BBC Arena Movie Trailers
Most Popular BBC Arena Trailers
Total trailers found: 57
I Shot Andy Warhol Trailer (1996)
01 May 1996
Based on the true story of Valerie Solanas who was a 1960s radical preaching hatred toward men in her "Scum" manifesto.
Stonewall Trailer (1995)
26 December 1995
A group of gay friends try to live with dignity and self-respect while events build to the opening battle in the major gay rights movement.
The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector Trailer (2008)
25 October 2008
Phil Spector is a pioneer of American music, a legendary producer to John Lennon and Tina Turner, and, as of April 13th 2009, a convicted murderer.
Harold Pinter: A Celebration Trailer (2010)
24 January 2010
In June 2009, a group Britain's leading actors gathered for one night only to perform a celebration of the work of Harold Pinter at the National Theatre, directed by Ian Rickson.
Upon Westminster Bridge Trailer (1982)
23 November 1982
Considered one of the best ‘dub’ poets of his time, Mikey Smith is internationally renown for the socially engaged form and content of his work.
The Private Dirk Bogarde Trailer (2001)
14 August 2001
Documentary exploration of Dirk Bogarde's private life and long-term affair with manager, Anthony Forwood, seen through home movies and excerpts from Bogarde's memoirs.
Have You Seen The Mona Lisa...? Trailer (1981)
03 November 1981
Arena looks behind the Gioconda smile. The Mona Lisa hangs in the Louvre behind plate glass - an unsigned, undated portrait of a smiling woman.
Alan Bennett: 90 Years On Trailer (2024)
13 December 2024
In May 2024, Alan Bennett turned 90. This film celebrates the life and long career of one of Britain's best-loved playwrights.
The Burger and the King: The Life & Cuisine of Elvis Presley Trailer (1996)
01 January 1996
A remarkable guided tour through the culinary world of Elvis Presley, in his later years famed as much for his appetite as for his music.
The Many Lives of Richard Attenborough Trailer (2003)
24 August 2003
Two-part Arena special celebrating the life and distinguished career of one of Britain's best-loved public figures.
Sandra Bernhard: Confessions of a Pretty Lady Trailer (1994)
24 April 1994
Bernhard, an actress-comedienne whose brassy humor attracts a cult-like following, here offers a semiconfessional view of her life's landscape.
Louise Brooks Trailer (1986)
17 April 1986
55-Minute BBC Arena documentary on the film actress Louise Brooks
The Brian Epstein Story Trailer (1998)
25 December 1998
Documentary on the life of Brian Epstein, the man who brought The Beatles to fame. A Documentary examining the turbulent life and career of Beatles manager Brian Epstein.
Desert Island Discs Trailer (1982)
23 February 1982
Arena celebrates Roy Plomley's Desert Island Discs with the help of many celebrity castaways, including Frankie Howerd, Russell Harty, Trevor Brooking, the Lord Mayor of London, Professor JK Galbraith and Arthur Askey.
The Changin' Times of Ike White Trailer (2020)
28 February 2020
Ike White was a musical prodigy who recorded a funk and soul classic album inside a Californian prison in 1974.
Mike Leigh: Making Plays Trailer (1982)
04 September 1982
Writer and Director Mike Leigh discusses the techniques used to create his plays.
Rudies Come Back (The Rise & Rise of 2-Tone) Trailer (1980)
12 March 1980
Adrian Thrills investigates a new and exhilarating musical blend which is taking the country by storm.
The Life and Times of Don Luis Buñuel Trailer (1984)
11 February 1984
Made a year after Luis Buñuel's death in 1983 this is an illuminating portrait of the surreal and visionary director, featuring clips, archival interviews, and commentary from scholars and contemporaries including Catherine Deneuve, Fernando Rey, and Jeanne Moreau.
All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film Trailer (2016)
24 April 2016
An exploration into the history of Shakespeare's plays, from the silent era to the modern day featuring archive interviews with movie directors including Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles, Franco Zeffirelli, Kenneth Branagh and more.
