BBC TV Catalogue Online

[andrew martin]

matthewksharp said:

I've already found a couple of very interesting bits of info which explain one or two otherwise inexplicable things. But a query for Andrew Martin... I see Marty 1/4 (20 May 68, LLC5507K) is listed - does it actually survive?

The only material for that episode is the mute neg of a film sequence entitled "Bullfight".

[Matthew K Sharp]

Thanks Andrew. If you want the soundtrack to sync up to it, drop me a line.

(Thinks.... drat and bum! It's such a good episode, too.)

[Jason Jones]

Media Guardian says this BBC Programme Catalogue is going to be publically available (read: given some advertising on the main website) from tomorrow. So hopefully. the speed should increase as well.

[Deleted]

That's good news then. I hope they can sort out this issue of an indication as to archive retention though. Otherwise, the data doesn't make too much sense because it's not either a straight listing of all episodes of a given series (as some are not listed) nor is it just a list of all that survives. It that sense it's confusing. If that little matter can be resolved then it'll be a great asset to fans and researchers alike.

[Clives]

Press release says that the URL for the online programme catalogue is open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue
but I get a 403 Forbidden error on it.
Anyone else had any success?

[LanceM]

Nope, I get the same thing.

Lance.

[Paul Matthews]

Well this open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax is working and at a fair old pace...

[Deleted]

andrew said:

Something like LNLU is basically a record of the editions with holdings - part of the rationale behind not listing every programme is to avoid giving people the erroneous impression that programmes exist... In terms of cataloguing, there is a specific office which is involved in adding extra information to existing programme records - so more information is being added to the system constantly, but I couldn't say when LNLU specifically is likely to be 'done'. Some recent programmes to be updated include "Blue Peter", "Tom Tom" and a lot of 1960s and 1970s schools programmes.

Bizarrely, I have found a way of accessing details on the individual editions of LNLU, which do seem to be there after all (they don't come up if you click on the number of editions listed for any given year though, for some reason); I discovered that if I obtain a search result for specific editions with a title (e.g. Colour Me Pop), it gives an option for previous and next dated editions. If you click in that, you can back-page that way and (slowly) get to them all!! Any idea why it only works in this way, Andrew?

The main question I wanted to ask though is do all the editions detailed (the number given per year) all still exist? Fingers crossed that they do as there is a load of interesting stuff in there! BTW, can you say which of the editions survive on colour VT (presumably just a few from late in the run)? Thanks in advance.

[Clives]

Yes, working on that link! And up to date now too

[Paul02]

According to the catalogue, the Z Cars episodes 'Contraband' and 'Members Only' exist.

Is this true ?

[Deleted]

Contraband definitely does. I don't think Members Only does though. That's the big problem i'm having with the catalogue too; it's a fine body of info to call up but it isn't one thing nor the other (neither just a full listing of what is in the archive and neither is it a full index of any given series that can be used as an episode guide). It's just difficult interpreting the info you can call up!

[Paul02]

laurencepiper said:

Contraband definitely does. I don't think Members Only does though. That's the big problem i'm having with the catalogue too; it's a fine body of info to call up but it isn't one thing nor the other (neither just a full listing of what is in the archive and neither is it a full index of any given series that can be used as an episode guide). It's just difficult interpreting the info you can call up!

A further look through the catalogue suggests that 3 more episodes of Dixon and 2 more of Softly, Softly exist than are listed on the missing episodes site.

Interestingly, an episode of Finlay that's listed as existing on this site isn't listed in the catalogue.

[andrew martin]

laurencepiper said:

Contraband definitely does. I don't think Members Only does though. That's the big problem i'm having with the catalogue too; it's a fine body of info to call up but it isn't one thing nor the other (neither just a full listing of what is in the archive and neither is it a full index of any given series that can be used as an episode guide). It's just difficult interpreting the info you can call up!

There is a short clip existing of "Members Only", hence its entry.

Infax, unfortunately, was designed for use initially by archive staff - now it is viewable by other people in the BBC and people outside, there are aspects of it that may be confusing because it's not possible to access all the information about programmes - this may change as time goes on, but it is early days!

[andrew martin]

Paul02 said:

laurencepiper said:

Contraband definitely does. I don't think Members Only does though. That's the big problem i'm having with the catalogue too; it's a fine body of info to call up but it isn't one thing nor the other (neither just a full listing of what is in the archive and neither is it a full index of any given series that can be used as an episode guide). It's just difficult interpreting the info you can call up!

A further look through the catalogue suggests that 3 more episodes of Dixon and 2 more of Softly, Softly exist than are listed on the missing episodes site.

Interestingly, an episode of Finlay that's listed as existing on this site isn't listed in the catalogue.

The "Dixon" and "Softly Softly" extra episodes may well be clips... Interesting about the "Finlay", as even the episodes that are at the NFA should be on Infax now. Let me know the titles of all these and I can look up the details.

[Paul02]

The episode of Dr Finlay's Casebook is 'Persons Unknown' (27,11,67).