Thank You Bob Pratt

[Richard Hunter]

I watched "Missing Believed Wiped" on BBC4 the other night (yes the first thing I have watched on BBC4) and found it to be extremely interesting.

TOTP was featured and an engineer by the name of Bob Pratt was being credited as having copied/saved some of those lovely 60's clips that we have all seen in recent years, the clip that was featured on the programme was The Birds "All I realy Want to Do".

Bob was not interviewed himself (is he still alive?) but I understand that if he was caught doing this at the time he could have been sacked from his job.

It would be nice if someone could do an article on Bob as it is obviously a brilliant story, it also makes me wonder if he knows or knew anything of that June 66 edition featuring The Beatles last live TOTP appearence.

In the meantime I am sure you would like to join me in thanking Bob for showing us a few items of valuable and brilliant musical history.

[Gary C]

I used to know Bob when I worked in the VT Library at TV Centre & can certainly vouch that he saved a TON of stuff. He did me a full 90 minutes worth of Beatles footage in about 1983. So, gawd knows whatever else he saved!!!

[Syd Van Vliet]

If Bob Pratt is still alive then he should be on the New Years honours list.
Regards the June 1966 TOTP, it must be about 3 years since I read Keith Badman’s article about a tape surfacing - I’d assumed it would have been circulating by now, what happened to it?

[William Martin]

there must be others who did the same, there could be quite a lot of stuff still around, and not come to light due to a mixture of fear and or ignorance of the state of bbc archives

[Alan Smith]

Regarding the 1966 show. Sadly this is in America where it's monetary value is certainly known. Keith just missed it.

[Richard Hunter]

Alan

I assume Keith asked the person who now owns that show if they would like to loan or share it with the rest of us and must have got a definate "No" "No"?

[Laurence Piper]

Is the 16/6/66 TOTP definitely out there then, Alan? Just what is the asking price just out of curiosity? (Prepares for a shock!)

[William Martin]

I have said this before but I'll say it again,
If it is a specific clip or section the owner of the 66 totp wants to keep, perhaps we could get the episode sans the beatles or whatever the sticking point is, part of a show would be better than nothing and we could always get the rest of it some other time