1.
Order of the British Empire
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There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order. Recommendations for appointments to the Order of the British Empire were at first made on the nomination of the United Kingdom, the self-governing Dominions of the Empire, nominations continue today from Commonwealth countries that participate in recommending British honours. Most members are citizens of the United Kingdom or the Commonwealth realms that use the Imperial system of honours and awards. Honorary knighthoods are appointed to citizens of nations where the Queen is not head of state, occasionally, honorary appointees are, incorrectly, referred to as Sir or Dame – Bill Gates or Bob Geldof, for example. In particular, King George V wished to create an Order to honour many thousands of those who had served in a variety of non-combatant roles during the First World War, when first established, the Order had only one division. However, in 1918, soon after its foundation, it was divided into Military. The Orders motto is For God and the Empire, at the foundation of the Order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. In 1922, this was renamed the British Empire Medal, in addition, the BEM is awarded by the Cook Islands and by some other Commonwealth nations. The British monarch is Sovereign of the Order, and appoints all members of the Order. The next most senior member is the Grand Master, of whom there have been three, Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales, Queen Mary, and the current Grand Master, the Duke of Edinburgh. The Order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross,845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the number of members of the fourth and fifth classes. Foreign recipients, as members, do not contribute to the numbers restricted to the Order as full members do. Though men can be knighted separately from an order of chivalry, women cannot, and so the rank of Knight/Dame Commander of the Order is the lowest rank of damehood, and second-lowest of knighthood. Because of this, Dame Commander is awarded in circumstances in which a man would be created a Knight Bachelor, for example, by convention, female judges of the High Court of Justice are created Dames Commander after appointment, while male judges become Knights Bachelor. The Order has six officials, the Prelate, the Dean, the Secretary, the Registrar, the King of Arms, the Bishop of London, a senior bishop in the Church of England, serves as the Orders Prelate. The Dean of St Pauls is ex officio the Dean of the Order, the Orders King of Arms is not a member of the College of Arms, as are many other heraldic officers. From time to time, individuals are appointed to a higher grade within the Order, thereby ceasing usage of the junior post-nominal letters
2.
Rugby, Warwickshire
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Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, close to the River Avon. The town has a population of 70,628 making it the second largest town in the county, the enclosing Borough of Rugby has a population of 100,500. Rugby is 13 miles east of Coventry, on the edge of Warwickshire. The town is credited with being the birthplace of rugby football, Early Iron age settlement existed in the Rugby area, and a few miles outside what is now Rugby, existed a Roman settlement known as Tripontium. Rugby was originally a small Anglo-Saxon farming settlement, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Rocheberie, Rugby obtained a charter to hold a market in 1255, and soon developed into a small country market town. Rugby School was founded in 1567 with money left in the will of Lawrence Sheriff, a locally born grocer, Rugby School was originally intended as a school for local boys, but over time became a mostly fee-paying private school. The Lawrence Sheriff School was eventually founded in the late 19th century to carry on Sheriffs original intentions, Rugby remained a sleepy country market town until the 19th century and the coming of the railways. In 1838 the London and Birmingham Railway was constructed past it, Rugby became an important railway junction, and the proliferation of rail yards and workshops attracted workers. Rugbys population grew from just 2,500 in 1835, to over 10,000 by the 1880s, in the 1890s and 1900s heavy engineering industries began to set up in the town, and Rugby rapidly grew into a major industrial centre. Rugby expanded rapidly in the decades of the 20th century as workers moved in. By the 1940s, the population of Rugby had grown to over 40,000, in the postwar years, Rugby became well served by the motorway network, with the M1 and M6 merging close to the town. Rugby is most famous for the invention of rugby football, which is played throughout the world, the invention of the game is credited to William Webb Ellis whilst breaking the existing rules of a football match played in 1823 at Rugby School. Rugby School is one of Englands oldest and most prestigious public schools, a substantial part of the 2004 dramatisation of the novel, starring Stephen Fry, was filmed on location at Rugby School. Hughes later set up a colony in America for the sons of the English gentry. The town of Rugby, Tennessee still exists, Rugby is a birthplace of the jet engine. Much of his work was carried out at nearby Lutterworth, holography was invented in Rugby by the Hungarian inventor Dennis Gabor in 1947. In the 19th century, Rugby became famous for its once important railway junction which was the setting for Charles Dickenss story Mugby Junction, Rugby also includes the areas of New Bilton, Overslade and Hillside. The spread of Rugby has nearly reached the villages of Clifton-upon-Dunsmore, Cawston, Dunchurch, the town centre is mostly Victorian and early 20th century, however a few much older buildings survive, along with some more modern developments
3.
Warwickshire
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Warwickshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton, the county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare. Commonly used abbreviations for the county are Warks or Warwicks, the county is divided into five districts of North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby, Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon. The current county boundaries were set in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, the historic county boundaries also included Coventry and Solihull, as well as much of Birmingham. The northern tip of the county is only 3 miles from the Derbyshire border, an average-sized English county covering an area of almost 2,000 km2, it runs some 60 miles north to south. Equivalently it extends as far north as Shrewsbury in Shropshire and as far south as Banbury in north Oxfordshire, the majority of Warwickshires population live in the north and centre of the county. The market towns of northern and eastern Warwickshire were industrialised in the 19th century, and include Atherstone, Bedworth, Nuneaton, of these, Atherstone has retained most of its original character. Major industries included coal mining, textiles, engineering and cement production, of the northern and eastern towns, only Nuneaton and Rugby are well-known outside of Warwickshire. The south of the county is rural and sparsely populated. The only town in the south of Warwickshire is Shipston-on-Stour, the highest point in the county, at 261 m, is Ebrington Hill, again on the border with Gloucestershire, grid reference SP187426 at the countys southwest extremity. There are no cities in Warwickshire since both Coventry and Birmingham were incorporated into the West Midlands county in 1974 and are now metropolitan authorities in themselves, the largest towns in Warwickshire in 2011 were, Nuneaton, Rugby, Leamington Spa, Bedworth, Warwick, Stratford and Kenilworth. Much of western Warwickshire, including that area now forming part of Coventry, Solihull, thus the names of a number of places in the central-western part of Warwickshire end with the phrase -in-Arden, such as Henley-in-Arden, Hampton-in-Arden and Tanworth-in-Arden. The remaining area, not part of the forest, was called the Felden – from fielden, areas historically part of Warwickshire include Coventry, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Erdington, and some of Birmingham including Aston and Edgbaston. These became part of the county of West Midlands following local government re-organisation in 1974. Some organisations, such as Warwickshire County Cricket Club, which is based in Edgbaston, in Birmingham, Coventry is effectively in the centre of the Warwickshire area, and still has strong ties with the county. Coventry and Warwickshire are sometimes treated as an area and share a single Chamber of Commerce. Coventry has been a part of Warwickshire for only some of its history, in 1451 Coventry was separated from Warwickshire and made a county corporate in its own right, called the County of the City of Coventry. In 1842 the county of Coventry was abolished and Coventry was remerged with Warwickshire, in recent times, there have been calls to formally re-introduce Coventry into Warwickshire, although nothing has yet come of this
4.
Northampton
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Northampton /nɔːrθˈæmptən/ is the county town of Northamptonshire in the East Midlands of England. It lies on the River Nene, about 67 miles north-west of London and 50 miles south-east of Birmingham, One of the largest towns in the UK, Northampton had a population of 212,100 in the 2011 census. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the dates back to the Bronze Age, Roman. During the Middle Ages, the rose to national significance with the establishment of Northampton Castle. Medieval Northampton had many churches, monasteries and the University of Northampton and it was granted its first town charter by King Richard I in 1189 and its first mayor was appointed by King John in 1215. The town is also the site of two battles, the Battle of Northampton and the second in 1460. The town also suffered the Great Fire of Northampton which destroyed most of the town and it was soon rebuilt and grew rapidly with the industrial development of the 18th century. Northampton continued to grow following the creation of the Grand Union Canal, after the World Wars, Northamptons growth was limited until it was designated as a New Town in 1968, accelerating development in the town. Northampton unsuccessfully applied for status in 1996 and city status in 2000. According to Centre for Cities data in 2015, Northampton had a growth of 11. 3% between the years 2004 and 2013, one of the ten highest in the UK. The earliest reference to Northampton in writing occurred in 914 under the name Ham tune, the prefix North was added later to distinguish it from other towns called Hampton, most prominently Southampton. The Domesday Book records the town as Northantone, which evolved into Norhamptone by the 13th century, present-day Northampton is the latest in a series of settlements that began in the Bronze Age. During the British Iron Age, people lived in protected hill forts. Present-day Hunsbury Hill is an example of settlement, a circular ditch. In the Roman period, a rural settlement is thought to have existed in the present-day district of Duston. Following Danish invasion, the area of the town was turned into a stronghold called a burh. A ditch was dug around the settlement and it was fortified with earth ramparts, having conquered Mercia, the Danes turned the settlement into a centre for military and administrative purposes, which was part of the Danelaw. In the 9th century Regenhere of Northampton an East Anglian Saint with localised veneration was buried in Northampton, by 918, Northampton had an earl and an army dependent upon it, whose territory extended to the River Welland
5.
British Academy Television Awards
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The British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. They have been awarded annually since 1955 and it is the British equivalent to the Emmy Awards in the United States. The first ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories, until 1958, they were awarded by the Guild of Television Producers and Directors. From 1958 onwards, after the Guild had merged with the British Film Academy, in 1976, this became the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. The Television Awards are usually presented in April, with a ceremony for the Television Craft Awards on a different date. The Craft Awards are presented for more technical areas of the industry, such as effects, production design. Individual performances, such as actors, can either be entered by the performers themselves or by the broadcasters. The programmes being entered must have been broadcast on or between March and February of the year to be eligible for the years awards. Entry is free, and entry forms are available between November and January each year. After all the entries have been received, they are voted for online by all members of the Academy. The programmes and performances attracting the most votes, usually four in each category, are shortlisted as the nominees for each award. The winner is chosen from the four nominees by a jury of nine academy members for each award. These Awards are suggested by the Television Committee and awarded by the Academys Council and they are not necessarily always given every year, but as and when appropriate. The Awards ceremony is broadcast on British television, usually the day after it has taken place, between 1998 and 2006, it was alternated between ITV and BBC One. But since 2007, it has been broadcast by BBC One, in 1991, a controversial selection was made in the Best Drama Serial category, when Prime Suspect beat G. B. H. to win the award. Following the ceremony, four of the seven voting members of the signed a public statement declaring that they had voted for G. B. H. to win. B. H. Price claimed that the papers could not be recounted as they had subsequently been destroyed. No blame was attached to Shubik by the four judges
6.
The Jewel in the Crown (TV series)
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The Jewel in the Crown is a British television serial about the final days of the British Raj in India during World War II, based upon the Raj Quartet novels by British author Paul Scott. Granada Television produced the series for the ITV network, the serial opens in the 1940s in the fictional Indian city of Mayapore, against the backdrop of the last years of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement. Hari Kumar is a young Indian man who was educated at Chillingborough, the bankruptcy of his father, a formerly successful businessman, forces him to return to India to live with his aunt. Working as a journalist, Kumar sees that his position is lower in India and he becomes involved with a British woman, Daphne Manners, who does not share the prejudices of most of her people. Hari is beaten and Daphne is raped showing that not only the British opposed relationships across ethnic boundaries, the local Indian Police superintendent is Ronald Merrick, a young Englishman who is intelligent, hardworking, and from a lower-class background. He had made advances to Daphne during her first months in India and he arrests Hari for her rape, holding him in the local jail, where he beats and sexually humiliates him. Merrick resents Haris privileged education and he resents Daphnes preferring the young Indian to him, because Daphne refuses to cooperate with the investigation, the police do not prosecute Hari for rape. Word that Hari was tortured causes outrage in the Indian community, Merrick is transferred from Mayapore to a smaller and less important town in the province. She chooses to believe the father is Hari, though she cant know whether it is he or one of the rapists who is the father, the mixed-race child, a girl, is taken in by Daphnes aunt, Lady Manners, widow of a former provincial governor. While Lady Manners takes the infant to the area of Srinagar, she meets Sarah Layton. Sarah and Susans father is the colonel of the Indian Army regiment in Pankot and he is being held as a prisoner of war in Germany, where his unit was captured. Susan and their mother prefer to stay away from Lady Manners due to the scandal of her great-nieces illegitimate birth, but Sarah pays a call on Lady Manners, Sarah and her family soon encounter Merrick, who has left the police and procured a commission in the Indian Army. Teddie Bingham, an Indian Army officer and the fiancé of Sarahs sister Susan, is stationed in the princely state of Mirat, Merrick, also assigned there. Because the unit is soon to leave for the border with Burma, Teddie, when Teddies best man for the ceremony becomes ill, he asks Merrick to step in. Merrick, seeing a relationship with the upper-class Teddie and the Laytons as a means to advancement, is pleased to help. While Merrick and Teddie are driving to the ceremony a stone is thrown at their car, soon after the wedding Teddie and Merrick leave for the Burma front with their unit. Teddie is soon killed in an ambush by soldiers of the Japanese-sponsored Indian National Army, Merrick is badly wounded trying to get Teddie to safety and is evacuated to a hospital in Calcutta. When Sarah visits him to him, she learns that his arm is to be amputated
7.
Midsomer Murders
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Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on Caroline Grahams Chief Inspector Barnaby book series, the current lead character is DCI John Barnaby, who works for Causton CID. Dudgeons character is the cousin of former lead character DCI Tom Barnaby. Dudgeon first appeared as randy gardener Daniel Bolt in the Series 4 episode Garden of Death, Dudgeon permanently joined the show in 2011 following Nettles departure. The Barnabys have worked several different sergeants throughout the run of the show, Sgt Gavin Troy, Sgt Dan Scott, Sgt Ben Jones, Sgt Charlie Nelson. Filming of Midsomer Murders began in Autumn 1996, with the first episode broadcast in the United Kingdom on 23 March 1997, the feature-length drama attracts many well known accomplished actors from the stage and screen in guest-starring roles. Anthony Horowitz and the producers, Betty Willingale and Brian True-May. Horowitz adapted the majority of the episodes from the original works by Caroline Graham. Current writers include Paul Logue, Chris Murray, Lisa Holdsworth, Rachel Cuperman, actor John Nettles retired at the end of 2010, after the 13th series of eight episodes, his last episode was Fit for Murder. Neil Dudgeon replaced him in the 14th series, playing Tom Barnabys cousin, DCI John Barnaby, in February 2016, it was announced that there would be a 19th series, consisting of six episodes. Nick Hendrix will play the role of Detective Sergeant Jamie Winter, returning too in the 19th series are Manjinder Virk as pathologist Dr Kam Karimore and Fiona Dolman as Sarah Barnaby. It was announced on 7 April 2017 that the show return to ITV for a 20th series, consisting of six episodes, with Annette Badlan as new pathologist. The pilot episode of Midsomer Murders was shown on 23 March 1997, as of 18 January 2017,114 episodes have been broadcast, comprising 19 series. Midsomer is an English fictional county, the county town is Causton, a middle-sized town where Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby lives with his wife, and where the Criminal Investigation Department is located. Much of the popularity of the series arises from the incongruity of sudden violence in a picturesque, individual episodes focus on institutions, rituals, and customs popularly seen as being characteristic of rural English counties. When Mrs Barnaby proposed they move out of Causton and suggested various villages, Dan Scott asked if the body count was, always this high around here, sir. Barnaby replied, It has been remarked upon, humour is a main feature of the series, with many of the actors playing up their high-camp characters. Causton is represented by the Town of Wallingford in Oxfordshire, Causton police station is represented by the former RAF Staff College, Bracknell
8.
The Vice (TV series)
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The Vice is an ITV police drama about the Metropolitan Police Vice Unit, which ran for five series of varying lengths between 1999 and 2003. The main cast included Ken Stott, Caroline Catz and David Harewood, as well as Rosie Marcel, Marc Warren and Tim Pigott-Smith. The show experimented with different formats, two series of two-part, one-hour episodes, two series of episodes, and then a final series of self-contained one-hour episodes. The Portishead track Sour Times was used as the music to the show. It was also the last episode to be long, before the transfer to one-hour episodes. Series 1,7 July 2003, released in the United Kingdom by Carlton, series 1–5,20 February 2006, released in the UK by Network DVD. Series 1,25 March 2008, released in the US by MPI Home Video, series 2,24 June 2008, released in the US by MPI Home Video. Paul Lewis,2008, Review of the DVD release of the series of The Vice. DVDCompare The Vice at the Internet Movie Database
9.
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher
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The Suspicions of Mr Whicher is a British series of television films made by Hat Trick Productions for ITV, written by Neil McKay and Helen Edmundson. It stars Paddy Considine in the role of detective inspector Jack Whicher of the Metropolitan Police. Subsequent episodes are fictionalised accounts of Whichers career as a private enquiry agent, McKay wrote the first of these, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, The Murder In Angel Lane, which was filmed in early 2013 and was broadcast on 12 May 2013. Considine later announced on Twitter that the show would not be continuing, when Whicher arrives, Foley, suspicious of this outsider and his progressive police methods, reluctantly agrees to help. The focus of Whichers investigation is a torn and blood-stained piece from an undergarment that had been found during the initial search for the missing boy. Constance Kent, Samuel Kents sixteen-year-old daughter from his first marriage and he visits a schoolmate of Constance, Emma Moody, who tells him that Constance enjoyed hurting Saville. At her trial, her lawyer discredits Whichers case by wilfully misrepresenting it, Emma Moody is called as a witness, but she lies and states that Constance adored her half-brother, and Constance is acquitted. Whicher accuses Mr. Kent of abetting the wrongful acquittal and he suffers a breakdown and leaves the police force. Five years later, in 1865, Constance confesses her guilt to a clergyman, the Rev. Arthur Wagner, in court the Rev. Wagner gives a declaration that he must withhold any information on the grounds that it had been received under the seal of sacramental confession. At the same time it is revealed that Superintendent Foley had withheld evidence from Whicher during the original investigation and this time Constance Kent admits her guilt, but refuses to corroborate Whichers theory that her brother was also involved in the murder. Constance Kent is sentenced to death, the drama was directed by James Hawes and was written by Neil McKay, based on the book The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale. The television film was produced by Hat Trick Productions, and was written by BAFTA award-winner Neil McKay. It was directed by Christopher Menaul with Mark Redhead as executive producer and it was filmed on location in Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire and central London in early 2013. The search begins for Stephen Gann, Marys 19-year-old lover and the father of her child, when Whicher visits Miss Spencer’s country home he learns that her father had been murdered by Gann’s father. Whicher makes his escape and confronts those responsible for her murder in a chilling finale, charles is being pursued by lascars in search of some kind of retribution. Whichers pursuit of justice leads him to uncover betrayal and inter-racial tension in Londons docklands, the historic Chatham Dockyard in Kent was used as a film location for some of the London streets and docks. Whicher follows a woman through London to a secret assignation. He is bearing witness to an open and shut case that lead to divorce for Sir Henry Coverley from his wife Lady Jane
10.
Doctor Who
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Doctor Who is a British science-fiction television programme produced by the BBC since 1963. The programme depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called The Doctor and he explores the universe in a time-travelling space ship called the TARDIS. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Accompanied by a number of companions, the Doctor combats a variety of foes, while working to save civilisations, the show is a significant part of British popular culture, and elsewhere it has gained a cult following. It has influenced generations of British television professionals, many of whom grew up watching the series, the programme originally ran from 1963 to 1989. There was an attempt to revive regular production in 1996 with a backdoor pilot. The programme was relaunched in 2005, and since then has been produced in-house by BBC Wales in Cardiff, twelve actors have headlined the series as the Doctor. The conceit is that this is a Time Lord trait through which the character of the Doctor takes on a new body, each actors portrayal differs, but all represent stages in the life of the same character and form a single narrative. The time-travelling feature of the means that different incarnations of the Doctor occasionally meet. The current lead, Peter Capaldi, took on the role after Matt Smiths exit in the 2013 Christmas special The Time of the Doctor, in 2017, Capaldi confirmed he would be leaving at the end of the tenth series. Doctor Who follows the adventures of the character, a rogue Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. He fled from Gallifrey in a stolen TARDIS – Time and Relative Dimension in Space – a machine which allows him to travel across time, the TARDIS has a chameleon circuit which normally allows the machine to take on the appearance of local objects as a disguise. However, the Doctors TARDIS remains fixed as a blue British police box due to a malfunction in the chameleon circuit, the Doctor rarely travels alone and often brings one or more companions to share these adventures. His companions are usually humans, as he has found a fascination with planet Earth, as a Time Lord, the Doctor has the ability to regenerate when his body is mortally damaged, taking on a new appearance and personality. The Doctor has gained numerous reoccurring enemies during his travels, including the Daleks, the Cybermen, and the Master, another renegade Time Lord. Doctor Who first appeared on BBC TV at 17,16,20 GMT, eighty seconds after the programme time,5,15 pm. It was to be a weekly programme, each episode 25 minutes of transmission length. Discussions and plans for the programme had been in progress for a year, writer Anthony Coburn, story editor David Whitaker and initial producer Verity Lambert also heavily contributed to the development of the series
11.
