*edit

Classic French film noir from the sixties when Alain Delon was cool personified.

Been on my Lovefilm list since i signed up 4-5 years ago - still waiting for its re-release.

schedule after "IF" came out a couple of years back but then it disappeared. there is a Region 1 basic version from the USA but thats pretty shabby and split over 2 discs

This was obviously not a drama, but there was a brilliant music docu series maybe 15 or so years ago called "Dancing In The Street", that i'm ever hopeful will see the light of day on DVD. This was the closest i think we ever got to seeing an expansive, knowledgable and stylishly presented version of the R n'R story.

I think it was aired twice, once under another name and released on video, which for some reason i don't own either. Anyone else remember this series?

The Shock of the New (Robert Hughes' art series)
Ways of Seeing (John Berger's art series)
The Changes (1975 BBC children's classic)
The Daemons ("I'd rather a pint")

but never seen since. Particularly remember footage of Mick Ronson playing in an empty Hammersmith Odeon shortly befoe he died

Was followed by another series 'