AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION SERIES 1-13 includes every episode plus a documentary and a behind-the-scenes on the Orient Express. There is also an exclusive interview with David Suchet. Agatha Christie, a brilliant successful crime writer ever since The Murder of Roger Ackroyd back in the 1920s, works well on screen. Lots of actors have played Poirot: Charles Laughton, Francis L Sullivan, Tony Randall, Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov, Ian Holm, Kenneth Branagh and John Malkovich, but the most convincing Poirot remains David Suchet, the definitive performance.
ENDEAVOUR. Pilot Film. Complete Series One to Seven. Shaun Evans and Roger Allam star. Set in Oxford during the 1960s against a backdrop of revolutionary social changes, Endeavour chronicles the early criminal casebook of a young detective who will grow up to be Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse. The prequels are a must for all those who enjoyed Morse.
HORNBLOWER. The Complete Collection, based on the books of C S Forester, is a digitally remastered special edition. Ioan Gruffudd has been playing the lead since he was 23-year-old and is forever identified with Horatio, a fictional sailor in the era of the 18th century and the Napoleonic Wars. Hornblower who loves the navy is a perfect hero for teenage boys (and grown men who are still teenagers at heart) who like swashbuckling adventures.
POLDARK. Complete collection as seen on the BBC: a digitally remastered special edition. These adaptations of Winston Graham’s novels set in 18th century Cornwall have strong casts. The romantic melodrama was hugely successful. And the series averaged 5.4 million viewers in total. If Hornblower is for boys then Poldark is for girls. Poldark is wistful, sexy and charismatic. His rough pride gets the better of him. Aidan Turner, perfect casting, became the most talked about actor when he was seen naked from the waist up.
McDONALD & DODDS. Two Feature Length Episodes. Tala Gouveia and Jason Watkins, detective chief inspector, ambitious newcomer, and veteran sergeant detective, are a mismatched double-act. The episodes are for those who like their crime stories to be on the light side and not too heavy. Watkins is an actor who always delivers and the city of Bath is also eminently watchable
THE CHASE 10th ANNIVERSARY QUIZ BOOK. During lockdown families have had more quizzes on zoom than ever before. This book, however, is not just a quiz book but a celebration of a favourite quiz show. There are more than 2,500 questions and lots and lots of facts and lots and lots of trivia. Perfect for the Chase’s fans and invaluable if you and your friends are running out of questions
GINO’S ITALIAN EXPRESS is Italian chef Gino D’Acampo’s quick and easy recipes, 80 brand new and mouth-watering dishes. How about chicken liver paté with toasted garlic ciabatta or perhaps you would like fettuccini with minced pork, mascarpone and white truffle? How about whole roasted sea bass with rosemary, lemon and potatoes followed by orange and grand Marnier mousse? I am getting hungry already. The illustrations will whet your appetite for food and travel to Italy.
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