Francis Matthews

Down Place will forever be associated with the company that turned a quiet English countryside mansion into a film making powerhouse, responsible for countless stomach churning, skin crawling, jump out of your seat horror greats. Hammer re-christened Down Place as Bray Studios. The community that developed amongst the crew was unique, facilitated by the fact that at its height a film was completed every six weeks. Watch as many of the most prominent members of the crew recall their time at Bray in this remarkable five part series.

Documentary that chronicles the making of the third film in Hammer's Dracula series.

7.8/10

A retrospective of the films of Britain's Hammer Studios, renowned for making stylish horror films in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Included are clips from Hammer productions and interviews with actors, actresses, directors and producers who worked on these films.

8/10

Paul Hatcher (Charles Dance) has a habit of spying on the neighbors across the way, something that gets him into deep trouble. Hatcher is a movie critic, and for awhile it looks like his main problem is keeping reality and the silver screen separate. But then a double murder occurs across the street after some mobsters cannot find an incriminating negative. After Hatcher discovers where the negative is hidden, he is bumped to the top on the assassins' hit list.

TV Movie. An author, seeking solitude in a small hotel in the South of France, is an unwilling witness to a relationship between a young couple and two interior designers.

7.2/10

Captain Scarlet and friends battle the Mysterons from Mars.

4.2/10

War erupts between Earth and Mars after a manned mission to Mars results in an attack on the city of the Mysterons. Compiled from episodes of the 1967 series Captain Scarlet.

7.7/10

Thriller about a reporter who comes home from an overseas assignment to find his baby in the hospital and his wife dead...

5.6/10

A man has been killed on the Dover/Boulogne car ferry. What is the connection between him and the attempts being made to kill Jane Kerrell, a young girl in her early twenties? As she speeds through the French countryside to the South of France, several attempts are made on her life as she is deliberately forced off the road by another car. But when she reports these attempts, the local Cap Ferrat Police Inspector and the sinister psychiatrist, Dr. Forla believe these attempts are in her imagination and Dr Forla, concludes that Jane is mentally disturbed. At her wits end Jane finds an ally in the young English painter, Paul Hedley who finally believes her life is in danger following an attempt to murder him. When Inspector Malling of Scotland Yard and Mr. Breese arrive in Cap Ferrat trying to uncover the connection between Jane and the murdered man on the ferry, this thrilling puzzle of international intrigue begins to unravel against the backdrop of the French Riviera.

5.4/10

A successful London ad-exec hires a beautiful Hungarian girl to pose for some modeling shots, little realising that she has overheard an assassination plot and is now being hunted by some dangerous killers.

5.5/10

Paul Temple is a British-German television series . It features Francis Matthews as Paul Temple, the fictional detective created by Francis Durbridge, who solves crimes with the assistance of his wife Steve. Paul Temple used overseas locations in France, Malta, Germany and elsewhere. T

7.3/10

A stressed television producer and his unhappy lounge singer wife are growing tired of each other.

5.7/10

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill. First broadcast on ATV Midlands from September 1967 to May 1968, it has since been transmitted in more than 40 other countries, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Characters are presented as marionette puppets alongside scale model sets and special effects in a filming technique that the Andersons termed "Supermarionation". This technology incorporated solenoid motors as a means of synchronising the puppet's lip movements with pre-recorded dialogue. Set in 2068, Captain Scarlet presents the hostilities between Earth and a race of Martians known as the Mysterons. After human astronauts attack their city on Mars, the vengeful Mysterons declare war on Earth, initiating a series of reprisals that are countered by Spectrum, a worldwide security organisation. Spectrum boasts the extraordinary abilities of its primary agent, Captain Scarlet. During the events of the pilot episode, Scarlet acquires the Mysteron healing power of "retro-metabolism" and is thereafter considered to be virtually "indestructible", being able to recover fully from injuries that would normally be fatal.

7.9/10

Rasputin, a crazed and debauched monk wreaks havoc at the local inn one night, chopping off the hand of one of the drinkers. As the bitter locals plan their revenge, the evil Rasputin works his satanic power over the beautiful women who serve at the Tsar's palace. Even the Tsarina herself is seduced by his evil ways and, as his influence begins to dominate government policy, there is only one course of action left... to destroy him before he destroys them all.

6.3/10
4.3%

Whilst vacationing in the Carpathian Mountain, two couples stumble across the remains of Count Dracula's castle. The Count's trusted servant kills one of the men, suspending the body over the Count's ashes so that the blood drips from the corpse and saturates the blackened remains. The ritual is completed, the Count revived and his attentions focus on the dead man's wife who is to become his partner; devoted to an existence of depravity and evil.

