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British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Worldwide Americas Inc.
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In the Americas
December 20, 2007
CONTACTS:
Amy Mulcair
BBC WORLDWIDE AMERICAS
(212) 705-9498
Steven Solomon / Samantha Kane
BENDER/HELPER IMPACT
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BBC VIDEO ™ PRESENTS A STUNNING TREASURY OF NINE HISTORIC
PERFORMANCES BY ACADEMY AWARD WINNING ACTRESS HELEN MIRREN
HELEN MIRREN AT THE BBC
Available For The First Time On DVD February 19, 2008; Historic 5-Disc Set
Features Exclusive Made-For-DVD Interview with Helen Mirren Along With
20-Page Program Notes Booklet
December 20, 2007 – Helen Mirren’s Oscar-winning performance in The Queen and her Golden
Globe®-winning performance in Elizabeth I are merely the capstones of an illustrious and
distinguished 40-year career. This February, BBC Video™ brings to DVD nine treasured
productions from the BBC archives starring the Academy Award-winner - Helen Mirren at the
BBC. The productions on this five-disc DVD box-set boast high-profile talent including Ian Holm
(The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Garden State), Rupert Everett (My Best
Friend’s Wedding, Shrek the Third), Prunella Scales (Fawlty Towers) and more. Bonus features
include Helen Mirren Remembers, an exclusive made-for-DVD interview recorded this year with
Helen Mirren, an interview with British chat show host Michael Parkinson from 1975 and a 20-page
program notes booklet packaged within the DVD box. A perfect addition to any drama fan’s DVD
library, Helen Mirren at the BBC will be available on February 19, 2008 for the suggested retail
price of $79.98. The prebook date is January 15, 2008.
Helen Mirren at the BBC spotlights career-defining television performances from her early years.
In productions dating from 1974 to 1982 and ranging from Bernard Shaw’s The Apple Cart with
Nigel Davenport, to Dennis Potter’s acclaimed television play Blue Remembered Hills, this
collection showcases a young actress already in firm command of her talents and ready to soar to
global stardom.
Winner of an Academy Award, three Golden Globes, four Emmys and numerous BAFTAs,
Mirren has conquered all of her pursuits on stage and screen. Most notably, she was recognized
with the Academy Award® for Best Actress for her outstanding lead performance in The Queen
(2006). Other productions in which she has won awards include Elizabeth I (2005), Gosford Park
(2001), The Madness of King George (1994), and Prime Suspect (1991).
HELEN MIRREN AT THE BBC PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS:
The Changeling (1974)
The Changeling featured Helen Mirren in one of her first breakout performances, as tragic heroine
Beatrice-Joanna. Betrothed to Lord Alonzo De Piraquo, Beatrice-Joanna finds herself in love with
nobleman Alsemero instead. Her decision to have Alonzo murdered puts into motion a
heartbreaking chain of events with tragic consequences.
The Apple Cart (1975)
Helen Mirren and Prunella Scales appear in The Apple Cart, a Shaw play set forty years in the
future, where the king must match wits with an unruly mistress and a cabinet seeking to transform
the nation into a constitutional monarchy.
Caesar and Claretta (1975)
Robert Hardy and Helen Mirren star as Benito Mussolini and Claretta Petacci who spend their last
night locked together in a small peasant cottage by Italian partisans.
The Philanthropist (1975)
Philip and his circle of friends talk philology, playwriting and everything in between. During the
course of their party, couples form and love blooms as they socialize, insulated from the seismic
events unfolding in the world around them. In The Philanthropist Helen Mirren appears in a
showstopping performance as Philip’s fiancée Celia.
The Little Minister (1975)
Helen Mirren plays Babbie, a mysterious young gypsy girl who incites a Luddite riot in rural 1840s
Scotland. Drawn into this event is Babbie’s love interest Gavin Dishart, the new “little minister” of
Thrums's Auld Licht church. But before the two can declare their love for each other, Babbie has a
secret that belies her gypsy past.
The Country Wife (1977)
Horner, a first-class rake, devises a brilliant scheme to lure in the fine married ladies of London
society under their husbands’ noses. But Horner soon meets his match when he becomes involved
with Margery Pinchwife (Mirren), an innocent newlywed from the country.
Blue Remembered Hills (1979)
It’s 1943 England, and the end of World War II is still two years away. On a sunny afternoon, seven
children play in the Forest of Dean. However, their innocent and carefree day suddenly turns deadly
when a harmless prank goes horribly wrong. This Dennis Potter play is traditionally cast with adult
actors as the children, and Helen Mirren does not disappoint as pigtailed Angela.
Mrs. Reinhardt (1981)
Helen Mirren is recently separated Mrs. Reinhardt, who meets a charming American during her trip
to the south of France. Things are going very well until Mrs. Reinhardt can’t help but feel that
something isn’t quite right.
Soft Targets (1982)
Alexei Varyov is a Soviet journalist who is paranoid of the British Home Office, certain that there is
a conspiracy against him. However, he bumps into and can’t help being drawn to Celia Watson
(Mirren), and is soon whisked into an unforgettable world of Sussex parties and society weddings,
meeting all sorts of eccentric people along the way.
Notes to Editors:
BBC Worldwide Americas (BBCWA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of BBC Worldwide, the
commercial consumer arm of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The BBCWA consumer
products division incorporates publishing, audio, music, video and licensed merchandise developed
from a host of BBC properties marketed in the US and Canada. The BBC Video label is brought to
the United States and Canada by BBC Video Limited, managed by BBCWA and distributed by
Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. All rights reserved. Visit BBC
Worldwide Americas' video website at www.bbcamericashop.com or call 1-800-216-1BBC.
With operations in 78 international territories — more than the video division of any other studio —
Warner Home Video commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video
marketplace. Warner Home Video’s film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality
new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment
Company, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Video.
Artwork for all titles is available on www.whvdirect.com. Register on this website for exclusive art
to this title and all BBC Video and Warner Home Video titles.
For more information, please contact Shannon Swaggerty at 212-689-6360 ext. 1218 or e-mail
shannon_swaggerty@bhimpact.com.
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Helen Mirren at the BBC
Street Date:
Prebook Date:
Price:
February 19, 2008
January 15, 2008
DVD: $79.98