Alexei Sayle

Legends of Comedy with Lenny Henry

The award-winning comedian, actor and writer meets four of the country’s most iconic comedians to explore just how to make comedy gold. Each episode sees Lenny carve up the career and work of his funny guest, taking a deep dive to discover how they – and other comedy icons – made their mark.

Release Date:2024-11-16

Character:Self - Guest

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:1

Bottom: Exposed

Adrian Edmondson gives a first-hand account of making the hit show "Bottom" with the late, great Rik Mayall. His account comes alongside contributions from a host of the show's cast, crew and fans.

Release Date:2024-04-18

Character:Self

Vote Count:2

imagine... French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter

imagine... profiles the UK’s most successful double act of the last 40 years, French & Saunders, exploring a brand of comedy based on satire, silliness and, above all, friendship.

Release Date:2023-12-27

Character:Self

Vote Count:1

Oh Jeremy Corbyn - The Big Lie

In 2017, with the support of an extraordinary grassroots movement, British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn came close to becoming prime minister. The establishment trembled. Britain stood on the threshold of huge political change. But within three years all, it seemed, was lost. What happened and why?

Release Date:2023-02-09

Character:Narrator

The Fringe, Fame and Me

The Fringe, Fame and Me is the story of how a small Scottish arts festival that began 75 years ago this year became a national institution – a crucible where new stars are forged, careers made, and sometimes, dreams dashed. Told by the stars who first found fame at the Edinburgh Fringe, this is the inside story of what it takes to make a name here, from those who enjoyed overnight success to those who slogged for years to make it. Through their triumphs, favourite jokes, and sometimes painful failures, we’ll discover a hidden history of British comedy – revealing how the gags we find funny and the comedians we love reflect our changing culture.

Release Date:2022-08-08

Character:Self

Robin Williams: Laugh Until You Cry

Robin Williams. The comic genius with an electric mind, with a range of talent that left us breathless. The one who amazed and kept us entertained until the very end, and whose sole purpose in life was to make people laugh. Living life to the fullest, he went from one memorable film role to the other. But behind the upbeat, frenzied facade of Robin Williams was a sensitive and vulnerable man, deeply plagued by depression and haunted by his demons. Few comedians have ever been as beloved as Robin Williams. His story is full of tragic moments. It inspires us to look past the mask of those people who seem to have a perfect life. His legacy, reaching way beyond his body of work, lives on. We look back at the journey and tragic loss of a unique comic legend...and one of the greatest comedians of all time.

Release Date:2022-03-30

Character:Self

Vote Count:1

How to Build a Girl

The journey of Midlands teenager Johanna Morrigan, who reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde: fast-talking, lady sex-adventurer, moves to London, and gets a job as music critic in the hope of saving her poverty stricken family in Wolverhampton. Based on Caitlin Moran's bestselling semi-autobiographical novel.

Release Date:2020-09-24

Character:Karl Marx

Vote Count:61

Mandy

Mandy is a woman with dreams. Big dreams. Most of all she dreams of breeding Doberman Pinchers. But there are hurdles to overcome before that dream can become a reality. In the series we'll see her go on a health kick, rent out her small back bedroom on Airbnb and attempt a series of short-lived jobs in the modern gig economy.

Release Date:2020-08-13

Character:Darren Dugdale

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:31

Sometimes Always Never

Alan is a stylish tailor with moves as sharp as his suits. He has spent years searching tirelessly for his missing son Michael who stormed out over a game of Scrabble. With a body to identify and his family torn apart, Alan must repair the relationship with his youngest son and solve the mystery of an online player who he thinks could be Michael, so he can finally move on and reunite his family.

Release Date:2019-03-14

Character:Bill

Vote Count:65

How The Young Ones Changed Comedy

This documentary explores the legacy of one of the most notorious British sitcoms of all time. Launching alternative comedy onto our screens, the show made household names of its performers and writers and proved to be a huge influence, despite the BBC reportedly being baffled by what they'd commissioned back in 1982. Never before had a flagship comedy show contained so much violence, depravity and anarchy - it was a shot across the bow to mainstream comedians that things would never be the same again.

Release Date:2018-05-26

Vote Count:2

Gloves Off

A talented fighter must save his beloved gym by training a gentle giant for a bare-knuckle fight.

Release Date:2017-10-08

Character:Algy

Vote Count:8

Richard Osman's House of Games

Each week a group of four famous faces go toe to toe in testing their general knowledge skills in a variety of entertaining games.

Release Date:2017-09-04

Character:Self - Panellist

Episode Count:5

Vote Count:22

Red Top

Comic fantasy telling the story of Rebekah, an innocent and beguiling Northern girl who accidentally becomes Chief Executive of News International and gets caught up in a seventies Watergate-style scandal.

Release Date:2016-01-20

Character:Colin Goodman

Vote Count:3

Rik Mayall: Lord of Misrule

Comedian Rik Mayall died suddenly on 9 June 2014. Mayall's blend of rocket-fuelled physical comedy, surrealism, subversive satire and pompous punk wit left a body of work that spanned four decades. Mayall's characters include the Black Country's investigative nerd Kevin Turvey, Felicity Kendal-adoring student and 'People's Poet' Rik in The Young Ones, ruthless MP Alan B'Stard in The New Statesman, seedy loser Richie in Bottom and larger-than-life characters Robin Hood and flying ace Lord Flashheart from Blackadder. Narrated by Simon Callow, this programme salutes Rik Mayall and celebrates his part in the UK's comedy history using rare and unseen archive footage. It also features contributions from people who knew or admired him, including Michael Palin, Simon Pegg, Lenny Henry, Ben Elton, Alexei Sayle, Christopher Ryan, Tim McInnerny, Jools Holland, Ruby Wax and Greg Davies.

Release Date:2014-12-20

Character:Self

Vote Count:13

Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled

One of Britain’s favourite comedians doing what he does best – being funny. But Alan Davies isn’t on a stage, or behind his QI desk sparring with Stephen Fry, or even wearing his Jonathan Creek duffle coat… instead, Alan is at his most relaxed and most natural – sitting around chatting with some of his best comedian friends.

Release Date:2014-06-16

Character:Self

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:11

50 Years of BBC Two Comedy

Documentary charting and celebrating five decades of often groundbreaking, boundary-pushing comedy from BBC Two.

Release Date:2014-05-24

Character:Self

Vote Count:2

For the Love of Cars

Actor and car fan Philip Glenister (of "Life on Mars" fame) and car restorer Ant Anstead find classic British cars to bring back to life.

Release Date:2014-04-26

Character:Himself

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:1

30 Years of Comic Strip

In true Peter Richardson fashion, "30 Years Of Comic Strip" defies the conventional norms of a retrospective documentary. It brings together some of the most prominent figures in UK comedy, reflecting on the show's impact and influence on the British comedy scene over the past three decades. The documentary unveils previously unseen footage and reconnects with characters from iconic episodes. The cast and crew of The Comic Strip share anecdotes about the making of the show, recounting experiences marked by a playful disregard for health and safety.

Release Date:2012-11-03

The Story of Music Hall

Michael Grade traces the raucous history of the music hall in a revelatory journey that takes him from venues such as Wilton's Music Hall in London to Glasgow's once-famous Britannia.

Release Date:2011-10-25

Character:Self

The Itch of the Golden Nit

Eleven-year-old Beanie's bland life is changed for ever when he is sent on a mission. Armed only with laser lip-gloss and a pair of blend-in pants he has to save his parents from Evil Stella and return the Golden Nit to its rightful place at the heart of the sun, thereby saving the universe.

Release Date:2011-06-28

Character:Planet Jimmy (voice)

Vote Count:3

The Michael Ball Show

The Michael Ball Show was a British topical entertainment show broadcast on ITV in 2010. It featured entertainment, discussion and showbiz glamour with the occasional musical performance from Michael himself, often on the Friday edition of the show. It occupied the slot filled by The Alan Titchmarsh Show during its summer break in 2010.

Release Date:2010-08-16

Character:Self

Episode Count:1

Horrible Histories

Based on the best-selling children's books and liberally splattered with guts, blood and poo, a group of British comedians offer an anarchic and unconventional take on some of history's most gruesome and funny moments, with topics including the Stone Age, the Middle Ages, the Egyptians and the Romans, among others.

Release Date:2009-04-16

Character:Dr. Ushma

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:56

My Dad Was a Communist

Comedian Alexei Sayle, playwright Arnold Wesker and writer David Aaronovitch recall fascinating episodes from their communist childhood.

Release Date:2008-08-23

Character:Self

Q&A

Hosted by Hamish Macdonald, Q&A puts punters, pollies and pundits together in the studio to thrash out the hot issues of the week. It's about democracy in action - the audience gets to ask the questions.

Release Date:2008-05-22

Character:Self - Panellist

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:3

The Surprise Demise Of Francis Cooper's Mother

The story of Francis Cooper and his mother; Emily Maddison and that man's face; and Craig MacKay and his cat.

Release Date:2008-01-01

Character:Narrator

Tapping the Wire

Long-time Wire fan Charlie Brooker takes a journey to the mean streets of Baltimore to meet the cast and crew of the series, and undertakes a mission to explain what makes The Wire the best cop show ever made.

Release Date:2007-07-01

Character:Self

Vote Count:2

Hitler: The Comedy Years

A documentary about the portrayal of Adolf Hitler in popular culture.

Release Date:2007-05-10

Character:D.J. (archive footage) (uncredited)

Vote Count:1

The Double Life of Saki

Drama-documentary which explores the life and work of the writer Hector Hugh Munro, better known by his pen name Saki, whose short stories satirised Edwardian society and culture.

Release Date:2007-04-30

Character:Self

The One Show

A topical magazine-style daily television programme broadcast live on BBC One.

Release Date:2006-08-14

Character:Self

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:25

Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive

Comedy series in which Rob Brydon plays himself as the host of a low-rent panel show

Release Date:2006-07-11

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:7

When Comedy Changed Forever

The history of British comedy from the 1970s to today, showing how the work of Reeves and Mortimer provided a link between old-style acts such as Bernard Manning and modern phenomena like Little Britain.

Release Date:2006-03-07

Character:Self

The Thief Lord

A tale about two young boys, Prosper and Bo, who flee to Venice after being orphaned and dumped in the care of a cruel auntie. Hiding in the canals and alleyways of the city, the boys are befriended by a gang of young urchins and their enigmatic leader, the Thief Lord. From their home base of an old cinema theater, the children steal from the rich to support themselves and soon capture the interest of a bumbling detective. However, a greater threat to the children is something from a forgotten past - a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself

Release Date:2006-01-04

Character:Barbarossa

Vote Count:182

The Roots of Monty Python

A look back at the origins of the ground breaking BBC comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Release Date:2005-11-26

Character:Self

A Bear's Tail

A sitcom from the creators of Channel 4 comedy "Bo' Selecta!" written by and starring Leigh Francis. Everyone's favourite talking bear learns to live with his new sitcom family, The Hennersons. As well as cast and celebrity cameo appearances, Leigh Francis brings to life a host of new characters, including nosey neighbour Sue Dales - a Scottish transsexual living with fellow transsexual Dave McCall - Keith Lemon, entrepreneur and lady's man, and Asian film nerd Corey Haim.

Release Date:2005-07-08

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:3

The Comic Strip - A Retrospective

A look back at the comedy series The Comic Strip Presents

Release Date:2005-07-04

Character:Self

Vote Count:1

Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball?

The Secret Policeman benefit shows for Amnesty International brought together comedy grand masters - from Python and Beyond the Fringe - and performers then relatively unknown, like Rowan Atkinson. Narrated by Dawn French, the programme includes interviews with many of the comedians and musicians who took part: John Cleese, Stephen Fry, Michael Palin, Sting, Lenny Henry and many more. The shows and their stars had a huge effect on modern British comedy. There are few comics today whose careers have not been heavily influenced by the anarchic and surreal humour of these events.

Release Date:2004-12-09

Character:Self

Vote Count:3

Blood Matters

Blood Matters is a series of four short, animated documentaries exploring the eye-opening issue of blood donation. The series was produced as a slate of films for Channel 4′s The Slot, entitled Blood Matters, in association with The National Blood Service.

Release Date:2004-09-13

Episode Count:1

The Legend of the Tamworth Two

Based on a true story, the movie tells the story of two pigs, named Butch and Sundance, who staged a dramatic escape from an abattoir in January 1998 and remained at large for a week ...

Release Date:2004-04-12

Character:Newspaper Editor

Vote Count:1

Spine Chillers

Anthology series of black comedies, which sets out to deliver excellent stories with a darkly comic twist.

Release Date:2003-06-23

Character:Graham

Episode Count:1

Keen Eddie

Keen Eddie is an American action, comedy-drama television series that aired in 2003 on the Fox Network. The series follows a brash NYPD detective who goes to London when one of his cases goes sour and remains to work with New Scotland Yard. The basic premise of the show bears a close resemblance to the popular 1980s British series Dempsey & Makepeace, the only notable difference being that the female partner has been replaced by a female housemate. Stylistically, the series derived inspiration from British feature films by Guy Ritchie, such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. The soundtrack and incidental music for the first episode was provided by British techno duo Orbital. Daniel Ash of Love and Rockets scored the rest of the series.

Release Date:2003-06-03

Episode Count:3

Vote Count:15

Tipping the Velvet

A tempestuous tale of love and life as a naïve girl discovers both romance and pain in the hidden, decadent world of bohemian London in the 1890s. Nan Astley embarks on a voyage of emotional and sexual discovery with Kitty Butler, a music hall male impersonator.

Release Date:2002-12-09

Character:Charles Frobisher

Episode Count:2

Vote Count:35

Richard & Judy

Richard & Judy was a British chat show presented by the married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. The show originally aired on Channel 4, from 2001 to 2008, but later moved to digital channel, Watch, in October 2008. The programme featured a number of celebrities and a book club. Its final episode aired in July 2009 due to low ratings.

Release Date:2001-11-26

Character:Self

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:12

Arabian Nights

Targeted for assassination by his first wife and his evil brother, a young sultan must marry by the next full moon or he will lose his kingdom. His uncertainty over his newfound bride causes her to stall the sultan with a series of fantastic stories to ease the tension and stall her impending execution.

