Television as Art

A Listmania! list by Lucian Taylor (West Yorkshire)
 
Doctor Who : Ghost Light [DVD] [1989]
1.  Doctor Who : Ghost Light [DVD] [1989] DVD ~ Sylvester McCoy
The list author says:
  "As Russell T. Davies said, ‘Because it’s the best concept ever.’ Almost any story could’ve gone here – it’s the whole series which is important."
£7.17   Used & New from: £4.18
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)

Twin Peaks: Complete Season 1 [DVD] [1990]
2.  Twin Peaks: Complete Season 1 [DVD] [1990] DVD ~ Kyle MacLachlan
The list author says:
  "Damn good television! By turns disturbing and funny, beautiful and grotesque, familiar and obscure, there is nothing else like Twin Peaks in any medium. If this isn’t High Art, I don’t know what is."
£19.00   Used & New from: £3.99
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews) | 2 customer discussions

Sapphire & Steel - Assignments 1 - 3 [DVD] [1979]
3.  Sapphire & Steel - Assignments 1 - 3 [DVD] [1979] DVD ~ Joanna Lumley
The list author says:
  "Science fiction meets the classic ghost story in a series which never once patronised its audience. A languid pace only increases the sense of unease."
Used & New from: £7.98
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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Edge Of Darkness - The Complete Series [1985] [DVD]
4.  Edge Of Darkness - The Complete Series [1985] [DVD] DVD ~ Bob Peck
The list author says:
  "A supremely tense eco-thriller, steeped in conspiracy theories, magic realism and film noir. Particular credence is lent by Bob Peck’s towering performance as the protagonist."
£4.97   Used & New from: £2.14
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (113 customer reviews) | 3 customer discussions

The Prisoner - Box Set [DVD] [1967]
5.  The Prisoner - Box Set [DVD] [1967] DVD ~ Patrick McGoohan
The list author says:
  "Do you think something like this would get made today? Of course it wouldn’t. A reminder of the halcyon days when TV was about innovation rather than viewing figures."
Used & New from: £11.99
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)

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The Quatermass Collection: The Quatermass Experiment / Quatermass 2 / Quatermass & the Pit [DVD]
6.  The Quatermass Collection: The Quatermass Experiment / Quatermass 2 / Quatermass & the Pit [DVD] DVD ~ Reginald Tate
The list author says:
  "A powerfully atmospheric and, indeed, chilling example of Fifties science fiction, which manages to convey a ‘message’ without coming across as too preachy."
£10.57   Used & New from: £8.44
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews) | 1 customer discussion

The League of Gentlemen - Series 1 [DVD] [1999]
7.  The League of Gentlemen - Series 1 [DVD] [1999] DVD ~ Mark Gatiss
The list author says:
  "It is not common for a comedy to scare you, but this is not a common comedy. It revels in a Shakespearean grotesquery and excavates the dark heart of the English landscape."
£4.97   Used & New from: £0.49
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)

Our Friends In The North (4 Disc Set) [DVD] [1996]
8.  Our Friends In The North (4 Disc Set) [DVD] [1996] DVD ~ Daniel Craig
The list author says:
  "Who would’ve imagined a series about housing policy in northern England could be so compelling or so moving? Possibly television drama’s finest example of characterisation."
Used & New from: £79.99
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews) | 1 customer discussion

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Northern Exposure - Season 1 [DVD]
9.  Northern Exposure - Season 1 [DVD] DVD ~ Rob Morrow|John Corbett
The list author says:
  "A gloriously Romantic work, from Chris’s lessons on Jung and Whitman, to Holling’s elegies for the wilderness, to Ed’s perpetual sense of wonder, and of course, the majestic Alaskan landscape itself."
£6.77   Used & New from: £2.40
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews) | 2 customer discussions

Sherlock Holmes - the Complete Collection [16 Disc Box Set] [DVD]
10.  Sherlock Holmes - the Complete Collection [16 Disc Box Set] [DVD] DVD ~ Sherlock Holmes
The list author says:
  "Jeremy Brett is not only the best Holmes ever, he accomplishes the incredible feat of transcending the source material."
Used & New from: £34.99
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (202 customer reviews) | 11 customer discussions

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I Claudius - Complete BBC Series (5 Disc Box Set) [DVD] [1976]
11.  I Claudius - Complete BBC Series (5 Disc Box Set) [DVD] [1976] DVD ~ Derek Jacobi
The list author says:
  "No location filming, no on-screen action and the pace of a tortoise. And yet it still manages to come on like The Sopranos set in Ancient Rome."
Used & New from: £19.95
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (146 customer reviews) | 1 customer discussion

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Avengers: Complete Emma Peel Mega Set [DVD] [1961] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
12.  Avengers: Complete Emma Peel Mega Set [DVD] [1961] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] DVD ~ Patrick Macnee
The list author says:
  "Charming, audacious and oh so colourful, the Avengers reflected the optimism of the Swinging Sixties in Britain and was reflected by that culture in turn."
Used & New from: £77.74
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin : The Complete BBC Series Collection [1976] [DVD]
13.  The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin : The Complete BBC Series Collection [1976] [DVD] DVD ~ David Warwick
The list author says:
  "Existentialism as sitcom – Sartre would’ve been proud. And once again, Leonard Rossiter proves himself the finest comic actor ever."
Used & New from: £12.99
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)

