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"Are You Being Served?" The First 5 Seasons Coming to DVD in August !!! (1 Viewer)

Spero D

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 23, 2000
Messages
487
That is fantastic news. I have been resisting buying the VHS tapes waiting for the DVDs and now they come :)
Spero D.
 

Neil White

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jan 8, 1999
Messages
552
David,
You need to back-up man and buy some 5.1 equipment. It's time to get more bang out of that huge library of yours :)
N
 

andrew markworthy

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 30, 1999
Messages
4,762
Oh fantastic - the greatest back catalogue of programmes in the world, and what does the BBC roll out? Ascent of Man? Life on Earth? Nope, a sitcom.

Don't flame me for this; I know what it's like when a treasured programme or movie comes to DVD, and I'm really pleased for all you guys. Indeed, I find AYBS? entertaining in a 'switch off your cortex and forget the sexism' sort of way, but when you think of the treasures in the BBC's vaults which have yet to be released... There's a lot of talk in the UK about how the BBC is dumbing down, and this is clinching proof.
 

Duncan Harvey

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 27, 2000
Messages
198
Oh don’t be so stuck up Andrew, fact is AYBS has historically been a very successful show on PBS in the US. Hence it’s a prime candidate for release. I suspect it will be many years before we see a release of it over here!

BBC America are quite rightly releasing their most popular shows. I just wish the BBC in the UK was a bit more forward, especially on the drama front. Elizabeth R available in PAL on DVD would be a definite purchase, along with a release of The Forsyte Saga. Sadly archive drama doesn’t tend to do so well on video in the UK.
 

andrew markworthy

Senior HTF Member
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Sep 30, 1999
Messages
4,762
Duncan, it's not a matter of being snobbish about the output. As I said, I'm pleased for those that like it that AYBS? is coming out, and my concern is not with this release in itself. Indeed, I hope it does well. My complaint is that there isn't a lot *more* coming out as well. Were AYBS? one of a plethora of titles, I'd be really pleased that the BBC was showing commendable variety.

It's *not* the BBC's remit under its charter solely to produce mass entertainment but also to educate and inform (something the BBC appears to have forgotten in recent years given the evidence of the number of cookery/DIY/dimwit quiz shows, etc it has commissioned). Alongside the fluff should be a much higher number of more prestigious programmes (which would still sell in good quantities).
 

WilliamG

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 6, 2001
Messages
513
I told my wife (she and my daughter-16 y/o- are HUGE fans)about this last night and she was overjoyed!! They used to watch this on our local PBS station before it stopped airing... once they found out that it was on, they now click over to BBC America to catch it.
Of course, now our local station is airing something they love in a new sort of way - "Last Of The Summer Wine". If the powers that be could only find a way to meld the two together it would be great.;) I can just hear it now: "Are you free, Nora Batty?" :D ;) :D
 

Duncan Harvey

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 27, 2000
Messages
198
I think you are being a little unrealistic. BBC Worldwide is in business to make a profit and hence it will release or license programmes and materials in order to do this. Whilst the BBC itself has the various obligations, I don’t think that this extends to its commercial arm.

Popular documentary materials are coming out on DVD, but they tend to be the high profile BBC 1 stuff. As for Life On Earth etc, I’d presume that they will be released or licensed out, but the BBC does tend to be very slow when compared to other organisations in releasing product. They are still over cautious in my opinion when it comes to embracing DVD.

That said, the BBC can look at years of VHS releases, and know that comedy sells, and sells a lot more than drama. Hence Black Adder, Fawlty Towers etc. These are the Crown Jewels from their video collection and its not surprising that they are out on DVD.

Personally I’d love to see lots of drama being releases (Our Friends In The North, or The Singing Detective) but I know I’m in a minority. Fortunately channels like UK Drama are at least showing some archive material – (eg Tenko and Howards Way at the moment) which does at least allow good quality video recordings to be made.
 

ChristopherM

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Feb 8, 2001
Messages
234
The "Guinness Book of Sitcoms" says 64 episodes, between 14 March 1973 and 1 April 1985.

By the way, the movie version is apparently set for UK R2 release on 22 April.

Like (I suspect) most members this side of the pond, I cannot see how anyone could prefer this series to, say, "Dad's Army" which was also co-written by David Croft. However, each to their own...
 

Eric Huffstutler

Screenwriter
Joined
Oct 2, 1999
Messages
1,317
Location
Richmond, VA
Real Name
Eric Huffstutler
I asked BBC America this same question last year and they told me...
They were first waiting to see just how DVD would do before commiting to it. Now thay have seen how popular it is, they will be putting ALL of their shows on DVD eventually.
That should make a few smiles :):):):):)
 

David Lambert

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2001
Messages
11,377
You need to back-up man and buy some 5.1 equipment. It's time to get more bang out of that huge library of yours :)
Yes. I'm going to do that with the assistance of a tax return or a bonus or some other big windfall of money, so I don't have to cut into my obsessive disc-buying habit! :crazy: A 16x9 TV, too. Working on it...
 

michael_mcgreev

Auditioning
Joined
Mar 28, 2002
Messages
2
Are they free?

I bet you can hardly wait to hear all about the exploits of Mrs Slocombe's cat all over again.

Imho, this was probably one of the worst sitcoms the License Payer's money was ever spent on. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
 

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