Release Date:2000-04-30

Character:BacBac

Episode Count:2

Vote Count:50

Don't Walk

Larry, a young criminal, is taught to walk away from a crime scene and never run by his Uncle Henry, a hitman. However he is a purse snatcher and soon learns that it is better to run away instead.

Release Date:2000-01-01

Character:Uncle Henry

Bremner, Bird and Fortune

Bremner, Bird and Fortune is an award-winning satirical British television programme produced by Vera Productions for Channel Four, uniting the longstanding satirical team of John Bird and John Fortune with the satirical impressionist Rory Bremner, and to date has 16 series.

Release Date:1999-10-17

Character:Pope John Paul II

Episode Count:89

Vote Count:1

Swing

When Martin Luxford (Hugo Speer) leaves jail, he decides to form a swing band, having been taught to play the saxophone by his cellmate Jack. Returning to his native Liverpool, Martin pulls together a backing band of misfits and loners, and recruits his ex-girlfriend Joan (Lisa Stansfield) as a singer. Things are complicated somewhat by the fact that Joan is now married to the policeman who arrested Martin, and when the band's first gig - at a heavy metal pub - goes badly, it seems as though the road to musical success may be a rocky one.

Release Date:1999-06-18

Character:Mighty Mac

Vote Count:3

Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round

Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round was a comedy sketch show which ran on BBC2 for a total of 6 episodes over one series in 1998. Alexei Sayle's final series was almost identical in format to The All New Alexei Sayle Show except with yet another change of writers.. Unusually, there was no studio audience. Sketches included the talents of Noel Fielding, Lee Hurst, Paul Putner, Gemma Rigg, Reece Shearsmith, Jessica Stevenson, David Walliams and Peter Serafinowicz The continuing adventures of Bobby Chariot were chronicled. Now free from any obligation to be Alexei's warm-up man, he traversed a series of other career cul-de-sacs under the appalling management of the repulsive "Edna" Denise Coffey. In one episode, the joke was turned on its head as Chariot performed for an audience of students, who enjoyed his act ironically and responded to his catchphrase "How ya diddling?" with an enthusiastic reply of "We're diddling fine!". Meanwhile Alexei Sayle himself was depicted as living in a Teletubbies-style burrow somewhere in the posh part of North London.

Release Date:1998-05-08

Episode Count:6

Vote Count:1

Parkinson

Michael Parkinson returns for a second run of his iconic talk show.

Release Date:1998-01-09

Character:Self

Episode Count:1

The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling

Adaptation of the classic novel by Henry Fielding chronicling the life, loves and adventures of the charming Tom.

Release Date:1997-11-09

Character:Puppeteer

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:1

Two Minutes

An hilariously funny one-off comic sitcom in which some mates attempt to rob a pub of its takings.

Release Date:1997-04-07

Character:Bernie

Hospital!

Comedy about a brilliant young brain surgeon set in an unorthodox hospital. A "Naked Gun" type comedy from Britain, this one-off special was made specifically for the launch of Channel 5 in 1997.

Release Date:1997-03-30

Character:X Ray Operator

Vote Count:1

Renford Rejects

Renford Rejects was a teen sitcom produced and broadcast by Nickelodeon UK between 1997 and 2001. The show briefly aired in the United States on Nick GaS. The show concerned a five-a-side school football team, made up of aspiring players who had been turned down by their school's main team. They were named "Renford Rejects" when a rival player sabotaged their league entry form, but decided to stick with the name as it suited their "outcast" nature.

Release Date:1997-02-23

Episode Count:52

Vote Count:3

Rhinoceros Hunting in Budapest

A young man's odyssey from a small town in Colorado to Budapest, in search of his estranged girlfriend.

Release Date:1997-01-19

Character:Beluga

Never Mind the Buzzcocks

Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game show with a pop and rock music theme. The show is infamous for its dry, sarcastic humour and scathing, provocative attacks on the pop industry.

Release Date:1996-11-12

Character:Self

Episode Count:2

Vote Count:52

Moon Lighters

Public information film. Animation warning children of the dangers of lighters.

Release Date:1996-01-01

Character:Narrator (voice)

Sorry About Last Night

A romantic comedy written by and starring Alexei Sayle. A couple on a first date in London are determined to find a drink after closing time, to prove to themselves that they are not careworn and middle-aged. What follows is a series of misadventures

Release Date:1995-12-27

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Character:Andy Carolides

Vote Count:1

Paris

Paris is a British sitcom produced by Talkback Productions for Channel 4. It was written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, best known for their later sitcom Father Ted. The show only lasted one series consisting of six episodes in October and November 1994. It featured the escapades of French artist Alain Degout living in 1920s Paris, who wants to be famous, but his work gets him nowhere.

Release Date:1994-10-14

Character:Alain Degout

Episode Count:6

Room 101

Fast-moving game show meets talk show, which sees Frank Skinner refereeing three celebrities each week as they compete to banish their top peeve or worst nightmare to the depths of Room 101.

