ITV's Grim Tales, hosted by Rik Mayall (a cry for help in preservation)

Hello everyone,

I’m a huge fan of the preservation effort being made by everyone on this site and in general the internet, and wanted to try and help to contribute. A project I feel passionate about is the preservation of a much beloved TV classic from my childhood, Grim Tales. Anyone who’s seen the show will know why I love it so much.

Now there’s absolutely no sign of a DVD release of this show in site - from what I’ve read about the internet this may be due to licensing issues with music and the like. Now I do have a lot of experience working in the video industry with various video formats, including obviously VHS - but less known formats like Umatic and Betacam.

I have a theory that since this program aired fairly regularly in my childhood, that it may exist in some form of broadcast quality tape like Umatic - and would love to know if anyone has access to such a tape. I know this is a real real long shot, but this seems a great place to start.

In the interrum, I am currently waiting on eBay copies of some of the original VHS tapes that were sold in the 90s. A lot of these will be pretty poor quality I’ll wager by the time they’ve made it as far as me, and even with a time base corrector will come out pretty average. However every copy I’ve seen of this show on the internet has been utterly terrible, and this show deserves much better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvauDltf3Jc&list=PL6828CB7112F6BBD4

Please let me know if you are able to help, have any sources I could investigate, or even just an affirming pat on the back so I feel less alone in my love of this wonderful show. 😃

Thanks!

oojason said:

I think I remember this from way back when…

Yeah, some of those youtube videos for the show are a little on the low quality side (though fair play to those that undertook posting them up on there).

It may be worth reading through the credits to see if any of the production company is still going, or if any of people who worked on the show to politely ask if they can help you with any questions or info etc? (such as any rare releases abroad, what was the series taped on, who owns the rights, are there any plans for a release etc)

The Rik Mayall fan sites may also be worth hitting up too?

Good luck with it 👍
 

I have made some strides! Basically there’s a lot of hullabaloo between production companies - someone else has already done a bit of research and tracked down the rights holders, but even the original producers seem to be unaware of what’s going on rights wise and why it’s not being released formally.

I did find a halfway decent copy with someone who has made a passable rip - but I’m actually getting some of the original VHS copies from eBay sellers, and plan on taking it to a professional (as in, not someone with a VHS capture card - someone with broadcast quality VCRs who has experience with getting the best quality signal) to get a clean capture of the videos and hope to get it as clean as possible when I get it home. Not a cheap way to do things but hopefully will yield the best results possible. Unfortunately, the commercial VHS tapes do not have the original broadcast versions and are slightly truncated (stitched together from episodes with no original credits) - so if people have copies recorded from television that would be helpful to restore the missing details.

I’m kinda inspired by what KingTurd did with the Beavis and Butthead episodes from the 90s and hope to do something similar. Might post this on the LostMedia wiki too to try and get a wider net! My firm hope is that there’s a tv station somewhere broadcasting it. Somewhere!

Cheers!

How did you go with the conversion?

I’d love to show my class over here in Australia these when we do a unit on Traditional Tales but I’d also love them to see decent versions, instead of the fuzzy YouTube ones (bless them for being there though!)

How can I get a copy from you?!

This is essential to their education!