The Official Network Thread

[harry o]

Imprint the last best hope for ITC in 2025, hope I'm wrong about that.

[CelestialAgent]

Century 21 are going to be releasing their interviews rushes, presumably on their Gerry Anderson heavy YouTube channel. Also hopefully means they could license them out for disc extras.

https://twitter.com/century21films/s...1za4uTgS1m74kA

[Deadend45]

UK list of Re-releases of Network titles by Spirit Entertainment:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movie...leasetimestamp

[openviews]

We’ll probably never know now but I wonder if Network were planning a definitive Thunderbirds blu-ray release for this year to mark the 60th Anniversary.

[WelshCollector]

Further Out Of Town , volume 2, Blu-Ray, is currently listed on HMV.com, not sure if they found some extra copies or if this is first time I noticed. Starting to go for silly money on Ebay.

https://hmv.com/store/film-tv/blu-ra...own-volume-two

Been watching these on Talking Pictures TV and really looking forward to seeing how the Blu-Ray upgrade looks. Hopefully it'll have the final episode which was quite moving.

They really don't make them like this anymore. Jack Hargreaves was a fount of wisdom and knowledge of the English countryside.

[orac1971]

Originally Posted by openviews

We’ll probably never know now but I wonder if Network were planning a definitive Thunderbirds blu-ray release for this year to mark the 60th Anniversary.

Anderson entertainment are releasing:

https://gerryanderson.com/pages/TB-60#gAp9VbXZrt

[openviews]

Originally Posted by orac1971

Anderson entertainment are releasing:

https://gerryanderson.com/pages/TB-60#gAp9VbXZrt

Matthew 7:7-8

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find

[Number 28]

Originally Posted by Mike0284

So Australia is getting The Baron films through Imprint.



Wonder if a UK release gets announced by the end of the year.

Sadly 2024 has passed and we are into 2025 and still no release has been announced in the UK.

Now down to the last 10 copies at Imprint/Via Vision in Australia of the Limited Edition with booklet and hardbox packaging.

https://viavision.com.au/shop/the-ba...television-10/

[Modman]

Originally Posted by Number 28

Sadly 2024 has passed and we are into 2025 and still no release has been announced in the UK.

Now down to the last 10 copies at Imprint/Via Vision in Australia of the Limited Edition with booklet and hardbox packaging.

https://viavision.com.au/shop/the-ba...television-10/

Unfortunately, nobody appears to want to pick up the torch for UK TV. Yes we have labels re-releasing old Network titles but that is not the same as investing in new transfers etc or paying for the best transfers available.

[Number 28]

Originally Posted by Modman

Unfortunately, nobody appears to want to pick up the torch for UK TV. Yes we have labels re-releasing old Network titles but that is not the same as investing in new transfers etc or paying for the best transfers available.

The Baron films were at the pre-order stage at Network when they closed down, so all the work had been done, but strangely nothing here to date, just the older Network titles, which is good, but sadly nothing we have not seen before. Hopefully, The Sweeney BD will be the start of brand new releases.

On the other hand though, it has just been announced by Via Vision in Australia the release of the ITV shows The Darling Buds of May and Vera on Blu-ray, but zilch in the UK.





In Italy there is Poirot on BD (2023), Volumes 1 to 13, but the country of origin just the DVDs from over a decade ago.






.

[MasterCollector07]

I contacted the BBC just recently to ask them about archival television on Blu Ray. My answer was.....no. After the bismal outcome of the BFI's Play for Today and Network with Simply Media disappearing forever, the state of British archival TV has never looked more gloomy. Old Gold Media just churn out the same stuff Network put out via freemantle, so, it looks like Old Gold will never put out any substantially new from the freemantle back catalouge that Network hasn't released in the past. I think the best days have gone, personally. Though some people find that a hard 💊 to take..

[Martyghost]

You're probably right - the bubble has burst.

I like archival television and I want to generally support titles but I didn't go near The Play For Today release as I don't like cherry picked collections. If Network had still been around and had had the licence for that, we know they would have followed a series by series or year per set approach. That would have been far more appealing to the archive collector in my view. Unfortunately some of these bigger organisations just don't understand the collector's market so they end up doing their own thing, it fails and then they blame that on the fact it is old material.

[Number 28]

Originally Posted by MasterCollector07

I contacted the BBC just recently to ask them about archival television on Blu Ray. My answer was.....no. After the bismal outcome of the BFI's Play for Today and Network with Simply Media disappearing forever, the state of British archival TV has never looked more gloomy. Old Gold Media just churn out the same stuff Network put out via freemantle, so, it looks like Old Gold will never put out any substantially new from the freemantle back catalouge that Network hasn't released in the past. I think the best days have gone, personally. Though some people find that a hard �� to take..