Arena: Dire Straits Trailer (1980)
22 December 1980
Arena cameras were on hand to film the return of Dire Straits from their triumphant 1980 Brothers in Arms world tour.
The $50 Million Art Swindle Trailer (2019)
23 September 2019
The remarkable true story of Michael Cohen, a charlatan art dealer who swindled over $50 million from the art establishment before going on the run.
The GPO Story Trailer (1983)
14 December 1983
Documentary which examines the work of the GPO Film Unit in its fiftieth year. Co-produced by The Post Office and Arena.
Who Is Poly Styrene? Trailer (1979)
20 January 1979
Originally aired as part of the Arena series, this BBC biography of Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex. She is one of the first black women singer-songwriters in the early New Wave/Punk scene.
Loaded: Lads, Mags & Mayhem Trailer (2024)
22 November 2024
Launched 30 years ago, Loaded magazine epitomised the 90s in its irreverence and appetite for hedonism.
The Private Life of the Ford Cortina Trailer (1982)
19 January 1982
A ski run in Italy, a supermarket manager in Luton, a sandwich bar in London EC2, Arena opens the bonnet of the Ford Cortina, Britain's most popular, most stolen, and most misunderstood car.
The Very Strange Story of the Legendary Joe Meek Trailer (1991)
08 February 1991
Documentary about the influential pop composer and record producer Joe Meek, who died in dramatic circumstances in 1967 after a bizarre childhood and a career, often controversial, which spanned the period from the mid-50s to the rise of the Beatles in the 60s.
Bette Davis: The Benevolent Volcano Trailer (1983)
02 November 1983
A documentary about and an interview with Hollywood actress Bette Davis about her life and career from the late 1920s to the 1980s on stage and mostly before the camera.
Armistead Maupin Is a Man I Dreamt Up Trailer (1993)
23 June 1993
An affectionate portrait of San Francisco, and of the man whose Tales of the City have inspired thousands to go there.
African Apocalypse Trailer (2020)
16 October 2020
Rob Lemkin’s harrowing yet urgent documentary shines a lens on the trauma and legacy of colonialism in one of Africa’s poorest nations, Niger.
My Way Trailer (1979)
12 March 1979
Arena documentary investigating the history and influence of iconic song 'My Way'
Into the Limelight: Tribute Bands Trailer (2007)
06 October 2007
An affectionate look at what goes on behind the scenes of the Limelight Club in Crewe, where for ten years tribute acts to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and Phil Lynott have been providing a post-industrial town the chance to hear some legendary live music.
The Ten Commandments of Krzysztof Kieslowski Trailer (1990)
04 May 1990
Documentary on Krzysztof Kieslowski's Dekalog from the BBC Arena series.
The Englishman and His Jukebox Trailer (1989)
17 March 1989
Documentary on the fascination of jukeboxes and their owners. Made by Arena.
According to Beryl Trailer (2001)
06 October 2001
Beryl Bainbridge on Samuel Johnson and her novel According To Queenie - Johnson through the eyes of Queenie Thrale, the eldest daughter of Henry and Hester Thrale.
Arena: Pete Doherty Trailer (2006)
12 November 2006
Pete Doherty, one of the most discussed, intriguing and charismatic pop artists at this time, has always received more attention for his controversial private life than for his music.
Dylan Thomas: From Grave to Cradle Trailer (2003)
22 November 2003
Born in 1914, Dylan Thomas was an unruly and undisciplined child who was interested only in English at school and was determined from childhood to become a poet.
Miller Meets Mandela Trailer (1991)
18 January 1991
For the first time since his release from 27 years of imprisonment Nelson Mandela opens up about his life and the turbulent times he's faced in this momentous, in-depth and revealing interview with Arthur Miller.
Peter Shaffer Trailer (1976)
13 October 1976
Writer Peter Shaffer talks about his plays, his life and the theatre. 'I think the live experience in the theatre is very important when you can see shocks and murmurs going through the house.
