B
Acting
Ben Aris
Born March 16, 1937 · London, England, UK
Died September 4, 2003 · aged 66
Benjamin Patrick Aris (16 March 1937 – 4 September 2003) was an English actor who was best known for his parts in Hi-de-Hi! and To the Manor Born, and was also very active on stage. He was often cast as an eccentric, upper-class, or upper-middle class, man.
Known For
The Three Musketeers · 1973The Three Musketeers
★ 6.71973
MovieActionAdventure
In 17th century France, young D'Artagnan wants to join the King's Musketeers, but instead befriends three legendary musketeers—Athos, Porthos, and Aramis—and together, they become embroiled in the political intrigue surrounding King Louis XIII and his adversaries, particularly the powerful Cardinal Richelieu.
Juggernaut · 1974Juggernaut
★ 6.21974
MovieThrillerAction
A terrorist demands a huge ransom in exchange for information on how to disarm the seven bombs he has planted aboard a trans-Atlantic cruise ship. Inspired by real events.
Tommy · 1975Tommy
★ 6.41975
MovieDramaMusic
After a series of traumatic childhood events, a psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind boy becomes a master pinball player and the object of a religious cult.
Get Carter · 1971Get Carter
★ 7.01971
MovieCrimeThriller
Jack Carter is a small-time hood working in London. When word reaches him of his brother's death, he travels to Newcastle to attend the funeral. Refusing to accept the police report of suicide, Carter seeks out his brother’s friends and acquaintances to learn who murdered his sibling and why.
The Charge of the Light Brigade · 1968The Charge of the Light Brigade
★ 6.21968
MovieDramaHistory
During the Crimean War between Britain and Russia in the 1850s, a British cavalry division, led by the overbearing Lord Cardigan, engages in an infamously reckless strategic debacle against a Russian artillery battery.
Royal Flash · 1975Royal Flash
★ 5.91975
MovieAdventureComedy
Cowardly rogue Harry Flashman's (Malcolm McDowell) schemes to gain entry to the royal circles of 19th-century Europe go nowhere until he meets a pair of devious nobles with their own agenda. At their urging, Flashman agrees to re-create himself as a bogus Prussian nobleman to woo a beautiful duchess. But the half-baked plan quickly comes unraveled, and he's soon on the run from several new enemies who are all calling for the rapscallion's head.
Up at the Villa · 2000Up at the Villa
★ 5.32000
MovieDramaRomance
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.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde · 1980Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
★ 6.21980
MovieHorrorThriller
Adaptation of the novella by Robert Louis Stevenson
Movies
The Three Musketeers · 1973The Three Musketeers
★ 6.71973
MovieActionAdventure
In 17th century France, young D'Artagnan wants to join the King's Musketeers, but instead befriends three legendary musketeers—Athos, Porthos, and Aramis—and together, they become embroiled in the political intrigue surrounding King Louis XIII and his adversaries, particularly the powerful Cardinal Richelieu.
Juggernaut · 1974Juggernaut
★ 6.21974
MovieThrillerAction
A terrorist demands a huge ransom in exchange for information on how to disarm the seven bombs he has planted aboard a trans-Atlantic cruise ship. Inspired by real events.
Tommy · 1975Tommy
★ 6.41975
MovieDramaMusic
After a series of traumatic childhood events, a psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind boy becomes a master pinball player and the object of a religious cult.
Get Carter · 1971Get Carter
★ 7.01971
MovieCrimeThriller
Jack Carter is a small-time hood working in London. When word reaches him of his brother's death, he travels to Newcastle to attend the funeral. Refusing to accept the police report of suicide, Carter seeks out his brother’s friends and acquaintances to learn who murdered his sibling and why.
The Charge of the Light Brigade · 1968The Charge of the Light Brigade
★ 6.21968
MovieDramaHistory
During the Crimean War between Britain and Russia in the 1850s, a British cavalry division, led by the overbearing Lord Cardigan, engages in an infamously reckless strategic debacle against a Russian artillery battery.
