Monty Python's Flying Circus was Almost Erased

[howilu]

I read on Mental Floss that Monty Python's Flying Circus was almost erased by the BBC so that the tapes could be reused for other programs. Fortunately, Terry Gilliam bought the tapes and preserved one of the great British comedy shows of all-time.

[Marvo301]

Originally Posted by howilu

I read on Mental Floss that Monty Python's Flying Circus was almost erased by the BBC so that the tapes could be reused for other programs. Fortunately, Terry Gilliam bought the tapes and preserved one of the great British comedy shows of all-time.

Many early TV series were lost to posterity for this very reason. I read that almost the entire library of programs created by the Dumont network ended up at the bottom of the East river after that Network's demise.

[1960'sTVfan]

That would have been a travesty if the Monty Python shows were erased. My favorite episode of the series is the one where John Cleese plays the role of a customer at a diner, and he serves as narrator for the episode. This episode is funny all the way through except for the Seven Brides For Seven Brothers sketch. Aside from that it's a great episode.

Another funny bit the Python troupe did was the one titled How Not To Be Seen. I always laugh whenever I see that one.

[Babalu]

The first 10 years of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson except those collected for highlight shows were erased for reuse.

[RetroTVNitekatt]

The BBC were in the practice of erasing old shows after the sales period or lack of interest in overseas buyers.

Ironically, it was the sale to ABC in America, which the Pythons eventually sued over for editing shows together, that saved the series and covered the costs to convert to the U.S. NTSC Television Standard from the British PAL standard. (Which was also around the same time period the package of 72 Jon Pertwee episodes were sold to America)

"Dad's Army" Series 2 and Most of the Patrick Troughton Era of "Doctor Who" had limited overseas interest and sales which accounts for those episodes having a higher degree of missing shows and less recoveries, and thus "wiped", episodes. "Dad's Army" has been fortunate for a number of surprise recoveries which has almost completed series 2, except for an episode or two.

[Spiny Norman]

Originally Posted by howilu

I read on Mental Floss that Monty Python's Flying Circus was almost erased by the BBC so that the tapes could be reused for other programs. Fortunately, Terry Gilliam bought the tapes and preserved one of the great British comedy shows of all-time.

Terry Gilliam did not "buy the tapes", that's not how it works.

That Lawyer's Cut documentary manages to present that whole story completely confusing - that bit is for some reason narrated by another comedian (a fan), but he wasn't even born then. It's hard to follow which Terry of the two they even mean - Jones was mostly the amateur archivist.