'Allo 'Allo! 30th Anniversary? (1 Viewer)

[darkrock17]

Is there any chance of BBC Video revisiting Cafe Rene again?

 

[Tory]

Does this even come on any PBS station anymore? I know the head of BBCAmerica hates it and similar comedy so I fear it is doubtful. Maybe in the UK

 

[darkrock17]

Does this even come on any PBS station anymore? I know the head of BBCAmerica hates it and similar comedy so I fear it is doubtful. Maybe in the UK

It's on WETA UK, that's a PBS station here in the Washington D.C. area. BBC America hates Britcoms? that's interesting.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

It's on WETA UK, that's a PBS station here in the Washington D.C. area. BBC America hates Britcoms? that's interesting.

BBC America seems to hate everything from the BBC except Doctor Who and Top Gear.
And they really hate the concept of airing BBC shows unedited, and without commercials.
Oh, and I noticed that WETA had a dedicated subchannel for UK shows. Now that's what BBC America should be, instead of reruns of Star Trek: TNG, Battlestar Galactica, and the X-Files.

 

[Tory]

I honestly think they air Doctor Who because it is so popular and gets more people to demand it on their service. They seem to hate classic Who too. The head of BBCAmerica, the man that gave the US Ricki Lake Show, is on record for hateing Are You Being Served, Allo, Allo, Benny Hill and Avengers as I recall. He feels they do not reflect Britain today. US reruns and films apparently do though.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Is there any chance of BBC Video revisiting Cafe Rene again?

I really doubt it. That being said, though, is there really any reason for them to do so? At least in Region 1, apart from a handful of episodes having the added-on episode titles (which were not on any of the original episodes), the US releases are completely unedited and have a nice selection of extras. Far better than the treatment the show got on its R2 release from Universal Playback (where all--or nearly all--of the episodes had the added-on titles and zero extras).
I certainly am well-pleased with my R1 sets of this and Are You Being Served (which is also superior to the UK releases that contained--horror upon horrors--some edited episodes!).

 

[darkrock17]

I was just asking, because whenever a show or movie hits a milestone these days, they usually re-release it as an Anniversary Edition of sorts.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

I was just asking, because whenever a show or movie hits a milestone these days, they usually re-release it as an Anniversary Edition of sorts.

TV Shows, not so much.
There has been the usual bluray/HD upgrades for major cash cow shows (Star Trek, TNG, Twilight Zone, Friends), but I can't recall of any major TV shows that were rereleased for an anniversary... certainly not the way movies are rereleased on the fives, or Universal and Paramount's Centennial collections.

 

[darkrock17]

To The Manor Born, had a 25th Anniversary release to coincide with the 25th Anniversary Special back in 2007. Fawlty Towers, just got a 30th Anniversary and Monty Python has a release of some sort every year.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

To The Manor Born, had a 25th Anniversary release to coincide with the 25th Anniversary Special back in 2007. Fawlty Towers, just got a 30th Anniversary and Monty Python has a release of some sort every year.

Ah, okay, BBC Shows.
I understand the reason for those shows to be rereleased... if they're anything like the early Doctor Who discs, the shows were rushed out to market and looked kind of bad in their first DVD releases, and the Beeb is going back, cleaning them up, doing Vidfire work if necessary, and rereleasing them.

 

[darkrock17]

Ah, okay, BBC Shows.

Last time I looked 'Allo, 'Allo! was a BBC show.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Ah, okay, BBC Shows.

Last time I looked 'Allo, 'Allo! was a BBC show.

One difference, though, is that Fawlty Towers is considered a cash cow and a "holy grail" by the BBC themselves, so they've seen fit to give it the remastering/upgrade treatment. Same with Blackadder. Both shows are much loved by both the public and the BBC themselves, and both were released in the earlier days of DVD with sub-standard picture quality.
Monty Python, as I'm sure you know, has a world-wide cult following and has for decades. Another difference there, though, is that the Pythons themselves control some (or most) of the home video rights. This wasn't released by BBC Video anywhere on DVD. There was an A&E release in the States (with cut episodes here and there) and a later release from Sony Pictures in the UK (with unedited episodes, apart from a "music-rights-related" trim in an episode or two).
'Allo 'Allo, on the other hand, while it has a certain following, isn't as revered by the BBC and certain segments of the public. In the UK, the BBC didn't even see fit to release it themselves: it was licenced out to Universal Playback.
Also in the UK, the show historically hasn't gotten nearly as many repeats on the BBC channels (mostly on cable networks like UK Gold), unlike Fawlty, Blackadder and Only Fools and Horses, which get trotted out all the time.
Add to that the DVD release (at least the R1 one) was about as near-perfect as one could hope for (at least no cut episodes), then there's much less of a case for re-release, when shows like the far more popular Only Fools and Horses have had multiple releases and still have many cut/botched releases (no single world region has an unedited run of this show on disc).