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The Kingdom [DVD] [1996]
14.  The Kingdom [DVD] [1996] DVD ~ Ernst-Hugo Järegård
The list author says:
  "Ghost story? Satire on the medical profession? Magic realism? Dogme-influenced avant-garde? Pretentious nonsense? It’s all of these things and more."
Used & New from: £14.95
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

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The Simpsons - Season 5 [DVD] [1990]
15.  The Simpsons - Season 5 [DVD] [1990] DVD ~ Dan Castellaneta
The list author says:
  "Do I really need to defend this? In fact, it’s so obvious I wasn’t sure whether to include it at all. But then, how could I not? The only controversy is choice of season."
£20.39   Used & New from: £4.99
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)

Brass Eye Series and Special [DVD] [1997]
16.  Brass Eye Series and Special [DVD] [1997] DVD ~ Christopher Morris
The list author says:
  "This is so damning a parody of media pretension and fearmongering, you would’ve thought their target might’ve learnt a lesson. But no. The news grows more like Brass Eye every day."
£14.99   Used & New from: £0.96
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 2 [DVD] [1998]
17.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 2 [DVD] [1998] DVD ~ Sarah Michelle Gellar
The list author says:
  "Occasionally postmodernism is capable of real vision, and this is a fine example. A telefantasy series which captured the millennial zeitgeist as well as The Avengers captured that of the Sixties."
Used & New from: £8.48
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (95 customer reviews)

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Freaks & Geeks: The Complete Series [DVD] [2001] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
18.  Freaks & Geeks: The Complete Series [DVD] [2001] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] DVD ~ James Franco
The list author says:
  "Few series would be so honest as to end with their protagonist finding liberation through the music of the Grateful Dead."
Used & New from: £33.32
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews) | 2 customer discussions

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Whistle And I'll Come To You (BBC Ghost Story For Christmas) [1968] [DVD]
19.  Whistle And I'll Come To You (BBC Ghost Story For Christmas) [1968] [DVD] DVD ~ Michael Hordern
The list author says:
  "M.R. James’ finest tale given a psychological edge, culminating in a chillingly memorable image, or more precisely, sound of the supernatural."
Used & New from: £20.94
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews) | 2 customer discussions

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Brideshead Revisited - Complete Series [DVD]
20.  Brideshead Revisited - Complete Series [DVD] DVD ~ Jeremy Irons
The list author says:
  "I would argue that this accomplishes the rare feat of actually improving on the novel. The pervading atmosphere of melancholy towards the end is almost too much to bear."
Used & New from: £5.66
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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The Singing Detective [DVD] [1986]
21.  The Singing Detective [DVD] [1986] DVD ~ Michael Gambon
The list author says:
  "Dennis Potter was the definitive writer for the medium and this is his zenith, a labyrinthine fusion of fictional, psychological and corporeal narratives, miles from TV’s habitual condescending fare."
£9.99   Used & New from: £5.88
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews) | 1 customer discussion

Robin Of Sherwood - The Complete Series 2 [1984] [DVD]
22.  Robin Of Sherwood - The Complete Series 2 [1984] [DVD] DVD ~ Mark Ryan
The list author says:
  "The finest of all adaptations, which manages to draw on all aspects of the legend, particularly the overtly mythic aspects. And even today, it looks gloriously filmed, especially the Sherwood scenes."
Used & New from: £1.27
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Blake's 7 - Series 2 [DVD] [1978]
23.  Blake's 7 - Series 2 [DVD] [1978] DVD ~ Gareth Thomas
The list author says:
  "Ignore the budgetary shortcomings and it’s a powerful celebration of the struggle for freedom, crammed with fallible heroes. And in these times, a series glorifying terrorists seems incredibly brave."
£11.07
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews) | 1 customer discussion

The Second Coming [DVD]
24.  The Second Coming [DVD] 
The list author says:
  "As Century Falls, Russell T. Davies masterpiece, is yet to see the light of day, this will do in the meantime. And to think it was broadcast by ITV!"
£10.47   Used & New from: £3.49
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

Ghostwatch [1992] [DVD]
25.  Ghostwatch [1992] [DVD] DVD ~ Michael Parkinson (II)
The list author says:
  "Were the BBC to make such a programme for real, this is exactly what it would look like and that’s why it’s so terrifying. I still can’t believe they were allowed to show it."
Used & New from: £3.55
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)

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Customer Discussions about products in this list
Discussion Replies Latest Post
edited episodes 5 20 Feb 2012
Will the BBC ever release A Ghost Story for Christmas on DVD? 3 1 Feb 2012
Incorrect spelling 0 3 Jan 2012
Subtitles 0 25 Oct 2011
Music to "Edge of Darkness" - is it available separately? 4 14 Sep 2011
region 2? 1 25 Aug 2011
greek subtitles 1 5 Jan 2011
complete or not ? 3 6 Dec 2010
study in scarlet 2 6 Dec 2010
Differences from previous editions 1 5 Dec 2010
(Normally trashy) Movies with a great ending 0 30 Nov 2010
subtitles 2 19 Oct 2010
 
   

About this Listmania!

 

Author

Lucian Taylor (West Yorkshire)
Qualifications: transcendence seeker
Last updated: 21/11/2005
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