The closure of Simply Media couldn't have helped Network, as they sold an extensive range for Network's titles selling via their catalogues and ordering by post, over the phone or internet. It was a way people could order without the need for the internet or even if they did not want to give card details, they could send a cheque with their order in the post.

Two titles, for example, in the Simply Media lineup which would have looked great in HD would have been BBC's Connections (1978) by James Burke and Six English Towns (1978), Six More English Towns (1981) and Another Six English Towns (1984) by Alec Clifton-Taylor.

From Network, BBC Harry's Game (1982) would be another one for HD treatment.



John Betjeman's Metro-Land (1973), Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective (1986) again would be great on BD.

And from 1982 BBC Scotland's Badger by Owl-light even on DVD would be a start.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWjfzE73eas

I do wonder from time to time if we are past peak physical releases, for TV without Tim Beddows and Network it is, at least currently. We do have Old Gold Media keeping something alive, however I feel a label needs to bring new releases to the market, otherwise it is just a slow drip feeding of sales and not stimulating sales and interest in physical media collecting.

[Modman]

I don't see things getting better, I am sure there will be some highlights but in the end you can't mine the same titles forever and for any release (whether its new or not) the audience is unlikely to be growing.

[Number 28]

Originally Posted by Modman

I don't see things getting better, I am sure there will be some highlights but in the end you can't mine the same titles forever and for any release (whether its new or not) the audience is unlikely to be growing.

Yes, I expect we well see some highlights, but that will be about it, not unless there is some mirculous change in interest and classic British TV is up there with slasher movies in physical collecting circles.

I would have even thought the audiance is shrinking. Let's take for example The Sweeney and the HD release of series 1 back in 2012 by Network, IMO there is more appreciation for a complete HD release now and maybe more nostalgia, however we are 13 years on and the core market is older. Most people who would buy the series would surely be well into their 50s and upwards. There will always be some younger collectors who discover and enjoy British TV of the period, but I think that is limited.

[Modman]

Originally Posted by Number 28

Yes, I expect we well see some highlights, but that will be about it, not unless there is some mirculous change in interest and classic British TV is up there with slasher movies in physical collecting circles.

I would have even thought the audiance is shrinking. Let's take for example The Sweeney and the HD release of series 1 back in 2012 by Network, IMO there is more appreciation for a complete HD release now and maybe more nostalgia, however we are 13 years on and the core market is older. Most people who would buy the series would surely be well into their 50s and upwards. There will always be some younger collectors who discover and enjoy British TV of the period, but I think that is limited.

Haven't tried it but ask anyone under 40 what the Sweeney or The Professionals are and from most you will get blank looks, and as for the more obscure shows like Target (recently mentioned) just don't bother. The best that might happen for many of these shows is they get an airing every now and again on the likes of Talking Pictures of Rewind.

Watched a few Dixon of Dock Greens recently on Talking Pictures, my expectation was they would be naff (only have vague memories of), however, they were pretty solid.

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by Martyghost

You're probably right - the bubble has burst.

I like archival television and I want to generally support titles but I didn't go near The Play For Today release as I don't like cherry picked collections.

Well, we can blame people like you then for why Play for Today has stopped after 3 volumes.

The choice was curated collections of licensable plays from the series or nothing. You chose nothing.

[Scarred For Liff]

Originally Posted by Number 28

John Betjeman's Metro-Land (1973), Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective (1986) again would be great on BD.

And from 1982 BBC Scotland's Badger by Owl-light even on DVD would be a start.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWjfzE73eas

I do wonder from time to time if we are past peak physical releases, for TV without Tim Beddows and Network it is, at least currently. We do have Old Gold Media keeping something alive, however I feel a label needs to bring new releases to the market, otherwise it is just a slow drip feeding of sales and not stimulating sales and interest in physical media collecting.

John Betjeman's Metro-Land is one of my dream blu-ray releases. If the original film elements exist (or not) they could throw in his subtlety anti-Beeching Branchline Railway documentary from the early 60s, perhaps with an option to watch the 80s VHS presentation with Michael Palin intro and outro and the couple of archive newsreels included to fill out the run time.

Not going to happen though.

EXIT: Think I'd rather have Pennies From Heaven in true HD; but would certainly take Singing Detective if it happened.

[Martyghost]

Originally Posted by oddbox83

Well, we can blame people like you then for why Play for Today has stopped after 3 volumes.

The choice was curated collections of licensable plays from the series or nothing. You chose nothing.

Probably !

Do we know that clearance issues was the reason then? Or just the excuse?

[darrellmaclaine]

Originally Posted by Martyghost

Probably !

Do we know that clearance issues was the reason then? Or just the excuse?

You think releasing 300, mostly unloved and forgotten, TV films with completely expired writer/actor agreements is anything close to possible?