|
|
Post by Paul Cooksley on Jan 9, 2004 15:55:37 GMT
Hi there
Just watching this show today got me thinking about the archival status of Nationwide and apologies if this has been asked before, but does anyone know in general how well the entire run of Nationwide is presevered?
also re: The famous footage of Bob Wellings and the fainting judge - what format is this preserved on .. looks like some kind of off air black and white vt? Shibaden?
|
|
|
|
Post by Simon Mclean on Jan 10, 2004 0:59:35 GMT
The orignal Nationwide Wellings clip was, I suspect, sourced off Shibaden, but the actual clip SR used came from Sue Cook - it was a VHS copy of a Betamax off-air recording, so as you can imagine, the quality wasn't that great anyway.
The actual archive status of Nationwide is dreadful - even the last edition isn't held by the BBC (though it was on Sue Cook's tape). Judging by the VHS viewing copies that ended up at the SR office, it seems the pilot survives, plus one from 1973, and a few early 80s ones.
There are also a lot of pre-recorded VT and film inserts, including several mid-70s Nationwide Consumer Unit sequences, Bob Wellings interviewing the Osmonds, Frank Bough interviewing Harold Wilson, and some bits of Michael Barratt's trip to York on the Nationwide Inter-city.
There may be more out there, but those are the ones I know about.
The first edition of David Dimbleby's short-lived tenure is a very ropy VHS off-air (with an episode of 'Doctor Who' after it!) - I don't know whether there's a better copy out there. I hope so, but I doubt it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Peter F on Jan 10, 2004 8:53:24 GMT
I'm sure the "Judge" fainting in front of Bob Wellings does originate from a Shibaden air-check tape. I'm fairly sure that a better copy (though not much admittedly) survives somewhere. Wasn't it included on BBC Video's "Mis-Takes" VHS release from the mid 80s?
Peter
|
|
|
|
Post by Paul Cooksley on Jan 10, 2004 10:37:46 GMT
Simon
Did u work on this show then? (Thanks for the info, by the way - very interesting)
|
|
|
|
Post by Simon Mclean on Jan 10, 2004 11:51:41 GMT
I didn't exactly work on the show - my brother did (see endless postings at the Mausoleum Club), I just hung around, providing a few bits of info and the occasional prop (the Tony Blackburn LPs in the TOTP one were mine).
And Peter, yes I think the collapsing judge was on the 'Mis-takes' video (there were a couple of NW clips on there, actually), but if I remember correctly it had a caption identifying the year at the start, which means they might have got it from one of the Glyn Worsnip 'Nationwide Looks Back' inserts that ran in the last few editions (the tapes for these still exist, apparently), rather than gone to the original Shibaden tape. I hope there is a better version somewhere.
I wanted 'Stars Reunited' to get the woman who played the collapsing judge as the 'surprise guest'.....they didn't, though. Can't think why!
Actually, do any of these Shibaden off airs survive, or did they just keep the bits of things going wrong?
|
|
|
|
Post by andrew martin on Jan 12, 2004 21:21:10 GMT
In fact the last edition of "Nationwide" is held by the BBC on broadcast format. There are a number of editions held as telerecordings from circa 1969-70, including several pilot shows, and quite a lot of editions from the early 80s, some only as VHS unfortunately. In addition there is a massive amount of film cut stories - the vast majority of those made, and a lot of inserts.
|
|
|
|
Post by Laurence Piper on Jan 12, 2004 23:06:03 GMT
I remember Steve Bryant writing that the majority of editions from the '70s were existing on deteriorating Shibaden / Sony / Philips off-airs. Any work been done on these? A tragedy if they went past the point of no return.
|
|
|
|
Post by Simon Mclean on Jan 13, 2004 17:43:34 GMT
In fact the last edition of "Nationwide" is held by the BBC on broadcast format. That's interesting, as Stars Reunited were told otherwise, and were forced to resort to the Cook tape to get the Wellings gay man clip! I'm glad to hear there's a proper copy somewhere though - a third generation VHS isn't exactly a fitting end. Do you happen to know if there's a proper copy of Dimbleby's first one anywhere? As I said above, the BBC's VHS is rotten quality! |
|
|
|
Post by Simon Mclean on Jan 13, 2004 17:45:48 GMT
Oh all right then, the Wellings 'cigarette' clip! |
|
|
|
Post by SteveP on Jan 13, 2004 22:15:41 GMT
I remember Steve Bryant writing that the majority of editions from the '70s were existing on deteriorating Shibaden / Sony / Philips off-airs. Any work been done on these? A tragedy if they went past the point of no return. The b/w "off-air" type clips come from a NW compilation tape dating from the late Seventies/early Eighties - presumably an insert tape for a "best of" feature or something. This is presumably what the "Reunited" team got from Sue Cook. The source of the clips on that tape do seem to be the 1/2-inch tapes mentioned above which certainly still existed at the NFTVA up till the first MBW (whenever it was) as I asked about this at the time. From what I understand since, it is *nothing like* as many tapes as Steve Bryant suggested in the archive booklet, possibly some sort of rough "weekly compilation" stuff done by the production office. Steve |
|
|
|
Post by Simon Mclean on Jan 13, 2004 23:47:59 GMT
The b/w "off-air" type clips come from a NW compilation tape dating from the late Seventies/early Eighties - presumably an insert tape for a "best of" feature or something. This is presumably what the "Reunited" team got from Sue Cook. That'd probably be the Glyn Worsnip-hosted 'Nationwide Looks Back' segments that featured in the last few editions. These were done as VT inserts, and apparently still survive. |
|
