Remembers... - Season 3

First aired: 1/1/2024 6 episodes

Episodes

1. Dame Darcey Bussell on... The Magic of Dance

Aired: 1/1/2024

Renowned ballet dancer Dame Darcey Bussell introduces us to a gem from the BBC’s dance archives, The Magic of Dance, which was first transmitted in 1979 to great acclaim and is presented by celebrated ballet dancer, the unforgettable Margot Fonteyn. Darcey describes her favourite moments of the series, including a tap masterclass with the ever-cool Sammy Davis Jr, a beautiful routine by celebrated Latvian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and a glimpse of pioneer of modern dance Isadora Duncan.

2. Penelope Keith Remembers... To the Manor Born

Aired: 1/2/2024

Penelope Keith casts an affectionate eye back on the much-loved sitcom To the Manor Born and her role as upper-class Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, who finds herself down on her luck and forced to change her circumstances and home after the death of her husband. Penelope tells the story behind how the comedy came into being, what it was like working with fellow cast members Angela Thorne and Peter Bowles, and the challenges she faced taking on a new role after the huge success she’d enjoyed playing Margo in The Good Life.

3. Andrew Davies Remembers... Pride and Prejudice

Aired: 1/3/2024

Andrew Davies looks back on Pride and Prejudice (1995) and talks about how he adapted the story from Jane Austen's classic novel.

4. Alan Yentob Remembers... Orson Welles

Aired: 1/18/2024

Orson Welles was the genius who changed the face of cinema with his 1941 directorial debut, Citizen Kane, and who became one of the key artistic figures of the 20th century – a great raconteur as well as a great artist, and larger than life in every sense. In 1982, Welles was the focus of a two-part BBC documentary that told the story of his life, The Orson Welles Story, and here, its producer, Alan Yentob, looks back on his encounters with this giant of a man, telling the tale of their behind-the-scenes dealings and explaining why he believes Welles’s legacy is still significant today and why he will always deserve his reputation as a genius of cinema.

5. Waris Hussein Remembers... A Passage to India

Aired: 1/31/2024

In 1965, a young Waris Hussein was perhaps the only experienced Indian director working in British television and was horrified when he discovered that the BBC was planning a TV adaptation of EM Forster’s A Passage to India without him at the helm. As luck would have it, a twist of fate meant he did end up in the director’s chair. Waris shares fond memories of his experiences, describing the filming challenges involved in portraying a true sense of India, recalling what it was like working with a stellar cast that included the likes of Dame Sybil Thorndike, Cyril Cusak and Virginia McKenna, and outlining the pressure to do full justice to one of the great novels of the 20th century.

6. Mackenzie Crook Remembers... Detectorists

Aired: 12/23/2024

Mackenzie Crook shares what inspired him to write his hit series Detectorists - a funny and touching series about a group of metal detectorists (not detectors) in the fictional town of Danebury in Essex. Mackenzie describes how he intended his show to be a snapshot of everyday English life, the normalcy of male friendships and a celebration of Britain’s hobbyists. Mackenzie talks about how important the casting of the characters was in bringing his creation to life and how some unexpected advice from Ricky Gervais opened up a new directing career for him. Ten years on from the show’s first transmission, Mackenzie is ultimately delighted that his ‘gentle’ series is still finding new audiences and, most importantly, making people laugh.