the man had powerful telekinetic abilities.

The story of Jack Johnson, the first African American Heavyweight boxing champion.

The story of Prince Hal who sets out to avenge his dead father against the city's rivals, the Zeriths, little knowing it was his wicked uncle Nezo who is the real killer, with his own designs on the throne.

This unique feature documentary follows two actors, Giles Terera and Dan Poole, as they travel the world to find out everything they can about tackling the greatest writer of them all. Together they have directed and produced an inspiring film that aims to demystify and illuminate Shakespeare’s work for everyone: from actors, directors and students of all disciplines, right through to the "man on the street". Think Shakespeare is boring? Think again!

Arising out of the horror of the Spanish Civil War, a candidate for canonization is investigated by a journalist who discovers his own estranged father had a deep, dark and devastating connection to the saint's life.While researching the life of Josemaria Escriva, the controversial founder of Opus Dei, the young journalist Robert uncovers hidden stories of his estranged father Manolo, and is taken on a journey through the dark, terrible secrets of his family’s past.

Five highly-trained KGB agents are sent to the west to assassinate several Soviet dissidents. In order to stop the diabolical plot, an American agent must infiltrate Soviet intelligence and obtain information from a Russian computer.

A young man's life is turned around with the help of a genie inside a lamp.

When news of the closure of a small hospital's geriatric ward begins to reach the community, the hospital invites a local news crew to document their planning of a concert in honor of the hospital's most celebrated nurse. But there might be something more threatening to the hospital itself, more deadly than the politicians ready to shut down the place at a moment's notice.

Quasimodo, the hunchback bellringer of Notre Dame's cathedral, meets a beautiful gypsy dancer, Esmeralda, and falls in love with her. So does Quasimodo's guardian, the archdeacon of the cathedral, and a poor street poet. But Esmeralda's in love with a handsome soldier. When a mob mistakes her for a witch, it's up to Quasimodo to rescue her and claim sanctuary for her in the cathedral.

A survivor, provocateur and true original, Marianne has spent more than six decades defying expectations — releasing over thirty-five albums while constantly reinventing herself. Made with her full involvement, Broken English is an intimate and unflinching exploration of a fractured yet unbreakable life shaped by fame, creativity and relentless public scrutiny.

In their second film compilation following their 'Boogeymen:The Killer Compilation' series, FlixMix takes you into the history of action movies from Hollywood to Hong Kong cinema that spans a 20-year period. This one features action scenes from 16 action-packed movies featuring action gurus, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-Fat, Jackie Chan, Jean-Claude Van Damme and many more.

Supermodel Kate Moss embarks on a journey of self-discovery when acclaimed artist Lucian Freud offers to paint her portrait.

In the 1960s, British painter Francis Bacon surprises a burglar and invites him to share his bed. The burglar, a working class man named George Dyer, accepts. After the unique beginning to their love affair, the well-connected and volatile artist assimilates Dyer into his circle of eccentric friends, as Dyer's struggle with addiction strains their bond.

Animated TV-film version of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic children's story about a spoiled English orphan who lives in India but is transplanted to her uncle's old, mysterious house in England after her parents' deaths. After making friends with a country boy and several animals, who talk here, she discovers many secrets on the grounds, including a locked-up, neglected garden and a locked-up, sickly boy, who turns out to be her cousin.

Assigned by King Stephen to dispose of 94 hanged rebels, Cadfael discovers the body of a murdered man among the corpses and given just four days to solve the crime.

After a violent storm, Ali awakens on a deserted beach, sick and disoriented. They'll be looking for him and he must keep moving. Ivan, a local Cuban, takes Ali to the apartment of his sister Manuela, a dancer in Havana. At first, she is apprehensive to take in this tormented stranger, but she relents as she feels drawn to this mysterious person who has shown up on her door step. Ali is haunted by nightmares, which bring him to the horror of the interrogation room at Guantanamo, and by startling visions linking his past and his present life. But are these nightmares flash backs to his experiences in the prison or just dreams of a tortured soul?

Superficial people are revealed and drastically changed by circumstance or luck in this a tale of death, seduction, blackmail and theft among British and Americans in Florence in the turbulent days just before World War II.

During their dog walks on Hampstead Heath, two older gentlemen find their conversations about everyday aches and weather growing into an unexpected connection.