Royal Flash · 1975Royal Flash
★ 5.91975
MovieAdventureComedy
Cowardly rogue Harry Flashman's (Malcolm McDowell) schemes to gain entry to the royal circles of 19th-century Europe go nowhere until he meets a pair of devious nobles with their own agenda. At their urging, Flashman agrees to re-create himself as a bogus Prussian nobleman to woo a beautiful duchess. But the half-baked plan quickly comes unraveled, and he's soon on the run from several new enemies who are all calling for the rapscallion's head.
Up at the Villa · 2000Up at the Villa
★ 5.32000
MovieDramaRomance
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.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde · 1980Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
★ 6.21980
MovieHorrorThriller
Adaptation of the novella by Robert Louis Stevenson
if.... · 1968if....
★ 7.11968
MovieDrama
In an English boys' boarding school, social hierarchy reigns supreme and power remains in the hands of distanced and ineffectual teachers and callously vicious prefects in the Upper Sixth. Three Lower Sixth students, Wallace, Johnny and leader Mick Travis decide on a shocking course of action to redress the balance of privilege once and for all.
A Hazard of Hearts · 1987A Hazard of Hearts
★ 7.91987
MovieDramaRomance
When compulsive gambler Sir Giles Staverley has lost his estate and all his money playing dice, he realises that he only has one thing left of value: his daughter Serena. In a final game, he stakes his daughter's hand in marriage, convinced that this time he will not lose. Unfortunately, however, he does lose; to the evil Lord Wrotham. Unable to return home and tell his daughter that he has lost her in a game of dice, Sir Giles kills himself there and then. Lord Vulcan, who has witnessed the events, takes pity on Serena Staverley, although they have never met. He challenges Lord Wrotham to a game of dice in which the winner takes both Staverley Court and Miss Serena.
Savage Messiah · 1972Savage Messiah
★ 6.31972
MovieDrama
In the Paris of the 1910s, brash young sculptor Henri Gaudier begins a creative partnership with an older writer, Sophie Brzeska. Though the couple is 20 years apart in age, Gaudier finds that his untamed work is complemented by the older woman's cultural refinement. He then moves to London with Brzeska, where he falls in with a group of avant-garde artists. There, Gaudier encounters yet another artistic muse in passionate suffragette Gosh Boyle.
O Lucky Man! · 1973O Lucky Man!
★ 6.81973
MovieComedyMusic
An ambitious coffee salesman has a series of improbable and ironic adventures seemingly designed to challenge his naive idealism.
The Falklands Factor · 1983The Falklands Factor
★ 7.01983
MovieHistoryWar
Is there nothing new under the sun? 1770. The South Atlantic. A fleet sets sail from Buenos Aires to expel the British forces and reconquer the Falkland Islands. A major international crisis explodes. What follows may sound strangely familiar, but is firmly based on the historical record and the actual speeches and writings of the time.
King of the Wind · 1990King of the Wind
★ 7.01990
MovieAdventure
In 1727, an Arab colt is born with the signs of the wheat ear and the white spot on his heel: evil and good. And thus begins the life of Sham. He is a gift to the King of France, through a series of adventures with his faithful stable boy, Agba, he becomes the Godolphin Arabian, the founder of one of the greatest thoroughbred racing lines of all time.
The Ritz · 1976The Ritz
★ 6.01976
MovieComedyCrime
To escape from a mobster, businessman Gaetano Proclo orders a cab driver to take him to a place where he can't be found. Unfortunately for Gaetano, the place turns out to be a gay bathhouse.
The Plague of the Zombies · 1966The Plague of the Zombies
★ 6.41966
MovieHorrorMystery
Sir James Forbes arrives in a remote Cornish village to identify a mysterious plague afflicting the population. He discovers that one of the squires is a disciple of Haitian witchcraft and using dark magic to resurrect the dead. As the plan to create undead servants unravels, the squire unleashes his zombie army on the unsuspecting village.
