Don Letts

Sinéad

With contributions from David Holmes, Christy Moore, Imelda May, Don Letts, BP Fallon and more, this documentary reflects on Sineád O’Connor’s influence on Irish life and people. Five months after her shocking passing, SINÉAD revisits the late singer’s tumultuous life and the film is both a deeply sad and celebratory tribute. Drawn together from RTÉ’s own expansive archive of her TV appearances and footage from around the world, it is an absorbing take on a story that many of us already know very well. However, looking back now after her death, the film pulls into sharp focus just how brave and defiant Sinéad really was.

When Blondie Came to Britain

The story of Britain’s long relationship with Blondie - the part it played in helping the band to international success and the impact the band had on British fans and musicians.

Sounds Like the 80s

Ken Bruce celebrates the sound of the 1980s, as icons from the British music scene pick their favourite tracks that defined a generation, to create their ultimate mixtape.

Don Letts - 6 Music Festival

The 6 Music presenter and DJ warms up the crowd.

Rebel Dread

Documentary about Don Letts who played a leading role in pop history. Letts injected Afro-Caribbean music into the early punk scene and shot over 300 music videos including for Public Image Ltd. and Bob Marley, but also for teen sensations Musical Youth's reggae smash 'Pass The Dutchie'. Besides his enduring relationship with The Clash, the constant factor in Letts' eventful career as a DJ, manager, film director, musician and radio maker is that, from the 1970s on, he continued to draw attention to cultural issues, as he does today with his radio programme for BBC 6, Culture Clash Radio.

Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché

The death of punk icon and X-Ray Spex front-woman Poly Styrene sends her daughter on a journey through her mother's archives in this intimate documentary.

When Bob Marley Came to Britain

Featuring rarely seen archive and interviews, this documentary examines Bob Marley’s special relationship with Britain and reveals how he inspired a generation of black British youth.

England 79

"England 79" - 17 scenes from Great Britain the winter of discontent, 1979.

My View: Clem Burke

An access all areas documentary with Clem Burke, a look back at 40 years on the road and performing with one of the worlds most iconic bands. Clem Burke is the drummer behind multi-platinum selling band BLONDIE. His signature beats have brought millions to the dance floor and his unique approach to playing has seen him accompany an endless list of artists from Bob Dylan to The Eurythmics. We follow Clem on the road, playing as hard as ever in this access all areas documentary. Feel the energy behind the kit as Clem plays with Blondie at Hyde park to 80,000 people and witness his tireless work ethic at The Cavern Club for Beatles week, where he plays 5 gigs in 24 hrs. Exclusive interviews from Dave Stewart, Chris Stein, Hugh Cornwall, Glen Matlock, Bob Gruen and many more put the spotlight on one of rock 'n' rolls most enigmatic unsung heroes - Clem Burke the Doctor of Rock.

Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records

This stylish documentary about the iconic ska, reggae and rock-steady label is a timely and wide-ranging celebration of british Jamaican working-class youth culture.

Here to be Heard: The Story of The Slits

The tale of the formation, journey and end of the seminal Punk/Reggae band The Slits.

Two Sevens Clash: Dread Meets Punk Rockers

Documentary about reggae music and culture in London in 1977. Filmed in Super 8 camera by Don Letts. With participation of Richard Branson, Neneh Cherry, Paul Cook, Sly Dunbar, Paul Weller, John Lydon, Joe Strummer, Siouxsie Sioux, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and others. Released in 2017.

The Story of Skinhead

Don Letts examines the history of this notorious subculture in a fascinating documentary, which features interviews with members of different skinhead scenes through the decades. Beginning in the late 1960s, Don fondly recalls a time of multiracial harmony as youngsters bonded over a love of ska, reggae and smart clothes as white working-class kids were attracted to Jamaican culture and adopted its music and fashions. But when far-right politics targeted skinheads in the 1970s and 1980s, an ugly intolerance emerged, and Don reveals how the once-harmonious subgroup has since struggled to shake this stigma.

The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead

From Lemmy filmmaker Wes Orshoski comes the story of the long-ignored pioneers of punk: The Damned, the first U.K. punks on wax and the first to cross the Atlantic. This authorized film includes appearances from Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jones (The Clash), Lemmy and members of Pink Floyd, Black Flag, GNR, the Sex Pistols, Blondie, Buzzcocks, and more. Shot around the globe over three years, the film charts the band's complex history and infighting, as it celebrated its 35th anniversary and found its estranged former members striking out on their own anniversary tour, while still others battle cancer.

