David Sproxton

BBC Four’s new documentary takes us on a journey through more than a century of animation. It examines the creative and technical inventiveness of some of the great animation pioneers who have worked in Britain – trailblazing talents such as Len Lye, John Halas and Joy Batchelor, Joanna Quinn, and Bristol’s world-conquering Aardman Animations.

Julie Walters tells the story of how Morph, Shaun the Sheep and that cheese-loving man Wallace and his dog Gromit first came to life.

This featurette from The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) details the history of Wallace and Gromit, their Oscar-winning short films and how Aardman Animations and DreamWorks came to work together.

This addition to the acclaimed & award winning Classic Albums series tells the story behind the making of Peter Gabriel's 1986 album "So". It was Gabriel's fifth solo album and the first one to have a title (the others all having just been called "Peter Gabriel" ). The album spawned a number of hit singles on both sides of the Atlantic including "Sledgehammer", "Big Time", "Don't Give Up" (a duet with Kate Bush) and "In Your Eyes" which drove "So" to multi-platinum sales, the No.1 spot in the UK and No.2 in the US. So was very much an album of the MTV generation and the distinctive videos for tracks like "Sledgehammer", "Red Rain", "Big Time" and "Don't Give Up" were key factors in the album's success.

Walt Disney said “We have created characters and animated them in the dimension of depth, revealing through them to our perturbed world that the things we have in common far outnumber and outweigh those that divide us.” Outside of Walt himself there are few people who have brought together and united more animators in the history of the genre than Craig "Spike" Decker and Mike Gribble, known to all as Spike & Mike. They created an animation festival that helped launch the careers of John Lasseter, Peter Lord, Will Vinton, Bill Plympton and Mike Judge to name just a few. Their Spike & Mike festival had an enormous impact on animation that was felt the world over. The festival was known as much for the breakthrough animation it presented as the outrageous antics of the founders.

The Big Picture uncovers the untold story of a state-of-the-art cinema quietly forgotten in the center of Bristol, a vibrant UK city known for its countercultural spirit. Once a cutting-edge IMAX theatre, the building was abandoned for over a decade—until a collective of cinephiles reclaimed it. Blending DIY ingenuity with punk ethos, they’ve transformed a forgotten relic into the beating heart of a grassroots cinema movement—reviving not just a building, but a shared vision of what cinema can be.

Cheese-loving eccentric Wallace and his cunning canine pal Gromit run a business ridding the town of garden pests. Using only humane methods, which turns their home into a halfway house for evicted vermin, the pair stumble upon a mystery involving a voracious vegetarian monster that threatens to ruin the annual veggie-growing contest.

London high-society mouse, Roddy is flushed down the toilet by Sid, a common sewer rat. Hang on for a madcap adventure deep in the sewer bowels of Ratropolis, where Roddy meets the resourceful Rita, the rodent-hating Toad and his faithful thugs, Spike and Whitey.

The creators of Wallace & Gromit bring you an exciting and original story about a group of chickens determined to fly the coop–even if they can’t fly! It’s hardly poultry in motion when Rocky attempts to teach Ginger and her feathered friends to fly…but, with teamwork, determination and a little bit o’ cluck, the fearless flock plots one last attempt in a spectacular bid for freedom.

Two very bored shadowy characters try to think of something to do--and end up playing "Shadow Puppets."

When The Hand of God creates Adam, he must learn the ways of the world, and can only hope for company.

When The Hand of God creates Adam, he must learn the ways of the world, and can only hope for company.

A probationer wants to miss a meeting to go and see his brother, but must negotiate with his officer.

An exclusive look behind the scenes of a magazine production.

It's Ghosts vs. Skeletons one night in a churchyard cricket match. At the outset, it appears that the Ghosts' pitcher will best all of the Skeleton's batters. That is until one dandy steps up to bat and practically lays waste to the entire churchyard.

A probationer wants to miss a meeting to go and see his brother, but must negotiate with his officer.

Aged travellers reminisce about halcyon holidays of old.

Two usherettes in a cinema foyer talk about boys and boredom and what they are going to do when they get home from work.

A door-to-door salesman tries to use the gift of the gab to sell an elderly couple things they don't really need.

A homeless pensioner tries to fathom the correct procedure to get a meal.

The morning shift at a big-city radio station.

Dark animation examining the thin line between human definitions of war and peace. Part of Sweet Disaster; a 1986 series of short films made for Channel 4. It consists of “animated visions of the apocalypse”.

An adventure involving biscuits, a TV and absolutely no police whatsoever.

an animated character of the superhero named Aardman going to the hole

Cheery kids-TV characters of Pib and Pog lose their cool with one another, sparking a manic cartoon showdown between the two.

William Shakespeare, without saying a word, gives a quick run through of all his plays in a very special audition.

William Shakespeare, without saying a word, gives a quick run through of all his plays in a very special audition.

A plucky, pioneering pre-historic fish has a groundbreaking plan to improve his life.

A band of fearless chickens flock together to save poultry-kind from an unsettling new threat: a nearby farm that's cooking up something suspicious.

When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with the Farmer, a caravan and a very steep hill lead them all to the Big City and it's up to Shaun and the flock to return everyone safely to the green grass of home.

Wallace's whirlwind romance with the proprietor of the local wool shop puts his head in a spin, and Gromit is framed for sheep-rustling in a fiendish criminal plot.

Wallace rents out Gromit's former bedroom to a penguin, who takes up an interest in the techno trousers created by Wallace. However, Gromit later learns that the penguin is a wanted criminal.

A keen rambler gets more than he bargained for when a walk in the country takes him on an increasingly surreal odyssey.

