Richard Downes

The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle

What led Arthur Conan Doyle to create, and then destroy the world famous detective, Sherlock Holmes? This compelling drama explores the dark secrets that surround the author and his creation.

Ex-S: The Wicker Man

Cast and crew discuss the 1973 film The Wicker Man, directed by Robin Hardy.

This is Stanley Baxter

BBC Scotland documentary catching up with and celebrating the life of legendary Scottish comedian Stanley Baxter as he returns to Glasgow for his 75th Birthday.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh: A Modern Man

Charles Rennie Mackintosh, architect, designer and artist is celebrated around the world as one of the most significant talents to have emerged in the period from the mid 1890s to the late 1920s. He was one of the greatest, most original talents of this time and has been judged a precursor of firstly the modernist style and subsequently of the Art Deco movement. His legacy lives on all around us in his instantly recognisable style. A MODERN MAN takes a critical look at Mackintosh’s life and artistic career and the importance of the friends and patrons who provided him with regular work when it mattered most.

The Secret Life of Arthur Ransome

To generations Arthur Ransome's books, including Swallows and Amazons, were an integral part of growing up. But was there a darker side to the author? In this drama-documentary, the enthusiastic Griff Rhys Jones follows a trail that begins in Russia, reveals close links with many leading Bolsheviks, an affair with Trotsky's secretary and previously unreleased KGB documents about Ransome. But was Ransome actually spying for the British secret service all along?

Ian Rankin Investigates: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Crime writer Ian Rankin investigates The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Starting with Robert Louis Stevenson's nightmare in September 1885, Rankin traces the roots of this story, which stretches back to Stevenson's childhood. Grave-robbers, hallucinatory drugs and prostitution all play their part in the disturbing account of Henry Jekyll's double-life, as Rankin's journey takes him into the yeasty draughts and unlit closes of the city that inspired the tale - Edinburgh.

The Ring of Truth

Set in the Necropolis graveyard, Glasgow. A comic and magical tale about the meaning of life and a hunt for a missing diamond ring. An ex-B movie starlet and her daughter search for the ring, lost many years ago whilst the mother was making love with a travelling salesman. Their antics are observed by a small boy who is spending the day with his Grandfather, the custodian of the graveyard. As the story unfolds, the day at the graveyard moves from comedy and tragedy to magic, fantasy and resurrection

In Cuba They're Still Dancing

There are two things very close to Glaswegian Agnes McLean’s heart – Latin American dancing and Socialism. We go with her from her local sequence dance class in the Pollock center, Glasgow, to the Tropicana nightclub in Havana. In her quest for the roots of the Rumba, Agnes meets the people of Cuba and finds many kindred spirits.