Michael Mason - RIP

[Stephen Byers]

I'm trying to ascertain whether the below programmes are regarded as 'missing' since I think that I have located pristine copies of all 26 parts of "Everyman ...." and maybe others. 

"After 'A Bayeux Tapestry,' Mason’s programmes ranged from one-offs such as 'The Marriage of Freedom and Fate,' featuring a youthful Anthony Hopkins as Beethoven, to more ambitious undertakings such as 'The British Seafarer' (1980) and the 26-episode series 'The Long March of Everyman,' (1971-72, made in collaboration with Dan Snowman), a landmark “pictorial history of the British people”. Other broadcasts included 'Tales from the Dark Continent' and 'Tales from the South China Seas,' both inspired by Plain Tales from the Raj."

Ref.: www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1405000869

Thanks - SB

[Stephen Byers]

Is 'Long March Of Everyman' regarded as missing? I have all 26 parts - but what to do with them is a moot point.

Also am trying to locate 'The British Seafarer' - even my contacts in the maritime world cannot help.

[Stephen Byers]

No response(s). Just shows the interest in these sort of programmes. Not good.

[Vaughan Stanger]

Might be worth sending a PM to Chris Perry (Kal). Lostshows.com doesn't return anything, but I expect you tried that already. (In any case it doesn't cover most documentaries.)

[Stuart Monk]

Hi, Stephen,
I know people who list the 'Everyman' series in their collections and say the sound quality's very good, so I guess a version is out there.
If you have first generation VHF recordings or even studio copies of these items then as you say there may be limited interest for possible upgrades in collectors' circles (as the phrase goes!), but I have no idea of the BBC Archive status of the series, sorry.

Don't feel despondent because you didn't get loads of replies straight away, I had to wait for responses to my emails before I could post a reply here!
Even if the Beeb is missing copies there's no guarantee that the series could be broadcast if there are lots of music rights to keep the lawyers busy, but wiser people than I will have access to the official archive status.
Cheers,
Stuart

[Stephen Byers]

Thank to a very generous donation of time and material we now have some episodes of The British Seafarer digitised from reel-reel tapes.

These are:

2 Canvas, Hemp and Wood
3 The High Seas
4 The Merchants
5 Charts, Sea-Clocks and Stars
6 The Complete Seaman
7 Stresses, Strains and Storms
8 The Long Blockade
11 Missing, Lost and Saved
13 Fisherman
20 The Dreadnought Navy
23 Jutland
24 The Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-45 [first 45 min]

Now what to do with them is the moot point.

[dsbows]

Feb 18, 2015 15:37:34 GMT Stephen Byers said:

Is 'Long March Of Everyman' regarded as missing? I have all 26 parts - but what to do with them is a moot point.

Also am trying to locate 'The British Seafarer' - even my contacts in the maritime world cannot help.

Full editions of both of these series are in the BBC's library.  The Everyman editions also have an additional few minutes of research explanation by the guest historian at the end of each episode which don't occur in the international versions.