Tony Benn

Acting

Tony Benn

Born — Died

1925-04-03 — 2014-03-14

Place of birth

Marylebone, London, England, UK

Known for

Acting

Credits

77 titles

Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn was a British politician, writer, and diarist. He was a Member of Parliament for 47 years between the 1950 and 2001 general elections and a Cabinet minister in the Labour governments of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan in the 1960s and 1970s.

Known for

Film credits

2010s · 16 titles

Laissez-faire poster
10.0

A historical perspective to understand Neoliberalism and to understand why this ideology today so profoundly influences the choices of our governments and our lives.

Laissez-faire

2015

The Spirit of '45 poster
6.1

In an age marked both by austerity and post-war optimism, the Labour Party (1945–1951) creates the welfare state, nationalises many business sectors and creates a fairer society for all. However, as Margaret Thatcher rises to power in 1979, virtually all of Clement Attlee's innovations are dismantled by successive governments.

The Spirit of '45

2013

London: The Modern Babylon poster
6.4

London: The Modern Babylon is legendary director Julien Temple's epic time-traveling voyage to the heart of his hometown.

London: The Modern Babylon

2012

We Are Many poster
6.7

The story of the biggest demonstration in human history, which took place on 15th February 2003, against the impending war on Iraq.

We Are Many

2014

Unlawful Killing poster
5.4

A documentary about the allegedly conspiratorial killing of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed.

Unlawful Killing

2011

Creating Freedom: The Lottery of Birth poster
7.2

THE LOTTERY OF BIRTH is the first in a three-part documentary series entitled 'Creating Freedom' exploring the relationship between freedom, power and control in Western democracies. The series draws together interviews with some of the world's leading intellectuals, journalists and activists to offer an alternative perspective on today's society and the future we're creating. We do not choose to exist, or the environment we grow up in. Our starting point in life is one of passive reliance on forces over which we have no control. THE LOTTERY OF BIRTH shows that from birth onwards our minds are a battleground of competing forces: familial, educational, cultural, and professional. The outcome of this battle not only determines who we become, but the society that we create.

Creating Freedom: The Lottery of Birth

2013

13 Hours That Saved Britain poster
6.3

In this documentary, experts dissect the Battle of Britain, which took place on Sept. 15, 1940 — a day that determined the fate of the nation.

13 Hours That Saved Britain

2011

Tony Benn: Labour's Lost Leader poster
NR

Obituary film of the lifelong Labour politician, Tony Benn, who was an MP for over 50 years. Born the son of a viscount, Benn was elected Labour MP for Bristol South East at the age of 25, and in his political career became a champion of the working class.

Tony Benn: Labour's Lost Leader

2014

Ethos poster
6.9

Hosted by twice Oscar nominated actor and activist Woody Harrelson, Ethos lifts the lid on a Pandora's box of systemic issues that guarantee failure in almost every aspect of our lives; from the environment to democracy and our own personal liberty: From terrifying conflicts of interests in politics to unregulated corporate power, to a media in the hands of massive conglomerates, and a military industrial complex that virtually owns our representatives. With interviews from some of todays leading thinkers and source material from the finest documentary film makers of our times Ethos examines and unravels these complex relationships, and offers a solution, a simple but powerful way for you to change this system!

Ethos

2011

The Atom: A Love Affair poster
6.4

With a wealth of fantastic archive footage and a series of revealing interviews with those who had first-hand experience, filmmaker Vicki Lesley tells the turbulent story of the West’s love-hate relationship with a nuclear power over the past seventy years. Capturing both the tantalising promise and the repeated disappointments of this singular technology, the film reveals how the post-war, romantic fantasy of an Atom-powered future developed into the stormy, on-off relationship still playing out today. A tale of scientific passion and political intrigue all wrapped up in the packaging of a sentimental screen melodrama.

The Atom: A Love Affair

2019

Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady poster
6.6

Margaret Thatcher - The Iron Lady is the first major documentary to look back on the development and impact of this remarkable woman, whom commentators of both the political left and right agree changed the face of 20th Century politics forever. Featuring many excerpts from her powerful speeches and insightful contributions from her political supporters and detractors, a portrait emerges of a woman whose strength of conviction eventually becomes the weakness of intransigence.

Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady

2012

Truly Miss Marple: The Curious Case of Margaret Rutherford poster
6.4

The true life story of Margaret Rutherford (1892-1972) is in fact much more eccentric than the most famous fictional role she ever played: Miss Jane Marple, Agatha Christie's amateur sleuth. Rutherford's version was the very first appearance of Miss Marple on the big screen and it was far removed though from the petite, upper middle-class lady in the detective novels.

Truly Miss Marple: The Curious Case of Margaret Rutherford

2012

Margaret Thatcher: The Woman Who Changed Britain poster
NR

Margaret Thatcher arrived in power and Britain changed forever. Her policies polarised the nation and the mention of her name still provokes feelings of both admiration and anger. This hour-long ITV special, presented by Alastair Stewart, looks at Baroness Thatcher's impact on Britain and the world before and during her time in Number 10 and the decades that followed.

Margaret Thatcher: The Woman Who Changed Britain

2013

No artwork available
6.0

Tony Benn (87), the longest serving Labour MP in history, looks back over his life and career.

Tony Benn: Will and Testament

2014

Entertaining the Troops poster
NR

Documentary telling the story of the ENSA performers who kept up the troops' morale during World War II, with contributions from Dame Vera Lynn, Eric Sykes and Tony Benn.

Entertaining the Troops

2011

Heath vs Wilson: The 10-Year Duel poster
NR

Harold Wilson and Edward Heath are two very different men equally overlooked by history, but they were the political titans of the era in which Britain changed for ever. For ten years they faced each other in the House of Commons, and swapped in and out of Number Ten. They fought four general elections, three of which were amongst the most exciting of the century.

Heath vs Wilson: The 10-Year Duel

2011

2000s · 8 titles

Sicko poster
7.4

A documentary about the corrupt health care system in The United States whose main goal is to make profit even if it means losing people’s lives. "The more people you deny health insurance, the more money we make" is the business model for health care providers in America.

Sicko

2007

No artwork available
NR

In a programme broadcast 70 years to the day after the outbreak of WWII, people who were alive at the time speak of their memories.

Outbreak 1939: When War Broke Out

2009

No artwork available
NR

Twenty years ago, Britain went to war - with itself. In March 1984, Mrs Thatcher's government announced plans to close 20 coal mines, with the loss of 20,000 jobs. The Miners' leader, Arthur Scargill, led his workers out on strike. What followed was the ultimate left verses right showdown, a colossal battle for the political heart of a nation, with an epoch-making, era-defining moment of social significance unparalleled since World War II. This feature length documentary tells the story of the year-long struggle that split friends, families and the country apart, led to shocking scenes of violence, and made many fear that George Orwell's nightmare vision of a police state was becoming a reality. After this war, Britain would never be the same again.

Strike: When Britain Went to War

2003

Trust Me - I'm a Politician poster
NR

Last December's "Cheriegate" affair did little to abate the rampant public cynicism reserved for politicians - a mistrust evidenced in the turnout at the 2001 general election, which was the lowest for more than 80 years. In this documentary, Michael Cockerell talks to figures including Edwina Currie, Max Clifford, Geoffrey Robinson and Neil Hamilton in an effort to see if spin, sleaze and ministerial failure is to blame, or whether the media's sneering political coverage is most at fault.

Trust Me - I'm a Politician

2003

Cabinet Confidential poster
NR

A revealing one-off documentary that provides an inside view of how Tony Blair and former prime ministers - including Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher and John Major - have run their cabinet, the highest decision-making body in the land. Through candid interviews, rare archive footage and filming inside No 10, presenter Michael Cockerell opens the door to the Government's own chamber of secrets as he seeks the answer to the question: is the notion of cabinet government an obsolete concept?

Cabinet Confidential

2001

Missing Presumed Wiped poster
8.5

Documentary about the lost episodes of Dad's Army (1968) and their recovery and restoration.

Missing Presumed Wiped

2001

The Battle of Orgreave poster
9.0

Intercuts dramatic photographic stills from the clashes in 1984 with footage of the clashes re-enacted in 2001, together with moving and powerful testimonies, to tease out the complexities of this bitter struggle.

The Battle of Orgreave

2002

Taking Liberties poster
6.1

Taking Liberties Since 1997is a documentary film about the erosion of civil liberties in the United Kingdom and increase of surveillance under the government of Tony Blair. It was released in the UK on 8th June 2007. The director, Chris Atkins, said on 1 May that he wanted to expose "the Orwellian state" that now threatened Britain as a result of Mr Blair's policies.

