MovieChat Forums > Steptoe and Son (1962) Discussion > TB or not TB?

TB or not TB?

posted 17 years ago by trevorwomble
15 replies | jump to latest

I was born in 1970 and first remember watching repeats of this quality show in circa 1981. TB or not TB is one of the wiped episodes that now only exists in b & w and yet i not only think it was one of the first episodes i saw when the BBC repaeated it in the early 1980s, but i'm so sure i saw it in colour that i would place money it. I say this because i always thought the show was an early 1970s colour tv comedy, i didnt even know about the 1960s b & w episodes until years later.

So, i'm convinced i saw TB or not TB in colour in the early 1980s (meaning by my reckoning that the colour VT was wiped or went missing after that date). Can anyone else remember that?

For the record, i also prefer the first four series...they seemed to have a life i felt was missing from the series when it was resurrected in 1970. Corbett aged a lot in those 5 years and put on a bit of weight too. The 1970s shows were good fun but i felt they were not as strong. I also think the worst episode by a long way was the seven steptorai. Anyone else agree?

[–] bcampfield 17 years ago

I've often wondered about these 'lost' episodes.
If they were wiped by the BBC then what about other countries that used to play the show in the 70's. Like Australia. Maybe they have copies of the original colour versions in their archives.
Colour versiosn of these episodes must exist SOMEWHERE.

[–] trevorwomble 17 years ago

From what i can gather, Australia was still broadcasting only in black and white until the mid 1970s. So the BBC only needed to make black and white film prints for those markets (film prints and not video tape duplicates were made because film was the only worldwide broadcast standard at the time). When Australia and other countries turned to colour the BBC had already begun wiping their old master video tape archives.

It is a shame that these colour tapes were lost, probably forever, but at least the whole series is still in existence in one form or another (unlike loads of other shows). A lot of this is down to the diligence of Galton and Simpson themselves (they made primitive b&w video recordings of series 5 & 6 before the BBC wiped the colour masters).

[–] retrogal83 17 years ago

It's heartbreaking to think that so many valuable, dearly loved programmes were wiped out of existence. Like the 3 lost Dad's Army episodes.

I wasn't aware if there are any "Steptoes" missing. It would be lovely to have them all, to be sure! Can anyone help or enlighten me? Are they all present and correct? If not, did any of them turn up in the BBC Treasure Hunt?

The old BBC policies have much to answer for :-(

***Do you like Liver and Bacon? Come and see my collection on the Isle of Man***

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] trevorwomble 17 years ago

ALL the episodes exist (by a miracle) but not all the ones made in colour still survive in colour (some of them only survive through black and white recordings of the colour shows). Still, S & S fans at least can watch every episoe ever made. Unfortunately many other great shows such as some episodes of Hancock have been lost forever.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] andyg35 17 years ago

I agree totally with your worst episode choice.The Seven Steptorai was silly
in a way that all the other episodes largely avoided...I struggle to watch that one it's so far short of the the rest. The Kung-Fu craze of the early and mid seventies has a lot to answer for !

AndyG

[–] lee-413 17 years ago

It's strange you should as that as I was born in 1982, and when I was a kid I seem to remember seeing some colour episodes that were later broadcast only in black and white.

[–] nickclarke_100 17 years ago

I am only 18 and i have loved Steptoe and Son since i was 7. I agree that it is sad about the lost episodes but what gets me is that Harry H Corbett and Wilfred Bramble hated each other. I heard Wilfred Bramble drank a lot on the sets which annoyed Harry H Corbett and when they went to America they had to take seperate planes. Its hard to think that two eople that worked so well together on screen hated each other off screen.

[–] naseby 10 years ago

Apparently, Galton and Simpson said they didn't notice any animosity between the two of them. However, the documentary on them states that the relationship went sour when the show ended and they were invited to do a 'stage show' of Steptoe and Son in Australia. they apparently didn't get on with Wilf turning up late, drunk. Also the documentary states he effed and blinded in New Zealand on the radio there, about 'hating the effing churches' (As he was in Christchurch, NZ, where the city had a lot of Anglican Churches).

[–] sambda 9 years ago

I went to a symposium at the NFT in the 1990s with Galton and Simpson (just when the 1/2" recordings of the lost colour episodes had been found) and they were asked about the actors. G&S, incidentally, were both very straightforward people and not at all "luvvie" like most showbiz/media types - I was quite refreshed by this. They weren't at all up themselves despite their huge comedy legacy.

Anyhow, they made no real comment that the pair didn't get on in real life. They said Corbett could be difficult at times as he considered himself above a sitcom and wanted to do "real" roles in drama. He thought himself a bit of a method actor and was a bit frustrated he was stuck in a sitcom. IIRC, G&S did briefly say that, in the end, Brambell was also fed up with playing his role, too.

Corbett would also get annoyed or impatient when Brambell fluffed or tripped over his lines. G&S said this would normally be followed by a take in which *Corbett* fluffed his lines, so Corbett's idea that he was the better technical actor was never really borne out!

G&S mentioned Hancock several times and gave the impression the he was far worse trouble than either Corbett or Brambell. They gave the impression that there was no real love lost between them and Hancock. But the general impression about the Steptoe pair is that they were both professional with, perhaps, a soupçon of ego from Corbett.

[–] Anton_Kreitzer 16 years ago

Actually, South Africa had NO television whatsoever until 1976, look it up on Wikipedia.

And yes, I agree, it's sad that those old shows (including Dr. Who) are missing.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] naseby 16 years ago

Yeah, it is sad losing so many classic episodes, but as is oft repeated on the board, at least Mr Galton and Mr Simpson helped by taping those 'colour' ones enabling us not to miss out.
TB or not TB - favourite line ; (When Harold's asked by the nurse if he's ever had an x-ray, he answers 'no', to which Albert says:) "course you 'ave, two years ago, when the 'orse kicked you in the cobblers!"

[–] 9 years ago

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