Dennis Waterman Movies

U.K. director Chris Munro's wicked satirical comedy Back in Business dissects and excoriates the slimy underbelly of British capitalism with a look at several high-rolling English con artists and the brouhaha surrounding their latest national scam. Joanna Taylor (Post Impact) and screen legend Brian Blessed (I Claudius) play, respectively, press officer Fiona Arlington Spencer and press chief Trevor Pilkington. As the byzantine story opens, the duo leaks to the public news of Britain's latest contribution to the space race: 'The Explorer,' an interstellar vehicle allegedly capable of mining an energy-rich substance on a foreign planet, that could thus save the Earth's energy crisis once and for all. In reality, the two "entrepreneurs" share the morals of an alley cat and a desire to shake down as many venture capitalists as they can find, illustrated by their previous success: conning a series of international businessmen into buying shares of British national landmarks, as a means of rescuing the Brit economy. And in reality, the 'Explorer' doesn't even exist - it represents only the latest in an endless series of paper-thin manipulative schemes. To help pull this one off, Fiona and Trevor reel in a number of accomplices: Fiona's uncle, Lord William Arlington Spencer (Martin Kemp); techie and computer hacker Travis Marks (Stefan Booth), the son of William's Cambridge buddy Thomas Marks (Chris Barrie, and then Thomas himself. They plan to use the "invention" to wheedle billions out from under the noses of the Chinese - but fail to anticipate the interference of a nosy policeman (Dennis Waterman) or of an irate group of Russian mobsters, who - upon smelling a rat - demand to see the Explorer with their own eyes. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Created by Jonathan Hodge, the British cartoon series Fiddley Foodle Bird featured veteran actor-singer Dennis Waterman as the voice of the title character. The plot was set in motion by the son of an explorer couple, who upon finding a magic book, made a wish, bringing a picture of the Fiddley Foodle Bird to life. Blessed with the ability to change his color and size at will, the titular bird led his new human friend on all sorts of merry adventures. Assembled by H.A.P.P.Y. Productions, the ten-minute Fiddley Foodle Bird episodes first aired over BBC1 in 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this feature-film version of the popular British television cop show, Regan (John Thaw) and Carter (Dennis Waterman) are two British Scotland Yard detectives who find themselves involved with the exchange of oil resources on the political and economic fate of the world. Ian Bannen plays Baker, an alcoholic foreign minister involved in a scheme to manipulate a worldwide oil crisis to his benefit. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

The Sweeney was a groundbreaking British police show of the 1970s that turned John Thaw into a major television star. Created by Ian Kennedy Martin, the series told of Scotland Yard's Flying Squad (roughly the equivalent of the Major Case Squad in New York and other major American cities), nicknamed "The Sweeney" in rhyming slang (Flying Squad/Sweeney Todd) -- the focus of the series was the squad's senior field officer, Detective Inspector Jack Regan, portrayed by John Thaw. A bull of a man who has been known to bend the rules when necessary (or when it suits him), Regan disparages his desk-bound superiors and prefers to stay in the field, often working neck-deep among England's professional and habitual criminals, who are every bit as violent as their American counterparts. Tolerated by his superiors because he gets results, Regan is in a constant struggle to keep his squad ahead of the criminals and free of interference from higher command, the press, or politicians -- with his partner, Detective Sergeant George Carter (Dennis Waterman), Regan and his squad are as tough and ruthless when they have to be as the criminals they pursue.

The series was considered revolutionary in its time on British television for introducing levels of violence and cynicism -- though defenders would call it realism -- that had previously only been seen in American-produced series and movies; the language, the action, the cutting, and the shooting all exuded a gritty, no-nonsense approach to crime-story narrative that was spellbinding. The series started life as part of a series of made-for-television movies produced by Euston Films for its parent company, Thames Television. Regan introduced the character of Jack Regan, and its success got it pegged as the source for a 13-episode series, ultimately titled The Sweeney, starring Thaw and Waterman. That season and the one that followed were immensely popular and yielded a pair of feature-film releases, The Sweeney (1977) and Sweeney 2 (1978). The series shut down after its fourth season, but it is still one of the most talked about series in England a quarter century later. In 2003, the complete series was released on DVD in England, with a brace of bonus materials including commentary tracks, interviews, and special introductions by various guest stars. Seen today, it still comes off as very gritty and violent, and, in many ways, a distant antecedent to the American made-for-cable series The Shield. ~ All Movie Guide

Although an orphaned fox cub was raised in captivity, it does not get pet privileges when it is the object of a fox hunt. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

A star-studded cast highlights this musical adaptation of the classic fantasy tales of Lewis Carroll. One day young Alice (Fiona Fullerton) takes a nasty spill down the rabbit-hole and finds herself in the bizarre kingdom of Wonderland, where she encounters a number of strange and enchanted characters, including the playful White Rabbit (Michael Crawford), the manic March Hare (Peter Sellers), the mysterious Caterpillar (Ralph Richardson), the Doormouse (Dudley Moore), the imperious Queen of Hearts (Flora Robson), and the quizzical Mad Hatter (Robert Helpmann). The cast also includes Spike Milligan, Peter Bull, Roy Kinnear, and Michael Jayston as Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland won two prizes at the 1973 British Academy of Film and Theatre Awards -- for Georfrey Unsworth's photography and Anthony Mendelson's costume design. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this sex comedy, a bountiful blonde woman saves a despondent fellow from suicide and teaches him to love life again. Meanwhile a sexy aspiring actress seduces the son of a man whom she believes is a powerful producer, and a cabbie dreams of a world filled with bikini clad women and exotic dancers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Based on a popular British novel by Nell Dunn, Up the Junction was a made-for-TV movie in 1965 before being remade for theatrical release in 1968. It features Suzy Kendall as Polly, an upper-class Chelsea girl who decides to relieve her boredom by slumming in a working-class section of London called Battersea. She gets a job in a candy factory and becomes friends with co-workers Rube (Adrienne Posta) and Sylvie (Maureen Lipman), two sisters. Polly takes up with Peter (Dennis Waterman), who dreams of leaving Battersea and becoming rich. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

This comedy features a 12-step Program for habitual hoods. The recovering criminal takes a job as a department store Santa, and again finds himself confronted with temptation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A little boy learns the dangers of chronic lying the hard way in this thriller. He is only eleven when he tells a story that causes a neighbor, an ex-POW with amnesia, to die. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

When a washed-up boxer (Roger Daltrey) invites a British priest (Dennis Waterman) to minister in his South Chicago neighborhood, he never suspects that the priest is not who he says he is. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide