Posted in archive television

Network DVD anthology releases #2

   Published Date: May 14, 2016

The second anthology set I’ll be taking a look at from Network is the twelve disc set released last year to celebrate 60 years of ITV.

Each disc is programmed to represent a typical evening’s viewing, although the earliest title dates from 1955, an episode of ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’, with the latest programme being an episode of ‘Soldier, Soldier’ from 1994.

The audience for this set is unclear: there are many episodes of series which have been seperately released, with only ten items unique to this collection.  Having said that, the variety here is excellent, and the handful of items from the days of Associated-Rediffussion are well-chosen.

Here’s what is included in this voyage though the first thirty-nine years of ITV:

Disc 1

  • ITV Opening Night Preview (Associated-Rediffusion and ABC), 1955
  • Thunderbirds: Trapped in the Sky, 1965.  A fairly routine example of Gerry Anderson’s puppet series
  • The Army Game: April Fool, 1960.  Painfully dated barracks comedy
  • Man About The House: While the Cat’s Away, 1974.  Fun and games with Robin and his co-lodgers and the Ropers
  • Robin of Sherwood: The Greatest Enemy, 1985.  Michael Praed’s farewell to the role
  • The Prisoner: Checkmate, 1967.  Impenetrable tale already included on the previous ITC50 collection

Disc 2

  • Pathfinders in Space: Convoy to the Moon, 1960.  Sci-fi drama for children
  • The Larkins: Frightful Nightful, 1960.  Things go bump in the night for our comic couple
  • Sunday Night at the London Palladium, 1965.  In which Sid James sings!
  • The World at War: It’s a Lovely Day Tomorrow, 1974.  Focusing on Burma, this is a typical episode of the groundbreaking documentary series
  • Callan: Let’s Kill Everybody, 1969.  Tensions rise as a spy sets to eliminate the enem

Disc 3

  • Catweazle: The Sun in a Bottle, 1970.  Series opener
  • The Arthur Haynes Show, 1962.  Included for a short appearance from Michael Caine, this has some good sketches and items
  • The Avengers: The Winged Avenger, 1967.  Emma Peel in comic-book land
  • Public Eye: My Life’s My Own, 1969.  Downbeat episode featuring a young Stephanie Beecham
  • An Audience with Dame Edna Everage, 1980.  Fun with a starry audience, many long since gone

Disc 4

  • Crossroads, October 1983.  Absolutely terrible but previously unreleased
  • On the Buses: The Strain, 1971.  Amusement as Stan has to wear a surgical corset
  • The Saint: The Contract, 1965.  A typical episode
  • The Tommy Cooper Hour, 1974.  Featuring the Sally the Sailor sketch
  • Auf Wiedershen Pet: The Alien, 1984.  Michael Elphick causes trouble for the gang

Disc 5

  • Rainbow, December 1975.  Ali Bongo joins the regulars at Christmas.  Previously unreleased
  • Pipkins: Cowboys, 1977.  Pip goes bad!
  • Doctor in the House: What Seems to be the Trouble?, 1970.  Early episode showcasing the student doctors
  • The Power Game: The New Boy, 1965.  The opening episode of the boardroom drama
  • 21, 1977.  Otherwise known as 21 Up, the third entry in the Michael Apted series following a group of children from the age of seven onwards

Disc 6

  • Magpie, November 1976.  A mixed bag from the children’s series which was ITV’s answer to Blue Peter
  • Shut That Door!, 1972.  The sole surviving example of Larry Grayson’s variety show
  • Space:1999: Breakaway, 1975.  Nuclear problems hit Moonbase Alpha
  • No Hiding Place: A Bird to Watch the Marbles, 1963.  One of just over twenty surviving episodes from the long-running police series, previously unreleased
  • The Sweeney: Tomorrow Man, 1976.  An episode of the fondly-regarded series about Special Branch

