Isla Blair

Acting

Isla Blair

Born

1944-09-29 (82)

Place of birth

Bangalore, India

Known for

Acting

Credits

76 titles

Isla Blair (born 29 September 1944) is an India-born actress of British descent. She made her first stage appearance in 1963 as Philia in the London debut of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and her first credited film appearance in the 1965 horror film Dr. Terror's House of Horrors.

Known for

Midsomer Murders poster
7.5

The peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty.

Midsomer Murders

1997

Doctor Who poster
7.9

The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs.

Doctor Who

1963

Father Brown poster
7.7

Father Brown is based on G. K. Chesterton's detective stories about a Catholic priest who doubles as an amateur detective in order to try and solve mysteries.

Father Brown

2013

The Avengers poster
7.8

A quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners. Jonathan Steed - an urbane, proper gentleman spy - teams with various assistants throughout the series' run, including Dr. David Keel, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King, to repeatedly save the world from diabolical schemes plotted by equally diabolical evil-doers (among them robots and man-eating monsters).

The Avengers

1961

The Saint poster
7.4

Simon Templar is The Saint, a handsome, sophisticated, debonair, modern-day Robin Hood who recovers ill-gotten wealth and redistributes it to those in need.

The Saint

1962

Heartbeat poster
7.1

Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines.

Heartbeat

1992

Film credits

2010s · 3 titles

2000s · 4 titles

AfterLife poster
5.5

High-flying journalist Kenny Brogan (Kevin McKidd) is working on the story that could make his career when he is told his mother is terminally ill. With his father no longer in the picture, this means that the responsibility for looking after his Down's Syndrome sister Roberta (Paula Sage) falls to him. Conflicted by career aspirations and the difficulties in caring for his sister, Kenny at first begins to resent Roberta, until he realizes just how much she means to him.

AfterLife

2003

Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War poster
7.5

After her husband's death, A woman starts looking for independence.

Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War

2002

Most Shocking Celebrity Moments of the 80s poster
7.0

Looking back to the 1980's at the celebrities in the press and on television for all the wrong reasons doing all the wrong things. It doesn't matter whether what they did was embarrassing, stupid, ridiculous, career ruining (or sometimes boosting), dangerous or illegal, they were all caught and filmed or photographed, and we will never forget them. Narrated by Isla Blair, with contributions by Simon Donald, Russell Grant, Christine Hamilton, Lauren Harries (also as James Harries), James King, and Michael Winner. These moments included It's a Royal Knockout, Rob Lowe's sex tape, Boy George's heroin problems, Drew Barrymore's childhood meltdown (including taking drugs at a very young age), the many mistakes at The Brits 1989 and many more. Good!

Most Shocking Celebrity Moments of the 80s

2007

The Quatermass Experiment poster
5.6

Bernard Quatermass heads the futuristic Experimental Rocket Group whose greatest voyage is coming to an end, but after a dramatic crash landing Victor Carroon begins to metamorphose into a strange, deadly alien, setting off a race against time to save humanity.

The Quatermass Experiment

2005

1990s · 7 titles

Treasure Island poster
6.7

Young Jim Hawkins, while running the Benbow Inn with his mother, meets Captain Billy Bones, who dies at the inn while it is beseiged by buccaneers led by Blind Pew. Jim and his mother fight off the attackers and discover Billy Bones' treasure map for which the buccaneers had come. Jim agrees to sail on the S.S. Hispaniola with Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesey to find the treasure on a mysterious island. Upon arriving at the island, ship's cook and scallywag Long John Silver leads a mutiny of crew members who want the treasure for themselves. Jim helps the Squire and Hispaniola officers to survive the mutiny and fight back against Silver's men, who have taken over the ship.

Treasure Island

1990

The Match poster
6.0

Romantic comedy set against the story of a grudge football match between two pubs. The prize for the winner of the centenary match is the the closure of their opponent's bar. The Match was mainly filmed around Straiton in Ayrshire.

