What's on TPTV? New Francis Durbridge; James Mason's The Reckless Moment; Honest, Decent & True with Richard E. Grant; Anthony Quinn's Lost Command
If you love a gripping mystery, don’t miss Francis Durbridge’s: Bat Out of Hell on Monday 20th April at 8pm. This 1966, 5 part series whodunnit, centres on two lovers who conspire to murder the woman’s husband – only to find themselves haunted by his voice on the telephone! The pair are played by Sylvia Syms, who is the epitome of 1960s glamour, and a young John Thaw, already brimming with charisma. Packed with twists and turns and plenty of red herrings, it’s quintessential Durbridge – so be sure to tune in or set the recorder – it's a good’un!
Dear Supporters of Film and TV history,
Dad's machine has been working over time this week and lots of new films and footage on their way thanks to the real Celluloid Savers! Noel, of course, plus Tim from The Flying Spot and Phil at The Cinema Museum. While I’ve been busy booking guests for our Roadshows this year.
If you enjoy lavish and intimate, war-time love-triangles, then Woman to Woman on Wednesday 22nd April at 1:40pm, should be right up your street. This 1947 remake of the 1923 original, stars Douglass Montgomery and Joyce Howard in a stylish drama that follows a Canadian officer and a French ballet dancer as they embark on a doomed romance. A fine example of British melodrama, it’s a real tearjerker and classical music fans will appreciate the score that features works from Schubert, Chopin and Mussorgsky.
Lost Command, on Wednesday 22nd April at 9:10pm, is a 1966 American action/war film that hasn’t been seen on British television for quite some time - despite being one of France’s biggest hits when it was first released. Based on Jean Lartéguy’s best-selling novel The Centurions, it follows a group of French paratroopers fighting in French Indochina and later in Algeria - even though it was shot on location in Spain! Anthony Quinn stars as Lt. Col. Pierre Raspeguy - loosely based on a real-life commander – who leads his men into battle against the Communist Viet Minh. The battle scenes are well done, and there’s a strong supporting cast too, including Alain Delon and George Segal. It’s a solid, engaging war film that’s well worth catching, especially given how rarely it’s been on British TV.
The Reckless Moment on Friday 24th April at 9:05pm is Max Ophul’s American film noir melodrama, which although wasn’t a major success on its release in 1949, now frequently appears in lists of “films to see before you die". Starring James Mason as a blackmailer who becomes entangled with his desperate victim, played by Joan Bennett, we see two stars who really are at the top of their game! The story revolves around blackmail, murder, deception and sacrifice, with Bennett delivering a powerful performance as a mother who’ll do anything to protect her daughter (Geraldine Brooks) and her family’s reputation from scandal.
On Saturday 25th April at 9:05pm we’re heading back to 1986 with the television drama, Honest, Decent and True. A true time-capsule of its era, the story is set in a London advertising agency, staffed with ambitious yuppies, during the Thatcher years! The cast is packed with some of the country’s finest acting talent, including Richard E. Grant, Gary Oldman, Adrian Edmondson and Arabella Weir. Witty and sharply observed, it offers a brilliantly funny portrait of quirky, overpaid ad-execs trying to sell a lifestyle as much as a product! Don’t miss it!
We continue our French film season in style with Borsalino and Co. on Sunday 26th April at 9:40pm. This 1974 gripping thriller is the sequel to Borsalino (1970) and stars Alain Delon (once again), alongside Riccardo Cucciolla and Daniel Ivernel. Set in Marseille, in the South of France, in the mid-1930s, it shows a darker side of the city, where gang wars are never far from the surface. Delon, as ever, is fabulous and cuts a striking figure in his tailored suits as he seeks revenge following his friend’s murder. There’s plenty going on, with shootings, car chases and violence helped along by an atmospheric score and some lovely cinematography. If you enjoy Godfather-style crime films or you’re a fan of Alain Delon, it’s well worth a watch. Oh, and keep an eye out for Bond girl, Claudine Auger from Thunderball, who allegedly pops up towards the end of the film on board a ship.
And finally, on Tuesday 21st April at 5:20pm, we’re showing Camille Juza and Yal Sadat’s Jodie Foster: Hollywood Under the Skin (2021). The documentary traces Jodie Foster’s remarkable career, from her breakthrough as a child actor in the 1970s through to her later work as a director. It also explores her quietly fought, feminist journey both on screen and behind the camera.
