Directing

Alan J.W. Bell

Born — Died

1937-11-14 — 2023-10-19

Place of birth

Battersea, London, England, UK

Known for

Directing

Credits

16 titles

Alan James William Bell was a British television producer and director. He was born in Battersea, London. He has produced or directed many BBC series since the early 1970s, most notably Last of the Summer Wine, Ripping Yarns and the TV adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Known for

Last of the Summer Wine: Getting Sam Home poster
8.0

Three old chums agree to take the ailing Sam on one last trip to see his flousy girl-friend, Lily Bless Her, in the middle of the night.

Last of the Summer Wine: Getting Sam Home

1983

Last of the Summer Wine: Big Day at Dream Acres poster
NR

There's a big fête approaching at Dream Acres. Compo, Clegg and Seymour happen upon a wiley transient, who persuades them to help him rescue his childhood donkey from a field. Soon, the tramp's plan of fixing the fête 'donkey derby' is revealed.

Last of the Summer Wine: Big Day at Dream Acres

1987

The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy poster
7.3

Don't Panic! The story of Arthur Dent, an average Englishman whose life was spared by his friend, who turned out to be an alien, while the planet Earth is destroyed. His friend tells him about the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a guide with anything you ever needed, and wanted to know. They travel across the galaxy, meeting friendly, and not so friendly characters in order to find the great question (the answer being 42).

The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

1981

Last Of The Summer Wine: 30 Years Of Laughs poster
NR

This new special reveals the secrets of the long-running sitcom's extraordinary success. Helped by former cast and crew members, families of the stars no longer with us, and celebrity fans, we learn the secrets of this comedy classic and get to see previously unseen interviews and rare behind-the-scenes archive footage.

Last Of The Summer Wine: 30 Years Of Laughs

2022

Golden Gordon poster
8.0

Barnestoneworth United is the worst football team of 1935, who lose every match. Gordon Ottershaw is, however, their loyal fan, determined to prevent them from being disbanded after their final game. To this end he recruits the players from the renowned winning team of 1922 who turn up to defeat rivals Denley Moor.

Golden Gordon

1979

Last of the Summer Wine: Uncle of the Bride poster
NR

In the second TV movie outing for Roy Clarke's beloved characters, Wesley and Edie's daughter Glenda is getting married to hapless Barry, and Clegg and Compo make a new friend in Edie's brother Seymour. They are soon roped in to wedding preparations, which go about as well as could be expected...

Last of the Summer Wine: Uncle of the Bride

1986

Film credits

Behind the camera

Last of the Summer Wine: Getting Sam Home poster
8.0

Three old chums agree to take the ailing Sam on one last trip to see his flousy girl-friend, Lily Bless Her, in the middle of the night.

Last of the Summer Wine: Getting Sam Home

1983

Last of the Summer Wine: Getting Sam Home poster
8.0

Three old chums agree to take the ailing Sam on one last trip to see his flousy girl-friend, Lily Bless Her, in the middle of the night.

Last of the Summer Wine: Getting Sam Home

1983

Last of the Summer Wine: Big Day at Dream Acres poster
NR

There's a big fête approaching at Dream Acres. Compo, Clegg and Seymour happen upon a wiley transient, who persuades them to help him rescue his childhood donkey from a field. Soon, the tramp's plan of fixing the fête 'donkey derby' is revealed.

Last of the Summer Wine: Big Day at Dream Acres

1987

Last of the Summer Wine: Big Day at Dream Acres poster
NR

There's a big fête approaching at Dream Acres. Compo, Clegg and Seymour happen upon a wiley transient, who persuades them to help him rescue his childhood donkey from a field. Soon, the tramp's plan of fixing the fête 'donkey derby' is revealed.

Last of the Summer Wine: Big Day at Dream Acres

1987

The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy poster
7.3

Don't Panic! The story of Arthur Dent, an average Englishman whose life was spared by his friend, who turned out to be an alien, while the planet Earth is destroyed. His friend tells him about the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a guide with anything you ever needed, and wanted to know. They travel across the galaxy, meeting friendly, and not so friendly characters in order to find the great question (the answer being 42).

