60's Cliffhanger Reprises

[davechasteen]

Although many of the previous week's reprises for the B&W episodes were obviously remounted during the recording the following week, some of them appear to be 16mm film copies taken from the previous recording session. So, my question is:
How were these reprises copied and when did it happen?

It would appear to me that there are four possible explanations for the 60's episodes originally recorded on videotape:

A) The last few minutes of the episodes were telerecorded during the original transmission and the film footage added to the video masters for the subsequent episodes.
B) Entire episodes were telerecorded during the original transmission and the necessary portion of the films were added to the video masters for the subsequent episodes.
C) The last few minutes of the episodes were telerecorded later from the master tapes and the film footage added to the video masters for the subsequent episodes.
D) Entire episodes were telerecorded later from the master tapes and the necessary portion of the films were added to the video masters for the subsequent episodes.


Does anyone know which method might have been used?

Thank you.

[Brad Phipps]

E) The last few minutes of the episodes were transferred to 35mm film later from the master tapes and played out as an insert when the program was filmed. The insert would then naturally be captured on that week's master taped when recorded.

[Richard Bignell]

A standard set of instructions was issues to each new production team as they joined the programme, which included on how the credits should read for the roller captions and Radio Times billings, recording breaks, fades to black etc. This also included instruction regarding the episode reprises.

This fell under the Production Assistant's remit. If the cliffhanger was not to be remounted for the following episode, then the PA needed to inform the department organizer in advance, so that the last 20 seconds could be transferred to 35mm. This probably would have been telerecorded directly from the master videtotape the same evening once the recording had been satisfactorily completed. The following Monday, the PA then had to specify precisely what part of the telerecording was required, and this would then be passed to the editors at Ealing.

[John Green]

I should know this,but what difference in quality is found in those extra-generation reprises?

[Richard Bignell]

A 35mm telerecording was the BBC UK broadcast standard, so the quality was very high. You can take a look at the existing b/w episodes that were telerecorded onto 35mm too see what the quality was like.

[davechasteen]

Thank you, Brad and Richard, for the detailed responses.

[Rob Moss]

Sept 2, 2014 9:46:05 GMT Richard Bignell said:

A 35mm telerecording was the BBC UK broadcast standard, so the quality was very high. You can take a look at the existing b/w episodes that were telerecorded onto 35mm too see what the quality was like.

Although for the DVD releases, I think most of them have been replaced with the original footage from the previous episode where possible, haven't they..?

[Rob Moss]

No, the action would have been recorded direct to VT on the original episode, so the cliffhanger from the first episode would be VT > 16mm and the recap would be VT > 35mm > VT > 16mm.