Should the BBC relaunch the Treasure Hunt campaign?

[G D Peck]

With the centenary of the BBC upon us, I was thinking it would be a great opportunity to relaunch the Treasure Hunt campaign to track down missing programs. The previous effort back in the early 2000s had some great success with programs such as Dad's Army etc.

It could tie in nicely with the centenary and maybe anything found could be released on BBC iPlayer? A documentary on missing BBC shows would also be a great way to get the word out there.

Has the BBC given a relaunch Treasure Hunt any consideration at all?

[Peter Stirling]

Well we have gone from the pre-internet days where people assumed that everything they had watched was on a shelf somewhere to the internet of today where most people are in the know that stuff is missing.
The Dr. Who gents and ladies have done more than most to make people aware so don't think another treasure hunt would help.
There are private organisations now like www.tiea.co.uk/lost-shows.htm which go around the world on a lead to lost material.
There is obviously still stuff in private hands - but they are not going to give them up due to lack of respect or a bad experience with an org or someone when they have tried to give them in...and so you cannot blame them for their attitude and we will have to do without in the meantime.

PS. Anyone organising a treasure hunt would also have to devote time and dosh to all the stuff coming in -they DON'T want such as say 20 copies of a Rolf Harris show.
Apparently Talking Pictures TV receives loads of stuff from the public that just gets ignored (this winds up the collectors even more)..now obviously it could well be that they are simply overwhelmed with running a station
and dealing with what is coming in.
But it just shows some of the problems of running a hunt.

[John Wall]

I’ve suggested several times that ME hunters here should build links with TPTV. If they do get more stuff in than they can cope with there look to be possibilities.

[Ray Langstone (was saintsray)]

Apr 13, 2022 11:03:53 GMT John Wall said:

I’ve suggested several times that ME hunters here should build links with TPTV. If they do get more stuff in than they can cope with there look to be possibilities.

I tried.

For reasons I won't go into, that's a non-situation at the moment.

Please note TPTV do a splendid job; this is not something to do with their operation per se, which is very well-run and they have replied to emails I have sent in the past.

However it is a non-starter at this time.

That said, I did suggest a very small project earlier this year with another organization which is on the back-burner; there were some issues and nothing materialized.

I will revisit this after Easter with some other folk; I'm hopeful only of a small-scale project, which annoys me as a bigger one would bear fruit, I'm sure.

Should anything occur - I'm not holding out too much hope, it must be said - you will of course all hear about it.

[Ray Langstone (was saintsray)]

Also - apologies for being cryptic.

I HAVE to be.

[RossL]

Apr 13, 2022 8:46:37 GMT Peter Stirling said:

Well we have gone from the pre-internet days where people assumed that everything they had watched was on a shelf somewhere to the internet of today where most people are in the know that stuff is missing.

I rather suspect you over estimate the great unwashed British public. I counter that not only do most of them not know, but most of those *dont care* if some 50 or 60 year old B&W programmes are gone from the archives. All the internet has done really is ensured that anyone who has the faintest interest in old tv or in the programmes they watched as a kid will know lots of episodes of many series are missing.

It HASNT made it easy to return stuff - imagine Im a member of the general public & Ive got the tapes of what is supposed to be some obscure show that my dad got from his work place a couple of thousand years ago - who would be interested in having it back? I dont know exactly whats on them as its some obsolete format. I dont know if I should contact BBC, ITV, or some organisation caleld Kaleidoscope which Ive never heard of.

Or do I take the easy way out & sling them in the bin now my old man has passed on?

[John Wall]

Binning things is our greatest nightmare.

[T Morgan]

Apr 13, 2022 4:27:47 GMT G D Peck said:

With the centenary of the BBC upon us, I was thinking it would be a great opportunity to relaunch the Treasure Hunt campaign to track down missing programs. The previous effort back in the early 2000s had some great success with programs such as Dad's Army etc.

It could tie in nicely with the centenary and maybe anything found could be released on BBC iPlayer? A documentary on missing BBC shows would also be a great way to get the word out there.

Has the BBC given a relaunch Treasure Hunt any consideration at all?

Agree, but do the BBC want to publicise how cavalier they have been with their archives in their centenary year?