The curse of the old TV fan (at least in Britain) is the prolific wiping of shows, especially black and white shows. I've gone into the reasons at length before, but basically there was a perception that nobody would want to see black and white shows once they were in colour, the video tape was expensive and reused, and there was a culture in television that shows would only be shown once. This last one of course comes from the theatre, and Armchair Theatre made the connection with the theatre explicit by showing actual plays, as did many other shows well into the seventies, even though apparently Armchair Theatre was already perceived to be old-fashioned. The genre of TV plays isn't one that I've ever got on very well with because I prefer ongoing series with the same characters who get developed.
Armchair Theatre: The Man Who Came to Die
Armchair Theatre: The Man Who Came to Die
Armchair Theatre: The Man Who Came to Die
The curse of the old TV fan (at least in Britain) is the prolific wiping of shows, especially black and white shows. I've gone into the reasons at length before, but basically there was a perception that nobody would want to see black and white shows once they were in colour, the video tape was expensive and reused, and there was a culture in television that shows would only be shown once. This last one of course comes from the theatre, and Armchair Theatre made the connection with the theatre explicit by showing actual plays, as did many other shows well into the seventies, even though apparently Armchair Theatre was already perceived to be old-fashioned. The genre of TV plays isn't one that I've ever got on very well with because I prefer ongoing series with the same characters who get developed.