Phoebe Nicholls – MRQE

Shackleton (TV)

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

All but forgotten at the time of his death in 1922, controversial British explorer Ernest Shackleton would enjoy a rediscovery of sorts decades later, with dozens of books and filmed documentaries devoted to his “magnificent blunder” — the failed Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1916. On the sheer weight of his dynamic personality, Shackleton was able to mount an exploratory journey to the Antarctic, accompanied by a crew of 27 men, among them celebrated Australian photographer Frank Day. Alas, Shackleton’s ship was crushed by packing ice early in the expedition, forcing the crew to brave the merciless polar elements for a full ten months. Making matters worse, public concern over Shackleton’s plight was shunted aside when Great Britain entered WWI. First telecast in England on January 2 and 3, 2002, the two-part TV biopic Shackleton stars Kenneth Branagh in the title role. The script does not shirk away from the subject’s less savory character traits, including his disastrous financial dealings and his blatant unfaithfulness to wife Emily (Phoebe Nicholls). Nonetheless, one emerges from the film with a renewed respect and admiration for the visionary Shackleton and his bedraggled companions. Much of the imagery in Shackleton was based upon the still-surviving films made on the scene by Frank Day, adding extra authenticity to the drama even though the film was made in Greenland and Iceland rather than the Antarctic. The two-part film made its American TV debut courtesy of the A&E cable network on April 7 and 8, 2002; shortly afterward, Shackleton was released on DVD, with four additional hours of documentary footage.

The Trial of Tony Blair (TV)

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Biting political satire starring Robert Lindsay as a beleaguered Tony Blair, who stubbornly refuses to see the danger he faces from a Special Tribunal on Iraq that has been set up to investigate war crimes

Finding Your Feet

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

A lady has her prim and proper life turned upside down after discovering her husband’s affair.

Chubby Funny

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Oscar thinks he’s special. He isn’t. He thinks it’s everyone else’s fault. It’s not. Moving to London, he gives himself a year to break into showbiz, but ends up waylaid by the same old problems: friendships, flings, and finding ultimate fulfillment. Say what you like, but it’s tough being Chubby Funny.

Party Party

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

It’s New Year’s Eve. Larry’s parents are at the vicarage dance leaving Larry in charge of the house. Big mistake, because Larry’s a party animal and tonight he’s going to go wild – with a little help from his friends!

“Brideshead Revisited”

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Charles Ryder, an agnostic man, becomes involved with members of the Flytes, a Catholic family of aristocrats, over the course of several years between the two world wars.

FairyTale: A True Story

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

In 1917, two children take a photograph, which is soon believed by some to be the first scientific evidence of the existence of fairies. Based on the true story of the Cottingley Fairies.

The Missionary

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

In 1905, after 10 years of missionary work in Africa, the Rev. Charles Fortesque is recalled to England, where his bishop gives him his new assignment – to minister to London’s prostitutes.

Our Mother’s House

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Seven British children bury their mother and hide her death, until their long-lost father returns.

The Scapegoat

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Set in 1952, as England prepares for the coronation, The Scapegoat tells the story of two very different men who have one thing in common – a face.