The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

1981

Golden Gordon poster
8.0

Barnestoneworth United is the worst football team of 1935, who lose every match. Gordon Ottershaw is, however, their loyal fan, determined to prevent them from being disbanded after their final game. To this end he recruits the players from the renowned winning team of 1922 who turn up to defeat rivals Denley Moor.

Golden Gordon

1979

Last of the Summer Wine: Uncle of the Bride poster
NR

In the second TV movie outing for Roy Clarke's beloved characters, Wesley and Edie's daughter Glenda is getting married to hapless Barry, and Clegg and Compo make a new friend in Edie's brother Seymour. They are soon roped in to wedding preparations, which go about as well as could be expected...

Last of the Summer Wine: Uncle of the Bride

1986

Last of the Summer Wine: Uncle of the Bride poster
NR

In the second TV movie outing for Roy Clarke's beloved characters, Wesley and Edie's daughter Glenda is getting married to hapless Barry, and Clegg and Compo make a new friend in Edie's brother Seymour. They are soon roped in to wedding preparations, which go about as well as could be expected...

Last of the Summer Wine: Uncle of the Bride

1986

The Best of Spike Milligan poster
NR

Widely regarded as the greatest post-war British comedian, Spike Milligan transitioned from the groundbreaking radio comedy The Goons to television without losing any of his anarchic, surreal humor. His series Q (1968–1980) and There’s A Lot Of It About (1982) shattered comedy conventions with sketch after sketch of absurd brilliance. This compilation features classic moments like The Eurovision Joke Contest, Spike as a singing Viking maiden, and insects auditioning for a David Attenborough documentary. Interwoven with these are unique interstitials featuring Bruce Hammal at Milligan’s home—but in true Spike fashion, the interviews become sketches themselves, complete with his long-suffering comedy butler, Piles. This release is a slightly re-edited, repackaged version of the 1995 BBC VHS Spike Milligan: One Man and His Ideas.

The Best of Spike Milligan

2004

The Best of Spike Milligan poster
NR

Widely regarded as the greatest post-war British comedian, Spike Milligan transitioned from the groundbreaking radio comedy The Goons to television without losing any of his anarchic, surreal humor. His series Q (1968–1980) and There’s A Lot Of It About (1982) shattered comedy conventions with sketch after sketch of absurd brilliance. This compilation features classic moments like The Eurovision Joke Contest, Spike as a singing Viking maiden, and insects auditioning for a David Attenborough documentary. Interwoven with these are unique interstitials featuring Bruce Hammal at Milligan’s home—but in true Spike fashion, the interviews become sketches themselves, complete with his long-suffering comedy butler, Piles. This release is a slightly re-edited, repackaged version of the 1995 BBC VHS Spike Milligan: One Man and His Ideas.

The Best of Spike Milligan

2004

Lost for Words poster
6.5

Deric Longden and his wife, Aileen, come to terms with the fact that his mother, Annie, is getting too old to live on her own. Annie suffers her first stroke and a nursing home is the obvious solution, but which one and where?

Lost for Words

1999

No artwork available
NR

Christmas pantomime presentation of Aladdin, starring the cast of Crackerjack

Aladdin

1974

Gaskin poster
5.0

Drama based on the case history of a Liverpool boy, Graham Gaskin, who spent most of his youth in care. Graham Gaskin says it is not just his story - 'It's all the other little Gaskins we never hear about... and it ain't history. It's now!'

Gaskin

1983

Whinfrey's Last Case poster
9.5

In 1913 the British government, hearing that the Germans are planning World War I, ask top agent Whinfrey to intervene, but instead he decides to go on holiday to Cornish fishing village Torpoint. Here he believes he has stumbled upon a smuggling ring, but in fact they are Germans who are masquerading as locals in an advance invasion party. The British arrive and arrest them, believing that Whinfrey deliberately planned everything - though it is apparent that he did not.

Whinfrey's Last Case

1979

Peter Cushing: A One Way Ticket to Hollywood poster
9.5

An interview with Legendary Actor Peter Cushing and clips from some of his best films.

Peter Cushing: A One Way Ticket to Hollywood

1989