Screen Goddesses Trailer (2012)
22 December 2012
With the beginnings of Hollywood, the star system was born with an archetypal bad girl - the vampish Theda Bara - and the good girl - the blazingly sincere Lillian Gish.
Primal Scream: Live at The London Astoria Trailer (2000)
18 March 2000
From 2000, Primal Scream touring in support of XTRMNTR on the UK LIve programme.
Amy Winehouse: At the BBC - Arena: The Day She Came to Dingle Trailer (2012)
23 July 2012
Back in 2006 on a stormy December night, Amy Winehouse flew to the remote, south western corner of Ireland to perform for Other Voices, an acclaimed Irish TV music series filmed in Dingle every winter.
Voices from the Island Trailer (1994)
23 April 1994
Nelson Mandela and his fellow ex-prisoners recall their incarceration on South Africa's Robben Island.
Blackpool Wakes Trailer (1989)
13 January 1989
From political conferences to the George Formby Society's annual bash, and Pleasure Beach to the weather, an Arena documentary on the seaside town of Blackpool and its history.
The Peter Sellers Story Trailer (1995)
09 July 1995
Told in his own words, and including many well-known personalities from Stanley Kubrick, Sophia Loren and Robert Wagner to members of the Royal Family, in particular Princess Margaret and Prince Charles, this revealing film builds a fascinating and definitive record of a unique genius.
Night and Day Trailer (2015)
22 November 2015
To celebrate Arena's 40th anniversary, a new film made entirely from its own archive, evoking the one experience common to all - the 24-hour cycle from dawn to dusk to dawn again.
Animals on Trial Trailer (1990)
16 December 1990
Part of BBC Arena's Animal Night, this film chronicles a strange era in history when animals were put on trial in human courts.
The 50 Year Argument Trailer (2014)
07 June 2014
Follows the waves of literary, political, and cultural history as charted by the The New York Review of Books, America’s leading journal of ideas for over 50 years.
Imagine Imagine Trailer (2003)
20 September 2003
This British documentary is more than an analysis of John Lennon's song "Imagine" and its ramifications for the world we live in, it's a tentative documentary on John (and Yoko)'s art and songs' influence on a lot of people in all parts of the world and from all walks of life.
Oooh Er Missus! The Frankie Howerd Story Trailer (1990)
01 June 1990
Documentary about the life of Frankie Howerd, with help from friends and colleagues and including highlights from his TV and film career.
My Brain: After the Rupture Trailer (2025)
28 March 2025
On a bright January morning in 2020, 38-year-old Clemency Burton-Hill - Clemmie - suffered a catastrophic brain haemorrhage.
Agatha Christie - Unfinished Portrait Trailer (1990)
20 September 1990
Profile celebrating the centenary of the famous author Agatha Christie’s birth. Looking at her life, her character and the key moments in her childhood that influenced her writing.
Ken Dodd's Happiness Trailer (2007)
24 December 2007
A tribute to Liverpudlian comic Ken Dodd, in which he discusses his career and the influences of his comedy style.
A Pretty British Affair Trailer (1981)
14 August 1981
Detailed interview with Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger looking back at their long career as influential British film-makers and their unusual partnership.
Sham 69: Tell Us The Truth Trailer (1979)
02 April 1979
This is the ultra rare Sham 69 Documentary which features a drama using the 'That's Life' album. Filmed for BBC Arena in 1979.
Power in the Blood Trailer (1989)
03 March 1989
Gospel singer and preacher Vernon Oxford journeys from his home in Franklin, Tennessee to Belfast on a mission to bring the healing power of Jesus back to Northern Ireland.
Wisconsin Death Trip Trailer (1999)
05 September 1999
Inspired by the book of the same name, film-maker James Marsh relays a tale of tragedy, murder and mayhem that erupted behind the respectable facade of Black River Falls, Wisconsin in the 19th century.