Basically, Johnny Moped

A funny and often moving account of one of UK music's great lost treasures. Formed in 1974 by a group of school friends from Croydon, Johnny Moped were the band fronted by, and named after, the enigmatic Paul Halford aka Johnny Moped. By 1977 the group found themselves at the heart of the burgeoning punk scene in London and for a brief moment even looked like contenders. Despite being able to count both Chrissie Hynde and Captain Sensible as past members, success was not to come their way and Johnny Moped are now largely forgotten, punk rock's great lost band. Their story is however a fascinating one that, along with some of the era's most innovative music deserves to be heard.

Evidently... John Cooper Clarke

A look at the life of John Cooper Clarke. From his rise as a 'punk poet', through his heroin addiction, and finally to his comeback.

Who Killed Nancy?

On October 12th, 1978, New York Police discovered the lifeless body of a young woman, slumped under the bathroom sink in a hotel room. She was Nancy Spungen, an ex-prostitute, sometimes stripper, heroin addict, and girlfriend of Sex Pistols' bassist Sid Vicious.

Chaos! Sex Pistols Secret History

The '70s work of the late Dave Goodman leads US directly into the shocking true story of the birth - and initial success - of the Sex Pistols, the most explosive Rock 'N' Roll band ever (and the group for whom Dave G was the first serious producer). a band that still shock and thrill, in equal measure, some 30 years later. The filmmakers were lucky enough to know Dave back then and luckier still in getting other key figures to talk about him and the Pistols for this film - including manager Malcolm McLaren, Pistol Glen Matlock, photographer Ray Stevenson, film-maker Don Letts, broadcaster/label bigwig Tony Wilson and many others. Their words make up not just the bizarre tale of Dave and the Pistols but also the full flavor of what Punk, and Britain in the '70s, was really like. A time when young people still genuinely believed that music could - and would - change the world. A time of hope. A very different time to now...

Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten

As the front man of the Clash from 1977 onwards, Joe Strummer changed people's lives forever. Four years after his death, his influence reaches out around the world, more strongly now than ever before. In "The Future Is Unwritten", from British film director Julien Temple, Joe Strummer is revealed not just as a legend or musician, but as a true communicator of our times. Drawing on both a shared punk history and the close personal friendship which developed over the last years of Joe's life, Julien Temple's film is a celebration of Joe Strummer - before, during and after the Clash.

A City Runs Through the Festival

A City Runs Through the Festival is an anatomy of the Festival through the eyes of its own audience.

Rock Milestones: The Clash's London Calling

Critical review of the English punk rock band's 1979 album, 'London Calling'. The program features input from industry experts, including film director and DJ Don Letts, rare performance footage and clips from songs such as 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go', 'White Riot' and 'London Calling'.

The History of Rock 'n' Roll

The history of rock n' roll and pop music are explored are explored via interviews and footage of well-known music stars.

BAD I+II

A collection of music videos by Big Audio Dynamite. Featuring videos for The Bottom Line, E=MC^2, Medicine Show, C'mon Every Beatbox, V-Thirteen, Sightsee M.C!, Just Play Music, James Brown, Contact, Rush, and The Globe.

Coping with Cupid

Three blondes from another planet land on earth to conduct research into romantic love

Midnight Breaks

When sweet-voiced Cassie of unsigned reggae act Midnight is offered a lucrative deal to join successful group Breaks by record company rep Billy, her band mate boyfriend Tyron is none too pleased.

The King of Comedy

Aspiring comic Rupert Pupkin attempts to achieve success in show business by stalking his idol, a late night talk-show host who craves his own privacy.

The Punk Rock Movie

Documentary on the London punk-rock scene, circa '78

The Year Of Punk

The summer of the Jubilee in 1977 was mentally dominated by another national anthem - "God Save the Queen" by The Sex Pistols. That same summer was also the summer of punk. Janet Street Porter Reviews The Year Of Punk, Featuring Early Classic Footage Of The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Siouxsie And Others.

Big Audio Dynamite: The Tube 1986

Big Audio Dynamite: The Tube 1986

Big Audio Dynamite: Meltdown 1987

Big Audio Dynamite: Meltdown 1987

Dreadtown: The Steel Pulse Story

They have raged on for forty years, cutting a swath across continents and lighting the fuse of revolutionary thought. From the pressure-cooker ghettos of England to the mighty gates of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, one band has forged an enduring legacy. This is their story.