The Match

1999

The Greatest Store in the World poster
5.6

Geraldine and her two daughters, Livvie and Angeline, are living rough on the streets on London. When their van blows up, they must find an alternative place to stay. At first, they live in temporary housing, but the conditions are unbearable. Geraldine reacts quickly and the family decides to take up residence in Scottley's, the best department store in London. They must keep it a secret from doorman Brian (whom the girls call Mr. Whiskers), and a couple of bumbling thieves who want to rob the store safe of its jewels.

The Greatest Store in the World

1999

In Your Dreams poster
6.5

The second of three contemporary stories showing in the Love Bites 1997 season. Clare accuses fellow-student Jamie of raping her after their first date. Three months later they face each other in court.

In Your Dreams

1997

The Office poster
NR

Middle manager Norman is preparing an address to senior management. When an interview with his new boss leads to an awful misunderstanding, Norman finds himself naked in the wrong office with minutes to go until his presentation.

The Office

1996

The Monk poster
3.2

In Madrid at the time of the Inquisition, the monk Ambrosio is renowned for his faith and his strength of will, a saint in the eyes of the populace. But when he discovers the beautiful Matilda hidden in his own monastery, all his repressed passions begin to show themselves, and he is soon using the girl, and her powers, in his lust for more innocent prey.

The Monk

1990

No artwork available
3.8

Richard Bennett's business fails and he discovers that his wife, Deborah, is having an affair, his whole world comes crashing down. Richard apparently has a vision from God; from then on Richard's power grows and he starts to think of himself as God.

Heaven on Earth

1998

1980s · 10 titles

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade poster
7.9

In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that a medieval historian has vanished while searching for it, and the missing man is his own father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr.. He sets out to rescue his father by following clues in the old man's notebook, which his father had mailed to him before he went missing. Indy arrives in Venice, where he enlists the help of a beautiful academic, Dr. Elsa Schneider, along with Marcus Brody and Sallah. Together they must stop the Nazis from recovering the power of eternal life and taking over the world!

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

1989

Valmont poster
6.7

Set in Baroque France, a scheming widow and her lover make a bet regarding the corruption of a recently married woman. The lover, Valmont, bets that he can seduce her, even though she is an honorable woman. If he wins, he can have his lover to do as he will. However, in the process of seducing the married woman, Valmont falls in love.

Valmont

1989

Real Life poster
7.0

A comedy about a dreamer whose Walter Mitty-like fantasies turn his world of make-believe into a world of trouble.

Real Life

1984

Blake's 7: Duel poster
NR

Supreme Commander Servalan assigns the task to the deadly Travis-his orders simply to seek, locate and destroy Blake's 7! Travis and his Mutoid crew clash with Blake in a crucial struggle over the Federation's secret cypher machine and again in desperate hand-to-hand combat on a mysterious dead planet. Finally, they confront each other on a barren ice world as Blake attempts to rescue the resistance leader, Avalon. This time, however, Travis is expecting him, and a terrible trap awaits. . .

Blake's 7: Duel

1986

No artwork available
7.0

He is a respectable pillar of London society who yearns for an idyllic existence away from the noise and the smoke. She feels hemmed in by the confines of an isolated fishing village and dreams of the bright lights, and even brighter people, of the great metropolis. On a hot August day in 1883, Clement Scott, the writer, and Louie Jermy, the miller's daughter, meet each other for the first time.

Poppyland

1985

No artwork available
NR

Because of her cheating husband, Elizabeth elicits patronizing "pity" from her so-called friends, but they (and he) don't suspect her plans.

Off Peak

1985

Doctor Who: The King's Demons poster
4.3

The Doctor and his companions arrive at a medieval joust and are surprised to be greeted warmly by King John, who calls them his demons. But when a young nobleman returns, having just left King John in London, the Doctor realises that this king must be an impostor! Then the Master makes an appearance and the Doctor's worst fears are confirmed...

Doctor Who: The King's Demons

1983

Alien Attack poster
6.5

Earth's Moon is the site of Moonbase Alpha, a scientific research colony nestled in the crater Plato. Staffed by over 300 men and women from Earth, it is the operations center for several space expeditions. It is also a watchdog for vast amounts of atomic waste from Earth stored in silos on the Moon's far side. Magnetic radiation builds up and causes the wastes to explode with such force that the Earth's centripetal pull on the Moon is overcome, and the Moon is broken free of Earth's orbit to drift at incredible speed out of the Solar System off the plane of the ecliptic. The survivors on Moonbase Alpha are unable to return to Earth and must survive in unknown space on their wandering Moon. They encounter a planet whose advanced people project an illusion of a devastating attack on Moonbase. This TV movie was edited from scenes of two episodes ("Breakaway" and "War Games") of "Space: 1999" (1975).