Disc 7

  • Tiswas, August 1975.  Edited version without all the inserts, this features Jon Asher as presenter and is very different to the later episodes we all remember.  Previously unreleased
  • Four Feather Falls: Horse Thieves, 1960.  Nicholas Parsons voices the cowboy in this early Gerry Anderson series
  • The Stanley Baxter Moving Picture Show, 1974.  Comic sketches and music in this dated showcase from the Scots variety performance
  • Gideon’s Way: The Wall, 1965.  A rather dark episode from the detective show with John Gregson
  • Tales of the Unexpected: Royal Jelly, 1980.  Buzzzzzzz

Disc 8

  • The Adventures of Robin Hood: The Coming of Robin Hood, 1955.  Series opener
  • Nearest and Dearest: What Seems to be the Trouble?, 1969.  Dated fun with Hylda Baker and Jimmy Jewel
  • Rising Damp: Black Magic, 1974.  Philip charms the birds
  • Mystery Bag: Lockhart Finds a Note, 1959.  A second look at Chief Inspector Lockhart, previously unreleased
  • Upstairs Downstairs: Miss Forrest, 1973.  A key episode from the period drama series
  • Year Zero: The Silent Death of Cambodia, 1979.  Hard-hitting expose of the Khmer Rouge from John Pilger

Disc 9

  • Ace of Wands: Peacock Pie – Episode One, 1972.  This already appeared on a Look Back volume.  Frustrating not be able to complete the story of Brian Wilde’s creepy hypnotist
  • Coronation Street, May 1964.  Excellent episode following the death of Martha Longhurst
  • Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased): Could You Recognise the Man Again?, 1970.  Mrs Hopkirk is in trouble, and Marty has to try to help her
  • Crane: A Cargo of Cornflower, 1965.  Smugglers ahoy in one of the two surviving episodes from this series.  Extremely poor sound by the way, and previously unreleased
  • Soldier Soldier: Stormy Weather, 1994.  Problems for Robson Green and his wife

Disc 10

  • A Fine Romance: Series 2, Episode 6, 1982.  Nice but rather lame comedy with Judi Dench and Michael Williams
  • World in Action: The Chart Busters, 1980.  Record pluggers who influence the Top 40.  Previously unreleased
  • The Professionals: Blind Run, 1978.  Bodie and Doyle turn bodyguard in an entertaining episode
  • Inspector Morse: Driven to Distraction, 1990.  An episode which has been made available many times before, but doesn’t quite suffer from over-exposure

Disc 11

  • George and Mildred: Moving On, 1976.  The Ropers go house-hunting
  • Jason King: To Russia With … Panache, 1971.  Repeated from the ITC50 set
  • The Main Chance: The Best Legal System in the World, 1970.  Series opener
  • Justice: A Nice Straight-forward Treason, 1971.  Margaret Lockwood as the glamorous Harriet in Chambers
  • The Strange World of Gurney Slade: Episode One, 1960.  Anthony Newley’s inventive comedy series

Disc 12

  • Our Man at St Mark’s: The Facts of Life, 1963.  Leslie Phillips plays a sympathetic vicar in one of a handful of surviving episodes – previously unreleased
  • The Bill: The Short Straw, 1993.  Viv regrets being late for work in this previously unreleased episode
  • Man at the Top: I’ll Do the Dirty Work, 1971.  Joe Lampton gets his hands dirty in this TV series sequel to the classic film, Room at the Top
  • Whicker’s World Aboard The Orient Express, 1983.  Practically a commercial for the train service, and previously unreleased
  • Armchair Theatre: Afternoon of a Nymph, 1962.  There are so few of these officially released, I would have swapped for one which isn’t already on one of Network’s sets, although this is a very good example of the play strand

In summary, and especially now prices have dropped considerably from the initial RRP, this is worth your time if you wish to see a range of ITV product in one place, or want to sample some wider releases like The Power Game, Justice and The Main Chance without investing in the full series.  However the selection could have included more single plays, more period drama, and some more unfamiliar titles.