Season 2012

This documentary explores how a once-dismissed genre went on to reshape popular culture. Between 1969 and 1979, disco provided the soundtrack to gay liberation, celebrated female desire during the rise of feminism, and laid the foundations of modern club culture before becoming a global phenomenon. The film features insights from key figures including Nile Rodgers, Robin Gibb, Kathy Sledge, and Ian Schrager

This film tells a sweeping 1970s story of outlaw rock bands who emerged from the overlooked and often derided Deep South and went on to achieve global success. Groups such as the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd forged their own path, fusing blues, country, and rock ’n’ roll with fierce independence and regional pride. Their music ranged from raw boogie to expansive blues-rock and had a powerful cultural and political influence, helping redefine Southern identity in America. The story is told through rich archive footage and first-hand accounts from musicians and witnesses who lived through this explosive era.

John Edginton’s film examines the creation of Wish You Were Here, the ninth studio album by Pink Floyd. Through new interviews with band members Roger Waters, David Gilmour, and Nick Mason—alongside insights from collaborators including Roy Harper, designer Storm Thorgerson, and photographer Jill Furmanovsky—the documentary offers a detailed exploration of how the band crafted their ambitious follow-up to The Dark Side of the Moon.

In this personal documentary, Julien Temple turns away from the Glastonbury Festival’s headline stages to explore its hidden, alternative spaces. Filmed in 2011, the film visits areas such as Shangri-La, Arcadia, and Block 9, where each year a fleeting vision of utopia emerges through underground music, performance, and provocative art. Reconnecting the festival with its radical, countercultural roots, the programme captures a raw, contemporary energy. Featuring Michael Eavis, organisers, and festivalgoers, it explores the ideals, dreams, and temporary communities formed over one June weekend by the tribes of modern Britain.

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is widely seen as the defining work in the career of David Bowie. Released in 1972, it launched Bowie to global fame through the creation of Ziggy, a flamboyant alien rock star whose music, fashion, and sexuality electrified a generation. This documentary charts how Bowie combined songs, image, and theatrical performance to create one of pop’s most enduring icons. Narrated by Jarvis Cocker, it reveals that Ziggy’s overnight success followed years of struggle and experimentation, and ultimately led Bowie to question his identity and bring the character to an abrupt end. Featuring insights from band members, collaborators, and close associates, the film tells the story behind one of pop music’s most influential creations.

Working from his home studio and revisiting old haunts in Shepherd’s Bush and Battersea, Pete Townshend reflects on Quadrophenia, often described as the last great album by The Who. Conceived as a return to the band’s mod roots, the record followed a troubled young outsider on a journey of self-discovery, but its creation nearly collapsed under financial strain, chaos in the studio, and excess on all sides. Featuring rare archive footage and candid interviews with Townshend and his bandmates, the film reveals how an album that almost broke its creator became a landmark work the group would later neglect for decades.

This documentary follows Fairport Convention as they mark their 45th anniversary in 2012. Their landmark 1969 album Liege and Lief—featuring Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, and Dave Swarbrick—was voted Radio 2’s most influential folk record ever. After decades of line-up changes and shifting trends, the band now preside over their annual Cropredy festival in Oxfordshire, drawing 20,000 devoted fans. Narrated by Frank Skinner, the film charts Fairport’s rise, decline, and enduring revival as pioneers of English folk rock.

Georg Solti was among the most dynamic and divisive conductors of the twentieth century, exerting enormous influence over classical music for almost half a century. Driven by ambition, formidable technique, determination, and undeniable brilliance, he inspired both admiration and controversy. Marking the centenary of his birth, this film reassesses Solti’s life, reputation, and lasting impact, drawing on rare archival material and new interviews with leading figures from the classical music world.

Over the past five years, the UK has lost an independent record shop every three days. This documentary focuses on one of the few survivors: a vinyl store in Teesside that serves as a cultural refuge in one of the country’s most deprived regions. Filmmaker Jeanie Finlay, who grew up nearby, observes the shop’s daily rhythms and the community whose loyalty keeps it alive. Warm, humorous, and personal, the film reflects on masculinity, northern identity, and the enduring importance of music in everyday life.

This documentary reassesses the songwriting partnership of Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, the creative core of Squeeze. From their south-east London beginnings to chart success after Take Me I’m Yours in 1978, the film explores a classic run of singles including Cool for Cats, Up the Junction, and Tempted. Despite shifting line-ups, their songs remained the constant. Through candid interviews and tributes from collaborators and admirers, the programme shows how a sometimes fraught partnership produced some of Britain’s most enduring pop writing, earning comparisons with the great songwriting duos.

This documentary follows the life and career of Jools Holland, charting the experiences that shaped him into one of Britain’s most influential music broadcasters. From his East End upbringing and early success with Squeeze to fronting groundbreaking TV shows such as The Tube, the film traces his path to becoming BBC Two’s leading music figure. With rare behind-the-scenes access to Later… with Jools Holland and his self-designed Greenwich studio, the documentary also features interviews with friends and collaborators including Tom Jones, Paul Weller, and Bob Geldof.