Perspectives

Twenties and thirties New York produced the best songs ever written according to presenter and journalist Nicky Campbell. In this film he journeys to Manhattan to explore his lifelong musical passion for the golden age of song-writing when the music of packed Broadway theatres fused with the sounds of Harlem’s raunchy jazz clubs.

Charlie Chaplin was at one time the most famous person in the world. His creation - the little tramp - was a universal figure adored by millions across the globe. He took crude, knockabout, slapstick comedy and turned it into an art form with films that have stood the test of time. Terry Jones, comedian, writer, director, best known for his work with Monty Python and long-time fan of silent comedies, offers a personal re-appraisal of the man who changed the face of film comedy.

Antonio Vivaldi’s the Four Seasons is the most popular piece of classical music of all time. It’s become so ubiquitous that it has been denounced as Muzak for the middle classes. Rick Wakeman – platinum-selling prog rock keyboardist and television Grumpy Old Man – thinks the critics are wrong. He believes that the Four Seasons was so far ahead of its time that it was actually the first ever concept album – and that Vivaldi was the world’s first rock superstar.

Len Goodman is a man who has dedicated his life to dance, and in this film he is travelling across America to explore the extraordinary life, and the imaginative mind of his greatest hero, Fred Astaire. From his daughter to his dance partner, Len leaves no stone untouched as he discovers more about how and why this man became one of the greatest dancers of all time.

It was one of the best days of Ashley Banjo’s life when Michael Jackson invited the young British choreographer and his dance group, Diversity, to support him at his planned London concerts in 2009. But the concerts never happened – the American superstar died – so Ashley never got to meet his musical idol. This documentary follows Ashley as he finds out more about the man who inspired him to dance and, in particular, Thriller - the album which catapulted Michael Jackson to global superstardom.