It's possible to connect one of the outputs of an ntl cable TV set-top box to an analogue TV card in a PC, & then record to the HDD. "Showshifter" is a good piece of software for this:
http://www.showshifter.com/
"DigiGuide" (
http://www.digiguide.com/) is a very good listings prog, which can work in conjunction with Showshifter.