SD : Does anyone miss 'UK Gold' and Granada Plus?

[andrew.shearman]

Does anyone miss 'UK Gold' and Granada Plus? i DO i loved it for the bill ok got them all on dvd for christmas and classic coronation street but miss uk gold for classic neighbours where could i buy them on DVD or are they coming to a TV channel soon ???

[MutleyF]

Amazon is your friend. Link is Here

I would love to see Neighbours from the start and Eastenders. I did watch some or the first series of The Bill the nick used to look a lot like the old Nick where I was living as a youth. White painted bricks cold and miserable places like it should be lol

---------- Post added at 09:36 ---------- Previous post was at 09:35 ----------

Originally Posted by MutleyF

Amazon is your friend. Link is Here

they are asking far to much lol

[denphone]

Its so disappointing that many of the older episodes of soaps and older drama series are hardly ever shown now as they seems to put on the same rubbish old reality shows and formulaic cheap tat every day of the week.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by denphone

Its so disappointing that many of the older episodes of soaps and older drama series are hardly ever shown now as they seems to put on the same rubbish old reality shows and formulaic cheap tat every day of the week.

I agree, but I think we need a dedicated channel for these old soaps. I am sure there is a need for them.

We used to have a channel called 'Sky Soap', I think. To be able to see Eastenders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale (Farm), Dallas, etc from the beginning again and right through to the present day over time would be really appreciated by the followers of soaps, although this would certainly not be my cup of tea at all!

I would be most surprised if such a channel were not commercially viable.

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by andrew.shearman

Does anyone miss 'UK Gold' and Granada Plus? i DO i loved it for the bill ok got them all on dvd for christmas and classic coronation street but miss uk gold for classic neighbours where could i buy them on DVD or are they coming to a TV channel soon ???

Well Gold is still here although its now a comedy channel. The Bill is repeated on one of the other UKTV channels although its more the later ones that are shown.

Search YouTube and many episodes will probably on there.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

I would be most surprised if such a channel were not commercially viable.

I'd argue that the fact we have had a soap channel then lost it means that such a channel is less viable than you'd think.

The problem is it often isn't just a case of digging up the old tapes or film (assuming either exist), sticking it in a player then pressing "play".

The channel showing the programme would need to be able to obtain the rights to the show. That may also involve getting the actor's permission to show it, and they would also need to secure rights to any music used as well as any programmes shown within the show.

Admittedly, the last two don't really apply to soaps as such because the only soaps I know of that use any music apart from the theme are Hollyoaks and Holby City.

Take, for instance, the Royle Family. You'll find that the early episodes of this are rarely, if ever, shown on any TV channel. Why? It's not as if it didn't get good viewing figures and it probably would again. No, the reason is probably that the family themselves often had the TV on in the background and it was frequently playing other shows produced by Granada (who actually filmed it) including Coronation Street,

Now, they can blur the screen and should be able to remove the sound from the soundtrack (if they have recorded the soundtrack properly, it should be on a multi track tape and the TV sound should be on a different channel to the actors). They can also digitally alter the image on the screen to something else, although this last option is expensive to do, so while it may be done for special occasions, they are unlikely to do it for most showings of old soaps.

Now, while UK Gold did all this, and clearly found it viable for years, they obviously reached a point where it was no longer viable. Either that or they were funded by Venture Capitalists for years and they suddenly demanded a profit.

[OLD BOY]

Yes, you may well be right about all of that, Stuart. However, I can't help thinking that there is so much interest in old programmes, including soaps, that there ought to be a financially viable way of making them accessible.

I hope we can ultimately get to a position where every programme that was ever produced and still exists can be accessed for a fee or subscription through On Demand.

Sounds so simple to me, but probably isn't!

[denphone]

Nothing is ever simple when it comes to rights and fees issues.

Originally Posted by Stuart

I'd argue that the fact we have had a soap channel then lost it means that such a channel is less viable than you'd think.

The problem is it often isn't just a case of digging up the old tapes or film (assuming either exist), sticking it in a player then pressing "play".

The channel showing the programme would need to be able to obtain the rights to the show. That may also involve getting the actor's permission to show it, and they would also need to secure rights to any music used as well as any programmes shown within the show.

Admittedly, the last two don't really apply to soaps as such because the only soaps I know of that use any music apart from the theme are Hollyoaks and Holby City.

Take, for instance, the Royle Family. You'll find that the early episodes of this are rarely, if ever, shown on any TV channel. Why? It's not as if it didn't get good viewing figures and it probably would again. No, the reason is probably that the family themselves often had the TV on in the background and it was frequently playing other shows produced by Granada (who actually filmed it) including Coronation Street,

Now, they can blur the screen and should be able to remove the sound from the soundtrack (if they have recorded the soundtrack properly, it should be on a multi track tape and the TV sound should be on a different channel to the actors). They can also digitally alter the image on the screen to something else, although this last option is expensive to do, so while it may be done for special occasions, they are unlikely to do it for most showings of old soaps.

Now, while UK Gold did all this, and clearly found it viable for years, they obviously reached a point where it was no longer viable. Either that or they were funded by Venture Capitalists for years and they suddenly demanded a profit.

there is always music playing in both the vic and the rovers and various other places.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by tizmeinnit

there is always music playing in both the vic and the rovers and various other places.

Which might be one reason they rarely repeat soaps.

[jodash]

loved Granada plus miss the old corrie episodes

[andy_m]

I thought music was basically use what you like but pay royalties when you do, unlike TV shows where you have to buy rights in advance.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Stuart

Which might be one reason they rarely repeat soaps.

I wouldn't have thought so. It must be a cheaper option to put on a repeat than a brand new show.

---------- Post added at 16:28 ---------- Previous post was at 16:28 ----------

Originally Posted by andy_m

I thought music was basically use what you like but pay royalties when you do, unlike TV shows where you have to buy rights in advance.

I believe that is the case, Andy.

[cimt]

Yes it'd be cheaper but you'd get less viewers which means you'd get less money from the ad revenue.