Did Bob Monkhouse Have All The Missing Episodes?

[Si Hunt]

We're about to find out...

CLASSIC TV organisation Kaleidoscope has unveiled a new trailer for its forthcoming “Bob’s Full House” event, to be held at BAFTA next month.

The classic TV organisation is in charge of the Bob Monkhouse archive – a huge collection of 35mm and 16mm film, videos, audio reels and cassettes – gathered together by the late comedian, who died of prostate cancer in 2003.

Much of that material is officially missing from the archives and a full list of finds will be published to coincide with Kaleidoscope’s “Bob’s Full House” ticket-only event, being held on Saturday, October 24, at BAFTA in London. All 150 places have now been taken.

In all seriousness, we'd have heard by now if there was anything Who in there (wouldn't we?) but it's exciting that the archive has "officially missing" stuff that is about to be unveiled.

Why has it taken so long to announce it when he's been dead six years? Does anyone know?

The trailer is here - worth a look, especially for the clip of him emerging from the Old Bailey with a pile of film cans, having been cleared of pirating tapes! Amazing.

Also a good time to say: Bob Monkhouse was a great man - if only because, while everyone else had their tapes wiped, he had the foresight to save his himself!

Still sadly missed Look at the twinkle in his eye...

Si.

[Rob McCow]

Six years doesn't seem too unreasonable to me. First they'd have to sort out the legal side of who owns them and stuff, then whoever does own them now would have to catalogue them. I suppose if they're going to be shown they'd need rights clearances too?

Whatever he's got, the fact that it's material that he alone had access to is exciting enough.

As for Doctor Who - surely he would have returned it if he had any?

[Dino]

I'm sure there's a reference to Bob Monkhouse's collection in Peter Haining's 25 Glorious Years book?
It describes his collection as "second to none" and if we get some Doctor Who episodes out of it jolly good, but I'll believe it when it gets confirmed.

[SiHart]

I think it was the cataloguihng that took the time. The people doing it were volunteers and there were hundreds of tapes to go through. I know how long it took to go through every tape of my collection a few years ago before we downsized it, so this was going to be a huge scale job- especially if they're going to work out what's missing material and what isn't.

Still it's quite amazing what he kept.

Si xx

[Pip Madeley]

Can't wait to see what Bob's full house contained... I can't see him having any Who in his collection but hey, we may be surprised...

[SiHart]

I bet he taped The Space Pirates episode 2.

Si xx

[Anthony Williams]

It'd be nice for there to be something there, but I'm not getting my hopes up - most likely, there'll be no Who there!

Ant x

[Si Hunt]

I bet he taped The Space Pirates episode 2.

Wonder if the RT were involved at all to verify there was no missing Who material there. Missing episodes, I guess would be on a list they could compare to, but if he had something like a trailer for a '60's story stuffed in a film can he had picked up somewhere, would they have the expertise to know it was valuable? I'm concerned!!

Si.

[SiHart]

I think the people at Kaledoscope are more than qualified to know what's missing and what isn't. They deal with this kind of stuff all the time.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

Maybe they would let me visit and ferret around in Bob's rarities, just to be sure!

Si.

[Captain Tancredi]

I'd guess that anything of any commercial value would already have been publicised, unless there were agreements not to- but there could still be some very interesting bits of light entertainment in there.

[Si Hunt]

I had no idea he went to court charged with pirating/copyrighting offences. How ridiculous! Especially when his action turned out to have preserved the only copies of some things. Common Sense again!!! Or the lack of it.

Si.

[Jonno]

Wasn't there a rumour in the 80s that it was Bob who returned a couple of episodes - the DMP ones? - that were found in a Mormon church or something. The point being the religious connection - the Monk's house. Or come to think of it, should we searching the loft of Paul and Jody?!

[Andrew Curnow]

There's a clear shot of one tape labelled Buck Rogers - Planet of the Slave Girls and Vegas in Space. So clearly by 1980 at the latest he'd obviously given up on Who!!

[SiHart]

He had a video in every room of his house, so maybe he was busy recording Doctor Who on one of the others?

Si xx

[Perry Vale]

The trailer is here - worth a look, especially for the clip of him emerging from the Old Bailey with a pile of film cans, having been cleared of pirating tapes! Amazing.

Interesting trailer. It showed what a great comic and entertainer he was. It also showed that he was a rubbish actor.

[Andrew Curnow]

Good point - he's probably got Meglos on another one!

I'm sure we'd have heard by now if there was a tape full of lost Troughtons, and yet... you see all those tapes and somehow think, there must be SOME Who there mustn't there?

Maybe he's got colour Pertwees...

[Pip Madeley]

Monkhouse's collection puts James Lindsay to shame.

[Si Hunt]

It's eternal bad luck of the Doctor Who fan. I bet he somehow managed to not tape a single second of Doctor Who, or gain possession of any film cans. I bet he has a complete uncut pristine copy of the episode of "Crossroads" that was on ITV while "Fury from the Deep" Part 6 aired.

Si.

[Pip Madeley]

Braveheart Tegan!

[Captain Tancredi]

If Galton and Simpson had the apparatus to record some of the early 70s Steptoes which would otherwise be lost, then I suppose it's not beyond the realms of possibility that he might have recorded some of the early Pertwees on b/w video which could still help in a future restoration.

Alternatively, the other thought which comes to mind is that as I understand it, a fair part of William Hartnell's pre-war career was in cheaply-made farces, many of which are believed to be lost...

[shada pavlova]

Wasn't there a rumour in the 80s that it was Bob who returned a couple of episodes - the DMP ones? - that were found in a Mormon church or something.

I thought they were found on a rubbish tip.

[Larry]

hasn't this already been asked before and the answer was no. I'm not sure if Bob, was a sci fi, fan but from what I remember of reading his biography the vast majority of his collection consits of old and rare films.

[Pip Madeley]

If he's got two episodes of Buck Rogers, Larry, then it's not impossible that he may have some Who, missing episodes or not...

[Si Hunt]

Yes, he doesn't need to have a "majority" of Doctor Who - one episode would be fantastic. In fact a 10 second trailer for "The Macra Terror" on the end of a "Jukebox Jury" would be just fine.

Si.