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Lost Doctor Who episodes found – but owner is reluctant to hand them to BBC (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/doctorwho

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As sci-fi show’s 60th anniversary nears, a collector pleads for BBC to offer amnesty to those with recordings discarded by corporation

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[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 year ago (2 children)

So unless I missed something, I didn’t see any place where the BBC went after the collectors for illegal recording. This sounds like they’re scared of something that hasn’t happened and, at least in this case the BBC is very happy to have found a copy.

[–] breadsmasher 55 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The article states what they are worried about

This would reassure British amateur collectors that their private archives will not be confiscated if they come forward and that they will be safe from prosecution for having stored stolen BBC property, something several fear.

[–] brygphilomena 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This sounds less like a recording of a broadcast and instead physical media that never was supposed to be removed from the BBC in the first place.

[–] daetilus 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Discarded TV film was secretly salvaged from bins and skips by staff and contractors who worked at the BBC between 1967 and 1978, when the corporation had a policy of throwing out old reels

That's more like dumpster diving. I wouldn't exactly consider that theft

[–] buddascrayon 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

That's more like dumpster diving. I wouldn't exactly consider that theft

You're not a corporate entity trying to maintain a stranglehold on an IP. I don't think there's any depth they are unwilling to plumb to protect and enhance their profits.

P.S. Yes I know the BBC is publicly funded by the British people but it is also a corporate entity that makes money on its unique IPs just like any other... cough Disney cough

[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 year ago (1 children)

While collectors are in no real danger, the infamous arrest of comedian Bob Monkhouse in 1978 has not been forgotten, Franklin suspects: “Monkhouse was a private collector and was accused of pirating videos. He even had some of his archive seized. Sadly people still believe they could have their films confiscated.”

Even if I wasn't arrested, I wouldn't want any of my collection seized.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I mean that was 1978 when the policy of junking was still active and the BBC were more actively dickish in their bureaucracy. These days because that policy has been so roundly condemned as being short sighted and destructive to their own legacy I doubt they'd be so bullish.

Now I'd expect them to be more actively dickish in their attempt to get 'marketable product' or whatever the jargon is however. And if I was a collector I'd know that I was in a very grey area legally so I'd still be extremely cautious.

I can't say I'm completely sympathetic to the collectors either though, in that they know they're sitting on something literally millions of people would love to see and they don't want to share it just because it's theirs.

[–] AA5B 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The article also says these tend to be people who lived it. You see that 1978 thing as an historical anomaly, but they lived it. These were people who were repeatedly threatened to lose their jobs and be arrested for salvaging such things

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

That's a very fair point