The Reckoning · 1970The Reckoning
★ 7.51970
MovieDrama
Michael Marler, a successful businessman in London, is about to make his way to the top. After 37 years, the death of his father brings him back to his hometown of Liverpool, where he’s confronted with his lost Irish roots. He finds out that his father died in a fight with some Anglo-Saxon teddy boys. It becomes a matter of honour for him to take his revenge without involving the police.
The Music Lovers · 1971The Music Lovers
★ 6.51971
MovieDramaMusic
Composer, conductor and teacher Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky struggles against his homosexual tendencies by marrying, but unfortunately, he chooses wacky nymphomaniac Nina, whom he is unable to satisfy.
Hamlet · 1969Hamlet
★ 5.81969
MovieDrama
Tony Richardson's Hamlet is based on his own stage production. Filmed entirely within the Roundhouse in London (a disused train shed), it is shot almost entirely in close up, focusing the attention on faces and language rather than action.
Alfie Darling · 1975Alfie Darling
★ 4.51975
MovieDrama
Alfie meets his romantic match when the modern-day Casanova falls in love with a career woman. Alfie soon realises that Abby, a magazine editor, is just as romantically ruthless as he is.
Vampira · 1974Vampira
★ 5.21974
MovieComedyHorror
In order to revive his long hibernating bride, Vampira, Count Dracula takes blood samples from several beautiful models, but during the transfusion, Vampira's race turns from white to black.
West 11 · 1963West 11
★ 6.91963
MovieDramaCrime
In Notting Hill's jazz club, coffee bar and bedsit land of the early 1960s, Joe Beckett is a young unemployed misfit and drifter whose life takes a turn for the worse when he encounters Richard Dyce, an ex-army officer.
Star Quality · 1985Star Quality
★ 6.71985
MovieComedy
Lorraine Barrie, a fading but brilliant actress with a penchant for manipulating every theatrical endeavour to her best advantage, meets her match when she must trust her success to an equally willful stage director.
Fearless Frank · 1978Fearless Frank
1978
MovieComedyTV Movie
The outrageous – and not entirely reliable – memoirs of Irish writer Frank Harris, sometime cowboy in the Old West, friend to the famous in the literary world, essayist and critic, and seducer of beautiful women.
TV Shows
Agatha Christie's Poirot · 1989Agatha Christie's Poirot
★ 8.21989
SeriesCrimeDrama
From England to Egypt, accompanied by his elegant and trustworthy sidekicks, the intelligent yet eccentrically-refined Belgian detective Hercule Poirot pits his wits against a collection of first class deceptions.
Doctor Who · 1963Doctor Who
★ 7.91963
SeriesDrama
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.
Crown Court · 1972Crown Court
★ 5.71972
SeriesDrama
Crown Court is an afternoon television courtroom drama produced by Granada Television for the ITV network that ran from 1972, when the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in the legal system of England and Wales, to 1984.
Lady Chatterley · 1993Lady Chatterley
★ 6.31993
SeriesDrama
After a crippling injury leaves her husband impotent, Lady Chatterly is torn between her love for her husband and her physical desires. With her husband's consent, she seeks out other means of fulfilling her needs.
Bergerac · 1981Bergerac
★ 6.71981
SeriesDrama
Jim Bergerac is a detective sergeant in The Foreigners Office who likes to do things his own way.
While dealing with his own personal demons Bergerac has a knack of finding trouble, and sometimes causing it.
The Comic Strip Presents... · 1982The Comic Strip Presents...
★ 7.41982
SeriesComedy
The Comic Strip is a group of British comedians, who do parodies of films, literature and sometimes major events.
BBC2 Play of the Week · 1977BBC2 Play of the Week
★ 7.01977
SeriesDramaComedy
An anthology of plays and novels adapted into feature length TV movies, broadcast on BBC2 from September 1977 to April 1979.
