Martin Shaw's Judge John Deed is proving to be a reliable ratings winner for the BBC. And it's not too tricky to see why.The set-up is simple. Shaw's title character is a senior, experienced Judge who presides over an assortment of cases in his court room. Behind the scenes though, he's a crusader of sorts, battling it out with the establishment, right through to members of the Cabinet. ...
Cy Endfield cowrote the epic prequel Zulu Dawn 15 years after his enormously popular Zulu. Set in 1879, this film depicts the catastrophic Battle of Isandhlwana, which remains the worst defeat of the British army by natives--the British contingent was outnumbered 16-to-1 by the Zulu tribesmen. The film's opinion of events is made immediately clear in its title sequence: ebullient ...
From the golden age of Masterpiece Theatre comes this beloved 1976 British miniseries by the creators of Upstairs, Downstairs. Gemma Jones gives a performance for the ages in this rags-to-riches saga that charts the ascendancy of the indomitable Louisa Trotter, who rose from scullery maid to become "the finest cook in London" and Edwardian society's premier hostess. Inspired by the true ...