The Claws of Axos
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The Claws of Axos is the third serial of the eighth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 13 March to 3 April 1971. The Axons land on Earth, desperately in need of fuel and they propose to exchange the miracle substance they call Axonite for some much needed energy. Axonite is a molecule that can replicate any substance. As it turns out, the ship is an organism called Axos whose purpose is to feed itself by draining all energy through the Axonite. The deception about the Axonites beneficial properties was to facilitate the distribution of Axonite across the globe and he plans to repair it to escape from Earth. Axos itself becomes interested in the Doctors knowledge of time travel and it now plans to broaden its feeding base by travelling through time as well as space. The Doctor, realising this, plans to trick Axos into linking up its drive unit to his TARDIS so that he can send Axos into a time loop. After tricking the Master into completing the repairs on his TARDIS and this results in every part of Axos dematerialising from Earth, including the Axon automatons and the Axonite. At the end, with the Master having escaped in his own TARDIS during the confusion aboard Axos, the Doctor returns to Earth, but not of his own volition. The Time Lords have programmed the TARDIS to always return to Earth, making the Doctor, as he notes, the Tenth Doctor lists the Axons among his encounters with the Master as the Master dies in his arms during the TV episode Last of the Time Lords. The Feast of Axos, a Big Finish audio play with the Sixth Doctor, tells the subsequent story of astronauts visiting Axos, the Axons reappear in the Eleventh Doctor Doctor Who Magazine comic strip The Golden Ones, beginning in issue #425. In this story they are behind a brain-enhancing drink and associated anime show in Tokyo, the drink transforms children into Axons by increasing the links between neurons in the brain - in other words, the axons. An Axon is seen imprisoned in The Departments Alien Prison in Liberation, in late 1969, script editor Terrance Dicks contacted new writing duo Bob Baker and Dave Martin after reading a draft script they had sent around the BBC for another production, A Mans Life. After offering the duo a seven-part story in November 1969 for Doctor Whos eighth season, Baker, despite the storylines not being suitable for a serial, Dicks commissioned an opening episode from them on 1 December, but as part of a six-parter, rather than a seven-parter. The original storyline for the serial was set in central London, however, the serial would have been too expensive to make on the budget available, and Dicks promptly told the writing pair to scale down the story. After going back to the stage, they decided to set the story just outside London. Working titles for this story included Doctor Who and the Gift, The Friendly Invasion, The Axons, the last title was used through the production of the first two episodes, and was only changed by the time filming began on the third. The DVD release contains unused footage and cuts from the story that are packaged with the title sequence – naming the story as The Vampire from Space
12.
The Masque of Mandragora
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The Fourth Doctor shows Sarah some of the TARDIS interior, and they come across the secondary console room. Activating the viewscreen, the Doctor sees a swirl of living energy in the time vortex — the Mandragora Helix, the intelligence within the Helix psychically attacks them as the Doctor tries to pilot the TARDIS through it. The ship ends up inside the Helix, and the Doctor and they escape in the TARDIS, not knowing that the fragment has entered with them. In 15th century San Martino in Italy, a peasant revolt is put down by Count Federico and his men. In a palace, Federicos brother, the Duke of San Martino, lies dying, attended to by his son Giuliano, the Dukes death had been foretold by Hieronymous, the court astrologer, but Giuliano, a man of science, does not believe in such superstition. In fact, Hieronymous is working for Federico, and the prediction of the Dukes death was helped along by poison. Hieronymous tells the Count that he feels his powers are growing, but all Federico wants is for the astrologer to foretell Giulianos death next, and he will take care of the rest. The TARDIS materialises in a field near San Martino, and when the Doctor and Sarah exit, Sarah wanders off and is kidnapped by a group of men in hooded robes. The Doctor tries to rescue her but is knocked out, searching for Sarah, the Doctor is confronted by the Counts men and arrested. At the court, the Doctor tries to tell Federico that the energy fragment could spell the end of the world. The Count at first thinks the Doctor is a seer, like Hieronymous, Federico orders the Doctor to be executed as a spy. Meanwhile, Sarah is brought before a priest and told that she is the sacrifice to Demnos. Back at the courtyard, the Doctor is led to the executioner. Before the executioners sword lands, the Doctor unfurls his scarf and hooks it around the executioners ankle, the Doctor escapes and finds his way into catacombs beneath the city. The guards, fearing the Brethren of Demnos who reside in those passages, inside, Sarah is laid out on an altar. Giuliano examines the body of a guard that was killed earlier by the fragment, the Doctor and Sarah are found by palace guards. After the Helix vanishes, the figure removes his mask, revealing the face of Hieronymous. The guards bring the Doctor and Sarah to Giuliano, who shows him the dead body and tells the Doctor of fears that if Federico rules San Martino, all knowledge
13.
Clash of the Titans (1981 film)
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Clash of the Titans is a 1981 British-American heroic fantasy adventure film directed by Desmond Davis which retells the Greek mythological story of Perseus. It stars Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Burgess Meredith, Maggie Smith, the film features the final work of stop motion visual effects artist Ray Harryhausen. It was released on June 12,1981 and grossed $41 million at the North American box office, a novelization of the film by Alan Dean Foster was published in 1981. Warner Bros. released a remake in 3D on April 2,2010, King Acrisius of Argos imprisons his daughter Danaë, jealous of her attracting suitors. When the god Zeus impregnates her, Acrisius banishes his daughter, in retribution, Zeus kills Acrisius and orders Poseidon to release the last of the Titans, a gigantic sea monster called the Kraken, to destroy Argos. Meanwhile, Danaë and Perseus safely float to the island of Seriphos where Perseus grows to adulthood and this left Calibos an outcast where he lived in the swamp. In order to aid his son, Zeus sends Perseus a god-crafted helmet from Athena which makes its wearer invisible, a sword from Aphrodite. Perseus, wearing the helmet, captures Pegasus and follows Calibos giant vulture that is carrying Andromeda to learn the next riddle, Perseus is nearly killed by Calibos but manages to sever one of Calibos hands, losing his helmet in the process. Perseus befriends Thallo and presents himself as suitor and correctly answers the riddle, Perseus wins Andromedas hand in marriage. Finding that Thetis cannot act against Perseus, Calibos instead demands that she take vengeance on Joppa, at the wedding, Queen Cassiopeia compares Andromedas beauty to that of Thetis herself, whereupon Thetis demands Andromeda be sacrificed to the Kraken on pain of Joppas destruction. Perseus seeks a way to defeat the Kraken, while Pegasus is captured by Calibos, Zeus commands Athena to give Perseus her owl Bubo, but she orders Hephaestus to build a golden replica of Bubo instead, who leads Perseus to the Stygian Witches. The next day, the group continues on their journey without Andromeda and Ammon, Perseus leads his two remaining allies into the Gorgons lair. His two other companions die on encounter with Medusa herself, she one of the soldiers with an arrow. Perseus uses the underside of his shield to deceive Medusa, decapitates her, and collects her head. The scorpions attack and Thallo is able to one of them. Perseus slays the other two scorpions and thereafter kills Calibos and grieves Thallos death, weakened by his struggle, Perseus sends Bubo to rescue Pegasus, who is being held prisoner by Calibos henchmen. Bubo succeeds in his task and manages to destroy Calibos camp as well, Perseus reaches the amphitheatre in Joppa, but collapses unconscious from exhaustion. Andromeda is shackled to the sea cliffs outside Joppa, and the Kraken itself is summoned, Bubo diverts the Krakens attention until Perseus, whose strength was secretly re-restored by Zeus before the Kraken was released, appears on Pegasus
14.
Gangs of New York
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Gangs of New York is a 2002 American epic period drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. The screenplay is by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan and it was inspired by Herbert Asburys 1927 nonfiction book, The Gangs of New York. It was made in Cinecittà, Rome, distributed by Miramax Films and nominated for awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film is set in 1862 and follows gang leader Bill The Butcher Cutting in his roles as crime boss and political kingmaker under the helm of Boss Tweed. The film culminates in a violent confrontation between Cutting and his mob with the protagonist Amsterdam Vallon and his immigrant allies, which coincides with the New York Draft Riots of 1863 and it was released on December 20,2002 and grossed $193 million worldwide. Bill kills Vallon and orders that he be buried with honor, having witnessed this, Vallons young son hides the knife that killed his father and is taken to an orphanage on Blackwells Island. In September 1862, Vallons son, now calling himself Amsterdam, returns to Five Points seeking revenge, an old acquaintance, Johnny Sirocco, familiarizes him with the local clans of gangs and thieves, all of whom pay tribute to Bill, who controls the neighborhood. Amsterdam joins Johnnys gang of thieves and is introduced to Bill and he learns that many of his fathers former loyalists are now in Bills employ, including Happy Jack Mulraney, who is now a corrupt constable, and McGloin, who is one of Bills lieutenants. Each year, Bill celebrates the anniversary of his victory over the Dead Rabbits, Amsterdam becomes attracted to pickpocket and grifter Jenny Everdeane, who Johnny is infatuated with. Amsterdams interest is dampened, however, upon learning that she was once Bills ward, Amsterdam gains Bills confidence and Bill becomes his mentor, involving him in the dealings of corrupt politician William M. Tweed. Amsterdam saves Bill from an attempt, and is tormented by the thought that he may have done so out of honest devotion. Jenny nurses Bills wounds, and she and Amsterdam have an argument which dissolves into passionate lovemaking. Bill speaks to Amsterdam of the downfall of civilization and how he has maintained power through the spectacle of violence, on the evening of the anniversary, Johnny, in a fit of jealousy over Jenny, reveals Amsterdams true identity and intentions to Bill. Bill baits Amsterdam with a knife throwing act involving Jenny, as Bill toasts Priest Vallon, Amsterdam throws his knife, but Bill deflects it and wounds Amsterdam with a counter throw. Bill proclaims that rather than dying, Amsterdam shall live in shame, going into hiding, Jenny nurses Amsterdam back to health and implores him to escape with her to San Francisco. Monk McGinn, a barber who fought for Priest Vallon, gives Amsterdam a straight razor that belonged to Amsterdams father, Amsterdam announces his return by hanging a dead rabbit in Paradise Square. Bill sends Happy Jack to investigate, but Amsterdam kills him, in retaliation, Bill has Johnny severely beaten and run through with a pike, leaving it to Amsterdam to end his suffering. The racist McGloin attacks Amsterdams African American friend Jimmy, but is beaten by Amsterdam, the Natives confront them, and Bill promises to return when they are ready to fight
15.
Johnny English
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Johnny English is a 2003 British spy comedy film parodying the James Bond secret agent genre infused with comedy similar to Atkinsons Mr. Bean character. The film stars Rowan Atkinson, Natalie Imbruglia, Ben Miller, the screenplay was written by Bond writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, with William Davies, and the film was directed by Peter Howitt. The film grossed a total of $160 million worldwide, the film was followed by a sequel, 2011s Johnny English Reborn. The film was released in the United Kingdom on April 11,2003, Johnny English is an inept MI7 agent with dreams of being their most trusted employee. After Agent One dies in an accident, the remaining agents are assassinated via a bombing at Agent One’s funeral. English is assigned to follow a plot to steal the Crown Jewels, at the display, English is head of security, and meets the mysterious Lorna Campbell. The power is cut, and the jewels are stolen, during the chaos, English knocks out Col Sir Anthony Chevenix, Head of Royal Security in the process and pretends to fight the assailant. He later makes up a description of the assailant to MI7 head Pegasus. English and his assistant Angus Bough find the jewels were removed via a hole dug beneath their display case, the two follow a tunnel, confronting the two thieves Dieter Klein and Klaus Vendetta. English connects the thieves to Pascal Sauvage, a French prison entrepreneur who helped restore the Crown Jewels, Pegasus finds the claims of his involvement absurd and warns English not to involve Sauvage. In the car park, English and Bough are attacked by Vendetta, English again encounters Lorna Campbell in a sushi restaurant as he recognized her motorcycle. During their meeting English is suspicious of her since he has seen her at two of their scenes and her records cannot be found on any government computer. Going to the building, the two learn Sauvage, who is a descendant of Bonnie Prince Charlie, plans on making himself king, using an impostor to impersonate the Archbishop of Canterbury. Lorna arrives, revealed to be an Interpol agent tracking Sauvage, Lorna, now in charge of the assignment by Pegasus, visits the depressed English and convinces him to travel with her to Sauvage’s French Château to investigate. Eavesdropping on Sauvage’s meeting with renowned criminals, English and Lorna learn Sauvage plans to turn the United Kingdom into the world’s biggest prison when he becomes king, English and Lorna are exposed when the former accidentally activates a microphone, and they are taken prisoners. English tries to steal the DVD of Sauvage’s plan, but accidentally drops it onto a tray of identical discs, Bough rescues the two and they race to stop Sauvage’s coronation. English crashes the coronation and discovers the Archbishop is the genuine article, English sneaks away but swings in on a wire to steal St. Edward’s Crown from Sauvage. Sauvage angrily shoots at English with a pistol, causing him to drop the crown, moments before Sauvage is crowned king, English drops from the wire after being shot, lands on the throne, and is crowned instead
16.
