Off-Air Recordings for Week 24th to 30th December 2011

Please email parkmediaservices@glos.ac.uk if you would like any of the following programmes / series recording.*

Saturday 24th December 2011

The John Craven Years
BBC 2, 7.00pm - 8.00pm
Celebrating 40 years of John Craven on the BBC.

Generations have grown up with John Craven, a television legend whose career has spanned 40 years. This one-off celebration of John's key moments is a nostalgic journey through the past four decades and includes interviews with Jon Culshaw, Noel Edmonds and Martin Bell. We also go behind the scenes of Countryfile to see John in action. From his psychedelic jumpers on Newsround to wellies on Countryfile, John's relaxed, informed and calm style has touched us all.
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Sunday 25th December 2011

Johnny Cash at Christmas
BBC 4, 9.50pm - 10.40pm
A classic archive country concert special from Nashville in 1970, as the Man in Black is joined by his nearest and dearest including his mum and dad, the Carter Family, old friends from the Sun Records days like Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins, the Statler Brothers and the Everly Brothers. Country TV gold.

Britain's Favourite Christmas Songs
Channel 5, 10.00pm - 1.00am
Which songs really break the ice at Christmas? The Jackson 5’s Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Greg
Lake’s I Believe in Father Christmas or Jona Lewie’s Stop the Cavalry are on many lists. Do
They Know It’s Christmas? might still ring true, but has Mud’s Lonely this Christmas passed its sell-by
date? And where would we be without The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl's Fairytale of New York or the Waitresses' Christmas Wrapping?
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Monday 26th December 2011

Wonders of the Universe (1/4)
BBC 4, 7.00pm - 8.00pm
Having explored the wonders of the solar system, Professor Brian Cox steps boldly on to an even bigger stage - the universe.

Who are we? Where do we come from? For thousands of years humanity has turned to religion and myth for answers to these enduring questions. But in this series, Brian presents a different set of answers - answers provided by science.

Transformers
Film 4, 9.00pm - 11.45pm
Those robots in disguise get a live action outing as the war between the evil Decepticons and the heroic Autobots erupts on Earth once again.
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Tuesday 27th December 2011

You Have Been Watching... David Croft
BBC 2, 8.00pm - 9.00pm
From Dad's Army to 'Allo 'Allo!, Are You Being Served? to It Ain't Half Hot, Mum, David Croft had a hand in them all. This programme pays tribute to his comedy genius through the friends, family and colleagues who knew him.

The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (1/3)
BBC 4, 8.00pm - 9.00pm
Why does your brain look like a giant walnut, how does it fit in enough wiring to stretch four times around the equator and why can a magnet on your head stop you in mid-sentence? In the first of this year's Christmas Lectures, Professor Bruce Hood gets inside your head to explore how your brain works. He measures the brain's nerve cells in action, reads someone's mind from 100 miles away and reveals how the brain ultimately creates its own version of reality.

MASH
Film 4, 12.55am - 3.10am
Robert Altman's anti-establishment comedy set during the Korean War but satirising the US Vietnam war effort. Stars Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould and Robert Duvall.
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Wednesday 28th December 2011

Ad of the Year
ITV1, 8.00pm - 9.00pm
Programme celebrating the best TV ads from the last 12 months and revealing the fascinating stories behind them. People who wrote, directed or starred in the commercials talk about their involvement and say what, in their opinion, made their ad a hit. This year's top commercials have featured cats with thumbs, dancing clothes from Cadbury's, and a young Darth Vader using the Force. There have also been some great time-travelling ads from British Airways and John Lewis. Which will come out on top and win the coveted title of Ad of the Year?

The Untold Tommy Cooper
Channel 4, 9.00pm - 10.35pm
A unique portrait of Tommy Cooper, drawing on his manager's meticulous diaries, previously unseen archive footage, and the testimony of a variety of his celebrity fans.

The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (2/3)
BBC 4, 8.00pm - 9.00pm
Your brain is constantly being bombarded with information, so how does it decide what to trust and what to ignore, without you even being aware? Professor Bruce Hood leads us through the second of this year's Christmas Lectures - testing the limits of our memory, finding out how we learn, how our brain takes shortcuts and why multi-tasking can be dangerous. Bruce will make you say the wrong thing and fail to see what's right in front of you. Can you really believe your eyes? Possibly not.
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Thursday 29th December 2011

Dragons' Den: the Hilary Devey Story
BBC 2, 8.00pm - 9.00pm
The newest star of the most popular series of Dragons' Den is the larger than life, inimitable giant of the haulage industry - Hilary Devey. She brought a unique style and a whole new language into the Den, and this insightful documentary that charts her business career explains how and why she achieved the success that she has.

We see Hilary return to her Bolton roots, where she gained early experience of business success and failure as she lived through her father's bankruptcy and subsequent business rehabilitation running a variety of local pubs and clubs. We visit the aircraft hangar that (along with the rats and a single toilet shared with 50 blokes) housed the first incarnation of Hilary's continually expanding worldwide empire. Hilary also opens up her home and her heart to discuss the stroke that threatened her life and career only two years ago.

Her fellow Dragons give their take on how the new girl fitted in, and we're with Hilary as she takes her first steps with some of her Den investments to see how they're getting on.

The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (3/3)
BBC 4, 8.00pm - 9.00pm
Have you ever seen a face in a piece of burnt toast, or given your car a name? Why do you feel pain when someone else is hurt? Why are people so obsessed with other people? In the last of this year's Christmas Lectures, Professor Bruce Hood investigates how our brains are built to read other people's minds. With a little help from a baby, a robot and a magician, Bruce uncovers what makes us truly human.

