A box set of 12 Norman Wisdom classics. In 'On the Beat' Wisdom stars as a bumbling Scotland Yard car park attendant who gets his chance to be a real policeman after he accidentally catches some crooks. His advantage lies in the fact that he physically resembles one of the ringleaders. In 'Man of the Moment' the bumbling Norman (Wisdom) accidentally becomes the British delegate to an important international conference in Geneva. Hilarious chaos and amusing misunderstandings ensue. In 'Trouble in Store' Wisdom is taken on as a shop assistant in a department store. His ambition is to become a window dresser, and he falls in love at first sight with his dream-girl, Sally. After a disastrous start (chasing a bus on roller skates, entering a shop girl's hostel, the usual sort of thing), events conspire to make Norman an unlikely hero. In 'Up in the World' Wisdom stars as the bumbling window cleaner to Lady Banderville. He has to cope with the pranks of her son, Sir Reggie, but cleans up when he confounds a gang of kidnappers. In 'The Square Peg' Norman Pitkin (Wisdom) is keen to help the war effort, and turns out to be a dead ringer for an enemy general. Joining up with his colleague, Mr Grimsdale, he is posted to France as part of a team repairing the damaged roads. Captured by the enemy, he turns his uncanny resemblance to his own advantage and comes home a hero. In 'Follow a Star' Wisdom plays a shop worker (imaginatively also named Norman, as indeed is every character he has ever portrayed) who dreams of becoming a famous singer. His attempts are, of course, disastrous, until he is encouraged by music teacher Miss Dobson, and a crippled girl named Judy. In 'The Bulldog Breed' Norman Puckle (Wisdom) is a grocer who joins the Navy and finds himself chosen to man a rocket flight into outer space. After Norman brings his own brand of madcap mayhem to the training process, his superiors begin to suspect that they might have picked the wrong person for the mission. Also starring Ian Hunter and Edward Chapman. Whilst in 'One Good Turn' Norman (Wisdom) works at the orphanage, and promises that he will buy one of its charges a model car. But how can he get the money? Proving himself equally incompetent at all jobs, he manages to raise a few laughs along the way in his attempts to earn the cash and not disappoint the little sprite. In 'A Stitch in Time' Star Wisdom plays an apprentice butcher trying to help a sick child. His bumbling efforts end up with him being banned from visiting little orphan Lindy, but Norman will go to any lengths to keep in touch with his young charge. Whilst in 'Just My Tuck', determined to win the heart of his beautiful neighbour, Norman (Wisdom) decides he wants to buy her a diamond necklace - but how can he possibly afford it? A solution offers itself when he goes to a bookmaker's, learns the intricacies of the accumulator bet, and sets out on a major winning streak. However, whenever Norman is involved things are never quite that simple, and soon enough our hapless hero finds himself in deep trouble, creating havoc at the local racetrack. In 'The Early Bird' Wisdom plays a milkman caught up in a feud between the small, traditional company that employs him and a large, modern dairy planning a hostile takeover. Will Norman, in his typically inept fashion, manage to save his company from the onset of modernity? Finally in 'Press For Time' Norman Shields (Wisdom) is an accident-prone young reporter, who only got the job because his grandfather (also played by Wisdom) happens to be the Prime Minister. Hilarious chaos ensues when Norman is sent to cover a beauty contest. Wisdom also appears in drag as a Suffragette called Emily.

A British boy living in Shanghai becomes separated from his parents when Japan invades China at the outset of World War II. The film, based on J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, traces his progress through prison camp life and his steely determination to survive. The score is by John Williams.

Richard Briers, Adrian Scarborough and Terence Rigby star in this full-cast dramatisation, narrated by Alan Bennett.When Mole abandons his spring cleaning one morning, he surfaces into the sunlight and encounters the Water Rat. Mole stays with Ratty in his snug waterside home, and soon he meets Ratty's friends: Badger, who lives in the Wild Wood, and the incorrigible Toad of Toad Hall. This timeless tale of waterside Britain has been loved by generations of children and acclaimed as a classic. The story of Mole, Ratty, Badger and Toad and their escapades never fails to enchant. Many of the original cast from Alan Bennett's acclaimed National Theatre production appear in this Radio 4 dramatisation, including Richard Briers as Rat, Adrian Scarborough as Mole and Terence Rigby as Albert - with Alan Bennett as the narrator.