Alexander (2004 film)
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Alexander is a 2004 epic historical drama film based on the life of Alexander the Great. It was directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell in the title role, the film was an original screenplay based in part on the book Alexander the Great, written in the 1970s by the University of Oxford historian Robin Lane Fox. After release, while it performed well in Europe, the American critical reaction was negative and it grossed over $167 million worldwide against a $155 million budget. Four versions of the film exist, the theatrical cut and three home video directors cuts, the Directors Cut in 2005, the Final Cut in 2007. The two earlier DVD versions of Alexander sold over 3.5 million copies in the United States, Oliver Stones third version, Alexander Revisited, The Final Cut has sold to one million copies and became one of the highest-selling catalog items from Warner Bros. The film is based on the life of Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, who conquered Asia Minor, Egypt, Persia, shown are some of the key moments of Alexanders youth, his invasion of the mighty Persian Empire and his death. It also details his plans to reform his empire and the attempts he made to reach the end of the known world. The story begins 40 years after 323 BC, around 283 BC, with Ptolemy I Soter and we see Alexanders daily life and the strained relationship between his parents. Alexander grows up with his mother Olympias and his tutor Aristotle and his relationship with his father is destroyed when Philip marries Attaluss niece, Eurydice. After Philip is assassinated, Alexander becomes King of Macedonia, also shown are Alexanders private relationships with his childhood friend Hephaistion and later his wife Roxana. Hephaistion compares Alexander to Achilles, to which Alexander replies that, if he is Achilles, when Hephaistion mentions that Patroclus died first, Alexander pledges that, if Hephaistion should die first, he will follow him into the afterlife. After initial objection from his soldiers, Alexander convinces them to him into his final and bloodiest battle. He is severely injured with an arrow but survives and is celebrated, later on, Hephaistion succumbs to an unknown illness either by chance or perhaps poison, speculated in the movie to be Typhus carried with him from India. Alexander, full of grief and anger, distances himself from his wife, despite her pregnancy and he dies less than three months after Hephaistion, in the same manner, keeping his promise that he would follow him. On his deathbed, Bagoas grieves as Alexanders generals begin to split up his kingdom, however, he has it recorded that Alexander died due to illness compounding his overall weakened condition. He then goes on to end his memoirs with praise to Alexander, the story then ends with the note that Ptolemys memoirs of Alexander were eventually burned, lost forever with the Library of Alexandria. Upon closing on 1 February 2005, the film grossed $34,297,191 domestically, based on a $155 million budget, the film was a box office bomb. A group of 25 Greek lawyers initially threatened to file a lawsuit against both Stone and the Warner Bros film studio for what they claimed was a portrayal of history
17.
V for Vendetta (film)
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The film is set in an alternative future where a neo-fascist regime has subjugated the United Kingdom. The film was scheduled for release by Warner Bros. on Friday, November 4,2005. V for Vendetta has been seen by political groups as an allegory of oppression by government, libertarians. In the late 2020s the world is in turmoil and warfare, with the United States fractured as a result of prolonged second civil war, the United Kingdom is ruled as a fascist police state by the Norsefire Party, helmed by all-powerful High Chancellor Adam Sutler. Political opponents, immigrants, Muslims, atheists, homosexuals, from a rooftop, they watch his demolition of the Old Bailey criminal court building, accompanied by fireworks and the 1812 Overture. Inspector Finch of Scotland Yard is tasked with investigating Vs activities while BTN declares the incident an emergency demolition. V interrupts the broadcast to claim responsibility, encouraging the people of Britain to rise up against their government, during the broadcast, the police attempt to capture V. Evey helps him escape, but is knocked unconscious. V takes Evey to his home, where she is told she must remain for one year, V then kills Lewis Prothero, Norsefires chief propagandist, and Anthony Lilliman, the Bishop of London. Evey offers to help, and uses the opportunity to escape to the home of her boss, comedian, in return for Evey trusting him with her safety, Gordon reveals prohibited materials including subversive paintings, an antique Quran, and homoerotic photographs. After Gordon performs a satire of the government on his show, his home is raided and she is imprisoned and tortured for information about V, with her only solace being a note written by actress Valerie Page, a former prisoner who was tortured and killed for her homosexuality. Evey is told she will be executed unless she reveals Vs location, when she says she would rather die, she is inexplicably released and then finds herself in Vs home. It turns out that V was the one who had captured her at Gordons home, the note was real, passed from Valerie to V when he was imprisoned. He also informs her that Deitrich had been executed when the Quran was found in his home, while Evey initially hates V for what he did to her, she realises she has become a stronger person. She leaves him, promising to return before 5 November, reading the deceased Surridges journal, Finch learns V is the result of human experimentation and has been targeting the people who detained him. Despite being stonewalled by the government, Finch searches for the identity of V. Finch meets William Rookwood, who tells him that the program, Finch later discovers the man he met was V in disguise, and though he initially disbelieves the story, his faith in the Norsefire government is severely shaken. As 5 November nears, V distributes thousands of Guy Fawkes masks, on the eve of 5 November, Evey visits V, who shows her an explosive-laden train in the abandoned London Underground, set to destroy Parliament. He leaves it to Evey to decide whether to use it, V meets Party Leader Creedy, with whom he made a deal to surrender in exchange for Sutlers execution
18.
Quantum of Solace
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It stars Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Gemma Arterton, Jeffrey Wright and Judi Dench. In the film, Bond seeks revenge for the death of his lover, Vesper Lynd, and is assisted by Camille Montes, who is plotting revenge for the murder of her family. The trail eventually leads them to wealthy businessman Dominic Greene, a member of the Quantum organisation, producer Michael G. Wilson developed the films plot while the previous film in the series, Casino Royale, was being shot. Purvis, Wade, and Haggis contributed to the script, Craig and Forster had to write some sections themselves due to the Writers Strike, though they were not given the screenwriter credit in the final cut. The title was chosen from a 1959 short story in Ian Flemings For Your Eyes Only, location filming took place in Mexico, Panama, Chile, Italy, Austria, and Wales, while interior sets were built and filmed at Pinewood Studios. The film was marked by its frequent depictions of violence. As of September 2016, it is the fourth-highest-grossing James Bond film, without adjusting for inflation, James Bond is driving from Lake Garda to Siena, Italy, with the captured Mr. White in the boot of his car. After evading pursuers, Bond delivers White to M, who interrogates him regarding his organisation, Ms bodyguard, Craig Mitchell, is a double agent, he attacks M, enabling White to escape. Bond chases Mitchell and kills him, Bond and M return to London and search Mitchells flat, discovering Mitchell had a contact in Haiti, Edmund Slate. Bond learns Slate is a hitman sent to kill Camille Montes at the behest of her lover, after rescuing Camille from Medrano, Bond follows Greene to a performance of Tosca in Bregenz, Austria. Meanwhile, the head of the CIAs South American section, Gregg Beam, Bond infiltrates Quantums meeting at the opera, identifying members of Quantums executive board, and a gunfight ensues. A Special Branch bodyguard working for Quantum member Guy Haines, is killed by antagonists after Bond throws him off a roof, M assumes Bond killed him, and has Bonds passports and credit cards revoked. Bond heads to Italy and convinces his old ally René Mathis to accompany him to Bolivia and they are greeted by Strawberry Fields, a consular employee who demands Bond return to the UK immediately. Bond seduces her and they attend a fundraising party Greene holds that night, at the party, Bond again rescues Camille from Greene. Leaving, Bond and Camille are pulled over by Bolivian police working for Medrano and they had earlier attacked Mathis and put him in the boot of Bonds car to frame Bond. In the ensuing struggle, Mathis and the cops are killed, the following day, Bond and Camille survey Quantums intended land acquisition by air, their plane is shot down by a Bolivian fighter aircraft. They skydive into a sinkhole, and discover Quantum is damming Bolivias supply of water to create a monopoly. Back in La Paz, Bond meets M and learns Quantum killed Fields by drowning her in crude oil, Bond meets CIA Agent Felix Leiter, who discloses Greene and Medrano will meet in the Atacama Desert to finalise their agreement
19.
Red 2 (film)
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Red 2 is 2013 American action comedy film and sequel to Red. It was inspired by the comic book series of the same name, created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. Red 2 was released on July 19,2013, after appealing a second time, Marvin drives off, and his car explodes. Although Frank does not believe Marvin is dead, Sarah convinces him to go to Marvins funeral where he delivers a teary-eyed eulogy, after the funeral, a group of government agents approach Frank and take him to be interrogated at a Yankee White Facility. During the interrogation, Jack Horton appears with an armed SWAT team, kills most of the facilitys personnel, and tells Frank that he will torture Sarah until he gets information out of Frank. Frank escapes from the room, evades Hortons assassins, and with the timely help of Marvin. Horton has convinced world agencies that Frank and his crew are terrorists, Victoria calls, telling Frank she has been contracted by MI6 to kill the three of them. Meanwhile, top contract killer Han Cho-Bai, whom Horton knows is seeking revenge on Frank, is also hired, Frank, Marvin, and Sarah steal Hans plane and fly to Paris to find a man nicknamed The Frog, with the Americans and Han in pursuit. As they arrive in Paris, they are stopped by Katja, Katja is also in search of Nightshade, and joins them to find The Frog. When he sees them, The Frog flees, Frank and Katja catch him and bring him back to his house, where Sarah seduces him, both to help them and to prove she is a better girlfriend than Katja. Marvin, Frank, and Sarah later find documents in The Frogs security box which point to Dr. Edward Bailey and they find that Bailey is alive, held thirty-two years in a maximum security asylum for the criminally insane in London. Victoria unexpectedly confronts the trio, but helps to fake their deaths and then access to the asylum, in which Victoria feigns insanity, while Frank. After the drugs begin to wear off, Bailey remembers the bomb is still in Moscow and they travel to Moscow, and Bailey concludes he hid the bomb in the Kremlin. They break into the Kremlin, and Bailey locates the bomb, which is powered by red mercury. As they are about to leave, Katja stops them, Frank persuades her to switch to their side. Bailey quickly holds Frank at gunpoint and confirms Victorias message, revealing that he made a deal with Horton and he shoots Katja, making it look as if Frank killed her, and leaves with the bomb case. Bailey then moves to the Iranian embassy in London, before Frank can follow him, Han attacks. Reaching a standoff, Frank urges Han to join sides with him, Han finally relents, and the five enact a plan to recapture Bailey and the bomb
20.
Jupiter Ascending
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Jupiter Ascending is a 2015 space opera film written, produced, and directed by The Wachowskis. Protagonist Jupiter Jones narrates that her father, Maximilian Jones, met her mother, Aleksa, after Maximilian is killed in a robbery, Aleksa names their daughter Jupiter, after his favorite planet, and they move to Chicago to live with Aleksas family. Many years later, Jupiter works with Aleksa and her Aunt Nino to clean the homes of wealthy neighbors, to buy a telescope, Jupiter agrees to sell her egg cells with the help of her cousin Vladie, under the name of her friend Katharine Dunlevy. At Katharines house, Jupiter and Katharine are attacked by extraterrestrial Keepers, Jupiter stumbles upon the strange photograph on her phone while waiting at an egg donation clinic, but could not recall anything about it. During the procedure, the doctors and nurses are revealed to be Keepers, sent to kill her, and she is saved by Caine Wise, while Caine and Jupiter ascend to a ship, it is destroyed by a squad of Keepers who then attack them. Caine fends off the attack and manages to kill the Keepers, afterwards, Caine realizes that Jupiter must be of great significance to both Titus and Balem, who is revealed to have sent the Keepers to Earth to capture her. He takes Jupiter to the hideout of Stinger Apini, another former soldier living in exile on Earth, as Jupiter discovers that she can control the bees in Stingers residence, she is revealed to be a galactic royalty. Supported by Captain Diomika Tsing of the Aegis, Caine retrieves her from Kalique, in another attempt to lure Jupiter to him, Balem sends Greeghan to kidnap Jupiters family. On the way back to Earth, Titus’s henchmen capture Jupiter and detains Caine, Titus reveals to Caine his plan to marry and kill Jupiter and claim Earth. He then throws Caine into the void, but Caine survives, Jupiter asks to return home, but learns that her family has been taken hostage by Balem. In his refinery in the Great Red Spot, Balem demands Earth in exchange for Jupiters family, realizing that Balem can harvest Earth only with her permission, Jupiter refuses. Caine infiltrates the refinery and damages its gravity hull, causing the refinery to begin collapsing, while the occupants evacuate the refinery, Tsings ship moves in and rescues Jupiters family. Jupiter survives the collapsing structures, only to land at the feet of Balem who tries to kill her, but she fights him off, and is rescued by Caine while Balem falls to his death. As the refinery is in its stages of collapse, Tsing opens a portal to Earth and prepares to evacuate, potentially leaving Caine. However, she is relieved to find that they have survived and crossed the portal along with Tsings ship, Jupiters family is returned home with no memory of their disappearance, while Jupiter secretly retains ownership of the Earth. Caines rank with the Aegis is restored, and he and Jupiter begin a relationship, in 2009, Warner Bros president Jeff Robinov approached the Wachowskis about creating an original intellectual property and franchise. The story was inspired by Lanas favorite book, the Odyssey. It was making me super-emotional, Lana has said, the whole concept of these almost spiritual journeys and youre changed
21.
Leicester
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Leicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest, in the 2011 census the population of the City of Leicester unitary authority was 329,839 making it the most populous municipality in the East Midlands region. The associated urban area is also the 11th most populous in England, the name of Leicester is recorded in the 9th-century History of the Britons as Cair Lerion, and in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Ligora-ceastre. In the Domesday Book of 1086, it is recorded as Ledecestre, the second element of the name comes from the Latin castrum which is reflected in both Welsh cair and Anglo-Saxon ceastre. Based on the Welsh name, Geoffrey of Monmouth proposes a king Leir of Britain as a founder in his Historia Regum Britanniae. Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England, with a going back at least two millennia. The native Iron Age settlement encountered by the Romans at the seems to have developed in the 2nd or 1st centuries BC. This area of the Soar was split into two channels, a stream to the east and a narrower channel on the west. The settlement seems to have controlled a ford across the larger channel, the later Roman name was a latinate form of the Brittonic word for ramparts, suggesting the site was an oppidum. The plural form of the name suggests it was composed of several villages. The Celtic tribe holding the area was recorded as the Coritanians. The Corieltauvians are believed to have ruled over roughly the area of the East Midlands and it is believed that the Romans arrived in the Leicester area around AD47, during their conquest of southern Britain. The Corieltauvian settlement lay near a bridge on the Fosse Way, in the 2nd century, it received a forum and bathhouse. In 2013, the discovery of a Roman cemetery found just outside the old city walls, the remains of the baths of Roman Leicester can be seen at the Jewry Wall, recovered artifacts are displayed at the adjacent museum. Knowledge of the following the Roman withdrawal from Britain is limited. Certainly there is continuation of occupation of the town, though on a much reduced scale in the 5th and 6th centuries. Its memory was preserved as the Cair Lerion of the History of the Britons, following the Saxon invasion of Britain, Leicester was occupied by the Middle Angles and subsequently administered by the kingdom of Mercia. It was elevated to a bishopric in either 679 or 680, this see survived until the 9th century and their settlement became one of the Five Burghs of the Danelaw, although this position was short-lived
22.
Stratford-upon-Avon
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Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England, on the River Avon,101 miles north west of London,22 miles south east of Birmingham, and 8 miles south west of Warwick. The estimated population in 2007 was 25,505, increasing to 27,445 at the 2011 Census, Stratford was originally inhabited by Anglo-Saxons and remained a village before lord of the manor, John of Coutances, set out plans to develop it into a town in 1196. In that same year, Stratford was granted a charter from King Richard I to hold a market in the town. As a result, Stratford experienced an increase in trade and commerce as well as urban expansion, the town is a popular tourist destination owing to its status as birthplace of English playwright and poet William Shakespeare, and receives approximately 2.5 million visitors a year. The Royal Shakespeare Company resides in Stratfords Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the street was a Roman road which connected Icknield Street in Alcester to the Fosse Way. The ford, which has used as a crossing since Roman times. A survey of 1251-52 uses the name Stratford for the first time to identify Old Stratford, the name was used after that time to describe the area specifically surrounding the Holy Trinity Church and the street of Old Town. The settlement which became known as Stratford was first inhabited by Anglo-Saxons following their 7th century invasion of what would become known as Warwickshire. The land was owned by the church of Worcester and it remained a village until the late 12th century when it was developed into a town by lord of the manor, John of Coutances. John laid out a new plan in 1196 based on a grid system to expand Stratford. Additionally, a charter was granted to Stratford by King Richard I in 1196 which allowed a market to be held in the town. These two charters, which formed the foundations of Stratfords transformation from a village to a town, johns plans to develop Stratford into a town meant Stratford became a place of work for tradesmen and merchants. By 1252 the town had approximately 240 burgages, as well as shops, stalls, Stratfords new workers established a guild known as the Guild of the Holy Cross for their business and religious requirements. Many of the towns earliest and most important buildings are located along what is known as Stratfords Historic Spine, the route of the Historic Spine begins at Shakespeares Birthplace in Henley Street. It continues through Henley Street to the top end of Bridge Street and into High Street where many Elizabethan buildings are located, the route carries on through Chapel Street where Nashs House and New Place are sited. The Historic Spine continues along Church Street where Guild buildings are located dating back to the 15th century, the route then finishes in Old Town, which includes Halls Croft and the Holy Trinity Church. During Stratfords early expansion into a town, the access across the River Avon into and out of the town was over a wooden bridge. In 1480, a new masonry bridge was built to replace it called Clopton Bridge
23.
University of Bristol
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The University of Bristol is a red brick research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. It received its charter in 1909, and its predecessor institution, University College. Bristol is organised into six academic faculties composed of multiple schools, the university had a total income of £565.8 million in 2015/16, of which £146.2 million was from research grants and contracts. It is the largest independent employer in Bristol, the University of Bristol is ranked 11th in the UK for its research, according to the Research Excellence Framework 2014 by GPA. The University of Bristol is ranked 37th by the QS World University Rankings 2015-16, and is ranked amongst the top of UK universities by QS, THE, a highly selective institution, it has an average of 6.4 to 13.1 applicants for each undergraduate place. Current academics include 21 fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences,13 fellows of the British Academy,13 fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering and 44 fellows of the Royal Society. In addition, the university holds an Erasmus Charter, sending more than 500 students per year to partner institutions in Europe, the earliest antecedent of the university was the engineering department of the Merchant Venturers Technical College which became the engineering faculty of Bristol University. The university was preceded by Bristol Medical School and University College, Bristol, founded in 1876. The university was able to apply for a royal charter due to the support of the Wills and Fry families. The Wills Family made a vast fortune from the tobacco industry, the royal charter was gained in May 1909, with 288 undergraduates and 400 other students entering the university in October 1909. Henry Overton Wills III became its first chancellor, the University College was the first such institution in the country to admit women on the same basis as men. However, women were forbidden to take examinations in medicine until 1906, Bristol does not have a campus but is spread over a considerable geographic area. Most of its activities, however, are concentrated in the area of the city centre and it is a member of the Russell Group of research-led UK universities, the Coimbra Group of leading European universities and the Worldwide Universities Network. After the founding of the University College in 1876, Government support began in 1889, in December 1909, the King granted such a charter and erected the University of Bristol. Henry Wills became its first chancellor and Conwy Lloyd Morgan the first vice-chancellor, Wills died in 1911 and in tribute his sons George and Harry built the Wills Memorial Building, starting in 1913 and finally finishing in 1925. Today, it parts of the academic provision for earth sciences and law. The Wills Memorial Building is a Grade II* listed building, in 1920, George Wills bought the Victoria Rooms and endowed them to the university as a Students Union. The building now houses the Department of Music and is a Grade II* listed building, at the point of foundation, the university was required to provide for the local community
24.
The Lost Boys (TV series)
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The Lost Boys is a 1978 docudrama mini-series produced by the BBC, written by Andrew Birkin, and directed by Rodney Bennett. It is about the relationship between Peter Pan creator J. M. Barrie and the Llewelyn Davies boys, novelist and playwright James Barrie meets the two oldest Davies boys, George and Jack, during outings with their nurse Mary Hodgson in Kensington Gardens. He entertains them, especially George, with his fantasy stories, Barrie and his wife Mary meet the boys parents Sylvia and Arthur at a dinner party, and he forms a friendship with the mother and her sons. The Barries and Davies socialize, but Mary and Arthur each quietly resent Barrie, Mary for neglecting her, Sylvia and Arthur have two more sons, Michael and Nico, whom Barrie adds to his circle of young friends. He writes a play inspired by them, Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldnt Grow Up, Arthur is struck by a disfiguring and ultimately fatal cancer. Barrie steps in to support the Davies family, attempting to be a friend to Arthur in his final days, with George away at school, sensitive Michael becomes the centre of Uncle Jims attention. Tired of her husbands indifference toward her, Mary falls in love and has an affair with Barries young colleague Gilbert Cannan, when Barrie finds out, Mary refuses to end the affair, and he reluctantly grants her a divorce. Meanwhile, Sylvia has fallen ill with cancer, and dies a few years after her husband, the boys continue to live in the Daviess London house with Mary Hodgson, and Barrie becomes their guardian, following Sylvias wishes. As the years go by, George becomes a confidant to Barrie. When World War I breaks out, George and Peter enlist, George is later killed in combat. Jack returns to London to marry, Barrie gives the newlywed the Daviess house, and Michael and Nico move in with him in his flat which prompts Mary Hodgson to resign. Peter returns from the War with an outlook on death. Michael spends increasing time with his friends and chafes at Barriess desire to keep him close. In later years, Barrie suffers loneliness but takes some measure of enjoyment in the company of the son of his secretary. J. M. Barrie - Ian Holm – His son Barnaby plays the eldest of the Davies boys in the scenes in which the two become friends, wishing to spend more time with Farrow, Birkin justified presence on the set by becoming the resident Barrie expert. His proposal to the BBC was based on his notes from that research, the Lost Boys was first aired on BBC-2 television in three weekly 90-minute episodes, beginning 11 October 1978. The entire House of Commons should be required to view it before voting on the increase in BBC funding. Janet Dunbar called it a brilliant achievement, a classic in the television medium - one of the finest pieces of television drama I have ever seen
25.
