"Actor: Barry Davies"

• Saving Private Ryan | DVD | (06/11/2000) from £3.99   |  Saving you £12.00 (300.75%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Since its release in 1998, Steven Spielberg's D-Day drama Saving Private Ryan has become hugely influential: everything, from the opening sequence of Gladiator ("Saving Marcus Aurelius") to the marvellous 10-hour TV series Band of Brothers, has been made in its shadow. There have been many previous attempts to recreate the D-Day landings on screen (notably, the epic The Longest Day), but thanks to Spielberg's freewheeling hand-held camerawork, Ryan was the first time an audience really felt like they were there, storming up Omaha Beach in the face of withering enemy fire. After the indelible opening sequence, however, the film is not without problems. The story, though based on an American Civil War incident, feels like it was concocted simply to fuel Spielberg's sentimental streak. In standard Hollywood fashion the Germans remain a faceless foe (with the exception of one charmless character who turns out to be both a coward and a turncoat); and the Tom Hanks-led platoon consists of far too many stereotypes: the doughty Sergeant; the thick-necked Private; the Southern man religious sniper; the cowardly Corporal. Matt Damon seems improbably clean-cut as the titular Private in need of rescue (though that may well be the point); and why do they all run straight up that hill towards an enemy machine gun post anyway? Some non-US critics have complained that Ryan portrays only the American D-Day experience, but it is an American film made and financed by Americans after all. Accepting both its relatively narrow remit and its lachrymose inclinations, Saving Private Ryan deserves its place in the pantheon of great war pictures. On the DVD: Saving Private Ryan on disc comes in a good-quality anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer with a suitably dynamic Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix in which bullets fly all around your living room. Extra features are pretty minimal, with a standard 30-minute "making of" piece called "Into the Breach" and two trailers. There are text notes on the cast and crew as well as the production, and a brief message from Mr Spielberg himself about why he decided to make the movie. --Mark Walker

• Saving Private Ryan (4K UHD) | 4K UHD | (04/06/2018) from £21.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  IN THE LAST GREAT INVASION, OF THE LAST GREAT WAR, THE GREATEST DANGER FOR EIGHT MEN WAS SAVING ONE. Internationally acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, Saving Private Ryan, directed by Steven Spielberg, is an unforgettable film achievement that has had a profound and lasting impact throughout the world. Winner of five Academy Awards including Best Director (Spielberg) Saving Private Ryan also garnered two Golden Globe™ Awards for Best Motion Picture (Drama) and Best Director. Seen through the eyes of a squad of American soldiers, the story begins with World War II's historic D-Day invasion, then moves beyond the beach as the men embark on a dangerous special mission. Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) must take his men behind enemy lines to find Private James Ryan (Matt Damon), whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Faced with impossible odds, the men question their orders. Why are eight men risking their lives to save just one? Surrounded by the brutal realities of war, each man searches for his own answer and the strength to triumph over an uncertain future with honour, decency, and respect. SPECIAL FEATURES: An Introduction Looking into the Past Miller and his Platoon Boot Camp Making Saving Private Ryan Re-Creating Omaha Beach Music and Sound Parting Thoughts Into the Breach: Saving Private Ryan Theatrical Trailer Re-Release Trailer Shooting War

• Doctor On The Box | DVD | (10/11/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £99.99

  Includes all 8 series and 137 episodes of the series Doctor In the House Doctor At Large Doctor In Charge Doctor At Sea Doctor On The Go.

• Big Train - Series 1 & 2 | DVD | (25/10/2004) from £18.98   |  Saving you £6.01 (31.66%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Originally shown in 1998, Big Train was the eagerly awaited follow-up to Father Ted from writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews. Resisting the pressure to make another sitcom, Big Train is, instead, a sketch show in the best Monty Python tradition, updated with influences from arch-surrealist Chris Morris as well as the contemporary The Fast Show. The sketches can be joyously odd--Pythonesque firefighting showjumpers, the evil hypnotist, and the outrageous onanistic office workers, for example--but the show never neglects to keep the punchlines coming thick and fast (though the animated staring contest does rather drag after a while). The cast comprises some of the best new names in comedy, including Kevin Eldon, Simon Pegg, Mark Heap, Julia Davis and Amelia Bullmore (who went on to become Alan Partridge's Ukrainian girlfriend). Series 2 didn't pull into the platform until 2002, by which time Graham Linehan was absent writing Black Books. But Arthur Matthews maintains the quality of the first series on the whole--the man with oversized hands, the creepy cult questionnaire, the zookeeper's recruitment agency--adding some spot-on French art house cinema spoofs and other movie-style take offs somewhat in the manner of Spaced, which Pegg and Heap had gone on to make. That duo return here for more silliness along with new cast members Rebecca Front (The Day Today, Knowing Me, Knowing You) and Tracey-Ann Oberman (better known now as Chrissie Watts in Eastenders). On the DVD: Big Train belatedly arrives on DVD in a two-disc set which includes a plethora of deleted scenes for both Series 1 and 2. There are cast biogs plus three of the sketches as performed on a German TV sketch show. Commentary on the first series is by both writers, though happily Pegg, Heap and Eldon gatecrash halfway through. Matthews and Eldon join director and producer for the somewhat more straight-faced commentary on the second disc. Menu options thankfully include the treasurable "Play all" facility. --Mark Walker

• Van der Valk: The Complete Series | DVD | (20/08/2018) from £74.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A huge success for Thames Television, Van der Valk stars Barry Foster as the no-nonsense Dutch detective whose exploits enthralled ITV audiences over three decades. As head of Amsterdam CID he has to contend with murder, blackmail, missing persons and the more tricky cases that come the way of the Dutch police! Created by Nicolas Freeling, this ratings-topping series co-stars Michael Latimer, Nigel Stock and Ronald Hines, and guest stars include Clifford Rose, Geoffrey Bayldon, Michael Sheard, Paul Eddington, Sydney Tafler, Lisa Daniely, Jane Lapotaire, Freddie Jones, Hildegard Neil, Patrick Troughton, Suzy Kendall, Bob Hoskins, Pamela Salem, Ian Hendry, Jane Merrow, Tom Bell, Amanda Burton, Kenneth Cranham, Brian Cox and Anthony Valentine. This set contains all five series, including the feature-length specials that were made in the early 1990s.

• Airwolf - Complete Season 4 (5 disc set) | DVD | (08/09/2014) from £20.15   |  Saving you £19.84 (98.46%)   |  RRP £39.99

• Guncrazy | DVD | (26/05/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Guncrazy

• Please Sir: Series 1 | DVD | (08/04/2013) from £7.17   |  Saving you £12.82 (178.80%)   |  RRP £19.99

  British comedy at its best 'Please Sir' is fondly remembered by an entire generation of TV viewers. Starring John Alderton as the idealistic teacher Bernard Hedges who is put in charge of the worst class ever come back to school and relive the hilarity with 'Please Sir!'. Episodes Comprise: 1. The Welcome Mat 2. A Picture Of Innocence 3. Maureen Loves Sir 4. A Near Greek Tragedy 5. The Barbarian Librarians 6. Student Princess 7. It's The Thought That Counts

• Saving Private Ryan - 60th Anniversary Commemorative Edition | DVD | (01/11/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Seen through the eyes of a squad of American soldiers the story begins with World War II's historic D-Day invasion then moves beyond the beach as the men embark on a dangerous special mission. Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) must take his men behind enemy lines to find Private James Ryan whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Faced with impossible odds the men question their orders. Why are eight men risking their lives to save just one? Surrounded by the brutal realitie

• Redcap - The Complete Second Series | DVD | (06/03/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  John Thaw takes the first starring role of his career in RedCap in which he plays Sergeant John Mann of the Royal Military Policess Special Investigation Branch. Made in 1964 at a time when the British army was still highly active Redcap's scripts cover investigations in Germany Aden Cyprus and Borneo. Episodes Comprise: 1. Crime Passionel 2. The Pride Of The Regiment 3. The Killer 4. Buckingham Palace 5. Rough Justice 6. The Moneylenders 7. St

