DVDs with a British Accent
Acorn Media
Stars Patrick Stewart and Ashley Jensen.
Professor Ian Hood is recruited by the British government as its on-call scientist/detective. Along with his female bodyguard, they take on such menaces as rogue cloners, ruthless polluters, and resurgent viruses. Includes four episodes.
HBO
Dame Helen Mirren won an Emmy for this portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I, which also stars Jeremy Irons and Hugh Dancy.
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries - Set 4
Based on Elizabeth George's bestselling novels, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries feature Nathaniel Parker as Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Sharon Small as Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. Although they're partners, there's a strong sense of class conflict between the two cops: Lynley is a member of a rich and prominent family, while Havers hails from the lower rungs of the working-class ladder. The duo's social differences and occasional disagreements afford the tales an undercurrent that makes the series especially compelling. Includes the episodes In Divine Proportion, In the Guise of Death, The Seed of Cunning, and The Word of God.
Acorn Media
Peter Davison stars as the perpetually put-upon Detective Constable Davies, ironically nicknamed "Dangerous" by colleagues for being the last investigator likely to be sent out on a serious case. But Dangerous always shows his co-workers a thing or two when he uses his superior investigative skills to get at the truth behind seemingly innocuous events.
Peter Davison returns for another season. In "Christine," Davies investigates the death of a wealthy artist found dead after a fire in his home, and despite the suggestions of his colleagues, he refuses to suspect the wife. In "The Long Bank Holiday," a dispute between two neighbors over a piece of shrubbery leads to an unsettling discovery. Davies finds himself the butt of jokes again in "Benefit to Mankind" but proves himself while trying to discover who murdered a medical researcher. And in "Dangerous and the Lonely Hearts," Davies is on the trail of someone who killed a refugee.
Rated PG-13.
Embeth Davidtz, Jonny Lee Miller, Alessandro Nivola, Frances O'Connor, Harold Pinter.
Director Patricia Rozema puts a spin on Jane Austen's rather problematic novel by reconceiving its heroine as a learned proto-feminist. Sent to live with her wealthy cousins, poor relation Fanny Price (Frances O'Connor) finds herself in an ideal situation to observe the upper-class marriage trade, allowing Rozema to foreground Austin's underlying theme of matrimony as slavery.
Monarch of the Glen: Complete series 5
Series 5 of Monarch of the Glen opens right after the marriage of Archie (Alastair MacKenzie) and Lexie (Dawn Steele). Archie is feeling restless and wants to pursue a job in New York, until Duncan (Hamish Clark) finds a live World War II bomb among his grandfather's things -- resulting in a blast that causes serious damage to Glenbogle. Archie's half brother, Paul (Lloyd Owen), who first popped up in Series 4, returns to Glenbogle and plays a large part in the remainder of the series.
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Graham Chapman's Personal Best
John Cleese's Personal Best
Terry Gilliam's Personal Best
Eric Idle's Personal Best
Terry Jones' Personal Best
Michael Palin's Personal Best
"Best of" sketches selected by the Pythons themselves. Hours of satire and inspired silliness.