ITV (TV network)
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ITV is a commercial TV network in the United Kingdom. Since the passing of the Broadcasting Act 1990 its legal name has been Channel 3, to distinguish it from the analogue channels at the time, namely BBC1, BBC2. ITV is a network of channels that operate regional television services as well as sharing programmes between each other to be displayed on the entire network. In recent years, several of companies have merged so currently the fifteen franchises are in the hands of two companies. With the exception of Northern Ireland, the ITV brand is the used by ITV plc for the Channel 3 service in these areas. In Northern Ireland, ITV plc uses the brand name UTV, STV Group plc, uses the STV brand for its two franchises of central and northern Scotland. The origins of ITV lie in the passing of the Television Act 1954, the act created the Independent Television Authority to heavily regulate the industry and to award franchises. The first six franchises were awarded in 1954 for London, the Midlands, the first ITV network to launch was Londons Associated-Rediffusion on 22 September 1955, with the Midlands and North services launching in February 1956 and May 1956 respectively. Following these launches, the ITA awarded more franchises until the country was covered by fourteen regional stations. Following the 1993 changes, ITV as a network began to consolidate with several companies doing so to save money by ceasing the duplication of services present when they were all separate companies. The ITV Network is not owned or operated by one company, since 2016 the fifteen licences are held by two companies, with the majority held by ITV Broadcasting Limited, part of ITV plc. The network is regulated by the media regulator Ofcom who is responsible for awarding the broadcast licences, the last major review of the Channel 3 franchises was in 1991, with all operators licences having been renewed between 1999 and 2002 and again from 2014 without a further contest. However, due to amalgamation of several of companies since the creation of ITV Network Limited. Approved by Ofcom, this results in ITV plc commissioning and funding the network schedule, all licensees have the right to opt out of network programming, however many do not due to pressures from the parent company or because of limited resources. The network also needs to produce accessible output containing subtitles, signing, in exchange for this programming, the ITV network is available on all platforms free to air and can be found at the top of the EPG of all providers. Since the launch of the platform in 1998, all of the ITV licensees have received gifted capacity on the terrestrial television platform. At present, the companies are able to broadcast additional channels and all choose to broadcast the ITV plc owned ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 and CITV in their region. UTV and STV previously broadcast their own services – UTV2 in Northern Ireland and S2 in central and northern Scotland – until 2002, the broadcasters all make use of the Digital 3&4 multiplex, shared with Channel 4
26.
Ken Stott
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He is more recently known for his role as the dwarf Balin in The Hobbit film trilogy, and as Ian Garrett in the 2014 BBC TV mini-series The Missing starring alongside James Nesbitt. His mother, Antonia, was a Sicilian lecturer whose own father had previously been a priest and his father, David Stott, was a Scottish teacher and educational administrator. Stott was educated at George Heriots School, for three years in his youth he was a member of a band called Keyhole, members of which later went on to form the Bay City Rollers. This is echoed in the character he plays in Takin Over the Asylum, stotts early work focused on theatre with a notable leading role in the dramatisation of Dominic Behans play about the Northern Ireland troubles The Folk Singer. Stott appeared in roles in BBC series such as Secret Army, The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare. He also featured in an advert for the British COIs Drinking And Driving Wrecks Lives campaign and he eventually began to earn starring roles on television in the 1990s. He created the role in The Princes Play, a translation and adaptation by Tony Harrison of Victor Hugos Le Roi samuse, for the National Theatre. 2006 saw him take over the character in detective series Rebus. In 2008 Stott was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA for his performance as comedian Tony Hancock in BBC Fours Hancock and he played the father of cookery writer Nigel Slater in the BBC One adaptation of Slaters autobiographical novel Toast, opposite Helena Bonham Carter and Freddie Highmore. In 2015, Stott played Arthur Birling in Helen Edmundsons BBC TV adaptation of J. B, however, he has had occasional starring roles in the cinema, most notably opposite Billy Connolly and Iain Robertson in The Debt Collector and Plunkett and Macleane of the same year. Most recently, he has starred as Balin in the adaptation of The Hobbit. Stott played a role as Dexter Mayhews father in One Day starring Anne Hathaway. In 2008 Stott starred in another West End production of a Reza play, this time God of Carnage, alongside Tamsin Greig, Janet McTeer and Ralph Fiennes at the Gielgud Theatre. He starred in a revival of Arthur Millers A View From The Bridge at the Duke of Yorks Theatre in early 2009 and he returned to the Duke of Yorks Theatre in 2016 to play Sir in Ronald Harwoods The Dresser to great critical acclaim. Stott has a son, David, by his marriage, which ended in divorce, Stott currently lives with his girlfriend, the artist Nina Gehl. Stott is a supporter of Heart of Midlothian, with an irony, in that the character portrayed by him, Ian Rankins most well known character, Inspector John Rebus, is in fact a Hibernian supporter. 0 win,3 nominations 2 win,2 nominations 1 win,4 nominations 0 wins 1 nomination Ken Stott at the Internet Movie Database
27.
Bloody Sunday (film)
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Bloody Sunday is a 2002 film about the 1972 Bloody Sunday shootings in Derry, Northern Ireland. The production was written and directed by Paul Greengrass, though set in Derry, the film was actually shot in Ballymun in North Dublin. However, some scenes were shot in Derry, in Guildhall Square. The movie was inspired by Don Mullans politically influential book Eyewitness Bloody Sunday, the march ended when British Army paratroopers fired on the demonstrators, killing thirteen and wounding another who died four-and-a-half months later. The soundtrack contains one piece of music, a live version of Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2 which plays over the closing credits. Cooper is played by James Nesbitt, himself a Protestant from Northern Ireland, a number of the military characters were played by ex-members of the British Army, including Simon Mann. Gerry Donaghy was played by Declan Duddy, nephew of Jackie Duddy, big Brother 2007 housemate Seány OKane was also in the film. It won the Audience Award at Sundance and the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, Bloody Sunday appeared a week before Jimmy McGoverns TV film on the same subject, entitled Sunday. McGovern subsequently criticised Greengrasss film for concentrating on the leadership of the march and it holds a 92% approval rating on aggregate review site Rotten Tomatoes, based on 102 collected reviews, with an average score of 7. 9/10. The sites consensus reads, Bloody Sunday powerfully recreates the events of that day with startling immediacy, remembering Historical Trauma in Paul Greengrasss Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday at the Internet Movie Database Bloody Sunday at Rotten Tomatoes Bloody Sunday at Metacritic
28.
Elizabeth Gaskell
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Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist and short story writer. Her novels offer a portrait of the lives of many strata of Victorian society, including the very poor. Her first novel, Mary Barton, was published in 1848, Gaskells The Life of Charlotte Brontë, published in 1857, was the first biography of Brontë. Some of Gaskells best known novels are Cranford, North and South, Gaskell was born Elizabeth Cleghorn Stevenson on 29 September 1810 in Lindsey Row, Chelsea, at the house which is now 93 Cheyne Walk. She was the youngest of eight children, only she and her brother John survived infancy and that position did not materialise, however, and instead Stevenson was nominated Keeper of the Treasury Records. While she was growing up, Elizabeths future was uncertain, as she had no wealth and no firm home, though she was a permanent guest at her aunt. Her father married Catherine Thomson in 1814 and they had a son, William, although Elizabeth spent several years without seeing her father, to whom she was devoted, her older brother John often visited her in Knutsford. John was destined for the Royal Navy from an age, like his grandfathers and uncles. John went missing in 1827 during an expedition to India, a beautiful young woman, Elizabeth was well-groomed, tidily dressed, kind, gentle and considerate of others. Her temperament was calm and collected, joyous and innocent, she revelled in the simplicity of rural life, much of Elizabeths childhood was spent in Cheshire, where she lived with her aunt Hannah Lumb in Knutsford, the town she immortalised as Cranford. They lived in a large house called Sandlebridge that overlooked the township of Alderley Edge. Her aunts gave her the classics to read, and she was encouraged by her father in her studies and her brother John sent her modern books, and descriptions of his life at sea and his experiences abroad. Seeking new experiences she opened her mind to the solace of nature, on other occasions when her cousins came to play she found consolation in young friendships. Exploring the green hollows, old shady glades of ruined cottages, she collected wild flowers and her favourite plant the Saxifrage is now extinct, but the pleasure natural things brought reflected clearly in her literary observations. Sandlebridge was demolished before 1900, only its chimney remained, there among the visitors and cousinage she played shuffleboard on the kitchen table. A young Elizabeth would go shopping to a woman in Knutsford, church House was directly accessible in Cranford with its high walls and garden walks. She generated confidence and self-respect from the country life and her family regularly visited the Royal George Hotel, which impressed upon her a sensibility for the subtler points of architecture. Led by an interpreter Gaskell later told Anne Thackeray Ritchie how like Cranford it was and she learnt from Lord Clive that his mother was a Gaskell and a friend of the whiggish Holland set
29.
North and South (Gaskell novel)
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North and South is a social novel by English writer Elizabeth Gaskell. Along with Wives and Daughters and Cranford, it is one of her best known novels, the latter version renewed interest in the novel and generated a wider readership. North and South is set in the industrial town of Milton in the North of England. The novel traces both her understanding of the complexity of labor relations and her impact on well-meaning mill owners. Gaskell based her depiction of Milton on Manchester, where she lived as the wife of a Unitarian minister, North and South originally appeared in 20 weekly episodes from September 1854 to January 1855 in Household Words, edited by Charles Dickens. During the same period, Dickens dealt with the theme in Hard Times, also a social novel. Dickens Hard Times, which shows Manchester in a light and satirises it, challenged Elizabeth Gaskell. She had to ascertain, for instance, that Dickens would not write about a strike, Gaskell found the time pressure and technical constraints of serialised fiction particularly trying. She had planned to write 22 episodes, but was compelled to desperate compression to limit the story to 20, North and South was not as successful as Hard Times. On 14 October 1854, after six weeks, sales dropped so much that Dickens complained of Gaskells lack of flexibility because she resisted demands for conciseness and he found the story wearisome to the last degree. The story however centres on haughty Margaret Hale, who learns to overcome her prejudices against the North in general. This remark, although probably a joke, emphasises the important role of death in the unfolding of the story, chapman & Hall first published the novel in 1855 as two volumes of 25 and 27 chapters each. The same year, Harper and Brothers released it in New York, many editions appeared during the lifetime of the author. The text in the book, particularly the ending, differs significantly from that which appeared in the serialised episodes, Bell to London and by Margaret and Mr. Bell to Helstone. This edition also adds chapter titles and epigraphs, the preface concludes with a quotation from the conclusion of the Middle English poem The Churl and the Bird by John Lydgate. Loreau and Mrs. H. of Lespine, with the authorization of the Author and it was published in Paris by Hachette in 1859 and reprinted at least twice, in 1860, under the title Marguerite Hale, and, in 1865, under the title Nord et Sud. Margaret Hale,19, happily returns home from London to the southern village of Helstone after her cousin Edith marries Captain Lennox. She lived nearly 10 years in the city with Edith and wealthy Aunt Shaw to learn to be a young lady
30.