Alien Attack

1980

Tennis Court poster
9.0

Maggie and Harry Dowl arrive in England to inspect a house left to Maggie. The house has a dilapidated tennis court, but this seems to have some force which takes over the daughter of the local holy man, as well as causing tennis balls to gush blood and kill people with animated nets.

Tennis Court

1984

The Beggar's Opera poster
5.5

A historical adaptation of John Gay's 18th Century ballad opera, exuberantly performed for BBC television.

The Beggar's Opera

1983

1970s · 4 titles

1960s · 5 titles

Series credits

Midsomer Murders poster
7.5

The peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty.

Midsomer Murders

1997

Doctor Who poster
7.9

The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs.

Doctor Who

1963

Father Brown poster
7.7

Father Brown is based on G. K. Chesterton's detective stories about a Catholic priest who doubles as an amateur detective in order to try and solve mysteries.

Father Brown

2013

The Avengers poster
7.8

A quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners. Jonathan Steed - an urbane, proper gentleman spy - teams with various assistants throughout the series' run, including Dr. David Keel, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King, to repeatedly save the world from diabolical schemes plotted by equally diabolical evil-doers (among them robots and man-eating monsters).

The Avengers

1961

The Saint poster
7.4

Simon Templar is The Saint, a handsome, sophisticated, debonair, modern-day Robin Hood who recovers ill-gotten wealth and redistributes it to those in need.

The Saint

1962

Heartbeat poster
7.1

Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines.

Heartbeat

1992

A Touch of Frost poster
7.6

Jack Frost is a gritty, dogged and unconventional detective with sympathy for the underdog and an instinct for moral justice who attracts trouble like a magnet. Despite some animosity with his superintendent, Norman “Horn-rimmed Harry” Mullett, Frost and his ever-changing roster of assistants manage to solve cases via his clever mind, good heart, and cool touch.

A Touch of Frost

1992

New Tricks poster
7.3

New Tricks is a British comedy-drama that follows the work of the fictional Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad of the Metropolitan Police Service. Originally led by Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman, it is made up of retired police officers who have been recruited to reinvestigate unsolved crimes.

New Tricks

2004

No artwork available
4.1

Pebble Mill was a re-launched version of the 1970s daily chat show Pebble Mill (also known as Pebble Mill At One for a while) which aired on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. The series premiered on October 14, 1991. The show was a mixture of celebrity guests and music. Alan Titchmarsh was a presenter on the show throughout it's complete run. Other presenters included Judi Spiers, Gloria Hunniford and Ross King.

Pebble Mill

1991

Grantchester poster
7.3

In 1953 at the hamlet of Grantchester, Sidney Chambers—a charismatic, charming clergyman—turns investigative vicar when one of his parishioners dies in suspicious circumstances.

Grantchester

2014

Inspector Morse poster
7.9

Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis, as well as a large cast of notable actors and actresses.

Inspector Morse

1987

Taggart poster
6.6

Taggart is a Scottish detective television program. The series revolves around a group of detectives initially in the Maryhill CID of Strathclyde Police, though various storylines have happened in other parts of the Greater Glasgow area, and as of the most recent series the team have operated out of the fictional John Street police station across the street from the City Chambers.

Taggart

1983

Space: 1999 poster
7.1

The crew of Moonbase Alpha must struggle to survive when a massive explosion throws the Moon from orbit into deep space.

Space: 1999

1975

Space: 1999 poster
7.1

The crew of Moonbase Alpha must struggle to survive when a massive explosion throws the Moon from orbit into deep space.

Space: 1999

1975

Law & Order: UK poster
7.0

Adapted from the hit US series, Law & Order: UK follows a team of police detectives and prosecutors representing the public interest in the criminal justice system.