6.8/10
8%

Eric and Ernie decide to take a holiday to the South of France and unwittingly become mixed up with a band of jewel thieves.

5.8/10

A chance meeting with a Schlecht agent forces a humble coffee shop manager into the secret world of spies in Swinging London. With the help of his MI5 friend, he poses as the recently dead Major Cavendish who had managed to infiltrate the dreaded organization; he knows that they are intending to assassinate someone - could it be the famous Russian ballerina who has recently arrived for an appearance at Covent Garden?

5.9/10

A Bristol typist joins the world of beauty contests.

6/10

A pretty young woman will do anything to escape her deadly dull existence in the backlots of Wales. But when she reaches the bright lights of London is the price too high?

6.1/10

An accident in the butchers shop leads Norman Pitkin and Mr Grimsdale to the hospital where, after causing the normal ammount of chaos, Pitkin finds Lindy, a little girl who hasn't spoken or smiled since her parents were killed in an aeroplane accident. Pitkin decides to help.

7.1/10

To beautify his street and trim city spending, stuffy councilman Jack (Francis Matthews) pushes to have the last gas lamp in town removed. But this angers his neighbors Albert (Ian Fleming) and Victoria (Amy Dalby), an inconspicuous pair of serial killers who choose Jack as their next victim. This dark comedy also stars Lisa Daniely as Mary, a local advocate who fights tooth and nail against Jack's modernization efforts.

6.9/10

An engaged couples pre-marital bliss is shattered by the future bride’s domineering mother.

6.2/10

The Dark Island is a six-part British television miniseries, produced by Gerard Glaister for the BBC. It premièred on 8 July 1962. It was later adapted for radio, which was transmitted in 1969. It was set on the Outer Hebridean island of Benbecula, though the majority of the series was filmed on South Uist.

7.3/10

A group of former concentration camp prisoners has formed an underground network to hunt Nazi leaders, who are still on the loose. At a secret meeting in Paris they discuss what to do with the former Auschwitz commandant Karl Brochmann, who since 12 years lives in London under the false identity of Karl Luther. They decide to take the law in their own hands, and send their member David to London. He starts his commission by scaring Luther, to see his reactions. Luther is already nervous, because the newspapers are writing about the capture of Eichmann. When he finds out that somebody has broken into his apartment and painted a swastika on his mirror, he gets terrified. He empties his bank account, packs a bag with all his cash and runs away, followed by David.

5.7/10

A dashing ex-officer in His Majesty’s army, Captain Adam Corbett (Calhoun) becomes embroiled in intrigue when he agrees to escort Colonel Wilfred Jackson (Ian Hunter) and his daughter Pauline (Patricia Bredin) on a perilous quest for treasure. Possessing one-quarter of a map, they soon rendezvous with three mysterious characters, each with a fragment and a secret agenda. Armed with only a sword and his wits, Corbett battles brigands, soldiers and thieves as he accompanies the expedition to the island of Monte Cristo, where betrayal and fortune await.

5.4/10

An engineer is wrongly convicted of selling secrets to enemy agents and is sentenced to life in prison. Convinced it was his former partner who framed him, he enlists his son to investigate.

6.4/10

An 1840s British surgeon, experiments with anesthetic gases in an effort to make surgery pain-free. While doing so, his demonstration before a panel of his peers ends in a horrific mishap with his patient awakening under the knife; he is forced to leave his position in disgrace. To complicate matters, he becomes addicted to the gases and gets involved with a gang of criminals, led by Black Ben and his henchman Resurrection Joe.

6.5/10

Baron Frankenstein, working under the protective pseudonym Dr. Victor Stein, together with his assistant Dr. Kleve, transplants a dwarf's brain into another body and unleashes a deranged being.

6.8/10
8.7%

English doctor John Winthrop (Francis Matthews) must protect his new wife, Ann (Kay Callard), from his wealthy and entirely too overbearing mother, Katherine (Margaretta Scott), who has some strong opinions about her son's new union. But things go too far when John accuses Katherine of trying to kill Ann with medication. Could she do such a thing -- and will these three ever have a good relationship?

5.5/10

The dining room of the Jolly Fiddler has long been presided over by Albert, an aged but very shrewd waiter. A past master of the gentle art of fiddling, he extracts the maximum profit from his job while managing to endear himself to both the customers and staff. Then, there's a visit from Mr Finch, who feels it's time Albert was replaced.

7/10

Anglo-Indian Victoria Jones seeks her true identity amid the chaos of the British withdrawal from India.

6.4/10
10%