For hundreds of years, the Claus family has delegated the title "Santa" to a chosen few of its members, which can be passed down upon retirement. Each Christmas, Santa and his vast army of highly trained elves produce gifts and distribute them around the world in a one-night high-tech operation. However, when one of 600 million children to receive a gift from Santa on Christmas Eve is missed, it is deemed ‘acceptable’ to all but one—Arthur Claus, the current Santa’s misfit son deemed ineligible for the title, who executes an unauthorised rookie mission to get the last present halfway around the globe before dawn on Christmas morning.

The enthusiastic Pirate Captain, along with his rag-tag crew, sets out to beat his bitter rivals. The chaotic adventure takes them from exotic shores to Victorian London, and from a haplessly smitten scientist to a diabolical queen.

Unidentified Farm Objects and paranormal sightings are the norm with Shaun the Sheep™ and his barnyard buddies Bitzer, Shirley, and Timmy, as they encounter more madcap mischief along with those Naughty Pigs next door. Big laughs are evident, as the creators of the Academy Award®-winning Wallace & Gromit™ are out to prove that sheepherding fun is universal.

There's no disguising the fun with Shaun the Sheep™ and his barnyard buddies in this party-fest of wild wackiness from the Oscar®-winning creators of Wallace & Gromit™. The farm is once again party central as Shaun, Bitzer, Timmy, and those Naughty Pigs cause all sorts of mayhem, from flying cue balls and pillow fights to nights of disguise and intrigue. Grab your invitation to laughter for some sheepherding fun that's sure to rock the flock!

It’s madness in the meadow with Shaun the Sheep™ and his flock of mischievous merrymakers! Shaun expertly stops the pigs from running amuck and turning the farm into a porky paradise. He amuses his friends when he falls head over hoof for a beautiful stranger, and demonstrates what happens when curiosity gets the sheep after a hot air balloon lands and causes mayhem in the meadow. From the farm, to outer space and everywhere in between, Shaun and his barnyard buddies know how to have a woolly good time!

A Travel Agent lost his brain, heart and stomach are going to a Vacation.

Anthology of Aardman Animation short films released in theaters in 1996, centered on the new release of the third Wallace & Gromit short, "A Close Shave." Includes: "A Close Shave," "Creature Comforts" and "Heat Electric Commercials" by Nick Park; "Rex the Runt: How Dinosaurs Became Extinct", "Rex the Runt: Dreams" and "Ident" by Richard Goleszowski; "Wat's Pig" and "My Baby Just Cares For Me" by Peter Lord; "Early Bird" by Peter Lord and David Sproxton; "Pib and Pog" directed by Peter Peake

The prehistoric Croods family live in a particularly dangerous moment in time. Patriarch Grug, his mate Ugga, teenage daughter Eep, son Thunk, and feisty Gran gather food by day and huddle together in a cave at night. When a more evolved caveman named Guy arrives on the scene, Grug is distrustful, but it soon becomes apparent that Guy is correct about the impending destruction of their world.

Wallace and Gromit open a bakery, accidentally getting tied up with a murder mystery in the process. But when Wallace falls in love, Gromit is left to solve the case by himself.

A humorous and thought-provoking view of what animals in zoos might be thinking about their captivity and surroundings.

Dug, along with his sidekick Hognob, unite a cavemen tribe to save their hidden valley from being spoiled and, all together as a team, to face the menace of a mysterious and mighty enemy, on the turf of an ancient and sacred sport.

Wallace and Gromit have run out of cheese, and this provides an excellent excuse for the duo to take their holiday to the moon, where, as everyone knows, there is ample cheese.

When an alien with amazing powers crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun the Sheep goes on a mission to shepherd the intergalactic visitor home before a sinister organization can capture her.

Aardman partnered with Vue Cinemas in 2020 to create a 60 minute pre-school adventure for their week day and weekend ‘mini morning’ slots featuring classic Timmy Time episodes, a summer seaside special, songs to sing along with and a bespoke live action interactive element to encourage the audience to get involved and dance with Timmy!

A vaudevillian's act involving the juggling of dogs is no longer a hit. He and his partner must face a brutal villain and assorted obstacles in order to secure their future.

Our plasticine pooch pal Rex welcomes us to his world, introduces us to his friends, and illustrates how Bad Bob caused dinosaurs' extinction (whoops!)

Our plasticine pooch pal Rex welcomes us to his dreamworld.

Can she get to the wedding in time in this claymation short?

It's Ghosts vs. Skeletons one night in a churchyard cricket match. At the outset, it appears that the Ghosts' pitcher will best all of the Skeleton's batters. That is until one dandy steps up to bat and practically lays waste to the entire churchyard.

Gromit’s concern that Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified, when Wallace invents a “smart” gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own. When it emerges that a vengeful figure from the past might be masterminding things, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master… or Wallace may never be able to invent again!

Too Much Sweets have taken their toll on Pog so Pib Resorts to Dentistry, By Removing Pog's Rotten tooth, then Fills Pog's mouth shut.

Pib finds a Chocolate Bar which makes him Sick, and Vomits through his eyes due to Pog stapling his mouth shut, having Pib learn the educational value of eating good food.

Pog lets Pib lick the whisk he used to make a cake with, and Pib's tongue gets stuck in it. Pibs then proceeds to cut Pog's face off with a Knife and it lands in the cake.

Hungry for knowledge, Pib and Pog find one of Daddy's special films, which proves to be extremely educational indeed.

Pib auditions to be a contestant on The X Factor with Pog as Simon Cowell. But When Pog gives Pib negative feedback, Pib decides to retaliate.

A stop motion animated short film about little creatures.