Burnett's Collection

[Mark Vanderlinde-Abernathy]

Bringing up an old thread to give us a little nostalgia for 2011. Terry Burnett passed away last February. He is the film collector who returned two episodes of Doctor Who (Air Lock and UM2) and later an episode of Hugh and I.

Per Twitter announcements from Richard Latto and Stephen Cranford, the remaining collection has been transferred to an archive from Burnett's estate. Many of the cans are unlabeled and uncatalogued, so the archivists will need to determine what they are.

Per Stephen Cranford in response to an enthusiastic commentator today: "Please don't get your hopes up. It could equally all be junk." Which is good advice.

Other comments I spotted:
* There's a lack of vinegar smell which is good news.
* They will be reviewed by Richard Latto and a friend.
* It'll take months to review it all.
* Any further recoveries would be announced by the BBC.

I had been busy for the last several months and hadn't realized he passed away. I did enjoy how happy he appeared in interviews about the recovery. I hope his collection is well taken care of, whatever may be in there.

Edit: Originally I posted this on the old thread: Two Doctor Who Prints Returned! (Galaxy 4 etc...) ... but immediately became aware how that title would be misleading today. So I deleted the comment and made a new thread. For those interested in the Hugh and I recovery, that's this thread: Discovery 1,774 - Hugh and I - The Girl on the Poster

[John Wall]

Very sad, but his contribution to recovering DW MEs is worthy of celebration 👍

[Richard Develyn]

The exciting thing from the potential find point of view is that it could, literally, be anything, if there is anything.

Condolences to his family, and also thanks to them for making his collection available.

[George D]

He should definitely be remembered as one of the good guys.

When he found out he had desired episodes ,he graciously shared it.

He didn't ask for anything and i think he appreciated the world wide thanks he got.

We also thank the family for allowing his collection to be reviewed and hopefully shared leaving a lasting legacy.

If he had other 60s uk tv, there's a good chance there's other missing tv episodes there. Even if not dr who.

Another who would be a great 60th anniversary prize.

[kurt devery]

He was a who hero for recovering and willingly returning those lost classic treasures without any issue or demand. How statisfying that those two episodes found got a positive re appraisal upon there return to the archives and that they are now sitting proudly in all our collections. I hope he knows just how much who fans loved him and are forever great full. Rest in peace and condolences to his family

[Leighton Haberfield]

Am I right in thinking that Terry also had an episode of the first Dalek story amongst his collection?

[Angel Amezquita (Angelgreat)]

Jun 21, 2023 21:46:35 GMT Leighton Haberfield said:

Am I right in thinking that Terry also had an episode of the first Dalek story amongst his collection?

Maybe, but I think Francis Watson had a copy of Episode 5 that he returned in 2004. Good thing Ian Levine stopped the junking of all 7 episodes just in yime in 1978.

[Leighton Haberfield]

Francis definitely did and the BFI have a superior quality episode from that serial too, possibly the last episode

[Stephen Neve]

Jun 27, 2023 20:18:05 GMT Leighton Haberfield said:

Francis definitely did and the BFI have a superior quality episode from that serial too, possibly the last episode

Francis episode was of poor quality. Thank Ian that we have a better copy of 5 or is that also the BFi print.

[Paul Vanezis]

Jun 27, 2023 20:18:05 GMT Leighton Haberfield said:

Francis definitely did and the BFI have a superior quality episode from that serial too, possibly the last episode

The BFI have quite a few original 1963/4 negatives which were donated to them in 1983 & 1986 by the BBC Archive. The films were regarded as surplus to requirements because the BBC already had a full set of stored field negatives, made in 1967 from the original videotapes. However, some episodes such as 'The Brink of Disaster' and 'Temple of Evil' has some damage and were repaired by duping a section of the poorer quality suppressed field negative and physically splicing it in to the stored field negative.

Then around 2000, when we were preparing The Beginning boxset, we discovered when we opened the picture negative can for 'The Rescue' (the final 7th episode of the first Dalek serial) that inside was no picture negative, but a sound negative. Since then we have had to make do with a scratched 16mm print made from the original suppressed field negative before it was lost, combined with a one-inch videotape copy of the same film before it was scratched.

Then about 2 years ago, Richard Bignell asked me if, when we got around to doing season 1 on Bluray, we would need to make use of the BFI's negatives. It may surprise you to know that I didn't know that they had any early Hartnell negs. So I had a look at their online inventory and the first entry I looked at was for the final episode of The Daleks, the only season 1 episode that we don't have a negative for apart from the returned Reign of Terror eps.

Unfortunately, they too had only a sound negative. But there was a note on the entry; the film had actually not been examined since being deposited with them almost 40 years previously. And why would there be two sound negatives of only that episode? Then I thought about it; when would there have been an opportunity for the original sound negative to be put in a can that had a picture negative label? It's worth noting that the can number for a picture neg and sound neg may not be consecutive, so the only way for the wrong negative to be in the wrong can would be when the film is booked out of the archive. In the early 1980's, the only time that would have happened is when the film would be sent to a laboratory for printing and it would be sent there with... the picture negative. My theory was that the two picture and sound neg cans were sent to a lab to have a print made. The work done, the lab technician put the wrong lids back on the cans. Easily done of you're not paying attention.

I explained my theory to the BFI and, for the first time since the films were donated to them, they checked the contents. My theory was proved correct. Inside the can labelled sound negative was the thought lost picture negative of 'The Rescue'.

We have since had that negative scanned, along with the neg of 'Temple of Evil' and two of three negatives of 'The Brink of Disaster'. In regard to the latter, the BFI had an original, but damaged suppressed field negative, and an incomplete stored field negative. Thankfully, the bit we need, the end section is intact and will be used for a future restoration when we get around to restoring season 1.

It's all thanks to Richard Bignell, who asked that important question.

Paul

[timothyk]

Is the bit we need from 'The Brink of Disaster' on the suppressed field neg or the incomplete stored field neg?

[Paul Vanezis]

Jul 1, 2023 10:13:50 GMT timothyk said:

Is the bit we need from 'The Brink of Disaster' on the suppressed field neg or the incomplete stored field neg?

It's on both. But the stored field negative is better overall. I think it is actually a dupe, possibly a dupe from a very good stored field print or even the original neg that eventually got damaged, but it is way better than what we have.

Paul

[John Wall]

👆 There we have the incredible dedication to getting us the best possible DW ❤️

[George D]

Its great that these little things are still being found.

[jcoleman]

I must admit I'm somewhat surprised to hear all the cans in the BBC Archive and BFI that are labelled as containing 1960s Doctor Who hadn't all been physically checked. Is that still the case?

I may be misremembering, but weren't some of the Daleks' Master Plan clips previously found to be mislabeled as being from a different episode?

With such large collections, mistakes in records can easily be made.