Taking Liberties

2007

1990s · 7 titles

Paul Robeson: Here I Stand poster
8.0

Paul Robeson: Here I Stand presents the life and achievements of an extraordinary man. Athlete, singer, and scholar, Robeson was also a charismatic champion of the rights of the poor working man, the disfranchised and people of color. He led a life in the vanguard of many movements, achieved international acclaim for his music and suffered tremendous personal sacrifice. His story is one of the great dramas of the 20th century, spanning an international canvas of social upheaval and ideological controversy.

Paul Robeson: Here I Stand

1999

Anyone for Pennis? poster
NR

Celebrities beware, Dennis Pennis is on the loose and getting right in your face. Dennis holds nothing back, daring to ask the question no other interviewer would.

Anyone for Pennis?

1995

Harold Wilson: A Life poster
NR

BBC obituary documentary written and presented by Anthony Howard. Broadcast on the day of the death of Harold Wilson, May 24th 1995.

Harold Wilson: A Life

1995

Odd Man Out: A Film Portrait of Enoch Powell poster
7.0

A film portrait of Former Conservative and Unionist Party Politician, Enoch Powell.

Odd Man Out: A Film Portrait of Enoch Powell

1995

No artwork available
NR

To celebrate the 700th anniversary of Parliment, Tony Benn has been taking his video camera around the Palace of Westminster. He films some of the people who work behind the scenes and visits places the public never see.

Westminster: Behind Closed Doors with Tony Benn

1995

How to Be Prime Minister poster
NR

It begins with cheers but almost always ends in tears. Yet, as the election looms, competition for the top job grows ever more intense. Why? The hours are terrible, money so-so, job security non-existent. On the plus side, there's free accommodation in central London and probably more power over your country than any other leader in the western world. With the help of the present and previous incumbents, Michael Cockerell offers the first "how to" guide to the job of prime minister.

How to Be Prime Minister

1996

The Scar poster
7.0

Like many women active during the miners' strike, May Murton (Charlie Hardwick) has been left to clean up the mess. The closure of the pit, a failed marriage and the community’s disintegration have shattered both her personal and political beliefs. Her teenage children (Darren Bell and Katja Roberts) are out of control. Her estranged husband (Brian Hogg) has taken up residence in the allotments. At a dance, the night before the Durham Miners’ Gala, May meets Roy Cotton (Bill Speed) the recently arrived manager of an open cast mine.

The Scar

1997

1980s · 5 titles

Series credits

Panorama poster
6.3

Current affairs programme, featuring interviews and investigative reports on a wide variety of subjects.

Panorama

1953

Arena poster
7.2

Arena is a British television documentary series, made and broadcast by the BBC. Voted by leading TV executives in Broadcast as one of the top 50 most influential programmes of all time, it has run since 1 October 1975 with over five hundred episodes made, directed by the likes of Martin Scorsese, Alan Yentob, Roly Keating, Frederick Baker, Volker Schlondorff and Vikram Jayanti. Arena's subjects are a roll-call of the world's best known cultural figures from the 20th and 21st centuries, from singers Bob Dylan and Amy Winehouse to academics Edward Said and Eric Hobsbawm, from writers Jean Genet and V S Naipaul to artists Francis Bacon and Louise Bourgeois. The current series editor is Anthony Wall.

Arena

1975

Horizon poster
7.5

Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you've never seen before.

Horizon

1964

Newsnight poster
6.0

A daily BBC Television current affairs programme which specialises in analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians.

Newsnight

1980

Wogan poster
5.6

Chat show hosted by Terry Wogan, featuring live studio interviews with famous and notable personalities.

Wogan

1982

Democracy Now! poster
6.9

A United States daily progressive, nonprofit, independently syndicated program of news, analysis, and opinion.

Democracy Now!

2001

GMTV poster
5.8

GMTV is the name of the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end. The final edition of GMTV was broadcast on 3 September 2010.

GMTV

1993

Question Time poster
5.9

This topical debate series based on Any Questions? typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer pre-selected questions put to them by a carefully selected audience.

Question Time

1979

American Masters poster
7.0

American Masters is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and others who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the United States.

American Masters

1986

World in Action poster
7.0

World in Action was Granada Television’s flagship ITV current affairs series, running from 7 Jan 1963 to 7 Dec 1998, and built a reputation for film-led investigative reporting and a forceful editorial stance. Its journalism produced major public and political repercussions—including investigations associated with miscarriages of justice such as the Birmingham Six—and it also served as a platform for landmark documentary projects, including the first broadcast of “Seven Up!” as part of the strand in 1964.

