Includes the original Play for Today as well as the complete BBC TV series that swept the awards board in 1982 and has been talked about ever since. Alan Bleasdale's chronicles of the lives of a group of tarmac layers - Chrissie (with a powerful performance by Julie Walters as his wife, Angie), Loggo, Dixie, George and Yosser - bitterly dramatised the frustrations suffered by a fruitless search for work and an antagonistic social security system. Though harrowing and uncompromising, the stories, laced with scouse wit and humour became a seminal series.
In 2029, giant super-computers dominate the planet, hell-bent on exterminating the human race! And to destroy man's future by changing the past, they send an indestructible cyborg - a Terminator - back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the woman whose unborn son will become mankind's only hope. Can Sarah protect herself from this unstoppable menace to save the life of her unborn child? Or will the human race be extinguished by one mean hunk of mutant metal?
Johnny (David Thewlis) is a frenetic and destructive outsider who tears through the lives of others like an emotional tornado. On the run from Manchester, he seeks sanctuary with his ex-girlfriend Louise (Lesley Sharp) in London, where he immediately targets her vulnerable housemate Sophie (Katrin Cartlidge) with his unique blend of predatory charm. From there he embarks on a nocturnal odyssey across the city, dragging other disaffected souls into his orbit as he spirals towards his own personal apocalypse.
Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back. "You keep dancing with the devil, one day he's gonna follow you home".
As one of Britain's foremost film-makers and dramatists, Mike Leigh has enthralled, disturbed and provoked theatre, television and movie audiences for over 40 years. His first film, Bleak Moments premiered in 1971 to great critical acclaim, but he was not able to direct another feature film for 17 years. Instead he honed his skills on television, leaving an unrivalled legacy - from acclaimed five minute shorts to classic plays. In his television work, Mike Leigh created the style that would make him unique among film-makers. The way he deals with issues of class, race, politics and sexuality in both poignant and comic terms; his working methods of evolving films from intense improvising rehearsals, and his collaboration with great actors - including Alison Steadman, Liz Smith, Lesley Manville, Phil Davis, David Threlfall, Brenda Blethyn and Stephen Rea - make his work instantly recognisable.
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