Jefferson Steel, a washed-up Hollywood action star, is desperate to revive his flagging career. When his sleazy agent signs him up for what he believes is a high-profile Royal Shakespeare Company production of King Lear at Stratford upon Avon, Steel thinks he has finally landed the plum role he has been waiting for. However, he soon discovers that he has been tricked into joining an amateur dramatics group for a charity production.

A lonely young aristocrat in turn-of the century England struggles to meet the approval of his over-bearing, class-conscious father while trying to please the selfish woman he loves.

When a spoiled English girl living in 19th century India loses both parents in a cholera epidemic, she is sent back to England to live in a country mansion. The lord is a strange old man-- frail and deformed, immensely kind but so melancholy. She wishes to discover what has caused him so much sorrow and to bring joy back to the household. It all must have something to do with the screams and wails which echo through the house at night and no one wants to talk about.

The Warrior Queen of Jhansi tells the true story of Lakshmibai, the historic Queen of Jhansi who fiercely led her army against the British East India Company in the mutiny of 1857. From Queen Elizabeth to Queen Victoria, two-and- a half-centuries of East India Company rule will be reversed by its attempt to crush India’s Warrior Queen. Lakshmibai is known as one of the most prominent figures within the independence movement of India. The passion to free her province from colonial rule led this young woman to become one of the greatest generals of the Indian army, and to go down in history for her bravery, strategic acumen, and as a force to reckon with by the East India Company and the British Raj. The Warrior Queen of Jhansi is the story of the woman who lived and fought for the freedom of her people.

The inventor Daedalus and his son Icarus flee from the wicked King Minos with the aid of Daedalus's man-made wings, but will Icarus heed his father's advice?

A kindly shop owner whose overwhelming gambling debts allow a greedy landlord to seize his shop of dusty treasures. Evicted and with no way to pay his debts, he and his granddaughter flee.

Live theatre presentation of Shakespeare's classic play about two teenagers from warring families whose love affair ends in tragedy.

The true story of the 19th century Belgian priest, Father Damien, who volunteered to go to the island of Molokai, to console and care for the lepers.

A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Robert Altman's 2001 film 'Gosford Park'. Cast and crew relate some of their experiences with making the film.

A chance opportunity arises for Robert Atkinson, a London banker who risks his bank's money to leave the mundane behind and start a new life. To take advantage, he unwittingly signs up with a Chinese cartel to transport a briefcase to Amsterdam. But all is not as it seems in a city veiled by dark secrets. Fuelled by power players, drugs, seduction and violence, Robert awaits his turn in a deadly game of choice and consequence.

The time is the late '80s, a crucial period in the history of South Africa. President P.W. Botha is hanging on to power by a thread as the African National Congress (ANC) takes up arms against apartheid and the country tumbles toward insurrection. A British mining concern is convinced that their interests would be better served in a stable South Africa and they quietly dispatch Michael Young, their head of public affairs, to open an unofficial dialogue between the bitter rivals. Assembling a reluctant yet brilliant team to pave the way to reconciliation by confronting obstacles that initially seem insurmountable, Young places his trust in ANC leader Thabo Mbeki and Afrikaner philosophy professor Willie Esterhuyse. It is their empathy that will ultimately serve as the catalyst for change by proving more powerful than the terrorist bombs that threaten to disrupt the peaceful dialogue.

Comedy drama based on the true story of two British Army dentists who in 1942, eager to see action, go AWOL and invade occupied France on their own.

Since A.D. 50, a mysterious sacred artifact known as the Loculus has been at the center of a bloody clandestine war. Missing for a few hundred years, the puzzling relic has suddenly reappeared in the present day, bringing with it a terrible secret that could spell doom for all of mankind. Now it's up to Magnus Martel to subvert a murderous secret society and uncover the truth behind the ancient treasure.

Reflecting Peter O'Toole's theatrical legacy, this feature documentary is structured into four acts, each introduced by a quote about O'Toole that encapsulates his life during a specific period.

Liliwin is a poor acrobat hired to entertain at an Aurifaber wedding. But when he is dismissed and the master of the house is found unconscious and robbed, Cadfael must find the real thief before the mob takes vengeance.

Amy Dorrit spends her days earning money for the family and looking after her proud father who is a long term inmate of Marshalsea debtors' prison in London. Amy and her family's world is transformed when her employer's son, Arthur Clennam, returns from overseas to solve his family's mysterious legacy and discovers that their lives are interlinked.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the National Theatre of Great Britain presents National Theatre: 50 Years on Stage, bringing together the best British actors for a unique evening of unforgettable performances, broadcast live from London to cinemas around the world.

