Underwater Menace

[simonashby]

I don't want to dig an old rumour up, but what's this story of people still receiving royalties for this in the 1990s?

Wouldn't the BBC have found out before broadcast?

[Paul Vanezis]

Jan 20, 2011 19:09:26 GMT simonashby said:

I don't want to dig an old rumour up, but what's this story of people still receiving royalties for this in the 1990s?

Wouldn't the BBC have found out before broadcast?

What do you mean the 1990's? People are still receiving royalties for it now...

Paul

[simonashby]

Sorry, my fault - very quickly written post!

The story goes that it was broadcast somewhere in Africa in the 1990's and people received royalties for the whole serial.

I realise about ep3 on DVD etc.

[Richard Bignell]

I think you're referring to Joseph Furst's interview comment many years ago that he was still getting royalties for The Underwater Menace from Outer Mongolia.

Which is just a roundabout way of him saying that he still gets an odd royalty cheque for a few pence from the story. Which he does, off the back of the VHS and DVD release of the orphan episode.

Unfortunately, some people took the Outer Mongolia bit seriously, the same way some others actually believe that Robert Mugabe is hoarding episodes.

[simonashby]

Jan 20, 2011 22:50:53 GMT Richard Bignell said:

I think you're referring to Joseph Furst's interview comment many years ago that he was still getting royalties for The Underwater Menace from Outer Mongolia.

Which is just a roundabout way of him saying that he still gets an odd royalty cheque for a few pence from the story. Which he does, off the back of the VHS and DVD release of the orphan episode.

Unfortunately, some people took the Outer Mongolia bit seriously, the same way some others actually believe that Robert Mugabe is hoarding episodes.

If I was told Outer Mongolia, then I would have probably ignored it!

But then again, maybe the broadcast clearance people at BBC worldwide will get a shock phone-call one day!

[Ash Stewart]

Jan 20, 2011 22:50:53 GMT Richard Bignell said:

I think you're referring to Joseph Furst's interview comment many years ago that he was still getting royalties for The Underwater Menace from Outer Mongolia.

Which is just a roundabout way of him saying that he still gets an odd royalty cheque for a few pence from the story. Which he does, off the back of the VHS and DVD release of the orphan episode.

Unfortunately, some people took the Outer Mongolia bit seriously, the same way some others actually believe that Robert Mugabe is hoarding episodes.

Trouble is, the interview was published in a fanzine dated October 1995; the VHS was released in 1998, and the DVD in 2004. Thus, the royalties he got in the 80s couldn't have been for VHS and DVD sales...

And the last known screening of The Underwater Menace was in 1970.

"Outer Mongolia" is likely to just refer to far off foreign lands, rather than the specific country, though.

The direct quote from the article is thus;

"An interesting comment to come from my interview with Joseph is that he had received residuals for screenings of The Underwater Menace in, get it, Outer Mongolia. The key point is that he received said residuals through till the Eighties, when the story was supposedly wiped from the face of the Earth... I've written to the BBC regarding this, and we'll follow it up to see if, indeed, there's some more undicovered [sic] Doctor Who out there."

[simonashby]

This is exactly what fascinates me!

Surely the BBC would know of any stations that wanted to broadcast this. I guess it's just a process of the station saying 'You sent us this a long time ago, can we pay to show it again' sort of thing.

So when I say the BBC would know of any broadcasts, do I really mean one person knows of this, having stamped a bit of paper whilst being totally unaware of the programmes nature?

This of course is assuming this is actually true?

[Richard Bignell]

Jan 21, 2011 21:33:58 GMT Ash Stewart said:

Trouble is, the interview was published in a fanzine dated October 1995; the VHS was released in 1998, and the DVD in 2004. Thus, the royalties he got in the 80s couldn't have been for VHS and DVD sales...

Fair point, Ash, but one pre-VHS showing of The Underwater Menace #3 was made at the DWAS Interface II event in 1982, for which Furst would have received a few pennies via the BBC.

It should also be remembered that dependant on a number of factors, residual payments can sometimes take a very long time to work their way through to an actor - in some cases several years.

[Ash Stewart]

This is the first time I've heard of that screening. I wonder how many others there might have been. I don't recall ever reading of any TV screenings of the single episode on dates that would fit the timescale.

Whilst it may take some time for payment to come through, would it really take over a decade (based on the last 1970 screening date, and the comment about the 80s)? Wouldn't Equity have had something to say over such a delay?

Another question with regards to this; is there a minimum amount that residuals would be paid out on? Surely if payments on some things were so low - such as for the screening you mention - it wouldn't be worth sending a payment out straight away. I guess that if payments did build up until a minimum threshold were reached, then I guess that could help explain long delays in payment.

It's a shame that the chap interviewing Mr Furst didn't ask him if he still had any documentation that came with the cheques! Would have helped to pinpoint exactly what these payments referred to...