The BEST episodes directed by Michael Waldman
#1 - The Last Dukes
BBC Documentaries - Season 2015 - Episode 245
Dukedoms are created by the monarch for reasons ranging from a grateful nation rewarding a major war leader to a king acknowledging his illegitimate son. The last dukedom to be created was by Queen Victoria. As they gradually become extinct, what will become of those that remain? Do they still have power and wealth? What is it to be a duke in the 21st century? Answers come from a surprising variety of extraordinary characters - the Duke of Marlborough and his aunt, born Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill, who remembers being brought up in Blenheim Palace with 36 indoor servants, and the Duke of Atholl, who until 2012 was a rural South African sign-maker called Bruce Murray - on succeeding to the dukedom he now heads the only private army in Europe - the Atholl Highlanders. The Duke of Montrose is a Scottish hill farmer and a politician, one of the few dukes who still sit in the House of Lords. The Duchess of Rutland made dozens of people redundant when she took over Belvoir Castle, but is determined to make it an efficient business. The Duke and Duchess of St Albans don't have a stately pile, but do have their coronets and coronation robes. The duke's heir Charles Beauclerk is fascinated by the history of mental illness in the family. And if Camilla Osborne had been a boy, she would have become the 11th Duke of Leeds. But she wasn't and the dukedom is now extinct. Where does that leave her?
#2 - Michelin Stars - The Madness of Perfection
BBC Documentaries - Season 2010 - Episode 8
Food writer and critic William Sitwell investigates the passions, pressures and obsessions behind that apparently all-important description, 'Michelin-starred chef'. 'It elevates your average stove monkey to superior cheffy status; it puts you in a completely new culinary class. But how relevant is Michelin? Do we want poncey food? Or can you get a Michelin star for a good steak and chips? Is the Michelin Guide harmful in its influence? And does the path to Michelin-starred perfection lead to dangerous obsession?' In the lead-up to the 2010 Guide's publication, Sitwell goes behind the scenes to hear contrasting views on the Michelin phenomenon, from Raymond Blanc and Marco Pierre White to chefs dreaming of stars and restaurateurs dismissive of them. He rolls up his sleeves and immerses himself in this extraordinary world, spending a day in the kitchen with Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley hotel, who has two stars and is hoping for that mythical third. He learns just what is involved at this level, from the precise placing of a sliced fresh chestnut on a bed of Dorset crab, to the presentation of today's pre-starter: fish and chip soup. In France, he encounters the big boss of Michelin at their Paris HQ and hears from the widow of the celebrated three-star chef, who was the ultimate perfectionist, a passionate chef who took his own life. And he explores who the strictly anonymous people are who make these apparently vital decisions. A senior British Michelin inspector, interviewed in shadow, confesses to enjoying the anonymity, likening himself to a secret agent, 'licensed to eat'.
#3 - Darcey Bussell Dances Hollywood
BBC Documentaries - Season 2011 - Episode 236
Darcey Bussell steps into the shoes of her Hollywood heroes to celebrate the enduring legacy of classic dance musicals. In the age of Strictly Come Dancing and Streetdance 3D, Darcey, one of Britain's greatest living dancers and Hollywood musical superfan, discovers that the key to understanding where this dance-mad culture comes from lies in classic movie musicals. She takes famous dance routines from her favourite Hollywood musicals and reveals how they cast their spell, paying tribute to the legends of the art form and discovering the legacy they left. Darcey pays homage to Fred Astaire in an interpretation of Puttin' on the Ritz; plays Ginger Rogers in a rendition of Cheek to Cheek; pays tribute to the exuberant Good Morning from Singin' in the Rain; and stars in a new routine inspired by Girl Hunt Ballet from The Band Wagon. Darcey works with leading choreographer Kim Gavin and expert conductor John Wilson, who has painstakingly reconstructed the original scores, as she discovers how dance in the movies reached a pinnacle of perfection and reveals how the legacy of the golden age lives on.
#4 - Barenboim on Beethoven: Nine Symphonies That Changed the World
BBC Documentaries - Season 2012 - Episode 157
Over the last three summers conductor Daniel Barenboim and his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra have been performing all nine Beethoven symphonies across the world. Formed in 1999, this is no ordinary orchestra. Its members include Israelis and Arabs. The idealism of Beethoven's music makes it the perfect choice of repertoire. The three-year tour - called Beethoven for All - finishes this summer at the BBC Proms, in the Royal Albert Hall - the first time in 70 years that all nine symphonies have been played there. Two centuries after they were written, Beethoven's nine symphonies are a landmark in western music. Each sets a new challenge to conductor, orchestra and audience. In the summer of 2011 the orchestra toured China and South Korea - where all nine symphonies were performed together for the first time. The BBC joined the tour to discover why they are regarded as one of the pinnacles of classical music.
#5 - The Victorian Sex Explorer
Channel 4 (UK) Documentaries - Season 2008 - Episode 23
Rupert Everett takes a revealing and witty journey, retracing the steps of one of his great heroes: the infamous author, explorer and sexual adventurer, Sir Richard Burton.