It's the greatest mystery of all time; who wrote the works of Shakespeare? DEREK JACOBI leads an impressive cast on a quest to uncover the truth behind the world's most elusive author and discovers a forgotten nobleman whose story could rewrite history.

Charts six interlinked narratives after the cast and crew of a film are sent home from set.

The cast and crew of I, Claudius (1976) discuss the making of the series.

In 1939, Charlotte Salomon leaves Berlin to seek refuge at her grandparents' villa in the south of France. A little later, war breaks out, and Charlotte must, besides forgetting all she left behind, deal with her grandmother's depression, and her mother's suicide. To fight despair, Charlotte starts to paint, producing over one thousand images. "Is my life real, or is it theater?" This is the title she gives her body of work, which highlights her former life in Berlin. She finds herself though her art, but in 1943 is deported to Germany and Auschwitz.

Mysterious Castles of Clay is a 1978 film about a termite colony; filmed in Kenya by film-makers Joan and Alan Root, and narrated by Orson Welles. (narration replaced by Derek Jacobi, in a later release titled "Castles of Clay")

A BBC Earth documentary inside the world of the most venomous creatures on Earth, with stories from survivors of deadly venom attacks from animals coupled with 3D graphic technology that showcases the effects of venom on the human body.

This existential comedic drama follows an ailing film director as he begins to shoot what he believes to be his final work of art. What starts out as a normal film for him changes dramatically as the deterioration of his health progresses. The result being a fascinating exploration of mortality and one’s profound effect on the world.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE, more than any other, fits the category of ancient biography. Luke, as "narrator" of events, sees Jesus as the "Savior" of all people, always on the side of the needy and the deprived. Narrated in the NIV by British actor Richard E. Grant and in the KJV by Sir Derek Jacobi, this epic production featuring specially constructed sets and the authentic countryside of Morocco has been critically acclaimed by leading religious scholars as a unique and highly authentic telling of the Jesus story.

Luca is the pre-eminent artist of his generation and at the peak of his career, lauded, feted and collected by all. He is the ultimate showman however, his fortune and fame have left him agoraphobic and crippled by depression. He hasn't left his house in five years, he's a virtual recluse who battles daily with his demon. When a chance encounter brings Luca back from the edge, the question is, can he stay there.

After precipitating the death of a tenant with whom he has been feuding, Squire Fairfield brings the dead man's young daughter to live in Wyvern Manor. Alice grows up thinking the squire is her kind benefactor, and falls in love with one of his two sons.

NOTHING IS TRUER THAN TRUTH is a feature length documentary about Edward de Vere, Seventeenth Earl of Oxford, A-list party boy on the continental circuit, who spent a year and a half in Venice and traveling in Europe, learning about commedia dell'arte and collecting the experiences that would become the Shakespeare plays. Shot in Venice, Verona, Mantua, Padua, and Brenta, the film ventures to actual sites De Vere visited in 1575-76, including the settings for THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, OTHELLO, ROMEO & JULIET, and TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. The film features renowned Shakespeare scholars, actors, and directors, including Sir Derek Jacobi, Mark Rylance, Tina Packer, and Diane Paulus, and argues that De Vere's bisexuality is the reason for the pseudonym Shake-speare.

Broadway: The Golden Age is the most important, ambitious and comprehensive film ever made about America's most celebrated indigenous art form. Award-winning filmmaker Rick McKay filmed over 100 of the greatest stars ever to work on Broadway or in Hollywood. He soon learned that great films can be restored, fine literature can be kept in print - but historic Broadway performances of the past are the most endangered. They leave only memories that, while more vivid, are more difficult to preserve. In their own words — and not a moment too soon — Broadway: The Golden Age tells the stories of our theatrical legends, how they came to New York, and how they created this legendary century in American theatre. This is the largest cast of legends ever in one film.

A debauched young aristocrat entrusts the running of his country house to Tom, the butler, on whom he depends absolutely. Before long the servant begins to dominate his master, to the alarm of the newly hired German nanny who senses sinister, demonic intent in Tom's control of the house.

The comedienne stars in this festive sketch show, alongside a host of celebrity guests.

