Heroes is constantly growing in popularity week by week as episodes air, and for those who haven’t managed to keep up to date with the TV episodes you will be pleased to know that Heroes Season 1 part 2 is due out on December 10th on DVD!

The second half of Season One holds plenty more thrills and spills and we see the Heroes learn more about their own individual abilities as well as the links they all have with each other.

All of this combined makes for an explosive and dramatic ending that fans will never forget.

Matt Parker is still continuing to fine tune his ability to hear peoples thoughts, proving to be an asset to the police force and to the future of the Heroes.

The main man Hiro (my favourite character in the whole series) also learns more about his time travel abilities and together with his best friend Ando they uncover some of the biggest secrets in the whole Heroes plotline.

Peter continues to worry about his part in the great explosion that has been predicted by artist Isaac Mendez and the brilliantly menacing Sylar, with his equally manacing eyebrows, moves forward in his quest to gain the Heroes powers for himself.

Heroes is undoubtedly one of the most gripping shows on TV right now, and the DVD sets are definitely a ‘Must Have’ for your collection. The freedom of having both parts on DVD is great, as you can re watch them and check out the extras that you don’t get with the TV episodes.

The chemistry between the characters is growing with each show, and I’m looking forward to seeing all of the Heroes all work together and start to fully find out about each others existence.

This is out just in time for Christmas so you just know that everyone will be wanting Series one Part 2 as their stocking filler. I believe the complete Series 1 is also out to buy soon for those who haven’t already bought the first half, so really it’s a simple choice, if you haven’t bought the first half of Season 1 yet then you need the whole series in one box, otherwise buy this box of DVD’s right now!

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Complete cast list for the TV series Heroes: Adair Tishler, Adrian Pasdar, Ali Larter, Ashlee Gillespie, Ashley Crow, Ben Murray, Bill Fagerbakke, Brian Tarantina, Christopher Eccleston, Clea DuVall, Colby French, Cristine Rose, Dana Davis, Danielle Savre, Darryl Chan, Deirdre Quinn, Dutch Johnson, Elizabeth Lackey, Eric Roberts, Erick Avari, Eriko Tamura, Eugene Byrd, Garrett Masuda, Geno Monteiro, George Takei, Greg Grunberg, Hayden Panettiere, Jack Coleman, Jackson Wurth, James Kyson Lee, Javin Reid, Jayma Mays, Jessalyn Gilsig, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Josh Clark, Justin Evans, Karl T. Wright, Karri Turner, Kevin Chamberlin, Leonard Roberts, Link Baker, Malcolm McDowell, Mark Allan Stewart, Mark Nearing, Masi Oka, Matt Lanter, Matthew John Armstrong, Michael Maury, Milo Ventimiglia, Missi Pyle, Missy Peregrym, Nicole Bilderback, Noah Gray-Cabey, Nora Zehetner, Paula Newsome, Randall Bentley, Rena Sofer, Richard Roundtree, Rick Peters, Ryan Smith, Sakina Jaffrey, Sally Champlin, Santiago Cabrera, Sara Solomon, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Shalim Ortiz, Shishir Kurup, Stacy Haiduk, Stana Katic, Tawny Cypress, Thomas Dekker, Tohoru Masamune, Zachary Quinto.

CSI : New York is the second successful spin off show in the CSI Series. It first aired in May 2004 and is currently in its fourth season and still going strong, with fans loving its much grittier and bloodier take on the original CSI franchise.

Gary Sinese stars as the main character in CSI NY. He plays Detective Mac Taylor a guy who is still deeply troubled by the death of his wife in the 9/11 attacks. His character had a relationship with the beautiful Claire Forlani’s character Dr. Peyton Driscoll who in recent series decided to stay in London rather than return to New York and continue their relationship.

Just a few more of the regular characters include:

• Melina Kanakaredes is Det. Stella Bonasera a determined and strong woman who is always looking to find answers to her cases, especially those with violent crimes attached, this may be due to issues in her past. Along with Mac she helps lead the team.
• Carmine Giovinazzo stars as Danny Messer an investigator hired personally by Mac. He has a strong sense of loyalty and often uses his own troubled family history to help with work ethics on the job.
• Eddie Cahill plays Det. Don Flack, he has a strong family history in the law enforcement field and fans love him for his quick wit and slightly edgy personality.