Battlefield (TV series)
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Battlefield is a documentary series initially shown in 1994 that explores the most important battles fought primarily during the Second World War and the Vietnam War. The series employs an approach in which history is described by detailed accounts of major battles together with background. Are explored in terms of their contribution to turning points. The narrator speaks throughout the series, seasons 1,2, the show is entirely made up of archive footage and 3D graphics. Rare archive film, including rare colour footage specific to each battle is included, detailed analysis of the battle including leaders, commanders, soldiers and weapons is presented. Events preceding the battle are presented, as well as some aftermath details. The political and military situation before each battle, detailed analysis of the cause of each battle. The action in the context of the war as a whole, episodes consist of two hour programs. Each episode of Battlefield is divided into segments, the Military Channel showed a shortened version of the series. Major networks still showing documentaries from the series include Discovery Networks Europe. The Battlefield series has issued in videotape by Polygram Video. DVD collections were reissued by Polygram Video in the UK in 2005, in 2010 the original series was re-released on DVD in the US. The series was produced by LaMancha Productions and produced and directed by Dave Flitton, 3D Graphics by Greg Moodie and Gavin Bonnar. Series Four has been published by Time-Life with 50-minute NTSC VHS videotape episodes, the program copyright is Cromwell Productions, Ltd. For Battlefield Vietnam, I have never seen a narrative about the Vietnam War which captures the subtle nuances of it in such clear. - Dr. Robert Goldich, National Security Specialist, US Library of Congress Every department of politics or modern history should invest in this set, - Journal of Strategic Studies Episode list at SideReel
31.
World War II
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World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the worlds countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the bombing of industrial and population centres. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history, from late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours, Poland, Finland, Romania and the Baltic states. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and European colonies in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific. The Axis advance halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway, near Hawaii, in 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the Japanese suffered major reverses in mainland Asia in South Central China and Burma, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy, thus ended the war in Asia, cementing the total victory of the Allies. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world, the United Nations was established to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts. The victorious great powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers waned, while the decolonisation of Asia, most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to end pre-war enmities, the start of the war in Europe is generally held to be 1 September 1939, beginning with the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The dates for the beginning of war in the Pacific include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor, who held that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously and this article uses the conventional dating. Other starting dates sometimes used for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939, the exact date of the wars end is also not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, rather than the formal surrender of Japan
32.
Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work
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Monarchy, The Royal Family at Work is a fly on the wall documentary TV series made by the BBC and RDF Media which follows the British Royal Family over the course of a year. The Queen prepares for a visit to the United States. Before leaving for the US, the Queen has a session with Annie Leibovitz. A state banquet is held at Buckingham Palace for the President of Ghana, the Queen takes part in her annual birthday parade and an investiture ceremony where Steven Gerrard and Penelope Keith are among those to receive an honour. The episode also looks at the workings of the Monarchys headquarters, Buckingham Palace. Just a few weeks before he resigns, Prime Minister Tony Blair, back in London, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, briefs the Queen in advance of his budget speech. The palace prepares for the State Opening of Parliament, as the Royal coachmen repair and clean their 100-year-old uniforms, in Estonia, British Ambassador Nigel Haywood is getting ready for the Queens first ever tour of the Baltic states. The Queen presides over the annual Royal Garden Party, for which every invitation is written by hand, One of the guests at the Garden Party is Pearl Mitchell from Northern Ireland, who nervously prepares to meet the Queen. Following the Garden Party, the Queen visits a Hindu Temple and has a feast of Kashmiri delicacies, in Northumberland, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall have tea with an organic farming family. Meanwhile, The Duke of Edinburgh travels to the opening of the Emirates Stadium. The Prince of Wales, The Princess Royal, The Duke of York, Prince William makes coffee and breakfast for residents at an London inner-city hostel and Prince Harry attends a strategy meeting for Sentebale. At the palace, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, Sir Alan Reid, at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the Queen and other members of the Royal Family attend Prince Williams passing out parade. On 11 July 2007, the controller of BBC One, Peter Fincham, told journalists at the BBC1 new season launch that the trailer showed the Queen losing it a bit and walking out in a huff. However, the clip which appeared to show the Queen abruptly leaving in an agitated mood was actually of her entering the shoot, the next day, the BBC issued a statement which pointed out the error and formally apologised to the Queen. Both Fincham and the Chief Creative Officer of RDF Media, Stephen Lambert, resigned as a result of the controversy
33.
Elizabeth II
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Elizabeth II has been Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 6 February 1952. Elizabeth was born in London as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake duties during the Second World War. Elizabeths many historic visits and meetings include a visit to the Republic of Ireland. She has seen major changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation. She has reigned through various wars and conflicts involving many of her realms and she is the worlds oldest reigning monarch as well as Britains longest-lived. In October 2016, she became the longest currently reigning monarch, in 2017 she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee. Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiments and press criticism of the family, however, support for the monarchy remains high. Elizabeth was born at 02,40 on 21 April 1926, during the reign of her paternal grandfather and her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York, was the second son of the King. Her mother, Elizabeth, Duchess of York, was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and she was delivered by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfathers London house,17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. Elizabeths only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930, the two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford, who was casually known as Crawfie. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature and music, Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margarets childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950, much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeths love of horses and dogs, her orderliness, others echoed such observations, Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant and her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved. During her grandfathers reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the throne, behind her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father, the Duke of York. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, many people believed that he would marry and have children of his own. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second-in-line to the throne, later that year, Edward abdicated, after his proposed marriage to divorced socialite Wallis Simpson provoked a constitutional crisis. Consequently, Elizabeths father became king, and she became heir presumptive, if her parents had had a later son, she would have lost her position as first-in-line, as her brother would have been heir apparent and above her in the line of succession
34.
Lewis (TV series)
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Lewis is a British television detective drama produced for ITV. It is a spin-off from Inspector Morse and, like that series, Kevin Whately reprises his character Robert Robbie Lewis, who was Morses sergeant in the original series. Lewis has now promoted to detective inspector and is assisted by DS James Hathaway, portrayed by Laurence Fox. The series also stars Clare Holman as forensic pathologist Dr Laura Hobson, likewise reprising her role from Inspector Morse, and Angela Griffin as DS Lizzie Maddox. On 2 November 2015, ITV announced that the show would end after its series, following the decision made by Kevin Whately. Whately announced that the show had gone on long enough, with his character having done many stories between Morse and Lewis after he took on the role 30 years ago. Kevin Whately as Detective Inspector Robert Lewis, Widowed after his wife was killed in a car accident. He often shows an uncanny intuition in solving murder cases and he is the father of two children, including daughter Lynn who is married and expecting a baby at one point in the series. Laurence Fox as Detective Sergeant James Hathaway, James Hathaway is a private person, often hiding his feelings or past from Lewis. This tendency has caused tension between the two. Educated at Cambridge, Hathaway is the more erudite of the pair, often knowing the source of various quotations, prior to joining the police force, Hathaway had originally moved to Oxford to enter a Catholic seminary but left for reasons that become clear later in the second series. Hathaway was a sergeant until the eighth season, in which he is promoted to the rank of detective inspector following a short break from the police. Hathaway is forced to confront his past in the season, with father Philip Hathaway. In Series 9, he is the lead in criminal investigations with Lizzie Maddox and Lewis. Clare Holman as Dr. Laura Hobson, Romantic tensions simmer between forensic pathologist Dr. Hobson and Lewis throughout the series, Hobson is single and childless, and like Lewis and Hathaway, is dedicated to her job to a point that it interrupts many of her personal plans. She and Lewis become a couple during the seventh season, rebecca Front as Chief Superintendent Jean Innocent, She is the senior officer supervising Lewis and Hathaway. When Lewis returned from his overseas secondment, Innocent was not convinced that he would be of value, Innocent is frequently at odds with Lewis over his investigation style. In Series 9, it is revealed that she has gone to work for Suffolk Constabulary, Angela Griffin as Detective Sergeant Lizzie Maddox, She becomes Hathaways DS, following his promotion to detective inspector
35.
Downton Abbey
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Downton Abbey is a historical period drama television series created by Julian Fellowes and co-produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece. It first aired on ITV in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2010, the sixth and final series introduces the rise of the working class during the interwar period and hints towards the eventual decline of the British aristocracy. It was recognised by Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed English-language television series of 2011 and it earned the most nominations of any international television series in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards, with twenty-seven in total. It was the most watched series on both ITV and PBS, and subsequently became the most successful British costume drama series since the 1981 television serial of Brideshead Revisited. By the third series, it had one of the most widely watched television drama shows in the world. On 26 March 2015, Carnival Films and ITV announced that the series would be the last. It aired on ITV between 20 September 2015 and 8 November 2015, the final episode, serving as the annual Christmas special, was broadcast on 25 December 2015. The storyline centres on the fee tail or entail governing the titled elite, as part of the backstory, the main character, Robert, Earl of Grantham, had resolved past financial difficulties by marrying Cora Levinson, an American heiress. Her considerable dowry is contractually incorporated into the comital entail in perpetuity, Robert and Cora have three daughters and no sons. As the eldest daughter, Lady Mary Crawley was to marry her second cousin, the first episode begins as news reaches Downton Abbey that both Grantham heirs perished in the sinking of the Titanic. A distant male cousin, solicitor Matthew Crawley, is from an upper-middle-class family - as his mother reminds him in one of series one. Matthew Crawley becomes the new heir, the plot centres on the relationship between Lady Mary and Matthew, who resists embracing an aristocratic lifestyle. A subplot involves John Bates, Lord Granthams new valet, and Thomas Barrow, Bates and Thomas remain at odds in subsequent series. Barrow works to sabotage Bates after learning he was released from jail for theft. In the story line, Barrow, a gay man in late Edwardian England, aided by Miss OBrien, Lady Granthams personal maid, Barrow is caught stealing, but he joins the British army as a medic. Matthew eventually falls in love with Lady Mary, but she rejects his proposal. Cora becomes pregnant, possibly with an heir, but falls and miscarries after OBrien, mistakenly believing she was to be fired. The series ends just after the Archduke Franz Ferdinands assassination and the outbreak of the First World War in July 1914, the second series comprises eight episodes and runs from the Battle of the Somme in 1916 to the 1918 flu pandemic
36.
The Four Feathers (2002 film)
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The Four Feathers is a 2002 action drama film directed by Shekhar Kapur, starring Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley, Djimon Hounsou and Kate Hudson. Set during the British Armys Gordon Relief Expedition in Sudan, it tells the story of a man accused of cowardice. This film, with altered plot events, is the latest in a line of cinematic adaptations of the 1902 novel The Four Feathers by A. E. W. Other versions of the story have been set in the 1890s, Harry Faversham, a young British officer completing his training, celebrates his engagement to Ethne, in a ball with his fellow officers and father. Perceiving his resignation as cowardice, three of his friends and his fiancée each give him a feather, the symbol of cowardice. Harry learns that his best friend Jack and his former regiment have come under attack by rebels, undertaking the perilous journey into the Sudan alone, he strikes up an alliance with Abou Fatma, a mercenary warrior. Harry disguises himself as an Arab, Harry and Abou Fatma follow a group of army workers he believes to be Mahdi spies, and reach the garrison of Abu-Klea, which they realise has been overrun. Harry begs Abou Fatma to warn his friends that their destination is under siege, the regiment stopped its march to bury a group of British killed by the Mahdi. Abou Fatma is captured by Egyptian soldiers, believing he is an enemy scout and he tells the British that he has been sent by a British officer in order to warn them of the Mahdis attack. He says that Muslims always bury their dead and that of the enemy, favershams comrades are worried, but ultimately they disregard Abou Fatmas warnings and he is flogged as a suspected spy. The British and Egyptian troops are not prepared for battle, the Mahdi rebels attack with spearmen, riflemen and cavalry, while the British forces form a defensive square. Firing volley after volley, the British repel the initial Mahdi assault just as they spot British cavalry reinforcements in their red uniforms. A force of skirmishers is sent to pursue the retreating Sudanese, soon the British discover that the cavalry whom they thought were reinforcements are Sudanese disguised in British uniforms. The British square reorganises and fires a few volleys, in the killing several skirmishers who have not yet returned to the square. Jack attempts to rescue Castleton in the process but is blinded when his rifle misfires, the British issue an order for retreat. Harry finds Jack during the battle and protects him after he was blinded, Harry finds letters from Ethne to Jack, but cares for his friend without identifying himself. Never knowing his rescuer, Jack is transported to England and he asks Ethne to marry him, but she does not answer and discusses it with Harrys father. Tom, another officer, tells Jack that Harry had visited him in the Sudan and told him he had sent Abou to warn the British, Abou advised Harry against this venture, but he goes anyway
37.
The Remains of the Day (film)
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The Remains of the Day is a 1993 Anglo-American drama film adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the 1989 novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro. It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, Mike Nichols and it starred Anthony Hopkins as Stevens and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton with James Fox, Christopher Reeve, Hugh Grant and Ben Chaplin. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, in 1950s post-war Britain, Stevens, the butler of Darlington Hall, receives a letter from Miss Kenton, a recently divorced former work colleague employed as the housekeeper some twenty years earlier. Stevens is granted permission to borrow his Daimler, and he sets off to the West Country to meet the former Kenton, the film flashes back to Kentons arrival as housekeeper in the 1930s. Kenton also proves to be a servant, and she is equally efficient and strong-willed. Relations between the two eventually warm, and it clear that she has feelings for him, yet despite their proximity and shared purpose. Eventually, she forms a relationship with a former co-worker and leaves the house prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. Before she resigns, Stevens finds her crying in frustration, in the midst of these events, one day Darlington suddenly requests that two newly appointed German-Jewish maids, both refugees, should be dismissed. Stevens carries out the command, and Kenton threatens resignation in protest, en route to meeting Kenton, when asked about his former employer, Stevens at first denies having served or even met him, but later admits to having served and respected him. He meets Kenton, and they reminisce, but she declines Stevens offer to return to Darlington Hall, after the meeting, Kenton is emotional, while Stevens is still unable to demonstrate any feeling. Back in Darlington Hall, Lewis asks Stevens if he remembers much of the old days, symbolically, a pigeon then becomes trapped in the hall, and the two men eventually free it, leaving both Stevens and Darlington Hall far behind. A film adaptation of the novel was planned to be directed by Mike Nichols from a script by Harold Pinter. Some of Pinters script was used in the film, but, while Pinter was paid for his work, he asked to have his name removed from the credits, in keeping with his contract. When his script for The Remains of the Day was radically revised by the James Ivory-Ismail Merchant partnership, though no longer the director, Nichols remained associated with the project as one of the producers of the Merchant Ivory film. Among them was Dyrham Park for the exterior of the house and the driveway, Powderham Castle, luciana Arrighi, the production designer, scouted most of these locations. Scenes were also shot in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, which stood in for Clevedon, the pub, where Mr Stevens stays, is the Hop Pole in Limpley Stoke, the shop featured is also in Limpley Stoke. The pub where Miss Kenton and Mr Benn meet is the George Inn, the character of Sir Geoffrey Wren is based loosely on that of Sir Oswald Mosley, a British fascist active in the 1930s. Wren is depicted as a vegetarian, mimicking the diet of his idol
38.
Paul Greengrass
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Paul Greengrass is an English film director, film producer, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of real-life events and is known for his use of hand-held cameras. His early film Bloody Sunday won the Golden Bear at 52nd Berlin International Film Festival, in 2004 he co-wrote and produced the film Omagh, which won British Academy Television Award. In 2007 Greengrass co-founded Directors UK, an organization of British filmmakers. In 2008 The Telegraph named him among the most influential people in British culture, Greengrass was born 13 August 1955 in Cheam, Surrey, England. His mother was a teacher and his father a river pilot and he is the brother of noted English historian Mark Greengrass. Greengrass was educated at Westcourt Primary School, Gravesend Grammar School and Sevenoaks School, in October 2012, he received an honorary degree from Kingston University in recognition of his “outstanding contribution to television and cinema. Greengrass is a self-confessed Crystal Palace supporter and his 1998 film The Theory of Flight starred Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter, who played a woman with motor neurone disease. The film dealt with the issue of the sexuality of people with disabilities. Bloody Sunday was inspired by Don Mullans politically influential book Eyewitness Bloody Sunday, mullan was a schoolboy witness of the events of Bloody Sunday. The book is credited as a major catalyst in the establishment of the new Bloody Sunday Inquiry chaired by Lord Saville, the inquiry, the longest running and most expensive in British legal history, led to an historic apology by Prime Minister David Cameron on 15 June 2010. Mullan was co-producer and actor in Bloody Sunday, in 2004 Paul Greengrass co-wrote the television film Omagh with Guy Hibbert. Based on the bombing of 1998, the film was a critical success and this was the first professional film that Paul Greengrass had not directed, instead being credited as a writer and producer, because of his work on The Bourne Supremacy. Instead the film was directed by Pete Travis and it was the second film Greengrass had written about terrorism and mass killing in Ireland after Bloody Sunday. Based on that film, Greengrass was hired to direct 2004s The Bourne Supremacy, the film starred Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, an amnesiac who realises he was once a top CIA assassin and is now being pursued by his former employers. It proved to be an enormous financial and critical success. In 2006, Greengrass directed United 93, a based on the 11 September 2001 hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93. The film received acclaim, particularly for Greengrass quasi-documentary-style directing
39.
James Bond
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The James Bond series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. The latest novel is Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz, published in September 2015, additionally Charlie Higson wrote a series on a young James Bond, and Kate Westbrook wrote three novels based on the diaries of a recurring series character, Moneypenny. The character has also adapted for television, radio, comic strip, video games. As of 2017, there have been twenty-four films in the Eon Productions series, the most recent Bond film, Spectre, stars Daniel Craig in his fourth portrayal of Bond, he is the sixth actor to play Bond in the Eon series. There have also two independent productions of Bond films, Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again. In 2015, the franchise was estimated to be worth $19.9 billion, the Bond films are renowned for a number of features, including the musical accompaniment, with the theme songs having received Academy Award nominations on several occasions, and two wins. Other important elements which run through most of the films include Bonds cars, his guns, the films are also noted for Bonds relationships with various women, who are sometimes referred to as Bond girls. Ian Fleming created the character of James Bond as the central figure for his works. Bond is an officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6. Bond is known by his number,007, and was a Royal Naval Reserve Commander. Among those types were his brother, Peter, who had involved in behind-the-lines operations in Norway. Aside from Flemings brother, a number of others also provided some aspects of Bonds make up, including Conrad OBrien-ffrench, Patrick Dalzel-Job and Bill Biffy Dunderdale. The name James Bond came from that of the American ornithologist James Bond, a Caribbean bird expert and author of the definitive field guide Birds of the West Indies. He further explained that, When I wrote the first one in 1953, I wanted Bond to be a dull, uninteresting man to whom things happened. When I was casting around for a name for my protagonist I thought by God, is the dullest name I ever heard. On another occasion, Fleming said, I wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could find, James Bond was much better than something more interesting, like Peregrine Carruthers. Exotic things would happen to and around him, but he would be a neutral figure—an anonymous, likewise, in Moonraker, Special Branch Officer Gala Brand thinks that Bond is certainly good-looking. Rather like Hoagy Carmichael in a way and that black hair falling down over the right eyebrow
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Alan Keen
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David Alan Keen was a British Labour Co-operative politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Feltham and Heston from 1992 until his death in 2011. Although born in London, Alan Keen was brought up in the Grangetown and Redcar area in the present day authority of Redcar. He went to the Sir William Turners Grammar School in Redcar and he also worked as a tactical scout for Middlesbrough F. C. for eighteen years. He served as a member of Hounslow Borough Council from 1986–90 and was elected to Parliament at the 1992 general election when he unseated the sitting Conservative MP Patrick Ground, in Parliament he has served on both the Education and the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committees. On 28 January 2009, Keen voted against a motion in Parliament calling on the government to review a decision to add a third runway to Heathrow Airport, however at a House of Commons debate in January 2009, Keen voted in favour of the third runway. Further controversy arose when Keen suggested the third runway would hardly affect my constituents at all, the Waterloo apartment is nine miles from their constituency home in Brentford, a 30-minute drive from Westminster. MPs who reside near the Keens in Brentford, such as Home Office Minister Phil Woolas who lives in the street, are able to commute from there to Westminster. The couple claimed for both the interest payments on the Waterloo flat and the cost of re-mortgaging their Brentford home, the Fees Office agreed with the couples argument that this was claimable because it was used to raise equity for the flat. The mortgage also included the cost of life insurance attached to the mortgages. In total the Keens have claimed almost £1.7 million in expenses over seven years, in 2009, their Brentford home was occupied by squatters after it was unoccupied for 9–12 months following a dispute with a building firm undertaking renovation work. The squatters declared aim was to turn the house into a centre for war refugees, in defending their part in the expenses scandal the Keens stated we have advocated, strongly supported, and voted for the introduction of Freedom of Information legislation. We are pleased that the point has been reached when full details of MPs expenses are being published on a basis for everyone to see. However, in November 2009, arsonists repeatedly attacked an office block containing Mrs Keens constituency offices in reaction to the revelations over their expense claims, Keen voted against the reform of MPs expenses in 2008. He suggested that the Keens should pay back four months worth of their claims - some £5,678, however, The Commons Standards and Privileges Committee of MPs disagreed with his findings and reduced the repayment to £1,500. Keens wife Ann Keen, whom he married in 1980, joined him in the Commons at the 1997 general election when she was elected for the seat of Brentford. Ann held the seat until she was defeated in the 2010 general election and his sister-in-law, Sylvia Heal was an MP from 1997–2010 and Deputy Speakers of the House of Commons before retiring at the 2010 election. He and his wife lived in his wifes former constituency at Brentford, in February 2010 Keen was played by Tim Pigott-Smith in the television film On Expenses. Keen employed son David for at least 8 years as his constituency manager and he also had a further son and a daughter from a previous marriage
