I ❤️ the BBC, but…
John Wyver writes: Yesterday saw the publication of two important responses to the current (that is, until 11.59pm next Tuesday) public consultation on the DCMS green paper about the BBC Royal Charter review. First more
John Wyver writes: Yesterday saw the publication of two important responses to the current (that is, until 11.59pm next Tuesday) public consultation on the DCMS green paper about the BBC Royal Charter review. First more
John Wyver writes: Nestled in BBC iPlayer's box of delights that is the Ibsen collection is a fascinating 1964 curiosity titled The Summer in Gossensass. This is a hour-long drama-documentary -- although billed as more
John Wyver writes: I have hugely enjoyed Channel 4's The Tony Blair Story (broadcast last week and available on catch-up), for which the series director and narrator is Michael Waldman (who I should own is a friend). more
John Wyver writes: To Falmer, near Brighton, for a visit to The Keep to dig into the Mass Observation Archive. I'm starting on the first stages of research for Switching On (title tbc), a more
John Wyver writes: Registration is now open for the one-day symposium on 27 March centred on the films of the great television documentary filmmaker Robert Vas. The symposium is complemented by a rare screening of Vas' remarkable film about the more
John Wyver writes: In case any of the below is of interest, I thought it might be useful to detail the events I'm involved with over the coming months. It would be very good to see any of you present more
In a way, you're spoiling us - and we're grateful. 'Us' being the nerdy types fascinated by television's deep archive. For so long, because of rights restrictions and a general lack of interest, television's history, beyond select monetisable shows like more
John Wyver writes: With the 1956 BBC production of Arthur Benjamin's commissioned opera Mañana currently and pleasingly on BBCiPlayer, I have written blog posts about the backstory to the project and about the production as television. This more
John Wyver writes: In a previous post I sketched the backstory of the BBC-commissioned opera Mañana, composed by Arthur Benjamin and produced for television in February 1956. Thanks to the seventieth anniversary, a digitally restored version of this more
John Wyver writes: Late on Sunday night, BBC Four brought to the screen the 1956 BBC production of Arthur Benjamin's 75-minute opera Mañana. The transmission was 70 years to the day after its television premiere, and the recording is now more