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The Best Episodes of Talking Pictures Season 2

Every episode of Talking Pictures Season 2 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Talking Pictures Season 2!

The Best Episodes of Talking Pictures Season 2

A look back at television appearances by legends of the silver screen, using archive footage to tell the story of their lives and careers.

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  1. 7.5/10(6 votes)

    #1 - Epics

    S2:E31

    Sylvia Syms looks through the BBC archive to discover what makes an epic. The programme looks at the history of epics, which featured lavish budgets and huge sets, from the Ten Commandments and Ben Hur through to Titanic and Gladiator. Including interviews from some of the biggest stars in the world, who starred in some of the biggest films in the world.

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  2. 7.4/10(5 votes)

    #2 - Noel Coward

    S2:E5

    A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by award-winning actor Noel Coward, with interviews from the archive and classic clips capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career.

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  3. 7.3/10(6 votes)

    #3 - Jane Fonda

    S2:E28

    As double-Oscar winner Jane Fonda approaches her 80th birthday, a look back at the life of one of Hollywood's most successful and controversial actresses.

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  4. 7.3/10(7 votes)

    #4 - Barry Norman

    S2:E30

    Rory Bremner explores the BBC archives for an affectionate look back at the career of Barry Norman, who hosted the BBC's Film Review show for 26 years.

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  5. 7.2/10(11 votes)

    #5 - Hitchcock's Leading Actors

    S2:E9

    To this day, Alfred Hitchcock is looked on as one of cinema's best and most influential directors. But how did the stars of his films finding working with the great man? To some he was 'the master', to others 'the manipulator'. Talking Pictures explores the relationship between Hitch and his leading actors, using rarely seen interviews of the man himself and a line-up that includes Kim Novak, Tippi Hedren, Joan Fontaine, Janet Leigh and Sean Connery.

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  6. 7.2/10(6 votes)

    #6 - Anthony Hopkins

    S2:E13

    A look back at the life of Oscar-winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins and featuring interviews conducted with the BBC over the course of his career.

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  8. 7.2/10(7 votes)

    #7 - Bette and Joan

    S2:E29

    Sylvia Syms looks through the BBC archives to tell the story of one of Hollywood's greatest ever feuds - the rivalry between legendary actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.

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  9. 7.0/10(8 votes)

    #8 - Albert Finney

    S2:E4

    A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by award-winning actor Albert Finney, with interviews from the archive and classic clips capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career.

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  10. 7.0/10(5 votes)

    #9 - Hollywood's Great Directors

    S2:E7

    A retrospective look at the careers of some of the greatest and most successful directors in movie history, talking about their favourite films, the stars they worked with and their sometimes difficult relationships with Hollywood's studio bosses. Features rarely seen interviews with a line-up of directing legends including names like John Ford, Frank Capra, Sidney Lumet, George Cukor, Billy Wilder and Cecil B Demille.

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  11. 6.7/10(6 votes)

    #10 - Sex Symbols

    S2:E18

    Sylvia Syms looks at the handsome heroes, gorgeous heroines, pin-ups and bombshells who came to be known as cinema's greatest sex symbols, hearing from the stars themselves.

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  12. 6.6/10(8 votes)

    #11 - Christopher Lee

    S2:E10

    A look back at the life and career of one of the greats of British cinema - Sir Christopher Lee. In BBC interviews conducted over six decades, Lee discusses his position as a legendary screen villain and talks about his major roles, from Count Dracula to Count Dooku.

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  13. 6.3/10(6 votes)

    #12 - Great British Comedies

    S2:E16

    Sylvia Syms looks back on the great British comedy stars who over the years have had cinema audiences rolling in the aisles with laughter. Featuring rarely-seen interviews from the BBC's archives, the programme starts with the great George Formby and the early days of British cinema, and works its way forwards in time, exploring, amongst others, the classic Ealing comedies, the much-loved Doctor series, the saucy postcard humour of the Carry On films, Peter Sellers and the Pink Panther series, and the ground-breaking movies of Monty Python.

