Sir Lancelot Colour Episodes

[Ian Thorsen]

Does anyone know how many episodes of the William Russel 1950swere made in colour and if they are all still exist in this colour format, thank you!

[Helpful Hartley]

You in amazing luck as the series has just been released
on DVD by Network Video , 13 of the 26 episodes have been found in colour.

www.networkdvd.co.uk/index.php

[Ian]

"The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (including as many of the colour episodes as we could find)"

Sounds ominous - surely ITC kept the negatives of the colour episodes?

[Laurence Piper]

I think i'm right in thinking that the colour episodes that exist are all that were made. It was an experiment, after all.

[John G]

Guest-Ian said:

"The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (including as many of the colour episodes as we could find)"

Sounds ominous - surely ITC kept the negatives of the colour episodes?

Sure they possibly did, but nearly 50 years later , its quite possible that there is no paperwork or anybody around who now remembers how many were actually made in colour. So Network is only going by what is found on the shelves.
The general consensus has always been though, that about half the series was.
A 16mm colour print of ' the bridge ' has been thought to have been on the collectors circuit for sometime.

If Lew Grade had had his way, we would have been watching colour (long before the BBC in 1967) in 405 line NTSC , and arguably he could not have chose a better series to demonstrate the wonders of colour TV.

[William Martin]

made for the US market I believe and then shown on ITV in November and December 69 to make up for their lack of ready colour material.

[casual observer]

William said:

made for the US market I believe and then shown on ITV in November and December 69 to make up for their lack of ready colour material.

Two old wives' tales I think William , Lancelot was hardly known in the States whereas Robin Hood was very popular, therefore it would have made sense for Robin Hood to go into colour.
I think Lawrence is correct that it was for experimental purposes.

[William Martin]

Guest-casual said:

Two old wives' tales I think William , Lancelot was hardly known in the States whereas Robin Hood was very popular, therefore it would have made sense for Robin Hood to go into colour.
I think Lawrence is correct that it was for experimental purposes.

your'e probably right, not my field of interest realy, so perhaps for cost evaluation and technology preparation reasons, I remember hearing a similar discussion about danger man, the producers reconed that colour would be too expensive and more technicaly complex.