Sit Thi Deawn 1978-81 and Ballad of the Northwest.

[John Green]

Any idea if this is from a missing episode? www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2AEhDfSSWI

Missing or incomplete episodes for programme SIT THI DEAWN.

Series 1
06.01.78 Episode 1 (missing)
13.01.78 Episode 2 (missing)
20.01.78 Episode 3 (missing)
27.01.78 Episode 4 (missing)
03.02.78 Episode 5 (missing)
10.02.78 Episode 6 (missing)
Series 2
24.10.78 Episode 3 (missing)
07.11.78 Episode 4 (missing)
14.11.78 Episode 5 (missing)
21.11.78 Episode 6 (missing)
28.11.78 Episode 7 (missing)
Series 3
06.01.81 Episode 1 (missing)
13.01.81 Episode 2 (missing)
20.01.81 Episode 3 (missing)
03.02.81 Episode 5 (missing)
10.02.81 Episode 6 (missing)

Out of an original total of 24 episodes, 16 episodes are missing.

[John Green]

And a reference here mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=125052 As far as I know "Ballad of the North West doesn't exist except for a few cassettes that I was given of the soundtrack made by pointing a microphone at the TV speaker. "Sit thee deawn" fares better in the archives as I believe most if not all programmes made are in the archive.

And again: Since I first put the thread on here I've found that the North West Film Archive have film clips that were made for the series and you can see a minute or so from "Narras and Flats" on the NWFA website.
I managed to get hold of a few scripts from various people who were in the series and Pat Ryan gave me quite a number of tapes of the soundtrack that she recorded by sticking a microphone in front of the telly. It's not brilliant but you can hear it.

[Jeff Leach]

I find it unbelievable that a show made in the late 70's to mid-eighties has much of its programmes missing.

A show that according to the group’s website ran for 6/7 years - Shameful on the BBC's part

www.houghtonweavers.com/about.html

So much for preserving our regional cultural heritage

[John Green]

But is the statement "Sit Thi Deawn" which continued for six series over seven years" accurate? Has anyone got dates of later series?

And what about the quote I give above about " "Sit thee deawn" fares better in the archives as I believe most if not all programmes made are in the archive".Just plain wrong?

[markdixon]

It seems that "Sit Thi Deawn" did run for 7 years because it was still being broadcast in 1985. I don't know how many episodes survive. The North West Film Archive hold all the surviving film inserts from BBC North West programmes made between 1966 and 1986. There's no sign of "Sit Thi Deawn" on their online catalogue, because I think it was a studio-bound series recorded on video tape. Presumably the surviving episodes are still held by BBC North West.

"Ballad of the North West" was a drama-documentary series that used folk-songs to tell the history of the North West. There were 3 series broadcast from 1973-1975 (18 episodes in total). The North West Film Archive have 7 film inserts from the series. Maybe the BBC still have some complete episodes.