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© 2026 The Couch Critic
Browse 42 movies from BBC Arts
Inspired by a powerful involuntary mania which took hold of citizens in the city of Strasbourg just over five hundred years ago, this film is a collaboration in isolation with some of the greatest dancers working today.
Jul 2020
Mark Gatiss steps into the mind of M.R. James, the enigmatic English master of the supernatural story. How did this donnish Victorian bachelor, conservative by nature and a devout Anglican, come to create tales that continue to chill readers more than a century on? Mark attempts to uncover the secrets of James's inspiration, taking an atmospheric journey from James's childhood home in Suffolk to Eton, Cambridge and France, venturing into ancient churches, dark cloisters and echoing libraries along the way.
Dec 2013
The Skeleton Wummin rests at the bottom of the cold sea, withering away in the passing tides and dreaming of life above the waves, in this vivid and poetically eerie Scots-language fable.
Jun 2020
Emily’s boyfriend has turned into a zombie overnight. She has successfully tied him to the bed frame with a phone charger, but not before he was able to bite her. With nothing to aid her other than a phone and a musical keyboard, a weak and tired Emily must figure out how to prevent herself becoming a zombie before it’s too late.
Aug 2021
Featuring exclusive access to their recent tour and their new album, this documentary reveals the fascinating world of Pet Shop Boys, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe.
Apr 2024
Few musicals can claim to capture the mood of a historical period as well as the 1972 classic Cabaret. Liza Minnelli's unforgettable portrayal of singer Sally Bowles and the film's stylish recreation of the era have become defining images of Weimar Berlin. In this documentary, actor Alan Cumming explores the truths behind the fiction. He meets many of those closely involved with the original film, including Liza Minnelli, and talks to cabaret artists, among them acclaimed performer Ute Lemper. Alan explores the origins of the Cabaret story in the writings of Christopher Isherwood and uncovers the story of the real life Sally Bowles, a woman very different from her fictional counterpart. He talks to the composer of Cabaret about the inspiration for the film's most famous songs and discovers the stories of the original composers and performers, among them Marlene Dietrich. Finally, Alan reveals the tragic fate of many of the cabaret artists at the hands of the Nazis.
Oct 2009
Set during the years between the "Rebecca" trial and the writing of Du Maurier's short story "The Birds", including her relationship with her husband Frederick 'Boy' Browning, and her largely unrequited infatuations with American publishing tycoon's wife Ellen Doubleday and the actress Gertrude Lawrence.
Jun 2007
A lonely lesbian plagued with thoughts of fruit whenever she attempts to masturbate begins to develop her own sexual prowess. Everything changes when Mina meets confident Georgia in the fruit aisle of a supermarket. With this newfound lesbian companion, a quick prayer to her “Celesbian” icons, and a flurry of new feelings inside of her, Mina starts to clear the oranges, pomegranates, melons, and apples from her brain.
Mar 2021
London: The Modern Babylon is legendary director Julien Temple's epic time-traveling voyage to the heart of his hometown.
Aug 2012
Originating from footage of Thomas Watson relating the conception of the telephone, Birth of the Telephone distorts and challenges the simplicity of this account. We uncover a different type of birth occurring. Here is a device that, beneath the camouflage of instrumentality, raises questions about connection, anxiety and death.
Dec 2021
An ageing director is making her final film: one delving into her past. Face to face with the embodiment of her younger self, the line between her present reality and the film's blur.
Dec 2019
The BBC Symphony Orchestra perform a live soundtrack in this premier stage adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes thriller.
Dec 2023
In 1968, Jackie Collins published her first novel The World Is Full of Married Men to remarkable success and immediate scandal. Over the next decades, Collins would go on to build an empire writing books where female agency came first. Jackie Collins’ women were unapologetic about their needs and their sexual desire, and to her devoted readers, Collins became a symbol of the effortless power that defined her heroines.
Jul 2021
A mother finds photos of the life her son would have lived if he didn't pass away.
Sep 2019
Reading Gaol, England, 1896. Prisoner C33, starving and thin, unable to wash properly, is a brilliant writer, husband and father of two, once the most beloved artist in Victorian London. His real name is Oscar Wilde.
May 2022
The extraordinary life of playwright, singer, actor, composer, and director Noël Coward, who rose from poverty to stardom while keeping his sexuality a secret. Featuring Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Frank Sinatra, Michael Caine and Lucille Ball. Narrated by Alan Cumming. With Rupert Everett as the voice of Noël Coward. Directed by Academy Award Nominee Barnaby Thompson.
Jun 2023
A small group of queer punks find safety and comfort in their local queer pub; but their world is turned upside down. A group of normative heterosexuals have obnoxiously taken over the pub. Tate and Bunny lead a mission to take it back.
Mar 2020
In a world where artificial intelligence plays an integral role in everyday life, a young and debt-ridden technophobe chooses to take part in a mysterious social experiment for the much-needed money. However, in order to receive the cash, she must speak live to the entire planet for one minute…
The Ruins Of Empires is an innovative performance piece by Hip Hop Artist and writer Akala. It is an abridged version of his epic poem of the same name and is a personal interpretation of history as told through the 'knowledge seeker' performed by Akala himself. He follows the course of mans evolution, via astral travel and multiple reincarnations, in an attempt to discover the cause of the rise and fall of Empires. It is driven by a musical score by Mala and Paul Gladstone-Reid and combines innovative animation techniques and emerging technology with some of the most ground breaking creative talents in the industry, under the creative guidance of Andy Serkis and The Imaginarium.
Apr 2018
Dream city, Sin City, a mirage in the desert, Las Vegas is a film set in its own right, a piece of pop art, an outdoor museum of American culture. What is the story behind the neon lights and fantastical buildings? What will its future be in these tough times? Alan Yentob takes a mob tour and talks to producers and performers about the golden days when Sinatra and Dino held the stage, and the wise guys called the shots.
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