Dorian Gray
Channel 4, 9.00pm - 11.10pm
Oliver Parker's walk on the Wilde side is a crisp retelling of the tale of roister- doisterers undone by the ravages of time.

Comic Strip Presents... The Hunt for Tony Blair
Channel 4, 11.10pm - 12.15am
The Comic Strip team return for a special 50s-style 'fugitive' film noir spoof.

The 60-minute film, penned by Peter Richardson and Pete Richens, follows Prime Minister Tony Blair (Stephen Mangan), wanted for murder and on the run. Escaping from Number 10 and leaving behind his adoring wife Cherie (Catherine Shepherd), Tony vows to clear his name no matter what the consequences.

But on a foggy London night, Tony has few friends willing to harbour a wanted man. With front pages demanding his capture, Blair has no choice but to go on the run, with Inspector Hutton (Robbie Coltrane) and his sidekick (James Buckley) hot on his trail. The chase unfolds thanks to evidence gleaned from his 'allies' Mandelson (Nigel Planer) and Brown (Ford Kiernan), as well as an unlikely encounter with Margaret Thatcher (Jennifer Saunders, channelling Bette Davies in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?).

Surely Tony's an innocent man, pursued for a crime he didn't commit?

The cast also includes Harry Enfield as Alastair Campbell, Rik Mayall as Professor Predictor, Morgana Robinson as Carole Caplin, John Sessions as Thatcher's butler and Ross Noble as an 'old Labour' tramp.
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Friday 30th December 2011

The Many Faces of... Dame Judy Dench
BBC 2, 8.00pm - 9.00pm
Documentary tracing the career of Dame Judi Dench using excerpts from performances and interviews with friends and colleagues.

The programme shows very early recordings of Dame Judi performing Shakespeare and her first television appearance in Z Cars.

We see performances in classic 60s dramas, 'Talking to a Stranger' and 'Four in the Morning' then show how she became a television sitcom star in 'A Fine Romance' and 'As Time Goes By'. Her sense of humour is illustrated by rarely seen outtakes from the shows.

Dame Judi's career enjoyed a late flourish when three films propelled her into the international spotlight 'Goldeneye', 'Mrs Brown' and 'Shakespeare in Love' reinvented her as a film star and earned her an Oscar.

Among many colleagues, the programme features Sir Michael Parkinson, Geoffrey Palmer and Simon Callow.

BBC Proms 2011
BBC 4, 8.30pm - 10.30pm
A celebration of the Golden Age of Hollywood film musicals performed by John Wilson who, returning to the Proms for a third season, conducts his hand-picked, high-octane orchestra and a line-up of star soloists.

Hooray for Hollywood takes us from the dawn of the 'talkies' and the birth of the movie musical through to the 1960s. There are excerpts from 42nd Street, Top Hat, Strike Up the Band, Swing Time and Shall We Dance, with a special tribute to the RKO films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Lemmy: The Movie
BBC 4, 11.30pm - 1.25am
This two-hour film celebrates the life and rock 'n' roll philosophy of Motorhead frontman and bassist Lemmy. Lemmy became the bass player in Hawkwind and sang their biggest hit Silver Machine before forming his own hard rockin' metal trio Motorhead in the mid-70s, blending punk and primal rock into a foot to the floor, hard driving rock 'n' roll aesthetic which resulted in monster hits like Ace of Spades and the live album No Sleep Til Hammersmith in the early 80s and to which he has remained constantly steadfast.

Still touring, still enjoying the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, still inspired by Little Richard and the Beatles, Lemmy remains the ultimate unredeemed and unrepentant rocker. Joining Lemmy and members of Motorhead to celebrate his life and times are Hawkwind's Dave Brock, Metallica's James Hetfield, Dave Grohl, Alice Cooper, Peter Hook and Jarvis Cocker.

Legends - Thin Lizzie: Bad Reputation
BBC 4, 1.25am - 2.25am
Affectionate but honest portrait of Thin Lizzy, arguably the best hard rock band to come out of Ireland.

Starting with the remix of the classic album Jailbreak by Scott Gorham and Brian Downie, the film takes us through the rollercoaster ride that is the story of Thin Lizzy. From early footage of singer Phil Lynott in Ireland in his pre-Lizzy bands the Black Eagles and Orphanage, it follows his progress as he, guitarist Eric Bell and drummer Brian Downie form the basic three-piece that was to become Thin Lizzy - a name taken from the Beano.

Using original interviews with Bell, Downie, the man who signed them and their first manager, it traces the early years leading to the recruitment of guitarists Brian 'Robbo' Robertson and Scott Gorham - the classic line-up. The film uses a number of stills, some seen on TV for the first time, archive from contemporary TV shows and a range of tracks both well known and not so famous.

There are hilarious self-deprecating anecdotes, from the stories behind the making of the Boys are Back in Town to the hiring of Midge Ure. We hear about the 'revolving door' as guitarist after guitarist was fired and hired, and the recording of Bad Reputation and Live and Dangerous - where producer Tony Visconti pulls no punches in talking about how he recorded the latter - putting the controversy to bed for the final time. Except that Downie and Robertson still disagree with him.

Finally we hear how drugs and alcohol impacted on the band and how the music suffered, how one member later substituted golf for heroin, and how addiction and the related lifestyle led to the death of Phil Lynott.

Contributors include Brian Downie, Scott Gorham, Eric Bell, Brian Robertson, Midge Ure, Bob Geldof, Tony Visconti, Joe Elliot (Def Leppard) and many others.