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Francois Truffaut, Stephen Frears reminds us, once observed that the words 'British' and cinema' seemed incompatible. Frears' celebra­tion of one hundred years of British Cinema is an elegant and witty riposte to Truffaut, showing that Britain produced at least its share of out­standing films and filmmakers.

He and a quartet of industry chums drink tea and reminisce (heavily interspersed with clips) revisiting the films of their collective past.

Alexander Mackendrick and Gavin Lambert talk us through to the 1950s whilst Frears' con­temporaries Michael Apted and Alan Parker join him for a discussion of the Him since the 60s, including, among other things, the complex and unique relationship between television and the British cinema as weil as the ever angst-ridden love/hate relationship with Hollywood.