Kenya?

[garycritcher]

Hi all, I'll admit to not being much of a Who fanatic, but...I did work in the VT Library at Television Centre with Christine Slattery for 7 years back in the 80s, and....I now live just outside Nairobi in Kenya.
What's the state of investigations over here?
I'm presuming Who would have been TX'd back in the day on KBC (Kenyan equivalent to the Beeb)?
Would it be worth contacting them?

[RWels]

Let people correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't the infamous 1991 "declined phone call" from Kenya?

One wonders if they followed up and destroyed it, or maybe used that film for "leaders".

[johngrundy]

Sept 27, 2024 19:04:41 GMT garycritcher said:

Hi all, I'll admit to not being much of a Who fanatic, but...I did work in the VT Library at Television Centre with Christine Slattery for 7 years back in the 80s, and....I now live just outside Nairobi in Kenya.
What's the state of investigations over here?
I'm presuming Who would have been TX'd back in the day on KBC (Kenyan equivalent to the Beeb)?
Would it be worth contacting them?

Definately go pay them a visit. Explain who you are what you once did. Nothing to lose there.

[seanmartindill2]

Kenya has been checked by several individuals, and they don't have any BBC programmes, a report stated that they had made a call to the BBC about programming in the 80s to return stuff, though Who was not amongst though


The call in 97 is expected to have been from Nigeria, it was season 1 and 2

Kenya shared prints with Uganda, and they only bought up to The Rescue

Rhodesia shared it's season 1 prints with Zambia, Zambia sourcing the rest of season 2 from else where

Mauritius received its sets of 1 and 2 in 1967, it's a small nation, and again these are likely to have been returned. They don't have any

[anthonybartley]

If there are boots on the ground and the will to do it, why not just double-check? Staff in these places will have changed over the years. Perhaps the archives were a mess before and organised now? Many possibilities.

If you find yourself in the area, why not? It certainly can't hurt.

Let's face it, the odds of finding a Who fan actually in Kenya are remote - and the fact that this is someone who knows what to look for? That can't happen very often.

[John Wall]

I’d be dubious about rocking up at any TV station unannounced and asking if there are any fifty year old b&w prints hanging around!

[anthonybartley]

Sept 28, 2024 18:28:46 GMT John Wall said:

I’d be dubious about rocking up at any TV station unannounced and asking if there are any fifty year old b&w prints hanging around!

At worst they'll look at you with a puzzled expression and send you on your way, at best they may have something. Even if it isn't Who related, there could be other reels from the past.

[John Green]

A large unsearched area here: education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/doggerland/

[Ronnie McDevitt]

Sept 29, 2024 9:43:35 GMT anthonybartley said:

Sept 28, 2024 18:28:46 GMT John Wall said:

I’d be dubious about rocking up at any TV station unannounced and asking if there are any fifty year old b&w prints hanging around!

At worst they'll look at you with a puzzled expression and send you on your way, at best they may have something. Even if it isn't Who related, there could be other reels from the past.

No. This is something that has been actively discouraged both on here and on the old RT forum by people who have experience and had success in finding missing episodes.
It is considered to be more of a hindrance to have what might be considered amateur interference and is potentially detrimental to any recoveries.

[RWels]

Sept 29, 2024 13:22:24 GMT Ronnie McDevitt said:

Sept 29, 2024 9:43:35 GMT anthonybartley said:

At worst they'll look at you with a puzzled expression and send you on your way, at best they may have something. Even if it isn't Who related, there could be other reels from the past.

No. This is something that has been actively discouraged both on here and on the old RT forum by people who have experience and had success in finding missing episodes.
It is considered to be more of a hindrance to have what might be considered amateur interference and is potentially detrimental to any recoveries.

But then, although the OP is simply formulated, Gary Critcher isn't a complete idiot/newbie. In fact he rescued a few recordings himself.

[John Wall]

Gary’s a good type and his post was reasonable. But nowhere did he suggest amateur ME hunters knocking on the door of African TV stations!

[garycritcher]

So, a little of my background.
I had a 40 year career in radio and television, starting at the BBC, ending up working for Formula 1 and the Discovery channel. I have produced documentaries. I like to think that I know what I'm looking for. Plus, I have a contact at KBC, a niece of my wife works there.

[Richard Develyn]

My only advice is please learn from the WoF 3 experience. Good luck!

Richard

[anthonybartley]

I've scoured the web for missing cinema and come up trumps a number of times. Not often, but at least two or three - which involved getting the reels, having them transferred in a lab and then shared for the world (or about 20 people) to see.

All this talk of ME hunters should steer well clear and leave it to the 'professionals' comes across as utter nonsense to me. If people don't bother looking, they're not going to find anything.

We're talking about some of the most obscure media that may not even exist anymore - its value is usually almost zero except to those looking for it in most cases (although Who certainly has a bigger audience, to be fair) but the point remains: anyone and everyone should be looking for these missing episodes, not just the chosen few (do they have degrees in 'unearthing missing media' or something?) Do they have special 'people skills' others do not possess? Of course not. In fact, they may go into a place, offend everyone, and then find nothing. Next person comes along speaks to someone completely different, has a different approach, etc and comes away with some success. There are so many variables, but ultimately, you're just asking someone if they happen to have something. See above: at best they'll say yes, at worst they'll be a bit puzzled and tell you to move along because they don't have anything.

I'm not into arguing this, it's just my opinion - but my own experience tells me that, very simply, the more the merrier very much applies to tracking down missing media. Leaving it to the select few is utter nonsense. We're not dealing with state secrets or the trafficking of plutonium - these are just reels or tapes of dusty old media that's been mostly forgotten about.

all very much imho - and I respect the fact that other will most certainly disagree with all or most of the above.

[Ronnie McDevitt]

[/quote]

this talk of ME hunters should steer well clear and leave it to the 'professionals' comes across as utter nonsense to me. If people don't bother looking, they're not going to find anything.

It is not utter nonsense at all!
Do you really think it is okay for random tourists to turn up at overseas TV stations asking for access to their documentation or archives?
Personally I have been recording off air since 1982 and if a stranger knocked on my door asking for a list of my collection they would not get further than the doorstep!

the chosen few (do they have degrees in 'unearthin[/i]g missing media' or something?) Do they have special 'people skills' others do not possess? Of course not.

Of course there is nothing wrong with looking online etc, but any such leads should be passed onto people who are in a strong position to negotiate.
In the past I have located several missing programmes but chosen not to come on hear and boast about it - and I hope I am not doing that now.
Generally I have passed the info to archivists whom I know who have followed it up as I am aware the holders of the material are far more likely to deal with a representative of a TV company than a nobody like myself.
I will also add I have become aware of missing material which archivists have been unsuccesful in trying to repatriate which comes back to your point about `people skills.`
Such people have experience in these matters but all they can do is ask.
Most on here if aware of a missing BBC programme would likely contact moderator Paul Vanezis who would be in the best position to follow up. But I am sure he would admit that while he would do his best there is no 100% guarentee of a succesful resolution.