 

[Towergrove]

Allo Allo is around $83 on Amazon right now. Maybe lowering the price to move them to make way for the anniversary edition? Just a thought...

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Allo Allo is around $83 on Amazon right now.

And a real bargain at that price, considering I bought each series one-by-one as they came out. I paid double (or more) for mine all told, and don't even have the fancy outer box.

 

[BobO'Link]

^Same here. And in spite of those overpriced single series sets they *still* do not sell the fancy outer box to those of us who made those initial purchases! Of course I do not regret the purchase but *would* be willing to pay a reasonable (OK... it's a BBC series and those don't generally have "reasonable" prices attached) price - say $8-$10 plus shipping. Maybe they don't think they could deliver them undamaged.

 

[BobO'Link]

Allo Allo is around $83 on Amazon right now. Maybe lowering the price to move them to make way for the anniversary edition? Just a thought...

I doubt it. Amazon has several British "complete series sets" on sale for great prices right now. I wouldn't think all of them are getting "Anniversary Editions". Here are the ones I know are on sale:
One Foot in the Grave
Yes, Minister
Keeping Up Appearances
Are You Being Served?
As Time Goes By
The Vicar of Dibley
Fawlty Towers (which *is* an Anniversary edition)
Father Ted
Black Books
Waiting for God
And probably more. These are all 66%-67% off and a real steal at those prices. I ordered a copy of One Foot in the Grave and am eying As Time Goes By and Yes Minister as the current prices are the lowest they've ever been according to camelcamelcamel. I already own the rest on that list and paid more than the current price for most of them.

 

[Towergrove]

Just started Dads Army , Morecambe and Wise and HiDeHi. Great series! Oh how I love all things BBC

 

[Ethan Riley]

I doubt it. Amazon has several British "complete series sets" on sale for great prices right now. I wouldn't think all of them are getting "Anniversary Editions". Here are the ones I know are on sale:
One Foot in the Grave
Yes, Minister
Keeping Up Appearances
Are You Being Served?
As Time Goes By
The Vicar of Dibley
Fawlty Towers (which *is* an Anniversary edition)
Father Ted
Black Books
Waiting for God
And probably more. These are all 66%-67% off and a real steal at those prices. I ordered a copy of One Foot in the Grave and am eying As Time Goes By and Yes Minister as the current prices are the lowest they've ever been according to camelcamelcamel. I already own the rest on that list and paid more than the current price for most of them.

Benny Hill: The Complete Megaset 1969-1989 is at 74% off right now. Not a BBC video, but still $111 off!
I think it's some sort of clearance sale. I snapped up Keeping Up Appearances the day the price dropped. What is life without our Hyacinth? I don't think the sale will go on much longer, in case anybody needs anything on this list.

 

[BobO'Link]

Benny Hill: The Complete Megaset 1969-1989 is at 74% off right now. Not a BBC video, but still $111 off!

That price on Benny Hill: The Complete Megaset 1969-1989 is from Marketplace vendors with Amazon fulfillment. Not bad at all IMHO! I may have to pick up a set before they either run out or someone figures out they made a pricing mistake. Amazon's price is currently $66.42 - also not bad but not as good as the $38.49 of several MP vendors. One "review" indicated they found a copy at Costco Miami for $21.99! Wish there was a Costco close to me just to check it out!

I think it's some sort of clearance sale. I snapped up Keeping Up Appearances the day the price dropped. What is life without our Hyacinth? I don't think the sale will go on much longer, in case anybody needs anything on this list.

That's very possible. I did the same with One Foot in the Grave. I'd already purchased Series 1&2 individually, on sale, but the price for the whole series was too good to pass up and still less expensive than waiting for sales on the rest of the series (3-6 plus specials) that I didn't own. I'll either give away or sell the extra 2 seasons.

 

[BobO'Link]

Just started Dads Army , Morecambe and Wise and HiDeHi. Great series! Oh how I love all things BBC

That's it... *tease* us with releases that are either R2 only or incomplete in R1. I'm a huge fan of British series, especially comedy and frequently lament that there are wonderful British series that just got abandoned after US releases of a series or two. I chalk quite a bit of that up to the somewhat inflated prices, typically 2-3 times more than a comparable US series, on most British series.
I just can't bring myself to purchase R2 releases. I fear that as soon as I make the plunge my hacked player will die and there'll be nothing at a "reasonable" price to replace it so I'll be "stuck" with content I can't watch.