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Post by Neil Megson on Jul 10, 2014 10:59:09 GMT
From the "Daily Telegraph", 24th April 2014 : www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10784285/David-Attenborough-my-regrets-over-wiping-Alan-Bennett-dross.htmlDavid Attenborough (BBC2 controller from 1965 to 1969) admits that wiping programmes to save costs was a mistake. Interesting quote from Alan Yentob at the end of the article : "There were always those covetous people who took them home, probably on the understanding that this organisation won't keep it so we'd better to keep it. [sic] There needs to be an amnesty and we'd probably find it'd all come running back to us." |
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Post by Rob Moss on Jul 10, 2014 12:42:24 GMT
Nice to see that the Treasure Hunt appeal made such an impact..!
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Post by John Green on Jul 10, 2014 13:46:28 GMT
But the point is: he was faced with product which had no value,because of agreements made with the unions restricting repeats.There's an old saying that "What belongs to everyone is valued by no-one".I'll grant you the NHS as an exception,but if these programmes had been owned by their creators/commissioners,they might well have been cared for and marketed.
Of course,there are some rather big exceptions to the rule...
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RWels
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Post by RWels on Jul 10, 2014 15:29:25 GMT
So the crux is, we wiped the wrong things? Not the wiping per se?
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Post by John Green on Jul 10, 2014 15:39:17 GMT
So the crux is, we wiped the wrong things? Not the wiping per se? If you don't retain everything,you or someone else makes the decisions.decisions. Rumour has it the the Queen's Trooping the Colour appearances have all been retained... |
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Post by John Green on Jul 10, 2014 15:39:28 GMT
So the crux is, we wiped the wrong things? Not the wiping per se? If you don't retain everything,you or someone else makes the decisions.decisions. Rumour has it the the Queen's Trooping the Colour appearances have all been retained... |
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RWels
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Post by RWels on Jul 10, 2014 19:49:22 GMT
True but in that case Alan Bennet is just collateral damage...
Just don't ask me how I would have it or what I would have done.
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Post by John Green on Jul 10, 2014 21:02:50 GMT
I think Mr.A. is dangerously close to referring to a canon,part of which Alan Bennett wasn't at the time but part of which he is now.So the list is both a permanent record of ranking,and subject to revision!
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Post by Ian Watlington on Jul 17, 2014 15:30:21 GMT
This is a non-story surely. Hindsight is always 20/20 and by authorising the wipings Attenborough was just doing part of his job properly. It was never an option to retain everything, there simply wasn't the money or space to do that.
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Post by George D on Jul 17, 2014 21:50:34 GMT
At least he has the character to admit he should have done differently.
Sadly so many justify what they have done... even when evidence to the contrary shows its face.
doesnt get evil of the daleks back but we do accept the apology and Im hopeful PM can accomplish that:)
What would help make it right is if the BBC took all that money they saved not storing stuff and put some of it into recovery efforts.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2014 8:31:42 GMT
Yes, it's nice to hear this error of judgement acknowledged in some capacity by someone who was involved at the time. Of course, it doesn't change the situation with missing material but the search goes on. All we can do is hope for many more (and significant) finds in future.
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Post by Peter Stirling on Jul 18, 2014 10:28:23 GMT
The fact is the dear old luvvy thought nothing of keeping hours of high quality colour tape of Prince Charles traveling to Wales to open an envelope from his Mum...yet anything that had even the slight whiff of working class about it was deemed as ephemeral. The BBC's first colour transmissions- not our biggest export at the time POP!, but effing tennis. |
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RWels
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Post by RWels on Jul 18, 2014 10:34:08 GMT
Really, one might almost start thinking it was a completely different time back then!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2014 11:05:32 GMT
The fact is the dear old luvvy thought nothing of keeping hours of high quality colour tape of Prince Charles traveling to Wales to open an envelope from his Mum...yet anything that had even the slight whiff of working class about it was deemed as ephemeral. That was true across the board at the BBC back then but Attenborough was probably more enlightened in his outlook than some at the time. It's very odd though that more was not kept of Wimbledon 1967: the very first colour broadcast (save for a short highlights programme at the end of the first week of coverage), given that it was trumpeted so loudly when it happened. Not a particular fan of tennis (or any sport) myself either but as an acknowledged historic moment at the time..! Just out of interest, does anyone know how successive Wimbledon years fare in the archives? 1968 and so on. |
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Post by markandresen on Jul 18, 2014 11:34:41 GMT
What must also be remembered is that, prior to the 1980s,' what we term the 'BBC Archives' was, in fact, the BBC Library and perceived and treated as such. i.e. programmes kept (that weren't copied and shipped overseas) at the corporation's discretion for internal use only. It's just a pity that, in addition to this, the ad-hoc nature of what was and wasn't kept has subsequently served to deprive them - and us - to an even greater extent. Old news, I know, but it should always be kept in mind.
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