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  14. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #13 - Jack Lemmon

    S2:E1

    A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by Some Like It Hot and Days of Wine and Roses star Jack Lemmon, with interviews from the archive and classic clips capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career.

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    #14 - Shelley Winters

    S2:E2

    A look at television appearances made over the years by Oscar-winning actress Shelley Winters, with interviews from the archive and classic clips capturing the milestones and highlights of her life and career.

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  16. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #15 - On the Waterfront

    S2:E3

    Sixty years after its original release, Talking Pictures examines On the Waterfront, one of the greatest films in US cinema history. Archive interviews with the director, writer and cast members, including Marlon Brando, reveal how behind its success lies a story of betrayal and resentment, born from America's anti-communist fervour of the 1950s

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  17. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #16 - Kenneth More

    S2:E6

    A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by BAFTA-winning actor Kenneth More, with interviews from the archive and classic clips capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career.

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  18. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #17 - Richard Harris

    S2:E8

    A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by Richard Harris, with interviews from the archive and classic clips capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.

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  19. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Omar Sharif

    S2:E11

    A look back at the life of the actor Omar Sharif, who died in July 2015 at the age of 83. Using archive from his interviews with the BBC and featuring contributions from director David Lean, this episode explores Sharif's dramatic entrance into the film world of the 1960s with Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, sees him considering his reputation as a playboy, and examines how his passion for cards and gambling at one point threatened to eclipse his reputation as an actor.

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  20. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #19 - Musicals

    S2:E12

    In this episode, Talking Pictures tells the story of the Hollywood musical, using interviews with stars from the genre's golden age, as well as some of the directors and songwriters who helped create them. Among the big names remembering their experiences are Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Julie Andrews, Rex Harrison, Barbara Streisand, Liza Minelli and Judy Garland - and the films under discussion include some of the best-loved in cinema history: Singin' In the Rain, On the Town, My Fair Lady, Funny Girl and The Sound of Music.

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  21. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #20 - John Huston

    S2:E14

    A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by actor and director John Huston, with interviews from the archive and classic clips capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.

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  22. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #21 - Hollywood Actresses

    S2:E15

    Sylvia Syms looks back on the legendary leading ladies of Hollywood - the glamorous and often powerful stars who helped define what it was to be a woman in cinema's golden age. Featuring Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall, Natalie Wood, Debbie Reynolds and Doris Day, the programme uses rarely seen archive and interviews to examine the relationships these great stars had with audiences, studio bosses - and sometimes with each other.

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  23. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #22 - Child Stars

    S2:E17

    With classic interviews and rarely seen archive footage, Sylvia Syms examines the world of the big screen's smallest stars - the child actors. Featuring Shirley Temple, Hayley Mills, Jack Wild, Macaulay Culkin, Christian Bale, Jodie Foster and the stars of the Harry Potter films, the programme looks at their different careers and explores how these young talents fared once they had all grown up.

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  24. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #23 - War Films

    S2:E19

    A look back at the great British war films that boosted the nation's morale in the postwar years and launched the careers of some of our best-loved actors and directors.

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  25. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #24 - Bing Crosby

    S2:E20

    A look at TV appearances made over the years by Bing Crosby, with interviews from the archive and classic clips capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career.

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  26. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #25 - The Black Stars of Film

    S2:E21

    A retrospective look at some of the best-loved and most popular black stars to have graced cinema screens over the past seven decades, from Gone With the Wind right up to 12 Years a Slave. The programme examines how black actors' achievements have been recognised by the movie industry and the Oscars Academy, and explores Hollywood's complicated role in America's fight for civil rights - sometimes praised for championing black artists, often condemned for perpetuating racial stereotypes. Featuring rarely seen interviews with Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg and Halle Berry. Narrated by Don Warrington.

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Season 2 Ratings Summary

"Epics" is the best rated episode of "Talking Pictures" season 2. It scored 7.5/10 based on 6 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 3/30/2018. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Noel Coward".