New Wave

Of all the cinematic New Waves that broke over the world in the 1960s, the one in Czechoslovakia was among the most fruitful, fascinating, and radical. With a wicked sense of humor and a healthy streak of surrealism, a group of fearless directors - including eventual Oscar winners Miloš Forman and Ján Kadár - began to use film to speak out about the hypocrisy and absurdity of the Communist state. A defining work was the 1966 omnibus film Pearls of the Deep, which introduced five of the movement’s essential voices: Věra Chytilová, Jaromil Jireš, Jiří Menzel, Jan Němec, and Evald Schorm. This series presents that title, along with five other crucial works that followed close on its heels, one from each of those filmmakers - some dazzlingly experimental, some arrestingly realistic, all singular expressions from a remarkable time and place.

The veteran radio and Old Grey Whistle Test presenter recalls a radical era in music, which dominated the pop landscape during the late 1970s. Back then, punk was hard to find on mainstream television and Annie sought to build a platform for young people to have their say. Here, Annie opens up the archive to select some of the finest and most intriguing moments from this era.

U2, Talking Heads, Depeche Mode, Blondie, Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, The Clash, The Cure: Over half a billion records sold but you may never have heard of them if not for a small suburban radio station on Long Island, …