• Doctor In The House: Series 1 | DVD | (20/11/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Doctor In The House follows the misadventures of medical students Michael Upton (Barry Evans) Duncan Waring (Robin Nedwell) Paul Collier (George Layton) and Dick Stuart-Clark (Geoffrey Davies). Albeit well intentioned the three medical students are easily distracted form the task in hand by the lure of the latest nurse on the scene and this infuriates the ferocious Professor Geoffrey Loftus (Ernest Clark). Features the complete series 1. Episodes Comprise: 1. Why Do You Want To Be A Doctor 2. Settling In 3. It's All Go 4. Peace And Quiet 5. The Students Are Revolting! 6. Rallying Around 7. If In Doubt...Cut It Out! 8. The War Of The Mascots 9. Getting The Bird 10. The Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Casino 11. Keep It Clean! 12. All For Love 13. Pass Or Fail

• Please Sir: Series 2 | DVD | (13/11/2006) from £16.18   |  Saving you £3.81 (23.55%)   |  RRP £19.99

  British comedy at its best 'Please Sir' is fondly remembered by an entire generation of TV viewers. Starring John Alderton as the idealistic teacher Bernard Hedges who is put in charge of the worst class ever come back to school and relive the hilarity with 'Please Sir!'. Episodes Comprise: 1. They're Off 2. Common Law 3. Panala Passes By 4. The Sportng lIfe 5. Norman Conquest 6. X Certificate 7. The Decent Thing 8. The Generation Gap 9. Life Without Doris 10. The School Captain 11. Out Of The Frying Pan 12. Mixed Doubles 13. Dress Circle

• Saving Private Ryan (DTS) | DVD | (01/09/2003) from £29.99   |  Saving you £-10.00 (-50.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Since its release in 1998, Steven Spielberg's D-Day drama Saving Private Ryan has become hugely influential: everything from the opening sequence of Gladiator ("Saving Marcus Aurelius") to the marvellous 10-hour TV series Band of Brothers has been made in its shadow. There have been many previous attempts to recreate the D-Day landings on screen (notably, the epic The Longest Day), but thanks to Spielberg's freewheeling hand-held camerawork, Ryan was the first time an audience really felt like they were there, storming up Omaha Beach in the face of withering enemy fire. After the indelible opening sequence, however, the film is not without problems. The story, though based on an American Civil War incident, feels like it was concocted simply to fuel Spielberg's sentimental streak. In standard Hollywood fashion the Germans remain a faceless foe (with the exception of one charmless character who turns out to be both a coward and a turncoat); and the platoon, led by Tom Hanks, consists of far too many stereotypes: the doughty sergeant; the thick-necked private; the southern-man religious sniper; the cowardly corporal. Matt Damon seems improbably clean cut as the titular private in need of rescue (though that may well be the point); and why do they all run straight up that hill towards an enemy machine-gun post anyway? Some non-US critics have complained that Ryan portrays only the American D-Day experience, but it is an American film made and financed by Americans after all. Accepting both its relatively narrow remit and its lachrymose inclinations, Saving Private Ryan deserves its place in the pantheon of great war pictures. On the DVD: This DTS edition of Saving Private Ryan presents the movie with astonishingly vivid surround sound that is audibly superior to the standard Dolby Digital version. With a wider dynamic range and a more spacious soundfield, the battles really do spill over into your living room. There are new animated menus but because the DTS data stream requires greater space on the disc, the 30-minute behind-the-scenes documentary included on the previous release is omitted. --Mark Walker

• Please Sir - Series 3 | DVD | (12/03/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  British comedy at its best 'Please Sir' is fondly remembered by an entire generation of TV viewers. Starring John Alderton as the idealistic teacher Bernard Hedges who is put in charge of the worst class ever come back to school and relive the hilarity with 'Please Sir!'. Episodes Comprise: 1. Ag Bow Rumber 2. Stitches And Hitches 3. Knick Knack Taffy Whack 4. Enter Mr. Sibley 5. It's A St. Bernard's Life 6. Two And Two Makes Nun 7. The Honour Of The School 8. Cromwell's Last Stand 9. Catch A Falling Drop Out 10. A Star Is Born 11. The Facts Of Life 12. Situations Vacant 13. Peace In Our Time

• The Sporting Century | DVD | (19/05/2003) from £5.99   |  Saving you £14.00 (233.72%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A compilation of the 20th century's greatest sporting moments including Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Olympics Roger Bannister in his bid to break the four minute mile and Jack Nicklaus winning the Masters in 1970.