Several of you have been in touch mourning the loss of The Cellar Club on Friday nights. Well, we’ve two bits of news for you. Firstly, we’re busy licensing new films and series at the moment for a new season, so please bear with us - it’ll be worth the wait! And secondly, we’re repeating some of The Cellar’s finest series and films from Friday 24 April from 10:45pm... so as Caroline Munro would say, “Don’t be late!”
FULL SCHEDULE
For a printable schedule for the week ahead click HERE
To see more HIGHLIGHTS, click HERE
For those of you who would like to see a full list of this week’s programming WITH SUBTITLES AVAILABLE click HERE
For FOUR WEEKS of advance schedules click HERE.
For those of you who like to plan your TV viewing and find out what new films and series are coming to TPTV, we have the schedules for the next few weeks up on our website. On the schedule page, click on the dates for your chosen week. The first week will be the current one, and you can select the next week on the tab.
OTHER PREMIERES SELECTED BY THE USHERETTE
(NEW) Murders In - Tuesday 21st April 9pm
Murders in Martinique - Meurtres en Martinique. 2016. Director: Philippe Niang. Stars Sara Martins & Olivier Marchal. Parisian forensic specialist helps in an investigation near Mount Pel?e.
(NEW) Buccaneer - Wednesday 22nd April 8:05pm
Intruders. 1980. Stars Bryan Marshall, Clifford Rose & Pamela Salem. Double booking jeopardises a lucrative contract. Tony's relationship with Burton's wife reaches a decision point.
(NEW) Mark Saber - Thursday 23rd April 8pm
Bishops Sometimes Bite. 1958. Stars Donald Grey, Diana Decker & Colin Tapley. Crime fan Bishop of Tricester overhears a hit being planned and follows the man. His secretary calls Saber for help.
(NEW) Z-Cars - Friday 24th April 7pm
By the Book. 1963. Stars Joseph Brady, Brian Blessed & John Phillips. While Barlow leads the inquiry into the murder of an 8-year-old boy, PC Weir and Smith are tasked with finding a green bike.
(NEW) Legend of the Hidden City - Saturday 25th April 7:50am
1997. Stars Brendan Pollecutt, Fezile Mpela & Robert Finlayson. Things get scary for Dean and Thabo. They start to lose hope of returning safely.
(NEW) Batman - Saturday 25th April 9am
The Unkindest Tut of All. 1967. Stars Adam West, Burt Ward & Yvonne Craig. Tut fakes crime predictions to gain police trust, then lures them away to steal scrolls tied to a statue of cosmic power.
(NEW) The Roy Rogers Show - Saturday 25th April 9:30am
Johnny Rover. 1955. Stars Roy Rogers, Trigger and Dale Evans. A tyrannical Boston financier travels to Mineral City to confront his son and stirs up trouble.
(NEW) Whiplash - Saturday 25th April 4pm
Stage for Two. 1961. Stars Peter Graves, Leonard Teale & Peter Guest. Cobb is hijacked by a bank robber running from the law and his gang. When the gang catch up, it is unclear who is the threat.
(NEW) Fortean TV - Saturday 25th April 11pm
1997. Hosted by Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe. Tonight, meet a cow that some people believe to be holy, a couple who saw a vision of a 100-year-old Monk and watch rare footage of the Swedish lake monster.
(NEW) Eurotrash - Sunday 26th April 12:10am
1995. Hosted by Antoine de Caunes and Jean Paul Gaultier. Eurotrash are in Australia to meet Skippy, Australia's most famous and dextrous bush kangaroo who was immortalised in a TV series.
(NEW) The Starlost - Sunday 26th April 2:55am
The Return - Part 2. 1973. Stars Keir Dullea, Gay Rowan & Robin Ward. The Ark's chief astronomer altered the ships course so he could study a comet: now the debris is seriously damaging the Ark.
(NEW) Give us a Clue - Sunday 26th April 3:30pm
1985. The classic game show Give us a Clue hosted by Michael Parkinson, this week's guests are Bella Emberg, William Gaunt, John Inman, Rula Lenska, Anna Quayle & Spike Milligan.
(NEW) The Man from U.N.C.L.E - Sunday 26th April 4pm
The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair. 1965. Stars Robert Vaughn, David McCallum & Leo G. Carroll. Hemingway sabotages U.N.C.L.E HQ before a conference as Solo and Kuryakin race to stop a Thrush plot.
(NEW) Hannay - Sunday 26th April 6pm
The Confidence Man. 1989. Stars Robert Powell, Diane Bull & Ron Pember. An East End gang demand protection money for Sal Alford's music-hall, she turns to Hannay for help.
