
Acting
Christopher Frayling
Born
1946-12-25 (79)
Place of birth
Hampton, Middlesex, England, UK
Known for
Acting
Credits
42 titles
Known for
6.9Timewatch is a long-running British television series showing documentaries on historical subjects, spanning all human history. It was first broadcast on 29 September 1982 and is produced by the BBC, the Timewatch brandname is used as a banner title in the UK, but many of the individual documentaries can be found on US cable channels without the branding.
Timewatch
1982
7.6Film historians, and producer Richard Gordon, talk about the horror movie career of cult star Boris Karloff.
Karloff: The Gentle Monster
2006
7.0Province of Burgos, northern Spain, October 2015. A group of fans undertake the titanic task of restoring the location of the last scene of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the mythical spaghetti western directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone in 1966.
Sad Hill Unearthed
2018
An entertaining look at Clint Eastwood's storied career as a Western icon and filmmaker, featuring interviews with Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Costner, Frank Darabont, John Lee Hancock and many more.
Clint Eastwood's West
2011
7.4To mark the recent thirtieth anniversary of Sergio Leone’s death, this documentary sets out to pay tribute to one of the great legends of world cinema. The singular artistic vision of Sergio Leone has transcended national borders, creating the Spaghetti Western genre and transforming the international cinematic panorama forever with his innovative stylistic and narrative solutions, which have now become part of the language of the movies. The film, which is enriched with precious archive footage from the Cineteca di Bologna, including rare audio recordings and film clips shot behind the scenes, sees for the first time the direct participation of the Leone family and has interviews both with Leone’s longtime collaborators and with icons of Hollywood who have been profoundly influenced by his work.
Sergio Leone: The Italian Who Invented America
2022
6.1A short documentary based on Sergio Leone's life and career, and the making of the film "Once Upon a Time in America."
Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone
2000
Film credits
2020s · 5 titles
7.4To mark the recent thirtieth anniversary of Sergio Leone’s death, this documentary sets out to pay tribute to one of the great legends of world cinema. The singular artistic vision of Sergio Leone has transcended national borders, creating the Spaghetti Western genre and transforming the international cinematic panorama forever with his innovative stylistic and narrative solutions, which have now become part of the language of the movies. The film, which is enriched with precious archive footage from the Cineteca di Bologna, including rare audio recordings and film clips shot behind the scenes, sees for the first time the direct participation of the Leone family and has interviews both with Leone’s longtime collaborators and with icons of Hollywood who have been profoundly influenced by his work.
Sergio Leone: The Italian Who Invented America
2022
Documentary from Hammer Historian Marcus Hearn tracking the career of director Jimmy Sangster.
Hammer and Beyond: The Jimmy Sangster Legacy
2026
10.0Documentary about Humphrey Jennings, an English documentary filmmaker from the 1930s to 1950.
Humphrey Jennings: The Man Who Listened to Britain
2025
Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story takes a deeper look at the life and career of Boris Karloff, from 1931 to 1969, exploring films such as The Ghoul, The Walking Dead (1936), Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936), the Mr Wong series, The Climax (1944), Lured (1947), The Strange Door (1951), Grip of the Strangler and Corridors of Blood(1958), The Comedy of Terrors (1963), The Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968), the Mexican quartet, some of his major TV appearances (The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., Wild Wild West, I-Spy) as well as taking a deep look at his often ignored Broadway career in the 1940s and 50's. There is also much time devoted to Karloff's more personal side and his relationship with his daughter, Sara.
Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story
2022
8.0Mark Gatiss explores and celebrates Dracula, an icon of popular culture, asking just why we keep coming back to the count.
In Search of Dracula
2020
2010s · 10 titles
7.0Province of Burgos, northern Spain, October 2015. A group of fans undertake the titanic task of restoring the location of the last scene of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the mythical spaghetti western directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone in 1966.
Sad Hill Unearthed
2018
An entertaining look at Clint Eastwood's storied career as a Western icon and filmmaker, featuring interviews with Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Costner, Frank Darabont, John Lee Hancock and many more.
Clint Eastwood's West
2011
7.3The untold story of Hammer at Warner Bros, and the relationship that produced some of the British company's finest films.
Hammer Horror: The Warner Bros. Years
2018
6.0Directed by BAFTA Award winner Hamish Hamilton, the movie was filmed during the closing night of the V&A installation and features appearances by Pulp leader Jarvis Cocker, fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto, and more, as well as insight from David Bowie Is curators Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh.
David Bowie Is Happening Now
2013
4.0A look back on A Clockwork Orange
Turning Like Clockwork
2011
3.8The shocking true story behind the making of Hammer Films notorious vampire saga.
The Flesh and the Fury: X-posing Twins of Evil
2012
8.1In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, a powerful and timelessness novel which eternal theme is nothing other than man's quest for the secret of life. Since then, the Creature became a pop culture icon, overshadowing the novel and Doctor Frankenstein himself.
The Strange Life of Dr. Frankenstein
2018
Lifting the lid on the world of cinema censorship, this programme has unique access to the files of the British Board of Film Classification. Featuring explicit and detailed exchanges between the censor and film-makers, 'Dear Censor' casts a wry eye over some of the most infamous cases in the history of the board. From the now seemingly innocuous Rebel Without a Cause, the first 'naturist' films and the infamous works of Ken Russell, and up to Rambo III, this frank and surprisingly warm documentary demonstrates how a body created by the industry to safeguard standards and reflect shifts in public opinion has also worked unexpectedly closely with the film-makers themselves to ensure that their work was able reach an audience.
Dear Censor…: The Secret Archive of the British Board of Film Classification
2011
The writer and cultural historian discusses the work of the great director.
Christopher Frayling on Budd Boetticher
2018
NRIn this interview, conducted in 2013, writer and cultural historian Christopher Frayling discusses the groundbreaking design of THINGS TO COME.
Christopher Frayling on Things to Come
2013
2000s · 17 titles
7.6Film historians, and producer Richard Gordon, talk about the horror movie career of cult star Boris Karloff.
Karloff: The Gentle Monster
2006
6.1A short documentary based on Sergio Leone's life and career, and the making of the film "Once Upon a Time in America."
Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone
2000
6.0A visual history of Italian western cinema in the 60s and 70s.
The Spaghetti West
2005
7.5Second part of a three-part documentary series on the making of Once Upon a Time in the West, Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone's masterpiece, released in 1968. (Preceded by An Opera of Violence; followed by Something to Do With Death.)
The Wages of Sin
2003
9.6Documentary about Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone: The Way I See Things
2006
8.4Tribute to Universal make-up artist Jack Pierce who created some of the studio's most famous works including Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolf Man, the Mummy and countless other creatures. Rick Baker, Tom Savini, Howard Berger, Bob Burns, Scott Essman, Kim Newman, Gregory Nicotero and others discuss the work of Pierce and his enduring legacy.
He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce
2008
6.4The life and work of one of the great masters of Italian cinema, Sergio Leone (1929-89); a rich and fascinating portrait through unpublished testimonies of collaborators, actors, directors and critics who reconstruct every aspect of his creative activity.
Sergio Leone: cinema, cinema
2001
6.3Third part of a three-part documentary series on the making of Once Upon a Time in the West, Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone's masterpiece, released in 1968. (Preceded by The Wages of Sin.)
Something to Do with Death
2003
Richard E. Grant looks at the history of Sherlock Holmes, including the many movie and TV adaptations.
Elementary My Dear Viewer
2007
NRA completely fantastic programme, charting the time of our favorite presenter at the head of the then struggling and controversial BBC2. Packed chock full of interviews, clips and reminiscences both old and new, including the very tasty Joan Bakewell of the 60s. Sir David Attenborough's reign as controller of BBC TWO, from 1965 to 1973, is still thought of as the golden age of television. He was responsible for a number of programme strands that were, and many argue still remain, the high point of public service broadcasting. Match of the Day and Pot Black sat alongside comedy such as The Likely Lads and Not Only But Also. Horizon, Man Alive, One Pair of Eyes, Masterclass, The Forsyte Saga and The Money Programme set the standard for years to come. Sir Attenborough also commissioned series on a grand scale: Kenneth Clark's Civilisation and Jacob Bronowski's Ascent of Man remain two of the great creations of television.
