HD remastering 4:3 programmes

Yes - it may have been - it's never really been a thing here though.

It seems strange how late the video/film combination was used though, it seems rare for any BBC sitcoms even in the late 80s to be all video, and even in the early 90s there were some still using film on location (and OFAH and One Foot In The Grave were still doing it into the 00s!). Ab Fab is a bit strange in that it seemed to mix the two sometimes, even in the same episode. Did seem to affect sitcoms more, there seem to be plenty of BBC dramas using video on location in the 70s and 80s.

Especially when you look at how many ITV sitcoms of the 70s and 80s used video on location, at least occasionally (I guess there were times when using video was impractical with the technology of the time). Strange to see ITV3 showing On The Buses from 1970 with videotaped location work, then seeing episodes of Bread and Brush Strokes from over 20 years later still using film.

Series 3 of Miranda (2013) used a fake, and very basic, film effect on location footage, in homage to 70s/80s sitcoms.

A lot of that show was a homage to sitcoms of that era in general, especially the "you have been watching" credits.

I think the show itself is crap but those were two lovely nods to the past and the craft I appreciated.

Well, some of the recovered from telerecordings Dad’s Armys have ended up with the outdoor native film sequences ‘fluidised’ ( made up word) as part of the recovery process

Have they? The ones I've seen have left them alone.

And I believe "VIDfire'd" is the correct term

Was it definitely film towards the end of One Foot In The Grave's run, or were they using a film effect by then, just to keep the feel of the programme the same? I was actually wondering this recently while watching some of the final series on DVD.




You are Philomena Cunk and I claim my £10.

That's unusual and definitely unintentional. The team behind the VidFire-ing of Doctor Who, Dads Army etc. are usually incredibly careful to only restore material originally shot on video to a 'video look' and leave the location film sequences alone (and thus retaining their 25p look)

The same team also collaborate on the colour recovery from B&W telerecordings of colour content where the subcarrier dots have survived and can be used to restore colour.

No I think you’re right, OFITG was still using film to the end. I think it worked really well particularly with the more dramatic scenes of the final episode.


Outside sequences on the final Only Fools and Horses specials from 2001-3 were shot on film.

Ah ha !

I did watch the first one that was recovered, that was shown on its own. It’s quite possible ( likely) they later restored the film sequences back to 25p later on

That first VIDfire'd Dad's Army discovery was a long time ago, must have been late 2001/early 2002! Presumably they were far from perfecting the process back then.