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© 2026 The Couch Critic
Browse 43 movies from National Theatre
It's February 1974. Ted Heath's Conservative government has been ousted. But only just. In the hung Parliament, Labour manages to form a minority government by sending its whips out wheeling and dealing with the Liberals, Scottish Nationalists and Northern Irish politicians. But this fragile alliance lasts only until October, when another election is called. This time, Labour win with a tiny majority of just three. Now things get tougher as old cross-Party agreements break down and even sick and dying MPs are wheeled into the chamber to cast their votes! James Graham's acclaimed new play whisks us back to the days of the UK's previous hung Parliament, when politics got really dirty in the battle for power.
May 2013
Pegeen Flaherty’s life is turned upside down when a young man walks into her pub claiming that he’s killed his father. Instead of being shunned, the killer becomes a local hero and begins to win hearts, that is until a second man unexpectedly arrives on the scene...
May 2026
A stage production with the similar plot of the 1976 film of the same name but uses stage devices and audio visual technology to immerse the audience as participants. As the distance between fact and fiction is reduced, mimicking the blurring of truth and fiction in contemporary news media
Mar 2018
In a crumbling house full of dinosaur bones and fossils, three adopted sisters – Pauline, Petrova and Posy – are learning who they are and what they want to be. Under the watchful eyes and guidance of their guardian Sylvia, Nana, and some unlikely lodgers, they fight to pursue their individual passions. But in a world that wasn’t built for women with big ambitions, can they forge a future, keep their family together, and even learn a dance or two along the way?
Jul 2025
Andrew Scott brings multiple characters to life in Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, filmed live in West End, London. Hopes, dreams, and regrets are thrust into sharp focus in this one-man adaptation which explores the complexities of human emotions.
Feb 2024
The story of an unruly class of bright, funny history students at a Yorkshire grammar school in pursuit of an undergraduate place at Oxford or Cambridge. Bounced between their maverick English master, a young and shrewd teacher hired to up their test scores, a grossly out-numbered history teacher, and a headmaster obsessed with results, the boys attempt to pass.
Oct 2006
Autumn, 2006. The everyday life of the Suffolk town of Ipswich is shattered by the discovery of the bodies of five women. The occupant of No. 79 London Road is arrested, charged and finally convicted of the murders. Caught in the headlines and the invasion of their quiet road, the community grapples with what it means to be at the epicentre of the tragedy. Using their own words set to an innovative musical score, London Road is a moving story of ordinary people coming together during an extraordinary time. Director Rufus Norris, writer Alecky Blythe, and composer Adam Cork reunite for this highly anticipated return of the remarkable, award-winning verbatim musical.
Jul 2026
Fierce and unstoppable, they are a chorus of wild energy ready to shake Thebes to its core — and liberate its women. But their god Dionysos has his own reckoning. In a showdown with his cousin, King Pentheus, family loyalty, political power and human desire are pushed to breaking point.
Sep 2025
After years in the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, James becomes a sponsor to newcomer Luka. The pair bond over black coffee, trade stories and build a fragile friendship out of their shared experiences. But as Luka approaches step five – the moment of confession – dangerous truths emerge, threatening the trust on which both of their recoveries depend.
Nov 2025
Forced to travel West in search of a promised land, the Joad family embark on an epic journey across America in the hope of finding work and a new life in California. Their story is one of false hopes, wrong turns and broken dreams, but also a hymn to human kindness and a tribute to the endurance of the human spirit.
Dec 2024
General Othello's marriage is destroyed when vengeful Ensign Iago convinces him that his new wife has been unfaithful.
Dec 1965
Medea is a wife and a mother. For the sake of her husband, Jason, she’s left her home and borne two sons in exile. But when he abandons his family for a new life, Medea faces banishment and separation from her children. Cornered, she begs for one day’s grace. It’s time enough. She exacts an appalling revenge and destroys everything she holds dear.
Sep 2014
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a rowdy young prodigy, arrives in Vienna, the music capital of the world – and he’s determined to make a splash. Awestruck by his genius, court composer Antonio Salieri has the power to promote his talent or destroy his name. Seized by obsessive jealousy he begins a war with Mozart, with music, and ultimately, with God.
Feb 2017
From Boris Karloff to Mel Brooks - Frankenstein has fired the imagination of generations of artists who have created their own interpretation of this Gothic masterpiece. Frankenstein: A Modern Myth looks at some of these depictions, including Danny Boyle's sell-out hit at the National Theatre. The film has exclusive access to rehearsals and interviews with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller - who alternate the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature - and with Danny Boyle. It also features cult film director John Waters: "I'm sympathetic to monsters, and this was the first one I came across as a child".
Oct 2012
It’s summertime in Memphis, Tennessee and the annual Hot Wing Contest is about to roll through. Cordell has his sights set on the crown this year, with the support of his partner Dwayne and friends, Isom and Big Charles. Together, they are The New Wing Order, and they’re serving wings worthy of ‘kangs’. Cordell’s culinary crew are getting ready to fire up his new mouth-watering ‘finna-be first-place’ recipe, when the arrival of an unexpected guest throws some extra heat up in the kitchen on prep night. As the temperature rises and the sauce boils over, it seems a first-place trophy and a grand cash prize aren’t the only things Cordell risks losing. Can he take the heat, or will he have to get out the kitchen?
Jul 2024
Dame Maggie Smith stars in the 1967 screen version of Franco Zeffirelli's exuberant National Theatre production of Shakespeare's romantic comedy, in which young lovers Hero and Claudio conspire to make sharp-tongued rivals Beatrice and Benedick fall in love with each other.
Feb 1967
An ambitious Michelin-Star chef, Queenie is used to having the last word. But when her children notice gaps in her memory and her grip on reality loosening, they are faced with an impossible choice. As Raj, Gopal and Kamala battle to reconcile their life-long duty to their mother, the ramifications of their decision take on a heartbreaking permanence.
A new version for younger audiences by Bijan Sheibani and Ben Power. Originally staged as part of the National Theatre’s Shakespeare for younger audiences programme. This archival recording was captured in 2017. This contemporary production sees a company of eight tell the most famous love story of all time, set against a vivid urban backdrop bursting with excitement, colour, dance and song. A swift, contemporary celebration of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Bijan Sheibani’s thrilling production brings Romeo and Juliet to life for a new generation.
Sep 2017
Perdita is a brave, intelligent and much-loved girl, but something is not quite right in her world. Join her on a journey through magic and mayhem as she uncovers her story – the girl who was once lost and then found. This exciting new version of The Winter's Tale is the perfect introduction to Shakespeare for younger audiences. Warning: watch out for pursuing bears.
Feb 2018
Enda Walsh's play Misterman, written for a solo performer, is a study of one man’s descent into religious mania in small-town Ireland.
Apr 2011