Many more make up the CSI New York Team, and fans all have their own favourite characters for different reasons. One of the great things about CSI NY is the characters own histories and back stories, and the diversity of different actors that can be found on the show.

The show has been known to have crossover episodes with the other CSI series, which helps remind us that they are originated from the same place but also shows just how different each one is, and the strengths and weaknesses of both.

Series 1-3 of CSI New York are currently available on DVD and are well worth a watch if you are a fan of the CSI series in general.

Each of the seasons of CSI:NY are issued in two parts, and the most recent DVD issue in the UK includes Part 2 of Season 3.  I find it best to buy full seasons if possible because you get a better deal that way. 

Be warned though, once you start watching one of the spin-offs, you kind of find yourself hooked and will end up having to watch all of them! However, if you’re quick, there are several special offers in store at the moment with the ‘Criminally Cheap’ offer!

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Full cast list for CSI:NY: A.J. Buckley, Al Santos, Alanna Ubach, Anna Belknap, Bess Wohl, Carmen Argenziano, Carmine Giovinazzo, Chad Lindberg, Chad Williams, Chris Meyer, Claire Forlani, David Caruso, David Julian Hirsh, Denice J. Sealy, Ed Quinn, Eddie Cahill, Edward Furlong, Elizabeth Ann Bennett, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Gary Sinise, Gina St. John, Greg D’Agostino, Hill Harper, J. Grant Albrecht, Jaclyn Kerhulas, James R. McMann, Jason Thornton, Jinny Lee Story, Joe Morton, John Dove, Jonah Lotan, Joseph Lawrence, Kanin J. Howell, Kelly Hu, Kerr Smith, Kevin Derr, Kyle Gallner, Melina Kanakaredes, Michael DeLuise, Michael King, Michael McLafferty, Mykelti Williamson, Natalina Maggio, Nick Damici, Olga Karavaeva, Paul Carafotes, Raphael Sbarge, Robert Joy, Ron Yuan, Scott Alan Smith, Scott Richards, Sonya Walger, Terry Kinney, Vanessa Ferlito.

On a Sunday afternoon in late November when the chill has started to set in and you’re feeling a bit coldy, a black and white thriller starring John Mills is the perfect way of working off a big roast lunch.

The Vicious Circle features John Mills as Doctor Howard Latimer, a Harley Street doctor whose supposed friend turns out to be the head of a nasty German gang and who frames him for the murder of an undercover policewoman.

The story owes a lot to the style of John Buchan’s The Thirty Nine Steps – an action packed romp where you are better of not lingering to think too long over the many twists and turns that the plot takes, but instead just sip a cup of hot tea, eat a toasted and buttered muffin, and enjoy the ride. Preferably wearing a pair of slippers.

The stars of this film are the treasure trove of quality British actors who you feel so lucky to experience all on screen at the same time, including Wilfred Hyde-White and Roland Culver, while Derek Farr, Lionel Jeffries and Mervyn Johns put in admirable performances.

There were a couple of really enjoyable scenes for me, one being when John Mills opens the door to his house revealing background scenery that is so unrealistically painted that it is just plain funny.

But my favourite scene was when the baddy tries to escape from London Airport at the end of the film and a sign lights up in the plane saying “Fasten Lap Straps”. It is so easy to forget what must have happened for society to settle on the phrase “seat belts”. We spent an enjoyable couple of minutes considering how different our world would have been if we had standardised the names as “tummy bands”, “chair restrainers” or “waist leashes” instead.

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Full cast list for 1957 film The Vicious Circle: David Williams, Derek Farr, Diane Lambert, Gillian Moran, Hal Osmond, John Gordon, John Mills, Lionel Jeffries, Lisa Daniely, Mervyn Johns, Noelle Middleton, René Ray, Roland Culver, Wilfrid Hyde-White.

Sketch shows are such a weird and wonderful creature. Sometimes I find myself wondering why there aren’t more on British TV because they are such a strong part of our heritage, but really they are so very hit and miss. While I’m watching some sketch shows the overwhelming thought in the back of my mind is “can these people keep going for a whole series”, which I’m sure is the same thought that is in the back of the mind of the people who commission this sort of programming.

The reason that sketch shows keep everyone coming back for more though, is when you get to experience true originality of thought, and the jokes enter your daily life, and that Mitchell and Webb Look is just such a show, a real classic.

And I’m so happy that I got the first series on DVD because not only did I get to experience the full on fun that you get watching a couple of episodes back to back, and I can refer back to my favourite sketches later, the supporting extra material on this DVD makes it all worthwhile. If it weren’t for the DVD extras I would probably just watch it once and then stick it on the shelf.

I’m sure everyone has their personal favourites, but mine are the Germans who start to realise that they might be the baddies. It really is such a strong idea, and the genius of David Mitchell and Robert Webb is that they can encapsulate it within a perfectly formed sketch that simply delivers the goods.

By contrast last night I watched Man Stroke Woman and while I really wanted it to be as good and as well crafted as That Mitchell and Webb Look, unfortunately it just wasn’t. Some of the jokes were good, even excellent, but the way they play out the whole sketches so often left me feeling uncomfortable, and they mixed good material with stuff that just didn’t quite make the grade.

Other characters in That Mitchell and Webb Look who play a regular part include Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit, who are excellent, but unlikely to make it to the next series because their joke is somewhat one dimensional. The thing David Walliams and Matt Lucas always do with their sketches in Little Britain is to have more than one dimension to each of their regular characters, and I think it’s this distinction that makes That Mitchell and Webb Look feel just that bit less epic in scope than Little Britain, but no less worthy for that fact because it’s more accessible as a result. I think expendable characters like Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit might turn out to be a strong point because Mitchell and Webb will need to come up with completely fresh material for their next series.

Numberwang is a quiz show that reminds me of Reeves and Mortimer. It’s just so way out there in the world of weirdness that it has taken on a life of its own, and gives a clue as to where That Mitchell and Webb Look is positioned in the world of sketch shows. It is one of my favourites on the show, but as the series progresses you get the idea that it is on some sort of path of self destruction, as if they want it to reach a conclusion so they can move on.

So the big question that I expect is on your mind right now (and that you hope I’m going to answer) is whether you should rush out and buy Series 1 of That Mitchell & Webb Look on DVD or put it on your Christmas list?

And my answer is mixed. If you can only get it at the recommended retail price of £19.99 then it would be hard to argue, but since just about everyone on planet earth sells it for less than this, the decision is much easier. It’s currently £12.48 on Amazon, and I’m sure Tescos are competitive with this, and at this sort of price I give it a definite thumbs up – go out and buy this disc now!

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Full cast list for That Mitchell and Webb Look: Abigail Burdess, David Mitchell, Gus Brown, James Bachman, Mark Evans, Olivia Colman, Paterson Joseph, Robert Webb.

The Simpsons Movie made its long awaited debut in the town of Springfield Vermont after 20th Century Fox held a huge competition to choose which town by the name ‘Springfield’ should get the premier. The excitement about the feature version of this popular TV show built up for ages and finally the wait was over. But is it any good, and is it worth buying on DVD when it comes out on 10th December 2007? Read on to find out more….

The usual Simpsons gang all make an appearance in the film, along with some great celebrity guest cameos including Green Day in the first main scene.

The basic premise of the whole storyline is that Springfield is trying to clean up its environment after Lisa stages a petition to stop pollution in the town’s lake. Homer soon decides however, to take it upon himself a tank labelled ‘Pig Crap’ filled with… well erm pig crap obviously, from his new pet pig into the lake to dispose of it, causing the government to take drastic action against the town encasing them in a huge glass dome.

The townspeople try to hunt down Homer as he is the one responsible for their punishment but The Simpson family manage to escape the dome and run off to Alaska where Homer thinks they can finally be the perfect family.

However, news soon reaches them that their ex friends and neighbours are in trouble and it’s suddenly up to Homer to try and right his wrongs and ultimately save the day.