Release Date:1994-07-04

Character:Self

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:23

The Unpleasant World of Penn & Teller

Release Date:1994-01-07

Episode Count:6

The All New Alexei Sayle Show

The All New Alexei Sayle Show was a comedy sketch show broadcast on BBC2 television for a total of twelve episodes, over two series in 1994 and 1995. The title sequence featured Alexei Sayle as an innocent, newly arrived man in London singing cheerful lyrics and dancing around Trafalgar Square in an obvious parody of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It was the successor to Alexei Sayle's Stuff, and predecessor of Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round. A then-unknown Christoph Waltz appeared in a sketch during its run.

Release Date:1994-01-06

Episode Count:12

Vote Count:2

Curaçao

Cornelius Wettering and Stephen Guerin are expatriates living in Curaçao. They're bound together by an understanding that each is hiding from a dangerous past.

Release Date:1993-06-27

Character:Seemuller

Vote Count:7

Queen of the Wild Frontier

Convicts Mick and Gary are being escorted to the dentist when their prison van has an accident and they wind up at a remote farmhouse occupied by Fiona and Susie, two sex-starved sisters who have been waiting to have babies with the right men, whilst these two may not be the right ones, they are certainly available.

Release Date:1993-05-06

Character:Inspector

Reckless Kelly

A satirical take on a modern day Ned Kelly who is forced to Hollywood in order to make enough money to save his family's land. As it goes against his belief, he cannot simply rob banks for his own benefit (all money goes to the poor). Ned is forced to find another way to come up with the $1 million required to save his family island.

Release Date:1993-04-08

Character:Major Wib

Vote Count:29

Carry On Columbus

Christopher Columbus believes he can find an alternative route to the far East and persuades the King and Queen of Spain to finance his expedition...

Release Date:1992-10-02

Character:Achmed

Vote Count:40

Red Nose of Courage

A clown is not happy with his job at his father's circus so he gets into politics, and some weeks later he is the Prime Minister John Major. But after his day job, he has to attend to his real job as Coco the Clown. He falls in love with the leader of the opposition party but she falls in love with Coco the Clown without knowing that he is in fact John Major, the Prime Minister.

Release Date:1992-04-09

Character:Dad

Amnesty International's Big 30

In the tradition of the acclaimed series of British concerts known as The Secret Policemen's Ball, Amnesty International celebrates its 50th Anniversary live at Radio City Music Hall.

Release Date:1991-12-28

Character:Self

Vote Count:1

Meeting Venus

Celebrated Swedish opera star Karin Anderson is slated to appear in an internationally-telecast production of Tannhauser. Ms. Anderson balks at the notion of working with obscure Hungarian conductor Zoltan Szanto. The much-anticipated production may never get off the ground, thanks to labor-management difficulties, intramural jealousies, and clashing egos. Amidst all this chaos, the mismatched Anderson and Szanto fall in love.

Release Date:1991-09-18

Character:Von Schneider (dubbing - voice only) (uncredited)

Vote Count:18

Selling Hitler

In 1981, Gerd Heidemann, a war correspondent and reporter with the German magazine Stern, makes what he believes is the literary and historical scoop of the century: the personal diaries of Adolf Hitler. Over the next two years, Heidemann and the senior management figures at Stern secretly pay 10 million German marks to a mysterious 'Dr Fischer' for the sixty volumes of 'Hitler's diaries'. However, to the dismay of all, it is discovered after the publication of first extract that the diaries are crude forgeries, faked by Stuttgart criminal Konrad Kujau.

Release Date:1991-06-11

Character:Konrad 'Conny' Fischer

Vote Count:2

Selling Hitler

Based on the book by Robert Harris, this is a comic-dramatisation of the true story of the one of the most famous forgery cases in the world, the infamous 'Hitler Diaries' of the early 1980s. Jonathan Pryce stars as the German journalist Gerd Heidemann who convinces himself that he has discovered a set of secret diaries written by the leader of the Third Reich and tries to convince the world, making a fortune for himself in the process.

Release Date:1991-06-11

Character:Konrad 'Conny' Fischer

Episode Count:5

Vote Count:1

'Itch

A lone hitch hiker, marooned near a housing estate, has a dramatic effect on the lives of those around him.

Release Date:1991-02-23

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Character:Rittblatt

Have I Got News for You

Hilarious, totally-irreverent, near-slanderous political quiz show, based mainly on news stories from the last week or so, that leaves no party, personality or action unscathed in pursuit of laughs.

Release Date:1990-09-28

Character:Himself

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:65

Les Dogs

Les Dogs are the band playing in a large marquee to celebrate the wedding of Geoffrey and Angela. During the reception, the fathers of the groom and bride exchange insults and a gun battle ensues in which many guests - and Les Dogs - are casualties though the happy couple escape. Victor, who has wandered in on the scene, is asked to take wedding photographs and has a series of dreamlike fantasies all based around his infatuation with Angela.

