Time off

This remarkable series, originally screened in 2011, told the story of cinema through the eyes of film-maker Mark Cousins, picking on key figures and works to present a thematic as opposed to chronological history. Originally shown on television in15 hour-long episodes, now presented on Blu-ray as five three-hour documentaries, the series sometimes meanders a little, but the breadth and scope is breath-taking, encompassing cinema from all over the world and directors famous and obscure, all unified by Cousins’ singular vision and strangely soothing and therapeutic narration. An unashamed love letter to cinema, the series is both masterclass and celebration, something all cineastes will savour.

Saturday morning pictures weren’t all about Flash Gordon and cowboys and Indians; the films produced by the Children’s Film Foundation, that would form a regular part of such programmes, aimed to educate and