Law & Order: UK

2009

Blake's 7 poster
7.3

A group of convicts and outcasts fight a guerrilla war against the totalitarian Terran Federation from a highly advanced alien spaceship.

Blake's 7

1978

BBC2 Play of the Week poster
7.0

An anthology of plays and novels adapted into feature length TV movies, broadcast on BBC2 from September 1977 to April 1979.

BBC2 Play of the Week

1977

Dixon of Dock Green poster
6.0

Dixon of Dock Green was a BBC television series following the activities of police officers at a fictional Metropolitan Police station in the East End of London from 1955 to 1976. Some episodes were later remade as a BBC radio series in 2005 and 2006.

Dixon of Dock Green

1955

No artwork available
NR

A weekly TV comedy series of a British household with Dickie Henderson as the head of the family. Every week would feature a guest star. Most episodes of this series are believed to be lost.

The Dickie Henderson Show

1960

Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense poster
6.5

A short-lived anthology television series from Hammer Studios. Though similar in format to the 1980 series Hammer House of Horror, the Mystery and Suspense series had feature-length episodes, usually running around 70 minutes without commercials. Co-produced by Hammer Studios with 20th Century Fox Television, it is known in the United States as Fox Mystery Theater. Unlike 1980's Hammer House of Horror, all episodes feature American actors as either the leads or in key roles. It first broadcast in the UK on ITV in 1984, though was not simulcast and was shown in different timeslots throughout the various regions.

Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense

1984

Department S poster
5.5

Department S is a United Kingdom spy-fi adventure series produced by ITC Entertainment. The series consists of 28 episodes which originally aired in 1969–1970. It starred Peter Wyngarde as author Jason King, Joel Fabiani as Stewart Sullivan, and Rosemary Nicols as computer expert Annabelle Hurst. The trio were agents for a fictional special department of Interpol. The head of Department S was Sir Curtis Seretse.

Department S

1969

Jason King poster
7.8

Jason King - a suavely sophisticated former secret agent turned novelist - travels the world searching for material to fill his books, encountering an endless parade of glamorous women, exotic locales, menacing villains and daring intrigue! Before Austin Powers swung into action, Jason King set the standard for the hip crime-fighting international playboy!

Jason King

1971

In Suspicious Circumstances poster
6.5

Introduced by renowned English actor Edward Woodward, In Suspicious Circumstances is an anthology of reenactments depicting real-life murder mysteries, some famous and some obscure, exploring cases with elements of miscarriage of justice, unsolved mysteries, and unusual circumstances, often spanning different historical periods.

In Suspicious Circumstances

1991

Warship poster
6.7

Written and filmed to reflect the reality of life in the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines in the 1970s, most stories focus on the Captain and his fellow officers, with subplots dealing with life on the lower decks. Episodes typically featured a variety of events at sea (the Cold War, smuggling, the evacuation of civilians from crisis-hit places, etc.), as well as the personal lives of officers and ratings and the impact their personal lives had on their professional lives and duties.

Warship

1973

Fall of Eagles poster
7.0

"Fall of Eagles" is a 13-part British television drama aired by the BBC in 1974. The series portrays historical events from 1848 to 1918, dealing with the collapse of the ruling dynasties of Austria-Hungary (the Habsburgs), Germany (the Hohenzollerns) and Russia (the Romanovs).

Fall of Eagles

1974

Wilde Alliance poster
7.0

Wilde Alliance is a 1978 British television programme created by Ian Mackintosh and produced by Yorkshire Television for l ITV. The light-hearted mystery series follows husband-and-wife amateur detectives Rupert and Amy Wilde.

Wilde Alliance

1978

Only When I Laugh poster
6.7

Only When I Laugh is an ITV1 sitcom broadcast from 29 October 1979 to 16 December 1982 for four series with seven episodes each, and a Christmas special in 1981. The title is the answer to the question, "Does it hurt?" A naïve middle-class man is admitted to an NHS hospital ward, shared with a working-class layabout and an upper-class hypochondriac. The trio never fail to cause a nuisance for the poor, unsuspecting staff.

Only When I Laugh

1979

Single Father poster
7.5

Dave is facing the seemingly impossible job of bringing up four kids alone after the sudden death of his wife. And things get even more complicated when he falls in love with his wife's best friend, Sarah. Single Father asks how soon is too soon to fall in love again?

