Wiped Episode Discoveries

Discussion in 'Doctor Who' started by Allyn Gibson, Jun 13, 2013.

  1. Brendan Moody

    Brendan Moody Vice Admiral Admiral

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    On another forum Steve Roberts of the Restoration Team has suggested that the ongoing deception was about "the knowledge that your mate working in some of the most Godawfully dangerous countries in the world might be just a tiny bit safer." Presumably a reference to TIEA's archive searches in Africa.
     
  2. Lonemagpie

    Lonemagpie Writer Admiral

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    Nope. I've always tried to avoid organised fandom for that very reason.
     
  3. Bob The Skutter

    Bob The Skutter Complete Arse Cleft In Memoriam

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    I'm a fan but only if someone organises for me.
     
  4. Shazam!

    Shazam! Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    By hanging around on a Star Trek message board?
     
  5. Lonemagpie

    Lonemagpie Writer Admiral

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    Trek fandom seems in my experience to be less like that- maybe because it's traditionally had a wider demographic, or maybe because it's not built on a history of mutually-antagonistic "Local Groups"
     
  6. inflatabledalek

    inflatabledalek Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    If the Mash is covering it, I'm convinced.
     
  7. Brendan Moody

    Brendan Moody Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Ian Levine is back on Twitter, telling fandom that "THE FATE OF THE OTHER MISSING EPISODES IS IN YOUR HANDS." Apparently if we don't all buy the new episodes from iTunes on Friday, if we wait for a DVD or pirate them, we'll never get the rest, which some sinister person or entity is hoarding.

    What a bonkers week. I'd say what Levine is claiming is ridiculous, but so much that looked ridiculous and had been dismissed by official sources is turning out to be true that I'll just wait and see. That's the problem with this kind of secrecy-- when rumormongers turn out to be right and "responsible" parties clueless or dishonest, any rumor becomes more plausible.
     
  8. Emperor-Tiberius

    Emperor-Tiberius Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Which might be the stupidest thing I've heard this week. And that says a lot, really.

    The problem is, we've got no idea of anything. I think they mean to "surprise" the fans with "sudden" announcement of some episodes found, yet in this day and age, is taht really feasible? No.

    I don't know, really. Its all plausible, at this point.
     
  9. StCoop

    StCoop Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    So basically it's the nightmare scenario. There is a big stash of episodes out there. The person who has them wants the BBC to pay a fortune to hand them over, so the corporation are going to flog the episodes they have got on itunes (or rather through their new BBC Store*) to demonstrate that they can cover the costs of buying more. At which point the person with them will no doubt jack the price up.

    Ain't blackmail wonderful.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24442265
     
  10. Starkers

    Starkers Admiral Admiral

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    If there was someone out there with a huge stash, what would stop them cutting out the middle man, as it were, and just making a deal with a DVD production company? Or are the episodes still effectively BBC copyright material (even though the BBC effectively destroyed all copies back in the day).
     
  11. diankra

    diankra Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Pretty sure there's some people left from Web of Fear: if nobody from among the soldiers, then I think I'd have heard about Rod Beacham (Corporal Lane) dying via Blake's 7 fandom (he wrote Assassin, and the Ice Maiden episodes of Bergerac). Also, wikipedia has a page from Ralph Watson (Captain Knight) which says he's still around.
     
  12. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

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    The BBC owns the copyright on the material on the films. There's no way to commercially exploit it without the BBC's participation.

    And even if the person who had the hoard waited for the copyrights to expire in a few decades, the BBC could attempt to stifle exploitation through trademark.
     
  13. StCoop

    StCoop Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    The episodes themselves are BBC copyright until 70 years after the end of the year in which the death occurs of the last to survive of the principal director, the authors of the screenplay and dialogue, and the composer of any music specially created for the film.*

    The physical cans of film they're stored on are another matter.


    http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-duration/c-duration-faq/c-duration-faq-lasts.htm
     
  14. Starkers

    Starkers Admiral Admiral

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    I figured that would be the case, I just wondered if there was some kind of legal loophole given the BBC didn't care enough about the material to keep it in the first place :)
     
  15. StCoop

    StCoop Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    It was nothing to do with not caring. It was the massive cost of storing something (not just Doctor Who) that there was no way of forseeing would ever have any future value. An episode of British TV in the 1960's was designed to be seen at most twice and then never again.
     
  16. Lonemagpie

    Lonemagpie Writer Admiral

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  17. Brendan Moody

    Brendan Moody Vice Admiral Admiral

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  18. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

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  19. Turbo

    Turbo Changeling Premium Member

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    Yikes, I missed that. =/

    So it looks like the only major actors left are Frazer, Deborah, Tina Packer (Anne Travers) and Jon Rollason (Chorley)? And John Levene played a Yeti.
     
  20. Starkers

    Starkers Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah, I ws just wondring if some smart arse lawyer could make a case