• Doctor At Large - The Complete Series | DVD | (28/05/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Following on from his student misadventures in Doctor In The House we catch up with Michael Upton's equally disaster prone solo career in Doctor At Large. Features the complete series. Episodes Comprise: 1. Now Dr. Upton 2. You've Really Manded Me In It This Time 3. You Make Me Feel So Young 4. Doctor Dish 5. Modernising Major 6. Congratulations - It's A Toad 7. Change Your Partners 8. Trains And Notes And Veins 9. Lock Stock And Beryl 10. Upton Sells Out? 11. Saturday Matinee 12. Where There's A Will 13. Students At Heart 14. No Ill Feeling 15. Let's Start At The Beginning 16. It's All In The Mind 17. Cynthia Darling 18. A Little Help From My Friends 19. Devon Is Lovely This Time Of Year 20. Operation Loftus 21. Mother And Father Doig Well 22. A Joke's A Joke 23. Pull The Other One! 24. It's The Rich Wot Gets The Pleasure 25. Thingsd That Go Mumps In The Night 26. Mr. Moon 27. The Viva 28. Bewigged Bothered and Bewildered 29. A Situation Full Of Promise

• Van Der Valk - Series 1 - Part 1 Of 4 | DVD | (03/03/2003) from £13.45   |  Saving you £2.54 (18.88%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Van der Valk - Series 1 (Part 1)

• Please Sir! - The Best Of Please Sir! - Vol. 2 | DVD | (03/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The Sporting Life: The sports master has resigned and guess who they get to replace him! Unfortunately Bernard's swimming classes descend into chaos as Duffy's terrified of water and Dunstable just can't seem to keep those unusual swimming trunks on. Norman's Conquest: 5c decide to adopt an animal after watching a wildlife preservation programme. The adopted pet is named after Norman but what exactly is it and will it survive 5c? X Certificate: Determined that 5c will not just be the tea boys this Open Day Bernard and the class make a film about the school. It impresses no-one until a second interpretation catches the attention of a passing journalist...

• The Story Continues : Golden Moments From World Cup 1998 | DVD | (15/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  The Story Continues revisits the familiar and the forgotten from a great tournament. France, 1998 proved a worthy World Cup with which to end the first century of international football--the multiracial, multicultural host team won with a compelling blend of skill, style and passion; there was drama and controversy; and a host of brilliant young individuals burst onto the world stage. All your favourite bits are here: loads of France and Brazil of course; Chilavert, Paraguay's roving keeper-captain; Owen's wonder-goal, Beckham's red card ("stupid petulance"); Scotland's Jim Leighton flapping away; Bergkamp's masterful last-gasp winner against Argentina. Plus a few soccer landmarks--the first ever golden goal; the USA vs Iran; the first ever close-mikes on players for the national anthems. Cramming the action from 60 games into a 55-minute programme was never going to be easy--so the producers didn't bother. There is a broad sense of the unfolding tournament, but little traditional tracing of the journeys from group stage to final--instead the programme draws themed strands of action together, with plenty of slo-mo-to-music montages. The lack of a strong linear narrative will not please everyone--certainly not those only looking for England's story--and the failure fully to address enduring controversies, such as Ronaldo's "illness", leaves this production some way short of definitive, but it's a fun memento that will stand repeat viewings. On the DVD: The Story Continues is presented on disc in 4:3 format. Extras consist of another 55 minutes of material devoted to the pick of the individual stars--a WC98 select squad of 22 players, including all the ones you'd expect (Beckham, Owen, Zidane etc), and a few surprises. Barry Davies narrates. But it's another missed opportunity to include tournament details: even some text-only results and stats would have been very welcome. --Alex Hankin

• Please Sir! - The Best Of Please Sir! - Vol. 4 | DVD | (03/02/2003) from £4.28   |  Saving you £6.97 (230.79%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Out Of The Frying Pan: Mrs. Savage has a rather unorthodox attitude towards lunchtime as she forces all of the school to eat in the local pub then resigns much to the confusion of Cromwell - but then he's never tried her cooking! Mixed Doubles: Abbott narrowly avoids a fight with a local yob but still manages to land a brick through a shop window. Maureen confesses her role to Bernard but will he do the right thing and tell the shopkeepers?