Cinema Essentials

The adventures of a man, a cat and a hologram (and later on an android),  Red Dwarf  is one of the world's longest-running sitcoms and the world's second longest-running sci-fi series, after the BBC's venerable Doctor Who . It's also a series with a strong cult following and a legion of fans who have stuck with it through its many ups and downs over the decades. Although based on a small cast of (usually) four characters, the show has undergone many changes and much evolution - a lot of it positive, although not all of it - since it was first broadcast in 1988. In its early years, the series was essentially an antagonistic odd couple sitcom set in a  Star Trek  type world, albeit one with a dash of Douglas Adams. At its heart are the two main characters, slobby slacker Dave Lister (Craig Charles) and his uptight, officious shipmate Arnold Rimmer (Chris Barrie), and their very uneasy, if not outright hostile, relationship. The terminally unambitious Lister is the lowlies

This year's blogathon from the Classic Film & TV Cafe is 6 Films - 6 Decades . Originally Rick asked people to choose six favourite films from each decade from the 1920s to the 1970s. But he took pity on those of us who aren't that big on silent cinema and allowed us to make it one each from the 1930s to the 1980s. There are plenty of films I like from the 1920s, but nothing I could really call a favourite. So, for that reason, I've gone for the cheat's option on this one. The 39 Steps (1935)

For a while, Ian Ogilvy was very famous indeed, a household name and recognised just about everywhere he went. That was when he played Simon Templar in the 1970s revival of The Saint on television. For the rest of his acting career, he has mostly been a busy and familiar presence, working steadily in film, theatre and television in a variety of roles and genres, with varying degrees of success. His career has ranged from murder mysteries and Noel Coward plays to farces, sitcoms and horror films.