Single Father

2010

The Final Cut poster
7.7

Seasoned politician Francis Urquhart tries to establish his legacy before retirement by negotiating an end to the Cyprus, but the island hides secrets from his past that could destroy him.

The Final Cut

1995

C.A.T.S. Eyes poster
6.0

C.A.T.S. Eyes is a British television series made by TVS for ITV between 1985 and 1987. A spin-off of the series The Gentle Touch, Maggie Forbes leads an all-female detective agency called "Eyes" that secretly operates as a Home Office team known as C.A.T.S. (Covert Activities Thames Section).

C.A.T.S. Eyes

1985

Quiller poster
10.0

Quiller is a British television drama about the exploits of Quiller, the alias of a fictional British spy, as he carries out his various assignments for the secret agency known only as "The Bureau". The character was created by English novelist Elleston Trevor who wrote a series of Cold War thrillers written under the pseudonym "Adam Hall".

Quiller

1975

The Regiment poster
4.5

The Regiment is a 1972 BBC One television drama series starring Christopher Cazenove and follows the story of a British Army regiment from the view of two families.

The Regiment

1972

Six Centuries of Verse poster
8.0

Sir John Gielgud is joined by an outstanding repertory of actors in this pioneering, imaginative series demonstrating the immense variety and emotional impact of English-language poetry, from the fourteenth century to the contemporary era.

Six Centuries of Verse

1984

No artwork available
7.7

A quintessentially British comedy-of-manners. Based at the fictional Yeovil College of Lifemanship, Richard Briers plays Stephen Potter and is joined by Peter Jones as the snooty Gatling-Fenn and Frederick Jaeger, complete with monocle, playing Cogg-Willoughby. "The world is divided into two types of people," Potter says, "winners and losers, the one-up and the one-down. He who is not one-up is surely one-down".

One-Upmanship

1976

Mickey Dunne poster
NR

Mickey Dunne followed the misadventures of the titular gambling streetwise Cockney wide-boy who managed to survive on his wits and gift of the gab as he picked his way from one female companion to the next whilst talking himself into as many free dinners as possible.

Mickey Dunne

1967

The History Man poster
4.1

The History Man is a four-part 1981 British television drama miniseries written by Christopher Hampton, based on Malcolm Bradbury's 1975 novel of the same title. Ardently left-wing, or so it seems, Howard Kirk subtly extends his power over students and colleagues alike at a redbrick university.

The History Man

1981

No artwork available
10.0

Follows a group of liars, outrageous liars in fact, who try to outdo each other with the most fanciful lies they can dream up.

The Liars

1966

The Bounder poster
7.0

The Bounder is a British sitcom which ran from 16 April 1982 to 28 October 1983, made by Yorkshire Television. The series starred Peter Bowles as Howard Booth, an ex-convict who served two years in jail. He lives with Trevor Mountjoy who's his brother in law, and his wife Mary Rosalind Ayres. The latter left after Series one in 1982. It also starred Isla Blair as the next door widowed neighbour, Laura Miles. This series was created by Eric Chappell.

The Bounder

1982

The Advocates poster
4.2

Set in Edinburgh, the series contrasts the high powered and respectable world of the lawyers and advocates of the Scottish legal profession, with the sleazy and deadly existence of the city's pimps, prostitutes and drug addicts. When a young prostitute is murdered by a deadly drug overdose, only Doctor Joe Sangster, who has been treating her at the local health clinic, suspects foul play. In the growing climate of fear over drugs and AIDS in the city, his clinic faces closure due to a local campaign. He turns to Greg McDowell for help, and the young lawyer sees the chance to make a name for himself.

The Advocates

1991

The Crezz poster
NR

The Crezz is a British television drama produced by Thames Television and shown on the ITV network in 1976. Created by Clive Exton, The Crezz was set in a fictitious West London crescent, Carlisle Crescent. The series was 12 one-hour programmes each focused on a different household.The series was broadcast on ITV at 9pm to start with but midway through it was put back to 10.35pm because the series didn't quite get the viewing figures that were hoped for.

The Crezz

1976