Collection of British comedy films. In the Second World War feature 'The Night We Dropped a Clanger' (1959) British Wing Commander Blenkinsop (Brian Rix) is due to carry out a top-secret operation in occupied France in order to uncover information about the flying bomb. To outwit the Nazis, the RAF employs Aircraftsman Arthur Atwood (also Rix) as Blenkinsop's double but the two get mixed up and it is left to the decoy to complete the mission. In 'The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn' (1956) a Mukkinese battle-horn is stolen from the Metropolitan Museum. Superintendent Quilt (Peter Sellers) and Sergeant Brown (Spike Milligan) investigate the robbery, meeting a number of eccentric characters along the way. In 'What a Whopper' (1961) struggling writer Tony Blake (Adam Faith) and his bohemian artist flatmates are threatened with eviction from their house in Chelsea. To raise the cash, they devise a hare-brained scheme to travel to Loch Ness, fake an appearance of the famed monster therein, and write a bestselling book about it. What could possibly go wrong? In 'The Butler's Dilemma' (1943) Rodney Playfair (Richard Hearne) is made to impersonate a butler in exchange for having his gambling debts written off. However, he is really providing an alibi for a thief... In 'Gert and Daisy Clean Up' (1942) the title characters (Elsie and Doris Waters) do their best to help the war effort by rounding up salvage metal and foiling a racketeering plot. 'Tons of Trouble' (1956) follows caretaker Mr. Pastry (Hearne) as he gets himself into all sorts of calamities looking after his beloved boilers Mavis and Ethel. In 'Gert and Daisy's Weekend' (1942) the two East End sisters volunteer to escort a group of evacuee children out of Blitz-torn London into the safety of the countryside. All kinds of mayhem, mischief and misunderstandings ensue as the motley troupe arrives at the grand Little Pipham Hall, presided over by the imposing Lady Plumtree (Annie Esmond). 'Your Money Or Your Wife' (1960) follows married couple Pelham (Donald Sinden) and Gay Butterworth (Peggy Cummins) as they unexpectedly run into money troubles. In advance of Gay receiving an inheritance, the newly-weds decide to splash out to celebrate. It is only after this that they discover they will be given the money in weekly instalments unless the couple divorce or Pelham dies. They plan to divorce and remarry but will their scheme pay off? The collection also includes a documentary on English actress Liz Fraser entitled 'Liz Fraser - Her Life in Comedy' and the short 'Comedy Cocktail' (1951) in which Edwin J. Fancey presents clips from some of Charlie Chaplin's comedies.

British comedy starring Leslie Phillips. Simon Hurd (Phillips) takes it upon himself to raise the necessary finances to keep the local youth club open. But he uses a peculiar technique to do so - he attends funerals and blackmails mourners into giving him money by threatening to reveal unfortunate stories about them to the press. However, he may regret his pitches after potentially meeting his match...

Leslie Phillips and James Booth star as rival vets in this British comedy drama. After ten long years of training, Jimmy Fox-Upton (Phillips) finally qualifies as a vet and opens his own practice. Settled in London, Jimmy opposes the money-grabbing ways of his fellow graduate Bob Skeffington (Booth) and sets about exposing his lucrative equine export scam.

The British Royal Family is dispatched en masse after being electrocuted during a family portrait. A search for a successor turns up Ralph Jones (John Goodman), a Las Vegas lounge singer, as the unlikely next-in-line. Before long, Buckingham Palace resembles a funfair and Lord Graves (John Hurt) is plotting King Ralph's demise.

A 60th anniversary celebration of the much-loved nautical comedy, featuring six classic episodes plus bonus material On 29 March 1959, The Navy Lark sailed the airwaves for the very first time. Starring Leslie Phillips, Jon Pertwee and Stephen Murray, with regular appearances from Ronnie Barker and Heather Chasen, it soon became a radio favourite and ran for 18 years - one of the longest-running BBC sitcoms. This anniversary collection comprises six of the best episodes from the iconic series - Operation Fag End (5 April 1959), The Hank of Heather (17 May 1959), The Lighthouse Lark (29 January 1960), A Deliberate Bashing (19 April 1963), When Sub Lt Phillips Was at Dartmouth (29 October 1967) and The Jubilee Navy Lark (16 July 1977). Bonus items include a mini-episode from The Light Entertainment Show; two crossover episodes from spin-off series The Embassy Lark: National Grumpschnog Week (12 April 1966) and Sub-Lt Phillips Drops In (16 April 1968), and a discussion from Bob Holness Presents: Farewell to the Paris, which sees Leslie Phillips and Jon Pertwee reminiscing about the making of The Navy Lark. So step aboard HMS Troutbridge for laughs ahoy! PLEASE NOTE: The CD inlay makes reference to the programme Left Hand Down a Bit. This programme is not included in the collection.