Sidney Turtlebaum is a bitter sweet comedy that tells the story of Sidney, an eccentric gay Jewish man in his seventies. To punish the world Sidney earns his living as a pickpocket and a conman - his chosen modus operandi is to gatecrash Shiva houses of mourning to steal from the gathered crowd.

For more than 100 years, the Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of hope and refuge for generations of immigrants. In this lyrical, compelling and provocative portrait of the statue, Ken Burns explores both the history of America’s premier symbol and the meaning of liberty itself. Featuring rare archival photographs, paintings and drawings, readings from actual diaries, letters and newspapers of the day, the fascinating story of this universally admired monument is told. In interviews with Americans from all walks of life, including former New York governor Mario Cuomo, the late congresswoman Barbara Jordan and the late writers James Baldwin and Jerzy Kosinski, The Statue of Liberty examines the nature of liberty and the significance of the statue to American life. Nominated for both the Academy Award ® and the Emmy Award ®, The Statue of Liberty received the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle, the Christopher Award and the Blue Ribbon at the American Film Festival.

Maestro Zubin Mehta introduces the history of Zoroastrianism and prophet Zarathushtra in an epic that covers 3500 years of the Zoroastrians, Parsees of India.

Dame Maggie Smith stars in the 1967 screen version of Franco Zeffirelli's exuberant National Theatre production of Shakespeare's romantic comedy, in which young lovers Hero and Claudio conspire to make sharp-tongued rivals Beatrice and Benedick fall in love with each other.

The Mischief Theatre Company return as the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society who are this time determined to ignore a BBC blacklisting by hijacking a live production of Charles Dickens' famous festive fable. Yet they struggle with studio direction and special effects, and trying to keep a professional cast at bay.

Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy is a British family television film following the life of a border collie puppy as she grows up to become a working Herding dog. Part fiction, part documentary, it was filmed by real-life shepherd David Kennard on his farm in Devon. It features his seven working dogs - the puppy Mist, her gentle mother Gail, grandfather 'Sir' Gregory, eccentric, bubbly, hyper uncle Jake, sour and negative great-auntie Fern, gruff, tough cousin Ernie and wise auntie Swift. [Wikipedia]

"The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends", episode 5. While searching for her somewhere lost handkerchiefs, little Lucie meets Mrs. Tiggy Winkle, a hedgehog who does laundry, anmd Mr. Jeremy Fisher, who had a bad encounter with a large fish.

For 200 years, the United States Congress has been one of the country's most important and least understood institutions. In this elegant, thoughtful and often touching portrait, Ken Burns explores the history and promise of this unique American institution. Using historical photographs and newsreels, evocative live footage and interviews with David Broder, Alistair Cooke, Cokie Roberts, Charles McDowell and others, the award-winning film chronicles the personalities, events and issues that have animated the first 200 years of Congress and, in turn, our country.

Mist is a puppy with a lofty goal: She wants to be the best sheepdog she can be! Born with two siblings at Borough Farm, Mist sets out to prove herself right away. But nothing worthwhile ever comes easy. Her training is more difficult than she imagined, her efforts always seem to land her in hot water with her trainer, and a herd of cranky rams isn't making things easier. Will Mist rise to the challenges to make her dream come true?

A look at the subtle (and not so subtle!) links to the show's past and future contained within the story of The Five Doctors.

Newcastle, 1939. Shipyard worker Joe feels emasculated and past his prime; too old to serve in the war, and he’s shocked when his wife leaves him for a younger naval officer. Needing a new challenge, Joe and his friend Harry reluctantly volunteer to join the Home Guard.

A claymation adaptation of "The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In". The Chimes was a short novel by Charles Dickens which was written and published in 1844, one year after A Christmas Carol. It is the second in his series of "Christmas books": five short books with strong social and moral messages that he published during the 1840s.

A director talks about his old horror film. It's Austria, Krampusnacht, December 1977. The Devonshires arrive at the alpine chalet for a holiday. The caretaker, Klaus, tells them about a local legend of Krampus, the Devil of Christmas.

General Othello's marriage is destroyed when vengeful Ensign Iago convinces him that his new wife has been unfaithful.

One man who kept asking questions was Gideon Mantell, the amateur paleontologist who, in the early 19th century, fought to get the British scientific establishment to accept Britain had been inhabited by dinosaurs. As this dramatised documentary shows, Mantell had an uphill battle in a time when the biblical account of creation was considered literal truth and authorities such as the Reverend William Buckland were determined that science remain "the handmaid of religion".