Release Date:1990-08-03

Character:Bride's Father

Night Voice

Clarence Flamer hosts a late-night talk show on regional radio station North Star Sound. A phone call he takes one night leads to his discovering a mortgage scam being run by a group of estate agents. His attempts to delve deeper have tragic consequences.

Release Date:1990-07-25

Character:Clarence Flamer

The Gravy Train

A four-part comedy about bureaucratic bribery and corruption in the European Union.

Release Date:1990-06-27

Character:Vlad Milcic

Episode Count:4

Vote Count:2

Spaghetti Hoops

In a monochrome city that is shamelessly London although everybody acts as if it is Rome, banker Aldo Vini is on the run from Mafia boss Corelli, from whom he has embezzled two million. Corelli hires Mig and Mog, two inept hitmen to go after Vini, killing any witnesses as they go, but when they finally catch up with him, they have no idea what to do with him and confuse Corelli's instructions with their shopping list.

Release Date:1990-03-01

Character:Mog

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that a medieval historian has vanished while searching for it, and the missing man is his own father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr.. He sets out to rescue his father by following clues in the old man's notebook, which his father had mailed to him before he went missing. Indy arrives in Venice, where he enlists the help of a beautiful academic, Dr. Elsa Schneider, along with Marcus Brody and Sallah. Together they must stop the Nazis from recovering the power of eternal life and taking over the world!

Release Date:1989-05-24

Character:Sultan

Vote Count:10274

Just Like That!

Just Like That! is a celebration of the comic genius of Tommy Cooper] - just like that! But nobody could do it just like that apart from the unique Mr Cooper himself, and despite his claim never to have used those words. Was Tommy really Henry Coper's brother? Can Tommy's performance as Hamlet, clown prince, compare with the greats? Was Tommy a ventriloquist at heart? Rare and classic routines and contributions from famous fans help solve the mystery. The friends and fans who take part (many of them confirming that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery) include Adrian Edmondson, Lenny Henry, Henry Cooper, former Goons Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan, writer Dick Hills, Tommy's brother David Cooper (who has himself sadly since died), alternative comedian Steve Murray, The Wow Show and magician Paul Scott. A title montage sequence features further impersonations of the great man from Alexei Sayle, Bob Todd, Patricia Hayes, and Jess Conrad.

Release Date:1989-01-01

Character:Self

Alexei Sayle's Stuff

Alexei Sayle's Stuff is a comedy sketch show which ran on BBC2 for a total of 18 episodes over 3 series from 1988 to 1991.

Release Date:1988-10-13

Episode Count:18

Vote Count:4

The Love Child

When he was a little boy, Dillon's rock musician father and hippie mother died in a traffic accident. Now in his twenties, Dillon wants nothing more than a normal, responsible life, working in an office and taking care of the grandmother who raised him. But his grandmother has other ideas, and Dillon finds himself lured into an alternate lifestyle of art, pleasure and rebellion.

Release Date:1988-09-22

Character:The Voices

Vote Count:1

Didn't You Kill My Brother?

Carl Moss leaves jail,where he has taken the rap for his evil twin Sterling,and has been declared a model prisoner. Pauline Sneek,his probation officer - and girlfriend - gets him community work teaching youngsters how to lead law-abiding lives. This displeases Sterling,as he needs the young delinquents for his bicycle stealing ring.

Release Date:1988-03-19

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Character:Carl Moss/Sterling Moss

The Strike

Paul, a former miner, writes a hard-hitting screenplay about his own experiences of the 1984 miners' strike. However, the Hollywood production company that gets hold of his script turns it into a ludicrously sensationalist and anachronistic action film, starring Al Pacino as Arthur Scargill, and Meryl Streep as his wife.

Release Date:1988-02-20

Character:Paul

Vote Count:3

Jake's Journey

A normal teenager is transported to a Monty Pythonesque medieval fantasy land where an odd, adamant knight takes him on a quest.

Release Date:1988-01-01

Character:Head torturer

Vote Count:1

Mr. Corbett's Ghost

Mr Corbett is a cruel employer to Ben Partridge. One night on New Years Eve Ben is sent out to deliver some medicine. Along the way he wishes his master was dead, little knowing that the man he is delivering to is the Collector of Souls.

Release Date:1987-12-31

Character:Toll Gate Keeper

Vote Count:3

Siesta

American Claire wakes up blood-soaked and bruised at the end of a runway in Spain. As she tries to account for her state, she has flashbacks from the past few days. She thinks she's killed someone, but isn't sure, and now she's wandering the Spanish streets without money or a clear memory.

Release Date:1987-11-11

Character:Cabbie

Vote Count:38

The Lenny Henry Show

Sitcom based around the character of wide-boy Brixton pirate radio DJ - the "crucialll!!!" Delbert Wilkins, founder of the BBC (Brixton Broadcasting Corporation). It focus on Delbert's attempts to break into the big time.

