A couple who dress-up for 'Movie Night' every week watching classic films together are celebrating - their 1,000th film over 20 years.

Ian and Yvette Perryman have turned their front room into an art deco picture house, covered in memorabilia and a gin bar with 80 different bottles.

Monday nights have been renamed Martini Mondays when they sit down to watch a classic film from the black and white movie era with a glass of dry Martini.

Monday (March 3) marked the 20th anniversary of their weekly tradition and also the 1,000th time they’ve sat down to watch a movie.

They watched the 1950 film The Astonished Heart, the film which first began their tradition two decades ago.

The Bristol couple, who have three grown up kids, even dress in 30s or 40s inspired clothing for the special occasion.

Ian, 64, who works as a mortgage broker, said: "Who likes Mondays? Nobody does.

Ian and Yvette Perryman from Bristol who have turned their front room into an art deco picture house - covered in memorabilia and a gin bar with 80 different bottles. Photo released March 4 2025. Monday nights have been renamed Martini Mondays - when they sit down to watch a classic film from the black and white movie era with a glass of dry Martini.
Ian and Yvette Perryman from Bristol who have turned their front room into an art deco picture house - covered in memorabilia and a gin bar with 80 different bottles. (Tom Wren / SWNS)

''It always gave us something to look forward to on a Monday morning. It is a staple for us - we love it.

"Some of them are real favourites like Brief Encounter and This Happy Breed - we have seen them three or four times.

"When we dress we'll dress in a 40s style. I'd wear a dinner jacket and I also have a smoking jacket. Yvette has got a few outfits with big skirts with petticoats underneath of them."

Ian explained the tradition started on early March 2005 and since then the couple have carried out the tradition.

They are drawn to the whole 'nostalgic' feel of it.

Ian and Yvette Perryman from Bristol who have turned their front room into an art deco picture house - covered in memorabilia and a gin bar with 80 different bottles. Photo released March 4 2025. Monday nights have been renamed Martini Mondays - when they sit down to watch a classic film from the black and white movie era with a glass of dry Martini.
Ian and Yvette Perryman from Bristol who have turned their front room into an art deco picture house - covered in memorabilia and a gin bar with 80 different bottles. (Tom Wren / SWNS)

"At the time I was working quite close to home and I just nipped home at lunch time to pick something up.

''My wife had set up the ironing board in front of the telly and a black and white film had just started which was The Astonishing Heart," he said.

"Yvette said to me: 'You would love this film. I'll just tape it and we will watch it tonight with a dry martini because that's what Noel Coward and Celia Johnson were drinking at that moment.

“We watched the black and white 'classic' film, bolstered by a full cocktail shaker of dry martinis.

"And we decided we were doing it the following Monday and we coined it 'Martini Monday' and we have been doing it pretty much every week since then."

And they even decorated their front room to give it a 30s and 40s vibe - with several posters with films from those decades.

Ian and Yvette Perryman from Bristol who have turned their front room into an art deco picture house - covered in memorabilia and a gin bar with 80 different bottles. Photo released March 4 2025. Monday nights have been renamed Martini Mondays - when they sit down to watch a classic film from the black and white movie era with a glass of dry Martini.
Ian and Yvette Perryman (Tom Wren / SWNS)

Ian said: "The room where we watch we got a big telly on the wall and we turned it into an art-deco shrine.

"It is very 30's and 40's themed and we got a big gin bar with 80 different bottles of gin.”

Monday marked the 1,000th time they sat together to watch a movie from the black and white era of cinema.

Their preferred genres go from drama, to film noir and crime.

And their favourite movies Brief Encounter and This Happy Breed have been watched by the couple multiple times.

Ian said: "It is great because you see a lot of actors who became famous in their very small supporting roles and you get very familiar with a lot of the actors.

"Some of them are real favourites like Brief Encounter and This Happy Breed - we have seen them three or four times.

"We have seen some rubbish but on the other hand it is lovely when you see a film that doesn't star with anyone you know but it turns out to be excellent.

"I tend to chose them and then Yvette rejects a lot of them. She doesn't love comedies and she doesn't like Westerns so it has got to be normally a drama. We also like film noir and crime ones.

"The whole feel of it is nostalgia. We were both born in the 60s so it is well before our time. We really enjoy it."