The film follows the fortunes of an avant garde Morris team in their struggle to evolve Morris Dancing.

It's Christmas, and Angelina Mouseling (Finty Williams) is auditioning for the lead role in the musical extravaganza, Cinderella Mouse and the Ugly Whiskers. She is devastated when Penelope Pinkpaws (Jonell Elliott) is chosen to play Cinderella and she is cast as the Wicked Stepmouse. Taking Miss Lilly's (Dame Judi Dench's) advice to "think horrid" much too literally, Angelina storms off in a fit of a temper. Then a toboggan race goes wrong and it seems that the production will have to be cancelled. Realizing how selfish she has been, Angelina determines to sort things out, because as every aspiring star knows, "The Show Must Go On".

Two orphaned brothers turned radical Christian hitmen venture to rural Ilkley under the instruction of Father Enoch. Their mission: assassinate the famed atheist writer Professor John Huxley.

Nearly a thousand miles away from their beloved Moscow, Chekhov's Three Sisters live in virtual exile. Olga , a schoolmistress, attempts to support her siblings and the home that is the sole legacy of their late father.

Series of documentary pods chronicling every aspect of the production of Ridley Scott's Gladiator. Released as an extra on the 2005 extended version BluRay.

How did ancient Egyptians build the Great Pyramid at Giza, joining two million blocks of heavy stone with amazing precision? Who were the leaders who built these enormous structures, and what did these tombs signify? Host David Macaulay explores the history, mythology, and religions of Egypt's people, combining live footage and animation. Take a rare look at the mummy of Ramses II and buried treasure in the sacred Valley of the Kings.

IN 1988, rising star Kenneth Branagh tackled the role of Shakespeare’s prince of Denmark for the first time in his professional career under the guidance of celebrated actor Derek Jacobi. Narrated by Patrick Stewart, this hour-long film documents how Kenneth Branagh and Derek Jacobi, two intelligent and passionate men, found new depths in Shakespeare’s classic drama, Hamlet. Filmmakers Mark Olshaker and Larry Klein follow the company through four weeks of rehearsals, from the first read-throughs to opening night.

A biography of the English mathematician Alan Turing, who was one of the inventors of the digital computer and one of the key figures in the breaking of the Enigma code, used by the Germans to send secret orders to their U-boats in World War II. Turing was also a homosexual in Britain at a time when this was illegal, besides being a security risk.

In 1998 former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet visits Britain for medical treatment. On being tipped off, Amnesty International seize the chance to bring to justice a man they insist is guilty of multiple human rights violations. The newly-elected Labour government is initially amenable, and soon Pinochet is under house arrest (albeit in a detached house in leafy suburbia) and awaiting extradition to Spain. However, Amnesty are up against the complexities of British law, the vacillations of Home Secretary Jack Straw, Pinochet's former ally Margaret Thatcher - and the Senator's own vast reserves of cunning.

The film looks at the places Charles Dickens lived and worked and how he used them in his novels and stories.

Recruited by the Russians during their days at Cambridge, three young Englishmen rise to become high-ranked MI5 agents until their exposure in 1949.

An ageing monarch. A kingdom divided. A child’s love rejected. As Lear’s world descends into chaos, all that he once believed is brought into question. One of the greatest works in Western literature, King Lear explores the very nature of human existence: love and duty, power and loss, good and evil.

We've all had "one of those days" - when nothing seems to go right, when life just seems to be dealing you one poor hand after another. Unfortunately for Howard Whittam, that day is Judgment Day.

With the loss of Patroclus (his undeclared male lover), Greek warrior Achilles returns to the Trojan War.

Author David Macaulay hosts CATHEDRAL, based on his award-winning book. Using a combination of spectacular location sequences and cinema-quality animation, the program surveys France's most famous churches. Travel back to 1214 to explore the design of Notre Dame de Beaulieu, a representative Gothic cathedral. The program tells period tales revealing fascinating stories of life and death, faith and despair, prosperity, and intrigue.

A film adaptation of the 1606 satirical tragedy by Thomas Middleton, relocated to a post-apocalyptic Liverpool. Christopher Eccleston plays the revenge-obsessed Vindice, who has sworn to kill the evil Duke (Derek Jacobi) who murdered his one true love.

The true story of a Prussian aristocrat working for German military intelligence during World War II, who, with a group of fellow devout Christians, plotted to assassinate Hitler with a bomb in his briefcase.

Dire deeds during a winter storm leave Brother Oswin beaten near to death, Sister Hilaria dead, and a pair of young siblings lost in the woods fleeing Lord Stephen's men.

Richard II, who ascended the throne as a child, is a regal and stately monarch. He believes he is the rightful ruler of England, ordained by God, yet he is a weak and ineffective king - wasteful in his spending habits, unwise in his choise of chansellors, and detached from his country and its people. When he seizes the land of his cousin Henry Bolingbroke, both the commoners and the barons decide that their king has gone too far...

The BBC delves into its archives to discover British acting greats as they take their first tentative steps on the road to success. Long before they were knighted for their services to drama, we see early appearances from Michael Caine in a rare Shakespearean role, Ben Kingsley, Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi and Michael Gambon. Featuring unique behind-the-scenes footage alongside a wealth of classic British productions like War and Peace, the Mayor of Casterbridge and the Singing Detective, it reveals many career-defining moments from the first generation of acting talent to fully embrace television drama.

A tribute to the celebrated and enigmatic actress, with her life story told by those who knew her best, celebrating her much-loved appearances across film and TV spanning almost 70 years. Smith, who died in September of this year, had gained a new level of popularity playing the razor-tongued Lady Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey, but for all her success, remained a very private person who had little time for the trappings that came with fame. The film tells the story of a girl born in pre-war Essex who, against the odds, took Broadway and the West End by storm before eventually becoming one of the world's most popular and respected performers.

A film adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy using the complete text of the play but performed by child actors.

Hamlet comes home from university to find his uncle married to his mother, and his father's ghost haunting the battlements and scaring the watch. Then his father's ghost directs him to seek revenge.

THE UNITED GRAND LODGE OF ENGLAND CELEBRATED ITS EPIC TERCENTENARY CELEBRATION AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL IN 2017. Over 4,000 Freemasons from Provinces and Districts were joined by representatives from over 130 sovereign Grand Lodges from around the world to mark 300 years since the founding of the world’s first Grand Lodge for Freemasons. The audience witnessed a theatrical extravaganza which embraced the rich history and heritage of Freemasonry and featured a cast of renowned actors including Sir Derek Jacobi, Samantha Bond and Sanjeev Bhaskar.

When a cruel middle-aged baron and a beautiful wealthy orphan are to be wed at the abbey, it comes as no surprise when the sadistic nobleman is found strangled to death.

Complex tale about small and big players in the African diamond business wrapped around a murder of US senator's daughter.

Swords fly as Beowulf battles the evil Grendel in this exciting animated adaptation of the epic poem. Incorporating fascinating sketch art and featuring the voice of Joseph Fiennes as Beowulf. found.

The glories of Ancient Rome are explored in ROMAN CITY, based on David Macaulay's acclaimed book. This animated and live-action video recounts life in Verbonia, a fictional city in Gaul. A well-planned town with all modern conveniences, it is threatened by conflict between conquerors and conquered. Macaulay also visits Pompeii, Herculaneum, Ostia, Nimes, Orange, and Rome, to view actual Roman architecture and engineering greatness.

With the help of Hollywood, top Nazi Albert Speer tried to unscrupulously whitewash himself of his crimes in the 1970s. Speer gave long interviews to Hollywood author Jack Neuman and mimed the "good Nazi". After his release from 20 years in prison in Spandau, Hitler's former architect and armaments minister earned a lot of money with books about his time at the side of the dictator and his years in prison. However, a Hollywood feature film about his life was still missing. Speer received Neuman at his villa in Heidelberg.

At the age of forty Dame Margot Fonteyn is considered to be past her best as a prima ballerina and Ninette de Valois is reducing her roles at the Royal Ballet. Then the exciting young Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev, a recent defector to the West, comes into her life and her bed and revitalizes her career. Frederick Aashton creates a new ballet for them and they become the golden couple of the ballet world. However, Margot is married to Roberto 'Tito' Arias, a Panamanian politician of dubious repute who is not sympathetic to her calling and is probably faithless. When he is shot and paralyzed for life Margot must carry on dancing well into her sixties in order to pay for his costly treatment though she still collaborates with Rudolf in the occasional ballet.

