OLD TVS tape Destoryed

Even more complicated TVS made the inserts for the British version, there were quite a few though. Fortunately those episodes are safe as they released a DVD a couple of years ago, complete with TVS logo on one solitary episode. I think the rights remained with the Jim Henson company.

As for tapes being destroyed, they haven't but they're in a black hole which is as good as being destroyed. I'm sure if one company wanted to a big legal battle could be launched, possibly resulting in the archives being freely auctioned off - the trouble is, there isn't enough in the black hole for any company to be really interested.

As for Catchphrase, I do wonder who held the rights to those episodes post TVS. It may have been Action Time, which I think was absorbed into Carlton and probably again the legal documents do not state they own it even if they do.

so Why woudl Disnay want to keep hodl of such TV programmes???

I doubt there use it!

someone should and try and buy back the programmes

That's just it, Disney don't want to keep hold of the programmes, that's why they've not made any steps to insure that they have the legal right to own them.

WHo does have the legal right to own them

Disney legally own them, they inherited them when they purchased another company.

But Disney is a very big organisation, some tapes in an attic somewhere in the UK that belonged to a relatively obscure TV company is highly likely to fall under their radar. Even if they wanted to do something with what they have, if the paperwork was mislaid between owners then they won't know what they've got let alone all the rights associated

I'm sorry but in my opinion this is just very poor indeed, imagine if the same was done to some of Disney's classic programmes there ould be outrage. I know not all of TVS' programmes were fantastic but surely Meridian or someone in the UK at least should have purchased TVS' & indeed Southern's tapes to keep them in the UK.

Look at the South West, Westward's & TSW's tapes are safely archived, surely something can be done?

It would be nice for ITV to purchase them, but of course if there's a lack of paperwork any new owner couldn't do much with the archive, not in the short term anyway



The big diffrence with that is that TSW, Westward and BBC South West made very few network programmes so that archive is full of regional news and programming and is therefore a useful historical source.

The TVS and Southern archives don't include local news (maybe not regional programmes either), these were passed down from station to station. Housing the archive as a seperate organisation, especially a charitable one like the SWFTA isn't really an option. It's better off as part of a larger archive such as ITN

I think im right in saying most of the old regional programmes are now with the Wessex Film Archive in Winchester, alot of the obscure material which is probably of interest to members of this forum certainly is.

People at YTV were doing something to some TVS programming the other week. So I doubt its been forgotten or neglected. Looks like whatever they have at Leeds is being well looked after. Don't know about the other places.

so No chance of Mr Majeika Getting repeated!

Not sure I trust YTV with archiving to be honest -- large parts of the TTTV archive were destroyed under their watch, including low-band copies of thousands of editions of the local news that Tyne Tees had kept hold of over the years (the ones they needed to keep for 60 days under IBA regs), and a number of series as well. ISTR that the opening night video went missing as well, and the only footage they have left of that night is from the 1989 30th anniversary show. Shame.

I think it's a shame it's ended up like this, it would have been better if it was sold to an ITV company such as Granada or at least to another ITV broadcaster that lived past 1993.

I take it that TVS News Archives are currently held by Meridian? I remember reading that one somewhere, same with TV-am, the name belongs to Ian White, the majority of archive belongs to Moving Image Communications and I think the News archive belongs to Sky News, as that was one of the deal's TV-am made with Sky when they lost the franchise.

I think anything of real value to a broadcaster has been saved really, such as Ruth Rendell and Art Attack, which probably make both parties alot of money, where as something like Catchphrase, good as it is, I don't think it would generate alot of revenue or interest other than Challenge TV.

But saying that Challenge have showed it within the last ten years, so why can't they again?