World in Action

1963

Later... with Jools Holland poster
5.9

Later... with Jools Holland is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jools Holland.

Later... with Jools Holland

1992

Timeshift poster
7.0

Documentary series which ranges widely over Britain's social and cultural history, its narrative-led storytelling offering a richly immersive and varied window onto the past.

Timeshift

2002

Timeshift poster
7.0

Documentary series which ranges widely over Britain's social and cultural history, its narrative-led storytelling offering a richly immersive and varied window onto the past.

Timeshift

2002

Timeshift poster
7.0

Documentary series which ranges widely over Britain's social and cultural history, its narrative-led storytelling offering a richly immersive and varied window onto the past.

Timeshift

2002

This Week poster
7.0

Andrew Neil, Michael Portillo and friends with late night political chat.

This Week

2003

HARDtalk poster
8.7

In-depth interviews with hard-hitting questions and sensitive topics being covered as famous personalities from all walks of life talk about the highs and lows in their lives.

HARDtalk

1997

Timewatch poster
6.9

Timewatch 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

No artwork available
6.0

Open Air was BBC1's flagship programme for their new daytime service which began on 27 October 1986. It discussed all aspects of television and also tried to answer any questions which viewers had.

Open Air

1986

No artwork available
8.0

Daily Politics is a British television show launched by the BBC in 2003 and presented by Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn. The programme takes an in-depth look at the daily goings on in Westminster and other areas across Britain and the world, and includes interviews with leading politicians and political commentators.

Daily Politics

2003

No artwork available
7.5

How We Used to Live is a British educational historical television drama written by Freda Kelsall and sometimes narrated by Redvers Kyle and John Crosse, both employed as continuity announcers at Yorkshire Television at the time of production. Production began in 1968 at the YTV studios in Leeds. The series traced the lives and fortunes of various fictional Yorkshire families from the Victorian era until the 1960s, in and around the fictional town of Bradley, using self-contained short dramas interspersed with archive footage.

How We Used To Live

1968

Friday Night, Saturday Morning poster
7.5

Friday Night, Saturday Morning was a television chat show with a revolving guest host. It ran on BBC2 from 28 September 1979 to 2 April 1982, broadcast live from the Greenwood Theatre, a part of Guy's Hospital. It was most notable for being the only television show to be hosted by a former British Prime Minister and for an argument about the blasphemy claims surrounding the movie Monty Python's Life of Brian. The programme was the idea of Iain Johnstone and Will Wyatt, who insisted on a changing presenter every fortnight. Another innovation was that the presenters chose the guests they were to interview.

Friday Night, Saturday Morning

1979

One Pair of Eyes poster
7.0

A monthly series of highly personal documentary films in which individuals are given a platform to discuss issues close to their heart.

One Pair of Eyes

1967

Weekend World poster
NR

Weekend World was a British television political series, made by London Weekend Television and broadcast from 1972 to 1988. Created by John Birt not long after he moved to LWT, the series was broadcast on the ITV network at lunchtimes on Sundays. Produced by Nick Elliott and David Elstein, it began by mirroring CBS's "60 Minutes" featuring several stories each week but gradually devolved into a show that featured a forensic interview with a major political figure each week. It was presented by Peter Jay initially when first broadcast in 1972, but was best-remembered for being anchored by former Labour MP Brian Walden between 1977 and 1986. Conservative MP Matthew Parris took over in 1986, resigning his seat, and presented the programme until the series ended in 1988.

Weekend World

1972

The 60s: The Beatles Decade poster
NR

When people are asked to think about the 1960s, they automatically think love, peace and...The Beatles. Over the decade, the Fab Four changed from cheeky pop mop-heads to blissed-out experimentalists, and this transformation mirrored the country as a whole. This five-part documentary series looks at how the world's most famous pop group personified one of the most explosive and volatile decades of the 20th century. Although the 60s generation had it all, a changing political landscape and changing attitudes to sex and relationships were dragging Britain into a new age. By the end of the decade, The Beatles had split up, proving that the band's personalities and their music had become true symbols of an iconic decade.