There are gags aplenty in The Simpsons Movie, and with the exception of a few scenes that were a little dragged out it was great fun to watch. All the kids in the cinema starting singing along when the ‘Spider Pig’ scene came on (you must have all seen that trailer by now I’m sure.) and both children and parents seemed to be enjoying it just as much as each other! One thing that did surprise me was that the whole cinema actually stood up and applauded when the movie ended, maybe it’s just me but I’ve never seen that happen before here in the UK! I was a little taken aback but in a good way.

The good thing is that I think this fun will translate well to the DVD format when you watch this film at home, particularly for the kids who will enjoy repeated watching of the funny scenes.

In my opinion this movie would have been even better had it been released a few years ago when The Simpsons was really truly in its prime, I’m honestly not sure what’s taken them so long to bring this film out but I’m definitely glad that they finally did!

All in all, this is another great movie that has now made its way to DVD and is perfect for kids during long Christmas weekends while still being fun for adults, what more could you ask?!

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Full cast list for the Simpsons Movie: Albert Brooks, Billie Joe Armstrong, Dan Castellaneta, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Joe Mantegna, Julie Kavner, Karl Wiedergott, Maggie Roswell, Marcia Wallace, Mike Dirnt, Nancy Cartwright, Pamela Hayden, Russi Taylor, Tom Hanks, Tre Cool, Tress MacNeille, Yeardley Smith.

Fonejacker is the latest hit Channel 4 show, created  and played by “Kayvan Novak” an actor who has turned his hand to comedy of a different nature, Kayvan has starred in many UK TV shows including Holby City, and Spooks and has also starred in Syriana as Arash not to mention voicing a handful of video games such as Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo.  It is in the latest field, voice acting, in which Novak excels, leading to the brilliance that is “Fonejacker”.

Fonejacker is at its core a phone prank show, which sounds puerile at first, but it is truly funny.  Novak plays the prankster and brings on all manner of amazing voices and noises to wind up various companies and private individuals in the UK, but best of all are the crazy animations they place on the screen during these audible conversations, showing various strange characters conversing.

The show succeeds because of the characters, and these include, in no particular order, the Doovde Man, a man of Asian origin who finds it difficult to pronounce various English words, such as LCD TV (Luck-de-toov), DVD (Doove-de) and JVC (Joove-ka).  Terry Tibbs is a bald cockney wheeler dealer, who will try and buy anything from free ads but only for much less than you want to sell it, with catchphrases that include”Beautiful, Beautiful” and “talk to me”.  Pet Mouse rings up a pet shop, and asks for the best advice on how to kill the pet cat using cat nip, very funny.

George Agdgdgwngo is a Nigerian scamster who will try anything and everything to get your bank account details over the phone.  He claims to be from your bank, but when you ask which bank that is, he dodges the question, he offers millions of dollars in prizes but after the exchange rate they are only small amounts in pounds, George is probably one of the best characters in the show.

In the flat rental hotline, Novak set up a hotline in various newsagents and as and when prospective renters ring up they are put straight through to the fonejacker, who annoys them by mishearing the calls i.e. “I would like a one bedroom flat in Brighton”, and the taped message replies “you require a three bedroom lesbian house share in Wales”. The call usually ends up in the caller swearing and hanging up in despair.

In the internet serving providing sketch an Indian ISP rings up various prospective customers, but for some reason the offers get more expensive not cheaper as the call goes on.

Fonejacker is not for everyone, but I would recommend giving it a go, most people who have watched it have liked it, and I personally think it’s brilliant. Fonejacker is repeated regularly on the Channel 4 network, and a new series should be with us soon.

CSI: Miami is a spin off show from the hugely popular groundbreaking CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The first show in the CSI Miami series ran in 2002 and has since built up a strong following with CSI fans worldwide having now become almost as popular as the original series itself!

CSI: Miami stars David Caruso as the main man Lt. Horatio Caine, he is basically their version of Grissom, the guy we see call the shots and lead the team around a series of complex cases. He has become something of a cult character, renowned for his trademark sunglasses and strange mannerisms including always standing perpendicular to anyone he has conversations with and his faultless marksmanship and firearms skills. He has risked his own life several times to save people and definitely has a ‘love him or hate him’ kind of personality.

