Early C4 comedies

[Greg H]

Hi all,

I was just wondering, as its something that periodically bugs me, what is the survival rate for early Channel 4 output? I am specifically concerned with their early comedies, and also their early dramas. I have contacted them before about the archive status of some stuff, but didnt get very useful replies.

Does anyone know what stuff, if any, is missing from early C4 to keep an eye out for?

Cheers!

Greg

[Deleted]

It's difficult to get a clear picture as everything was made outside rather than by C4 itself, so the rights (and the archive) presumably now reside with whoever made the series (?) I'd particularly like to know about Whatever You Want, something i'd like to see again; i'm presuming they all still exist but as we've found with early '80s material, you can't bank on it.

[Greg H]

Hmm. I think this would be a good area for research. Perhaps if we started to compile a list of early stuff we are concerned about, interested parties could do some research. Recovering things from the early 80s is potentially easier due to the proliferation of home video recorders. I do find it a daunting prospect that ropey VHS copies might be all that exists of, for example, 'they came from somewhere else'. And equally if I have copies of things that are absent from the archive, I would certainly want them preserved for the world.

I dont personally recall 'whatever you want', I can keep an eye out for it though

[Mark Tinkler]

I worked at Channel 4 Presentation from 1984 to 1986 and know that Channel 4 kept their own 1 inch transmission masters of everything, but I do know there's been clear-outs since then...