Melvyn Bragg

As played out by a theatre troupe, the last days of Jesus Christ are depicted from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, his betrayer. As Jesus' following increases, Judas begins to worry that Jesus is falling for his own hype, forgetting the principles of his teachings and growing too close to the prostitute Mary Magdalene.

During World War II in North Africa, a group of British commandos disguised as Italian soldiers must travel behind enemy lines and destroy a vital Nazi oil depot.

Opening with the first day of rehearsals of the London production of "Sweeney Todd", this ninety-minute documentary focuses on the rehearsal process with the musical's director, composer and actors.

A biography of the dancer Isadora Duncan, the 1920s dancer who forever changed people's ideas of ballet. Her nude, semi-nude, and pro-Soviet dance projects as well as her attitudes on free love, debt, dress, and lifestyle shocked the public of her time.

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.

Interview with Italian film director Federico Fellini.

A multi-award winning biography covering the life and career of legendary screen and stage actor/director Laurence Olivier.

The world is coming to an end, and the last survivors board a space-ship ready to leave the doomed planet Earth in search of a new world.

Melvyn Bragg explores the dramatic story of William Tyndale and his mission to translate the Bible into English, which made him a threat to the authority of the church and state.

A documentary video that profiles the life of David Lean, the director of Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia.

Produced in 1993, this documentary depicts the development of Annie Leibovitz's career as a celebrity photographer.

An LWT South Bank Show, presented by Melvyn Bragg, exploring the phenomenon of countertenor singing. With its unique, soaring beauty, the high male voice is today enjoying a huge resurgence in popularity. Heirs to the celebrated castrati of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, today's countertenors produce their voices by wholly natural means. In this programme international stars Michael Chance, Andreas Scholl and James Bowman, as well as popstar Jimmy Somerville, shed light on the appeal of the male falsetto. Meanwhile, experts such as Michael White place today's countertenors in their historical context. What emerges is a compelling portrayal of an unmistakable vocal style, rooted in church and operatic tradition, yet completely up-to-date, resonating louder today than at any time in the last two hundred years.

Melvyn Bragg presents this 1977 documentary about Doctor Who from BBC2's 'The Lively Arts' strand, featuring extensive behind-the-scenes coverage of the making of The Talons of Weng-Chiang and looking back at the history of the programme and its psychological impact on the viewers, particularly children.

A 1992 documentary about the making of Naked Lunch.

A legendary collection of miniature paintings have been locked up in the storeroom of an Indian palace for years; the collection's fame attracts a group of art lovers and fortune seekers who converge simultaneously on the palace.

Last week Freddie Mercury would have celebrated his 60th birthday. To mark the occasion, celebrity fans Robbie Williams, McFly and Mike Myers talk about what they think made him so special. Photographs, home video footage and rarely heard interviews with the man himself are featured and some of Freddie's close friends and family reveal the man behind the magic.

Documentary about the making of the film first presented on the British television series "The South Bank Show".

A mockumentary charting the life and career of the fictitious British actor Sir Norbert Smith.

An actor is playing Claude Debussy in a film about the composer's life, and finds himself identifying with his subject very closely.

The story of Walt Disney and the company he built.

Always On Sunday is a bio-pic on Le (Henri) Douanier Rousseau, a French naive painter.

Biography of Marlene Dietrich using interviews, film clips and rare footage of the actress, including her own home movies.

Documentary about the Swedish film director, produced for the UK television program "The South Bank."

A feat that fully matches its title, an alphabetical trawl through both the history of British music and Russell's own likes and dislikes, the latter summed up by a scene in which he takes a phone call and listens for a bit before concluding that 'it's either an obscene call or the beginning of Michael Tippett's Fourth Symphony.' Gleefully exploiting an already contrived format, Russell uses alphabetical coincidence as an excuse to throw wildly disparate material together: Elgar is fused with Elton John, Holst with Heavy Metal and Punk with Purcell.

The South Bank Show is a television arts magazine show produced by ITV between 1978 and 2010. A new series began on Sky Arts from 27 May 2012. Presented by Melvyn Bragg, the show aims to bring both high art and popular culture to a mass audience.

TFI Friday was an entertainment show broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2000. The show was produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first 5 series. The final series was hosted by a number of guest presenters. It was broadcast on Fridays at 6pm from 9 February 1996 to 22 December 2000, with a repeat later that night. The title officially stood for "Thank Four It's Friday", but was widely understood to mean "Thank Fuck It's Friday" and was a reference to the popular phrase "Thank God it's Friday". The show's theme tune was Ron Grainer's theme from Man in a Suitcase, in keeping with Evans's frequent use of 1960s television themes in his work.

Monitor was a BBC arts programme that was launched on 2 February 1958 and ran until 1965. Huw Wheldon was the first editor from 1958 to 1965. He was also the principal interviewer and anchor. Wheldon set about moulding a team of talents, including John Schlesinger, Ken Russell, Patrick Garland, David Jones, Humphrey Burton, John Berger, Peter Newington, Melvyn Bragg, Nancy Thomas and Alan Tyrer. Monitor ranged in subject over all the arts. Wheldon's Monitor lasted until he had "interviewed everyone I am interested in interviewing", and he was succeeded by Jonathan Miller for the series' last season.

Not many people can see the dead (not many would want to). 12-year-old Johnny Maxwell can. And he's got bad news: the council want to sell the cemetery as a building site. But the dead have learnt a thing or two from Johnny. They're not going to take it lying down... especially since it's Halloween tomorrow.

A fiftysomething English banker falls for and has an affair with an Irish waif from the wrong side of the tracks, causing him grief both professionally and personally.

The history of the English language presented by Melvyn Bragg; from its modest beginnings around 500 AD as a minor Germanic dialect to its rise as a global language.

Norbert Smith – a Life is a spoof TV documentary about the fictional British actor Sir Norbert Smith, played by Harry Enfield. Written by Enfield and Geoffrey Perkins and directed by Geoff Posner, it was made by Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4 and first aired on 3 November 1989. Styled like an episode of The South Bank Show, it features Melvyn Bragg playing himself as he interviews Sir Norbert at home. The comedy comes from the gap between Norbert’s reputation as a great “Knight of the Theatre” and the poor opinions of his peers, his weak film career, and his confused memories in old age. The film also parodies 20th-century cinema through clips showing Enfield as Norbert in different movie roles.

Melvyn Bragg travels through the British Isles exploring a rich tradition of literature. Whilst taking in the work of established writers both old and new, Melvyn uncovers a never-before seen body of writing by ordinary people, living on the land and writing about their experiences.