Target · 1977Target
★ 7.01977
SeriesDramaCrime
A crime drama set in Southampton following a team of detectives and the cases they solve.
Shine on Harvey Moon · 1982Shine on Harvey Moon
★ 7.71982
SeriesDrama
Shine on Harvey Moon! is a British comedy-drama series made by Central Television for ITV from 8 January 1982 to 23 August 1985 and briefly revived in 1995 by Meridian.
This generally light-hearted series was created by comedy writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. The series is set in the East End of London shortly after the Second World War. Upon being demobbed RAF serviceman Harvey Moon, played by Kenneth Cranham, returns home and finds his family involved in various troubles. His wife Rita, played by Maggie Steed, is not interested in resuming their relationship, and works in a seedy nightclub frequented by American servicemen. He becomes involved with the Labour Party and the union movement.
The name of the series is a wordplay on the title of the popular 1908 song 'Shine On, Harvest Moon'. The first series was commissioned and recorded by ATV at their Elstree studios with the remaining series filmed at newly constructed facilities in Nottingham.
You Rang, M'Lord? · 1990You Rang, M'Lord?
★ 7.41990
SeriesComedy
You Rang, M'Lord? is a British comedy series written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army, It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Hi-de-Hi! It was broadcast between 1990 and 1993 on the BBC. The show was a comedy set in the house of an aristocratic family in the 1920s, contrasting the upper-class family and their servants in a house in London, along the same lines as the popular drama Upstairs, Downstairs.
The series featured many actors who had also appeared in their earlier series, notably Paul Shane, Jeffrey Holland and Su Pollard, all of whom had previously been in Perry and Croft's holiday camp sitcom, Hi-de-Hi!. Also featured were Donald Hewlett and Michael Knowles from Perry and Croft's It Ain't Half Hot Mum, and Bill Pertwee and occasionally Frank Williams from Dad's Army. The memorable 1920s-style theme tune was sung by Bob Monkhouse.
Hi-de-Hi! · 1980Hi-de-Hi!
★ 7.11980
SeriesComedy
Hi-de-Hi! is a British sitcom set in Maplins, a fictional holiday camp, during 1959 and 1960, and was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who also wrote Dad's Army and It Ain't Half Hot Mum amongst others. It aired on the BBC from 1980 to 1988.
The series revolved around the lives of the camp's management and entertainers, most of them struggling actors or has-beens.
The inspiration was the experience of writers Perry and Croft: after being demobilised from the army, Perry was a Redcoat at Butlin's, Pwllheli during the holiday season.
The series gained large audiences and won a BAFTA as Best Comedy Series in 1984. In 2004, it came 40th in Britain's Best Sitcom and in a 2008 poll on Channel 4, 'Hi-de-Hi!" was voted the 35th most popular comedy catchphrase.
Cribb · 1980Cribb
★ 8.01980
SeriesMysteryCrime
Victorian England, the late 1800s: Detective Sergeant Daniel Cribb of the newly formed Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is determined to remove crime from the streets of London using the latest detection methods.
Hazell · 1978Hazell
★ 5.21978
SeriesCrimeDrama
Hazell is a British television drama based on the novel series by Terry Venables and Gordon Williams (collectively known as P.B. Yuill), and starring Nicholas Bell as James Hazell, a 'smart parody' of Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade. The program ran for 2 series, from January 1978 to July 1979.
In Suspicious Circumstances · 1991In Suspicious Circumstances
★ 6.51991
SeriesCrimeDrama
Introduced by renowned English actor Edward Woodward, In Suspicious Circumstances is an anthology of reenactments depicting real-life murder mysteries, some famous and some obscure, exploring cases with elements of miscarriage of justice, unsolved mysteries, and unusual circumstances, often spanning different historical periods.
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em · 1973Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
★ 7.61973
SeriesComedy
Meet Frank Spencer, an eager young man trying to find his way in the world. He's enthusiastic, well-meaning... and disaster-prone.
