Not Only But Also at the NFT - why incomplete?

[Mike]

Great to see this at the NFT last night, but why wasn't it shown in full? About 37 minutes was played,which must be virtually the whole programme. Was the rest missing, or did the music bits have to be removed for clearance reasons?

[Dick Fiddy]

12 minutes were cut from the programme - this comprised of the credit sequence and the music slot (T Bone Walker). It was annoying but had to be done as there wasn't enough gap between advertised screenings to show complete. The screening times were booked before we had a chance to watch the material and guage the real length (The Not Only tape for instance arrived the day before the first screening). I'm sorry about this as - if possible - we like to show material in full. BBC4 may be showing that edition as part of their Sixties season in June but if they don't I'll schedule the unseen portion (at the very least) for this year's Missing Believed Wiped (December).

[Mike]

Thanks for info, Dick. Great to see the material, as I said - will hopefully see it again on BBC4. Enjoyed Cook and Moore in Sardi's too.

Do you know if the discovery of this missing episode brings us any closer to a proper collectors' DVD release of NOBA, featuring all the material which has been salvaged so far? Or are they holding out for the discovery of much more footage before they'll consider it?

[Dick Fiddy]

It's a complete mystery to me why so little of the BBC Pete n' Dud stuff has been released. Surely we've reached a stage now when we can dual-release material - ie a 'best of' for the curious and a completist release for the dedicated fan. If Two In Clover merits a complete release then surely so do the surviving segments of NOBA! It's a frustrating world.

[Bent Halo]

Just to follow up on this subject, I've been checking some tapes of NOBA against the guide on the Missing Episodes site. A couple of inconsistencies:

1.1

This was billed as a 45min programme, but I have a 65min overseas t/r which seems to be the same programme although the Painting On Television sketch from 1.2 makes an appearance. Is this a compilation, or an error in the guide? I'm aware that many programmes of that era would significantly overrun so I'm in two minds about what's gone on here.

1.3

The guide notes an incomplete version of the Menswear sketch. Dud's line is cut off before the shift to an external shot on film, although it seems like very little is missing. I even wonder if this was just a shaky edit. Can anyone clarify this?

Also, the guide notes 'existence unverified' for The Great War. Well, it's on the BBC viewing copy...

Sorry if this is repeating old news, but it would be good if the guide could have a revision as it's often referred to on other forums.

[Mike]

I've always been confused about the 65m edit of 1.1. Was this longer version the pilot, or was that another (untransmitted) show entirely?

[Bent Halo]

I'm almost certain it's a compilation of shows 1 and 2 for overseas sale. Note the BBC insignia at the end of the print, which seems to point at this.

Is there any evidence that there was a pilot?

[Mike]

Doesn't Harry Thompson's biog mention a pilot? Back when it was still called 'The Dudley Moore Show'. Or was that never made? I remember being confused by all this when I read it. (Biographers being infuriatingly ambiguous about whether pilots were transmitted - they do my head in...)

Apparently BBC4 have dropped NOBA from this Saturday's 60s line-up and put Dee Time and Marty on instead. Anyone know the reason?

[William]

does the bbc need a reason?
I would think either because its not quite as good quality as they thought or legal reasons?