TV Heaven

TV Heaven is a collection of television programmes from 1946 to the present day that can be viewed free of charge by visitors to the Museum. There are almost 1,000 titles, many of which can no longer be seen on satellite or terrestrial television, or purchased on home video.

The collection reflects the rich diversity of British television. It includes award-winning drama from television's greatest writers such as Dennis Potter, Mike Leigh and Alan Bennett; memorable series such as Sherlock Holmes , with Peter Cushing, and Doctor Who ; classic sci-fi like Quatermass II ; and nostalgic fantasy shows such as The Avengers and the first episode of The Prisoner .

The only free open-access television collection in the UK, TV Heaven has five small viewing booths for two to five people, and a large viewing room providing seating for 36 people. Booking is not necessary but is advisable at busy times, or for large groups such as school parties.

All titles will be screened in the TV Heaven Viewing Room.

Thriller: Murder in Mind

Friday 20 May, 2pm
Dir. Alan Gibson ATV 1973 80 mins (no cert)
Donald Gee, Richard Johnson, Zena Walker

An episode from this popular series of psychological suspense plays by Avengers writer Brian Clemens. Lew Grade, boss of ATV at the time, wanted a series of self-contained stories that would sell well in America, and they were indeed screened there by ABC Television under the title Menace . By and large the stories eschewed the supernatural and also avoided much on-screen violence; instead implication and suspense was used to excite viewers' imagination. In Murder in Mind , a distressed woman with amnesia bursts into a police station claiming to have committed a murder.

Red Dwarf: Me 2

Saturday 21 May, 11am
Dir. Ed Bye BBC 1988 30 mins (no cert)
Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules, Norman Lovett

Originating as a Radio 4 sketch and developed by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, two writers from Spitting Image , the adventures of Dave Lister, Arnold Rimmer, Kryten and The Cat have become a cult classic and a huge international hit. There will be a presentation by a Museum curator explaining how this sitcom came to be made and its distant connection with Thunderbirds and the US comedy Frasier .

Blake's 7: Project Avalon

Sunday 22 May, 2pm
Dir. Michael Briant BBC 1978 50 mins (no cert)
Gareth Thomas, Sally Knyvette, Michael Keating, Paul Darrow, Jan Chappell, David Jackson, Jacqueline Pearce and the voice of Peter Tuddenham

Terry Nation, who created the Daleks for Doctor Who , originated this hit ‘70s science-fiction series. Blake's 7 was a group of resistance fighters opposed to the Federation, a totalitarian government with control over most of the universe. Blake was played by Gareth Thomas, his arrogant sidekick, Avon, by Paul Darrow, and the villainous Federation leader, Servalan, by Jacqueline Pearce. In all there were four series between 1978 and 1981, attracting up to 10 million viewers per episode but by the end, only three of the original 7 remained.