The journalist Alf Mattson gets thoroughly drunk at his birthday party, where his wife announces that she intends to divorce him. He is knocked down on the street and is later carried home by a friend. The next day he is to fly to Budapest in order to make a report for the Stockholm television. Mattson disappears in Budapest.

Two astronauts await the news that will decide their fate.

The early life of Roman ruler Julius Caesar as told in three working prisons in South Africa, the UK and Canada. A small group of professional actors is joined by a cast of real-life inmates to tell the story of one of history's foremost personalities.

A period drama set in the early years of the 20th century. Josef, a former construction worker who delighted in dancing on girders high above the city, who now sweeps up at the circus. Once the big top's owner spots the young roustabout defying gravity on the trapeze, however, he endeavors to pair Josef with his aerialist daughter Alice in a perilous sky-high pas de deux. Offers a romantic view of big top life, with a moth-eaten angel in his feathered, tattered costume.

Dramatization of Russian ballet star Vaclav Nijinsky's diaries which detail his madness as well as his homosexual relationship with Ballet Russe impresario Sergei Diaghilev and his marriage to his Hungarian wife.

A documentary on the subject of the collections of books, instruments and medical anomalies at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia and the Mutter Museum housed there. This short film represents the first to be made by the internationally recognized Quay Brothers in the United States. While not a stop-motion animation film, a form for which the Quays are best known, the entire film is vibrantly constructed and 'animated'. Musical score by composer Tim Nelson and voice-over provided by Derek Jacobi.

Follow the breathtaking adventures of divers looking for pearls in the Persian Gulf and learn how the gems brought fortune to the islands of Bahrain.

Travel back to late 18th century Lowell, MA, now infamous for its textile mills and its "Lowell Girls," the poor, barely-educated waifs who helped turn those mills into sweatshops.

Narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi - star of the landmark television series "I, Claudius" - this documentary explores art and culture around the Bay of Naples before Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. The bay was then the most fashionable destination for vacationing Romans. Julius Caesar, emperors, and senators were among those who owned sumptuous villas along its shores. Artists flocked to the region to create frescoes, sculpture, and luxurious objects in gold, silver, and glass for villa owners as well as residents of Pompeii and other towns in the shadow of Vesuvius. The film concludes with the story of the discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum from the 18th century onward.

Part of Channel 4 series Derek Jacobi has stepped in to voice lyrics in a incredibly moving new film. Taking the role of an ageing writer addressing a lover, Jacobi's monologue is interspersed with footage of birth, death and all that comes in between. Absolutely shattering stuff.

The documentary uses Graham Greene's own words from his books and recordings, as well as photographs and clips from his many films, to reveal the fascinating life of one of the great writers of the twentieth century.

In the run-up to a General Election, the British Prime Minister thinks he is receiving messages from God.

A documentary about the 1944 mass escape from the German prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III for British and Commonwealth airmen that eventually was dramatized by the famous film "The Great Escape".

Henry is a lonely child who lives for his favourite holiday.

This film explores many of his key canvases which have been newly filmed in HDTV. The works are complemented solely with Bacon’s own words, recorded by Derek Jacobi. The artist’s biography is outlined, but the focus is on his ideas: his thoughts about his work, his reflections about how and why he paints. The result is a rigorous and revealing portrait of one of the few artists who has truly changed the way we see and understand ourselves.

Set in the Spain of 1680, a time of torture and interrogation by the Grand Inquisitor. A young man appears that is healing the sick and raising the dead. There are rumours that he might be the second coming of the Messiah. He is brought before the Grand Inquisitor. Though questioned and tortured, he chooses to remain silent.

Mr. Pye is a missionary whose mission to spread God's love on the tiny English Channel island of Sark faces supernatural setbacks in this comic fantasy from the author of Gormenghast.

Using rare archive footage and exclusive interviews, this series takes you to the heart of a war that was fought far from the bombs and shells of any battlefront. A war that involved the brilliant skills of mathematicians and chess players. Revealed here are the remarkable exploits of American and British code-breakers and their immense contribution to victory in during WWII.

An eccentrically-dressed stranger gets off a train and within a few days has endeared himself to the citizens of the town with his jovial behaviour and magical tricks. He is known as Sir Columbus. However, when he calls upon prominent citizen Mr. Latham, he is neither jovial or eccentric, he is out for revenge.