Young Charlie Chaplin · 1989Young Charlie Chaplin
★ 10.01989
SeriesDramaDocumentary
The challenging and spirited early life of cinema's first great comedic artist, Charlie Chaplin, is portrayed. The innately talented young Charlie must overcome a wayward life of poverty and familial chaos to reach the pinnacle of stardom.
Call Me Mister · 1986Call Me Mister
★ 6.01986
SeriesCrimeDrama
Australian ex-cop Jack Bartholomew goes to Britain when he discovers he's heir to a family title; when he doesn't get on with his new family, he starts working as a private detective.
Hold the Dream · 1987Hold the Dream
★ 4.41987
SeriesDrama
Hold the Dream is a two-part 1987 television serial based on Barbara Taylor Bradford's 1985 novel of the same name, a sequel to the 1984 miniseries A Woman of Substance. Deborah Kerr reprises her role of Emma Harte, with Jenny Seagrove, who played the young Emma, taking the lead role as Paula Fairley.
Paula Fairley, now head of the Harte chain of department stores, has taken on the burden of preserving Emma's legacy. However, she suffers dissent within her extended family, in particular from her devious cousin Jonathan Ainsley.
In the United Kingdom, the series aired in four one-hour episodes, although it was initially created as two two-hour parts.
Slinger's Day · 1986Slinger's Day
★ 5.81986
SeriesComedy
Slinger's Day is a British sitcom created by Brian Cooke and produced by Thames Television for ITV. A continuation of Tripper's Day, which had come to a natural end due to a combination of star Leonard Rossiter's death and an overwhelmingly negative response, Bruce Forsyth plays a different character to Norman Tripper but fulfilling the same role, that of the manager of a Supafare supermarket with a team of incompetent eccentrics.
Several cast members from Tripper's Day reprised their roles in the first series but departed in the second, allowing for new characters. Broadcast for two six-episode runs from 1986–87, Slinger's Day represented Forsyth's sole situation comedy acting role, and he remained more associated with stand-up and game shows.
Executive Stress · 1986Executive Stress
★ 6.21986
SeriesComedy
Executive Stress is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1986 to 1988. Produced by Thames Television, it first aired on 20 October 1986. After three series, the last episode aired on 27 December 1988.
Written by George Layton, Executive Stress stars Penelope Keith as Caroline Fairchild, a middle-aged woman who decides to go back to work. Her husband, Donald, is played by Geoffrey Palmer in the first series. However, Palmer was unable to return for the second series, so Peter Bowles played Donald in the last two series. Keith and Bowles had previously appeared in together in To the Manor Born.
No Job for a Lady · 1990No Job for a Lady
★ 6.31990
SeriesComedy
Jean Price is the newly elected, somewhat rebellious Labour MP for an inner-city constituency, and her life in the House of Commons. She's married to Geoff Price, a public defender and carer of many household chores so that Jean can pursue her new career. Jean balances her personal life with parliamentary duties, including 'women's issues', which Jean alternately fights for and is frustrated by, as other MPs think she cares about nothing else due to her gender. She often is surprised by others' duplicity and hypocrisy, holding them to a significantly higher standard.
Astronauts · 1981Astronauts
★ 7.01981
SeriesComedySci-Fi & Fantasy
Astronauts Malcolm Mattocks, Gentian Foster and David Ackroyd are sent into outer space to occupy a space station for six months.
The Assassination Run · 1980The Assassination Run
1980
Series
While attending Oxford University, Mark Fraser is recruited as an agent by Department Six of British Intelligence. In time he becomes one of their top "eliminators." After several years, he resigns in disgust, marries his girlfriend, Jill Marshall, and retires to the Scottish Highlands. While shopping one afternoon, Jill is kidnapped by five German terrorists and brought to Spain. When Mark receives a telephone call from the terrorists, instructing him to assassinate a right-wing German publisher, he is forced to employ his old skills as a hit man to ensure Jill's safety. .