Yea
I have the full DVD box set
Steptoe And Son Page 4
Maybe a victim of the "wiping". Some coloured and some B&W versions surviving...put together for the DVD.
I have the complete box set too (got it last week)...but I'm still in the middle of series 2.
Maybe they were just doing some tests?
It was annoying cos the picture quality for the B&W years is pretty damn poor
Then a nice colour ep popped up! Woo!
Then back to crappy B&W again 
Quote: lofthouse @ January 6 2013, 9:13 PM GMTSomething odd about series six
It's in B&W
But about half way through it changes to colour
For one episode
Then goes back to B&W!
Weird
Almost all of the colour episodes were wiped by the BBC, and only survive thanks to B&W recordings and international sales copies collected and returned to the corporation by The Steptoe & Son Appreciation Society.
Quote: Gordon Bennett @ January 6 2013, 9:22 PM GMTMaybe a victim of the "wiping". Some coloured and some B&W versions surviving...put together for the DVD.
Quote: Aaron @ January 6 2013, 11:00 PM GMTAlmost all of the colour episodes were wiped by the BBC, and only survive thanks to B&W recordings and international sales copies collected and returned to the corporation by The Steptoe & Son Appreciation Society.
Hey, I wasn't that wrong after all. Who needs Aaron...? 
Frank Thornton seems to be a recurring actor in S&S. Was he already famous then or just a cheap extra?
I don't think he was particularly famous (or he would have been too recognisable to reappear), but he would certainly have been a reasonably known and respected character actor.
Quote: Aaron @ January 9 2013, 12:08 PM GMTI don't think he was particularly famous (or he would have been too recognisable to reappear)
Yes, that makes sense. That would have distracted from the show which wasn't just a compilation of silly jokes but almost a tragic comedy filled with pathos (as far as I can judge it after 1.5 series).
I don't know if someone already mentioned this but Thornton looks very similar to John Challis imo. He could have played Boycie's father or older brother.
Quote: lofthouse @ January 6 2013, 9:13 PM GMTSomething odd about series six
It's in B&W
But about half way through it changes to colour
For one episode
Then goes back to B&W!
Weird
I'm currently re-watching my Dad's Army box set. In series three one episode in the middle is in b & w while the rest of the series is in colour. So, it's not a rare occurence.
It is pretty rare actually: most shows don't survive in any format, never mind simply missing their colour.
You're probably referring to episode 6, Room At The Bottom, though? The restoration team recolourised that episode in 2008. It's not perfect, but well worth checking out if you ever happen to have the chance to see it.
Yep, that's the one. Seems as if it's available on YouTube.
Quote: Aaron @ January 11 2013, 1:50 PM GMTIt is pretty rare actually: most shows don't survive in any format, never mind simply missing their colour.
Like half of 60s Dr Who.
This whole wiping thing is a tragedy.
I don't see why some shows are more affected than others. Steptoe & Son is fortunately completely available...Likely Lads or Dr. Who episodes are probably lost forever.
Quote: Gordon Bennett @ January 11 2013, 1:58 PM GMTI don't see why some shows are more affected than others. Steptoe & Son is fortunately completely available...Likely Lads or Dr. Who episodes are probably lost forever.
A mix of reasons. Simple bad luck in many cases. Other shows only exist to such an extent due to home recordings (Steptoe And Son), international sales (Up Pompeii!), or staff nicking tapes and film reels out of skips. Some episodes were kept for specific reasons of posterity, but that's relatively rare. I wouldn't be wholly surprised if there was a policy of wiping stuff judged to be particularly topical ahead of other programmes that could, in theory, be repeated more easily (sitcoms like Dad's Army, perhaps), but I've never heard of any formal method or order to what was scrapped. For the most part it seems to be really just the luck of the draw.
Apparently Peter Cook, upon hearing that 'Not Only But Also' was due to be wiped, offered a lot of money to buy the tapes. They turned him down. Evil.