The 7th and Last: Moviedrome

MOVIEDROME

Moviedrome first appeared on the UK's BBC 2 channel in 1988, and waved its final goodbye in 2000. In its active years it chalked up 62 episodes in total (according to IMDb). It wasn't a TV show in the traditional sense of the word, it was a programming slot in which a knowledgeable individual introduced the main feature film(s), gave background info, etc. The intro lasted approximately five minutes, but quite often it gave you everything you needed in order to fully appreciate what it was you were about to see. Once the chatter was done the film(s) followed.

It gave works that might not otherwise have found a home on the BBC a platform on which to stand proud, to prove themselves in the best way possible: by being screened late at night to an audience willing (and indeed, hungry) to try something different, challenging, or simply downright weird, not formulaic and safe. The series wasn't solely responsible for my love of film, but it played a major role in opening my eyes and nurturing a love of the more 'cult' side of it.

Filmmaker Alex Cox (pictured left) was the host. When Cox left in 1994 another filmmaker, Mark Cousins (pictured right), took over. Even today I could listen to both men talk for hours without getting bored; they had a passion for the role they played and a passion for sharing.

Below you'll find links to my personal thoughts on some of the films that featured. I'll never be able to compile a full list, but any films I write about that did make an appearance on the show will be given the Moviedrome label so that they can be called up collectively (and because it will hopefully in some small way highlight how groundbreaking and diverse the show was).

NOTE: listing is in alphabetical order for ease of use, not in the order they were shown on TV.