Anyone know where I can get uncut episodes of this great series?
I fear that some collections advertised for sale are recordings from UK Gold which cuts the episodes to fit an hour with ads. This led to them cutting the final, very poignant, scene of Tweedledum !!!
Thanks
Unfortunately I think you're stuffed!!!! I don't believe that there are any uncut versions in existence and your only hope is that the BBC will release an official DVD of the series (which at the moment looks very unlikely). (As you say The DVD's in current circulation are all copies made from the UK Gold showing and have been cut)
As far as I remember series 1 and 2 were initially shown by the BBC in the years 1972-74 and then repeated once in the next eighteen months and apart from the occasional episode shown at special events the series has never again been shown in its uncut format. There were no VCR's in people's homes in 1972-75 so there's no chance of anybody having original copies at home.
P.S If anyone on this board has any ideas to petition or appeal to the BBC to officially release these episodes on DVD please let me know and I'll gladly support it.
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Hi, i have the recordings of all the UK Gold episodes backed up on dvd and to be honest what is missing would not be missed, from the "Tweedledum" episode it is about 2 minutes that is missing, and what is missing can be assumed by the viewer at the end anyway so nothing is really lost on it.
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You are completely wrong. Re Tweedledum, those idiots at UKG cut one of the best endings on TV ever.
It's like cutting the final scene of the Usual Suspects.
Well don't get me wrong, i would prefer the ending intact and i in no way defend the decision to cut it, however i still disagree that it spoils the episode to such an extent since it is obvious the character has gone mad for real, as a veiwer i did not need to see the poignant moment where we were told that.
shareThere may well have been an altogether different reason for omitting the last few minutes of 'Tweedledum'.
The character of Wing Commander Marsh was based on a real person who decided to fake insanity in order to be repatriated from Colditz POW camp. However in real life the man in question actually got away with it, he ceased acting after his return to Britain and was declared to be all right, unlike Marsh who was incurably insane.
I have read this and heard it on TV quite a few times, one of the narrators being Pat Reid.
Altho73 is right, that ironically the Tweedledum cut actually makes it more true, but it does completely change it.
However, and I could be wrong about this, I don't think the cut was by UK Gold. The set I have (and I suspect they are all from the same source) seems to have the original recorder's video cut out early; The credits to that episode are replaced by those from a different episode, so it doesn't look as bad. But it was simply missing the last couple of minutes, and they did the best they could to cover it/make it acceptable
I think the truth is that nobody had the last few mintes recorded, through error. I doubt it was a deliberate cut.
It is possible UK Gold showecd it that way, but it would be a huge coincidencce that these DVDs should have had to edit in different credits, unless those minutes were missing from the tapes.
Interesting debate. I am just watching the DVDs from, I assume the source that people are mentiong. If I remember the camp get a letter saying that Marsh was sent home, but unfortunately he was really insane. The fact that it didn't happen in the episode (I've only watched upto ep 15 so far) I thought maybe the letter came later, possibly when they hear that Pat got home. I didn't realise the DVDs had been cut. I did notice that, that episode has a different UK Gold logo than the others I have watched so far.
shareI have every single episode of Colditz in its original uncut format of 52mins each though the down side is each episode has Finnish subtitles as they were shown on Finnish TV. I can confirm that the ending of Tweedledum is intact unlike the edited version shown on UK Gold. What's also good about my copy of the entire series is that Finnish TV didn't transmit commercials during the episodes and are also DOG (digital on-screen graphic)free
I have recently finished re-watching Secret Army and have just started re-watching Colditz and two episodes in the subtitles don't bother me in the slightest.
Out of interest, how long do the edited GOLD versions of Colditz last?
I am not sure where this question about the Colditz episode 'Tweedledum' being cut originates. I recorded the whole series from UK Gold when they showed it some years ago & recently have been transferring it to DVD.
I am not aware of any cuts to any episodes, certainly my copy of the 'Tweedledum' episode has the scene with the revelation that Marsh is insane intact. I believe the series was repeated so maybe there were cuts in the repeats.Three episodes were missed out on the first UK Gold showing as agreement could not be reached with the writer N J Crisp. However this was resolved & the episodes were screened in the second showing.All the episodes seem to run about 52 mins without ads,which was the length of the original BBC broadcasts.
It is unlikely to ever see the light of day on 'official' DVD as there are a number of parties involved & the 'rights' issue is very complex.
Thanks for the thumbs up on the box set. That is very sloppy not to show it in it original ad free BBC format.
tweedledum is one of the few episodes I have seen, until this run, and if I remember the narrative shows his insanity taking hold.
Chris street 2 said "I am not aware of any cuts to any episodes,"
When I was a kid, I'd swear there was a scene of 'goon baiting' where they lower a dummy out of a window 'as if he's escaping' and they dangle him visibly to upset the sentrys.
This was also covered in the 50s film.
I've just watched the 2 series via youtube and didn't see anything like what I remembered. Did they 'goon-bait' the jerries with a dummy in the 70s series?
IIRC the bit with the dummy was also in Reach For The Sky when Douglas Bader is sent to Colditz. Perhaps you're confusing the two?
"Oh dear. How sad. Never mind!"
"IIRC the bit with the dummy was also in Reach For The Sky when Douglas Bader is sent to Colditz. Perhaps you're confusing the two? "
I don't know, I'm sure I remember it in colour.
They have just showned the uncut verson of Tweedledum on Sky Yesterday channel. They do enothe rt.s so you should be albe to catuch it.
shareI know I just watched it !!! The ending is chilling, reading the wife's letter with the French cheering in the background.
Also they have released the series on DVD - due out next Monday.
Cool. Sky is good for these rpts. Hoe they re show Muder One.
shareIt's nowt to do with Sky.
Yesterday is owned by BBC Worldwide and Virgin Media.
Probably why we're getting the full episodes rather than having them hacked to bits to fill a 60 minute time slot which Sky would probably do.
ClarkF1
The episode in question was shown in its entirety on the yesterday channel (UK digital channel 12) last week if i remember correctly, the ending was very sobering in comparison to the Jubilation of the french celebrating there "home run".
a truly fantastic series