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BFI Mediatheque

Grab a booth in the BFI Mediatheque and discover the best, rarest and most extraordinary films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive. More than 2,500 titles are available to view—all for free.

Simply log on at a viewing station and choose from over 2,500 highlights from the BFI National Archive, the world’s greatest and most diverse collection of film and television, free of charge. From home movies to feature films, documentaries to kids’ TV, many titles have rarely been seen since their original release or broadcast.

Browse a list of all Mediatheque films, or take a look at our selections below.

Highlights of the archive

Feature Films

Celebrate the best of British feature films from the silent era to today with titles including Alfred Hitchcock’s Blackmail (1929), David Lean’s Brief Encounter (1945), John Schlesinger’s Billy Liar (1963) and Andrea Arnold’s Wuthering Heights (2011).

The TV Heaven Collection

Specially selected highlights from our very own TV Heaven programme archive, including the first episodes of Doctor Who (1963), The Prisoner (1967), and Sherlock (2010), alongside animated gems such as The Wrong Trousers (1993).

God’s Own County: Yorkshire on Screen

From footage of Bradford’s central square in the 19th century to award-winning 2011 drama Tyrannosaur, this collection is devoted to the best of Yorkshire on the big and small screen. Brought to you in association with the Yorkshire Film Archive.

The Kids are Alright

Family-friendly films and retro kids’ TV classics, from Muffin the Mule (1952) and Lizzie Dripping (1973) to Grange Hill (1981) and Byker Grove (1992).

The Book Group

Delve into our guide to British literary favourites on screen, with rarely seen adaptations of classic novels alongside documentaries about the authors and their work. Collections include Dracula, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Wuthering Heights.

Music

Rare footage and documentaries for music lovers of all persuasions from punk to pop, including Johnny Cash in San Quentin (1969), Northern Irish punk doc Shellshock Rock (1979), and Saint Etienne’s Finisterre (2003).

Sport at Heart

Sport and exercise around the UK, from Edwardian football matches and surviving footage of the 1908 Olympic Games to obscure regional sporting customs and 1980s ‘keep fit’.

Victorian and Edwardian Life

Journey back to the earliest years of cinema with our extensive selection of Victorian and Edwardian films, including Queen Victoria Visits Sheffield (1897), A Kiss in the Tunnel (1899) and Alice in Wonderland (1903).

See the full list of titles available to watch in Mediatheque, and find out more about BFI Mediatheques around the UK, on the BFI website.

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