Release Date:1987-10-27

Episode Count:13

Vote Count:5

Up Line

Three alternative comedians get involved in a pyramid-selling organization, Pathway, in order to finance their act. They gain great success by deploying their skills as entertainers, only to eventually discover the sinister purpose behind the Pathway organization.

Release Date:1987-02-04

Character:Melvin Coombes

Solarbabies

In a future in which most water has disappeared from the Earth, we find a group of children, mostly teenagers, who are living at an orphanage, run by the despotic rulers of the new Earth. The group in question plays a hockey based game on roller skates and is quite good. It has given them a unity that transcends the attempts to bring them to heel by the government. Finding an orb of special power, they find it has unusual effects on them. They escape from the orphanage (on skates) and try to cross the wasteland looking for a place they can live free as the storm-troopers search for them and the orb.

Release Date:1986-11-26

Character:Malice

Vote Count:83

Casualty

Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.

Release Date:1986-09-06

Character:Anton Malinovsky

Episode Count:2

Vote Count:80

Whoops Apocalypse

When a small British owned island in the Caribbean is invaded and the world's most dangerous terrorist kidnaps a member of the Royal family, the countdown to World War 3 begins. If anyone can prevent the oncoming apocalypse it's the American President, but her closest ally the British Prime Minister appears to have gone stark raving mad.

Release Date:1986-05-06

Character:Alexei Sayle in a Hawaiian Shirt

Vote Count:16

Lovejoy

The adventures of the eponymous Lovejoy, a likeable but roguish antiques dealer based in East Anglia. Within the trade, he has a reputation as a “divvie”, a person with an almost supernatural powers for recognising exceptional items as well as distinguishing genuine antique from clever fakes or forgeries.

Release Date:1986-01-10

Character:Freddy Reeve

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:49

The Supergrass

While taking a holiday in the country with his mother, Dennis hits on a scheme to impress a girl so that she'll go away on a trip with him as his girlfriend. Although he fails to gain any interest from the girl, the police take a great interest in his story. From this point on, Dennis digs a deeper hole for himself at every turn

Release Date:1985-11-08

Character:Motorbike Cop

Vote Count:11

The Bride

Doctor Frankenstein creates a mate for his monster, a woman called Eva, who promptly rejects the male creature. In turn, the doctor becomes obsessed with Eva, and tries to make her a perfect victorian woman.

Release Date:1985-08-16

Character:Magar

Vote Count:78

Ligmalion: Or How to Help Yourself in Self-Help Britain

Drama documentary which takes the form of an up-dated version of Pygmalion. With a special music score by jazz group Working Week, with real "society" characters and locations from 1984.

Release Date:1985-04-08

Character:John Bull

Doctor Who: Revelation of the Daleks

At the Tranquil Repose mortuary, the Doctor and Peri uncover a sinister plot to create a new breed of Daleks under the supervision of the mysterious Great Healer.

Release Date:1985-03-30

Character:DJ

Vote Count:6

The Caucasian Chalk Circle

The hardships faced by a woman trying to survive a bloody civil war while caring for the abandoned child of the deposed former ruler.

Release Date:1985-01-01

Character:Lavrenti

Give Us a Break: Hustle Bustle Toil and Muscle

Mickey and Mo head to Liverpool for the chance of a big score

Release Date:1984-12-31

Character:Frank

Gorky Park

Police Inspector Renko tries to solve the case of three bodies found in Moscow's Gorky Park but finds his attempts to solve the crime impeded by his superiors. Working on his own, Renko seeks out more information and stumbles across a conspiracy involving the highest levels of the government.

Release Date:1983-12-15

Character:Golodkin

Vote Count:296

The Alexei Sayle Pirate Video

The real Alexei Sayle. Over 75 minutes. Live. Uncensored. Recorded in Manchester 1982. Warning: This video cassette contains language of an explicit nature that may give offence. This tape should not be played in the presence of minors

Release Date:1983-01-03

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Character:Self

The Young Ones

The misadventures of four lunatic students who live in a shared student house. There's Rick, the overblown political one addicted to Cliff Richard, Vyvyan the experimental scientific one/part-time anarchist, Neil the worried hippy, and Mike the ladies' man (at least he is in his mind).

Release Date:1982-11-09

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Character:The Balowski Family

Episode Count:12

Vote Count:131

The Comic Strip Presents...

The Comic Strip is a group of British comedians, who came to prominence in the 1980s. They are known for their television series The Comic Strip Presents... which was labelled as an example of alternative comedy. The core members are Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson, Jennifer Saunders and Alexei Sayle with frequent appearances by Keith Allen, Robbie Coltrane and others.

Release Date:1982-11-02

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Character:Carl Moss/Sterling Moss

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:16

Whoops Apocalypse

Whoops Apocalypse is a six-part 1982 British sitcom by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick, made by London Weekend Television for ITV. Marshall and Renwick later reworked the concept as a 1986 film of the same name from ITC Entertainment, with almost completely different characters and plot, although one or two of the original actors returned in different roles. The series has a big cult audience, and copies of videos are heavily sought after. The British budget label Channel 5 Video released a compilation cassette of all six episodes edited together into one 137-minute chunk in 1987. In 2010 Network DVD released both the complete, unedited series and the movie on a 2-DVD set entitled Whoops Apocalypse: The Complete Apocalypse.. John Otway also recorded a song called "Whoops Apocalypse", which was used as the theme song for the film. He occasionally performs it live.

Release Date:1982-03-14

Character:Commissar Solzhenitsyn

Episode Count:6

Vote Count:9

The Secret Policeman's Other Ball

Following the success of the 1979 show and the financial benefits accruing to Amnesty from the spin-off movie, TV special and record albums – Cleese, Lewis and Walker planned the next show to be a more spectacular event. Cleese focused on broadening the comedic talent to be presented at the show. In addition to the Amnesty show stalwarts drawn from the Oxbridge/Monty Python/Beyond The Fringe orbit, he invited newcomers such as Rowan Atkinson’s colleagues from the BBC TV show Not the Nine O'Clock News including Pamela Stephenson and Griff Rhys Jones; comedian Victoria Wood and regional comic Jasper Carrott. Lewis secured a return appearance by Billy Connolly and a debut appearance by "alternative" comedian Alexei Sayle who Lewis had recently discovered and was managing. Building on the success of Pete Townshend's 1979 appearance Lewis recruited other rock musicians to perform at the 1981 show including Sting, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Donovan and Bob Geldof.

Release Date:1982-03-01

Character:Self

Vote Count:4

The Private Life of the Ford Cortina

A ski run in Italy, a supermarket manager in Luton, a sandwich bar in London EC2, Arena opens the bonnet of the Ford Cortina, Britain's most popular, most stolen, and most misunderstood car. 'Dagenham dustbin'? 'Poor man's Rolls-Royce'? In the year that may well see the end of a legend, some of the motoring public, including Sir John Betjeman, Tom Robinson, Alexei Sayle, Sir Terence Beckett and Magnus Magnusson take apart the Ford Cortina: Life and Works 1962-1982.

Release Date:1982-01-19

Character:Self - Presenter

O.T.T.

O.T.T. was a late-night adult version of the anarchic ATV children's show Tiswas, but made by its ITV franchise successor Central Independent Television. It was broadcast at 11.00pm on Saturday nights for one series in 1982. It was created and presented by Chris Tarrant, and also starred ex-Tiswasians John Gorman, Lenny Henry and Bob Carolgees. Helen Atkinson-Wood was the female sidekick replacement for Sally James, who stayed behind to present the concurrent and final series of Tiswas alone.

Release Date:1982-01-02

Episode Count:3

Wolcott

A black policeman is promoted to the CID and battles the drug trade in London's East End.

Release Date:1981-01-13

Character:Speaker in Market

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:1

The Comic Strip

A tongue-in-cheek "behind the scenes" look at the Comic Strip comedy club in the early 1980s, which gave rise to 'The Comic Strip Presents'

Release Date:1981-01-01

Department:Writing

Job:Writer

Character:

Great Railway Journeys

Great Railway Journeys, originally titled Great Railway Journeys of the World, is a recurring series of travel documentaries produced by BBC Television. The premise of each programme is that the presenter, typically a well-known figure from the arts or media, would make a journey by train, usually through a country or to a destination to which they had a personal connection. There were four series broadcast on BBC Two between 1980 and 1999, with the shorter series title being used for all but the first. In 2010 a similar series also aired on BBC Two, Great British Railway Journeys.

Release Date:1980-10-23

Character:Self - Presenter

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:1

Boom Boom... Out Go the Lights

Groundbreaking alternative comedy programme bringing the new wave of humour to television for the first time.

Release Date:1980-10-14

Episode Count:2

Question Time

This topical debate series based on Any Questions? typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer pre-selected questions put to them by a carefully selected audience.

Release Date:1979-09-25

Character:Himself - Panellist

Episode Count:1

Vote Count:12

Repeater

A deconstructed crime thriller, inspired by the French new wave, in which a woman’s confession of murder is not as simple as it seems.

Release Date:1979-08-17

Character:2nd Detective

The Secret Policeman's Ball

A series of benefit shows staged initially in the United Kingdom to raise funds for the human rights organisation Amnesty International. The shows started in 1976 featuring popular British comedians but later included leading musicians and actors. The Secret Policeman's Ball shows are credited by many prominent entertainers with having galvanised them to become involved with Amnesty and other social and political causes in succeeding years.

Release Date:1976-04-01

Character:Self

Episode Count:15

Vote Count:1

Doctor Who

The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs.

Release Date:1963-11-23

Character:D.J.

Episode Count:2

Vote Count:639