(NEW) The Vise - Sunday 26th April 7:30pm
Never Let Me Die. 1955. Stars Ron Randell, Phil Brown & Kay Callard. Crime boss Vince thought he was invincible until Tom Duggan escapes jail and Vince is unable to flee the country.
(NEW) Sergeant Cork - Sunday 26th April 8pm
The Case of the Pious Patriarch. 1964. Stars John Barrie, William Gaunt & Charles Morgan. Moral crusader calls on the help of Cork and Marriott after receiving a series of poison pen letters.
(NEW) Who Do You Do - Sunday 26th April 9:05pm
1972. With Freddie Starr and Peter Goodwright, guest acts such as Barry Cryer, Paula Scott and Roger Kitter play a number of roles in a series of sketches and songs!
SHORT FILMS, Glimpses and Look at Life
(THESE MAY NOT BE LISTED IN TV GUIDES)
These lovely little films are often missed out in the listings so be sure to make a note in your diaries – or set your recorder – so as you catch them!
Monday 20th April
6am - Look at Life: Hopping Along
1967. A fascinating look at the increasing mechanisation of hop picking.
Tuesday 21st April
5:50am - Look at Life: Coffee Bars
1959. A look at the SOHO bohemian coffee bars of London in the 1950s. Visit the 2 I's and many more with not a cup of tea in sight!
3:25pm - Fuel Limerick: No Fire in Bedroom
1942. A short limerick imploring you not to have a fire in your bedroom.
Wednesday 22nd April
4:10am - A Lifetime Ago with BAIM: Enchanted Cities
Enchanted Cities. 1957. Narrated by Kenneth Macleod. A tour of the beautiful Italian cities of Florence and Venice.
6:20pm - Look at Life: Put out the Flags
1967. A wonderful look at the world of flag makers and their flags.
Thursday 23rd April
4:20am - 1961 Superjet to the USA (NEW)
1961. A fascinating reel all about a Superjet and the experience of travelling in it to the United States of America in 1961.
5:50am - Look at Life: Evening Paper
1961. A fascinating reel all about a Superjet and the experience of travelling in it to the United States of America in 1961.
2:55pm - Cinebox Memories: Vince Taylor - Peppermint Twist
Master the art of dancing and groove along to Vince Taylor as he performs Peppermint Twist.
Friday 24th April
4:15am - Gold is Where You Find It
Director: Francis Searle. Stars Eddie Byrne, Dermot Kelly. Steve returns to Ireland after 20 years a millionaire. When he gets drunk and loses his gold nuggets, everyone thinks there's a gold rush.
4:45am - Look at Life: Watch on the Coast
1968. A short film following the work of the Coastguards who secure Britain's coasts.
Saturday 25th April
5:20am - Look at Life: Bronze, Silver and Gold
1969. A fascinating look at the challenge provided by the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme to children in Britain.
Sunday 26th April
4am - A Lifetime Ago with The BAIM Collection: Magic Carpet
Magic Carpet. 1972. A look at the intricate process of making a carpet, including a visit to a carpet-weaving factory to observe the modern-day methods.
9am - Roy Rogers Brooklyn Buckaroo 1947 (NEW)
1947. Enjoy two charming songs from 1947 played and sung by Roy Rogers, Bob Nolan, and the Sons of the Pioneers.
TPTV PODCAST
Please tune in to the popular podcast for news, views and reviews of upcoming films and shows on your favourite channel. Click below to listen, or search for us in your favourite podcast app.
https://talkingpicturestvpodcast.libsyn.com/
QUIZ TIME
Well, we thought we’d give you an easy question this week! On Monday 20 April at 8pm Francis Durbridge’s: Bat Out of Hell begins. It stars Sylvia Syms and John Thaw. John’s second wife was an English actress but what is her name?
Please email your answer to us on theprojectionist@talkingpicturestv.co.uk with QUIZ 19/4 in the subject line by Friday 24 April 2026 - and remember to include your postal address so that we can send you a prize if you’re the winner.
So that’s all for this week folks. Please consider coming along to one of our events this year as not only do we have brilliant line-ups, we’d love to see you there! We can promise too that we’re a friendly bunch!
Have a lovely week and see you next Sunday.
Best Wishes
Sarah, Noel and Neill
PS Last week we asked you for the name of Michael Pertwee’s scriptwriter father, his actor brother and his actor nephew. The answers were: Roland Pertwee, Jon Pertwee and Sean Pertwee. Bingo if you got the full house!