The rest of the CSI: Miami cast is made up of several recurring characters that each have their own sub plots and separate issues going on in each episode making the show compulsive and entertaining viewing. A few of the current cast regulars also include:

• Calleigh Duquesne – A ballistics specialist played by Emily Procter.
• Dr. Alexx Woods – A medical examiner played by Khandi Alexander.
• Eric Delko - Expert at identifying people from fingerprints played by Adam Rodriguez .
• Ryan Wolfe – Former police officer with a background in genetics and chemistry and a history of OCD. Played by Jonathan Togo

Over the past seasons there have been many show crossover episodes with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as well as several amazing original story arcs exclusive to CSI: Miami which now have fans completely hooked.

Season 6 is currently being aired in the US and series 1-4 are now available on DVD packed with special features.

I must admit that being a huge fan of the original CSI I was slightly sceptical about this show to begin with. I wasn’t keen on Horatio, his complexity takes a while to get used to and actually come to like.

However, after watching a few episodes I soon became engrossed in the show and think that although nothing can top the original CSI series and its amazing characters CSI: Miami has done a great job coming up with a new and exciting angle and it just keeps getting better and better as the show progresses.

Fans of CSI will recognise the episode formats and although it may seem like a bit of a change at first for those who have only seen the original series this is one that is definitely worth sticking with as it looks sure to continue to grow.

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Full cast list for CSI: Miami: Adam Rodriguez, Alana De La Garza, Alex Buck, Alex Paez, Alexandra Lydon, Amy Laughlin, Ana Alexander, Andres Saenz-Hudson, Aries Spears, Armando Valdes-Kennedy, Austin Priester, Azura Skye, Bellamy Young, Boti Bliss, Brendan Fehr, Brian Poth, Brooke Bloom, Castulo Guerra, Chad Faust, Chris Batstone, Chris Martin, Christina Chang, Cristián de la Fuente, Damian Perkins, Damian Urra, Damian Young, Daniel Arrias, Daniel Betances, David Caruso, David Lee Smith, David Starzyk, Dexter Fletcher, Diane Mizota, Ed Begley Jr., Eddie J. Fernandez, Emily Procter, Eva La Rue, Evan Ellingson, Eve Mauro, Gary Sinise, Gonzalo Menendez, Grainger Hines, Greg Dohanic, Haley Ramm, Hayden Tank, Holt McCallany, Jaclyn Friedlander, Janelle Velasquez, Jared Ward, Jeff Wolfe, Jennifer Hall, Jennifer Sky, Jeremiah Birkett, Jessica Szohr, Jillian Reeves de Ortiz, Joel West, Joey Giordano, John Burke, John Heard, John J. Dalesandro, John Sharian, Johnny Whitworth, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm, Jonathan Togo, Joseph Kell, Josh Stamberg, Josh Zuckerman, Joshua Leonard, Julianna Guill, Karen Ross, Kari Wuhrer, Katarina Hyde, Kathleen Mary Carthy, Keith Johnson, Kelley Daugherty, Kendall Schmidt, Khandi Alexander, Kieran Campion, Kim Delaney, Kimiko Gelman, Kyndell Rose Crowell, Laimarie Serrano, Lance Reddick, Larry Rippenkroeger, Lesley Fera, Leslie Odom Jr., Lobo Sebastian, Lora Starkman, Malcolm Danare, Mario Xavier, Mark Rolston, Mary Castro, Max Martini, Michael B. Silver, Michael McGrady, Michael Whaley, Natalia Baldwin León, Natalina Maggio, Nick Jaine, Nicole DeHuff, Patrick Fischler, Paul Beller, Paul Fitzgerald, Paula Garcés, Rachel Rogers, Raniel David Castillo, Rex Linn, Richard Gross, Richie Rayfield, Rick Michaels, Rob Estes, Robert LaSardo, Rory Cochrane, Salli Richardson, Scott McIntosh, Shane Conrad, Shelli Bergh, Shiva Rose, Sofia Milos, Stephen Tobolowsky, Steve Toussaint, Teddy Sears, Tod Nakamura, Tom Hillmann, Troy Winbush, Vincent Laresca, Vivan Dugré, Wanda De Jesus, William Allen Young, William O’Leary, Willie Garson.

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