Attenborough the Controller
2002
7.6Film historians, and producer Richard Gordon, talk about the horror movie career of cult star Bela Lugosi.
Lugosi: The Dark Prince
2006
6.8First part of a three-part documentary series on the making of Once Upon a Time in the West, Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone's masterpiece, released in 1968. (Followed by The Wages of Sin.)
An Opera of Violence
2003
6.0The making of Quo Vadis (1951).
In the Beginning: Quo Vadis and the Genesis of the Biblical Epic
2008
NRDocumentary on the Mummy film(s) by Universal Studios.
Unraveling the Legacy of the Mummy
2008
8.0A documentary about the railroads and the Robber Barons that got rich as the exploited the people why building their networks and the reality conveyed in Sergio Leone's C'era una volta il West (Once Upon A Time In The West).
Railroad: Revolutionising the West
2003
NRChristopher Frayling's in-depth analysis, a behind-the-scenes study of Leone's deepening artistic maturity, as manifested in Duck You Sucker's cynical view of political revolution
The Myth of Revolution
2007
NRChristopher Frayling analyzes the importance of the film's influence on the making of later films and its impact on directors and writers
Sir Christopher Frayling On 'The Magnificent Seven'
2006
1990s · 3 titles
7.0Bauhaus - The Face of the 20th Century, written and narrated by Frank Whitford, is an art documentary depicting the visual science generated from the outpouring of avant-garde ideas of this innovative educational undertaking.
Bauhaus: The Face of the Twentieth Century
1994
NRThe story of Granada, the company responsible for Britain's most enduring soap opera Coronation Street, the current affairs series World in Action, and highly praised drama from Brideshead Revisited to Prime Suspect. With contributions from Jeremy Isaacs, Gus Macdonald, David Plowright, Michael Parkinson, Gerry Robinson and Sir Denis Forman. Director David Thompson
Granada: From the North
1992
6.8From his quirky compositions for the spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone to his sublime musical contributions to director Roland Joffé's acclaimed 1986 drama The Mission, film composer Ennio Morricone has crafted more than 500 scores over the course of his enduring career in film. Now fans can take a look back at the life and career of one of cinema's most prolific composers through interviews with both the composer himself and many of his longtime collaborators. From his Italian efforts to his work in America, this documentary covers every aspect of Morricone's career as few have, offering insight into his childhood, his longtime association with Leone, and his ultimate disenchantment with the American studio system.
Ennio Morricone
1995
1980s · 2 titles
NRIn a rare television interview, Doris Day looks back over her successful acting and singing career, and recalls happy memories of working with Rock Hudson, James Cagney, Clark Gable and James Garner.
I Don't Even Like Apple Pie...
1989
NRJack the Ripper was a prince, a pauper, a mason, a madman... A host of more and more bizarre theories have surrounded the unexplained killings in Whitechapel since they hit the headlines in 1888. This film dispels the grisly fiction, revealing for the first time the true contents of the police and Home Office files on the case, drawing on the expertise of historians and of those who have encountered today's killers - on the street or behind bars.
Shadow of the Ripper
1988
Series credits
6.9Timewatch is a long-running British television series showing documentaries on historical subjects, spanning all human history. It was first broadcast on 29 September 1982 and is produced by the BBC, the Timewatch brandname is used as a banner title in the UK, but many of the individual documentaries can be found on US cable channels without the branding.
Timewatch
1982
9.0The wondrous story of the curse and craze, fame and fortune surrounding the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. Series writer and creator Christopher Frayling retraces the footsteps of the legendary archeologist Howard Carter, in search of the facts behind the legend.
The Face of Tutankhamun
1992
Probing the origins of Victorian-era tales of terror.
Nightmare! The Birth of Victorian Horror
1996