The 60s: The Beatles Decade

2008

No artwork available
NR

Open Space was a programme produced by the BBC's Community Programme Unit. It was an evolution of the earlier Open Door series of programmes allowing minority points of view to make a television programme about issues of concern to them. The programmes were transmitted on BBC 2 in a mid-evening slot and would attract audiences between 500,000 and 1,500,000. In a typical year there would be two or three groups of up to eight Open Space programmes each usually half an hour long. A producer, an assistant and a budget of up to £25,000 would be allocated to each programme.

Open Space

1983

No artwork available
7.0

The Late Edition was a British television programme broadcast on BBC Four. It took the form of a topical chat show in the vein of The Daily Show, presented by comedian Marcus Brigstocke. Each episode typically features comical news commentary from Brigstocke, satirical interviews with fictional political figures played by Steve Furst, 'Andre Vincent investigates' and two "real" interviews. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, Brigstocke performed a special version of the show at the Edinburgh Fringe called The Early Edition with Andre Vincent.

The Late Edition

2005

No artwork available
10.0

This Week was a weekly current affairs series first produced for ITV in January 1956 by Associated-Rediffusion, running until 1978, when it was replaced by TV Eye. In 1986, the earlier name was revived and This Week continued until Thames lost its franchise at the end of 1992.

This Week

—

No artwork available
NR

British current affairs series with Dermot Murnaghan tackling a different issue at home or abroad each week.

The Big Story

1993

The Book Show poster
NR

Three people -- generally authors but also agents and publishers -- talk about their work as well as the hot topics of the day.

The Book Show

2006

The Money Programme poster
8.0

Britain's most popular financial and business programme.

The Money Programme

1966

No artwork available
NR

After Dark was a British late night live discussion programme broadcast on Channel 4 television between 1987 and 1997, and on the BBC in 2003. Inspired by an Austrian programme called Club 2, Roly Keating of the BBC described it as "one of the great television talk formats of all time". In 2010 the television trade magazine Broadcast wrote "After Dark defined the first 10 years of Channel 4, just as Big Brother did for the second".

After Dark

1987

No artwork available
NR

Channel 4 evening current affairs series looking at contemporary UK issues.

30 Minutes

2004

The Week We Went To War poster
5.0

Katherine Jenkins and Michael Aspel celebrate the heroes of the Home Front.

The Week We Went To War

2009

Thatcher: The Downing Street Years poster
10.0

A history of the eleven years which Thatcher spent as Prime Minister of the UK.

Thatcher: The Downing Street Years

1993

No artwork available
NR

Four-part series demonstrating different kinds of censorship, such as censorship by the government or of art.

Banned in the UK

2005

Late Night Line-Up poster
6.7

Late Night Line-Up was a pioneering British television discussion programme broadcast on BBC2 between 1964 and 1972. Late Night Line-Up returned for a special one-off edition on BBC Parliament in 2008.

Late Night Line-Up

1964

The Mark Steel Lectures poster
7.5

The Mark Steel Lectures are a series of radio and television programmes. Written and delivered by Mark Steel, each scripted lecture presents arguments for the importance of a historical figure. The lectures were originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 over three series between 1999 and 2002. Many of the arguments were illustrated by miniature sketches. These sketches featured Mark Steel, Martin Hyder, Mel Hudson, Carla Mendonça, Femi Elufowoju Junior and Debbie Isitt. The first series was subtitled "A series of lectures about Englishmen who changed the course of history", with the remaining two changing this to "A series of lectures about people with a passion". The first series was produced by Phil Clark; the others by Lucy Armitage. The lecture on Ludwig van Beethoven was nominated for a Sony Radio Comedy Award. The programme transferred to television in 2003, with an Open University series on BBC Four, which was later repeated on BBC Two. This variously featured: ⁕Gerard Logan as Lord Byron ⁕Martin Hyder as Isaac Newton, Sigmund Freud, Aristotle, Che Guevara, Oliver Cromwell, Ludwig van Beethoven and Charles Darwin ⁕Ainsley Harriott as Robert Boyle ⁕Linda Smith as Martha Freud

The Mark Steel Lectures

2003

No artwork available
NR

Three 1-hour films exploring British folk music from the rebirth of English romance to the latter day revival.

Folk Britannia

2006

No artwork available
6.7

Clive Anderson mixes comedy and his legal training to conduct a series of irreverent interviews with various guests. Also included is a satirical look at topical events.

Clive Anderson Talks Back

1989

The Wilderness Years poster
NR

Documentary showing the many travails of the UK Labour Party during its long period in opposition from 1979 and through the 1980s and 1990s.

The Wilderness Years

1995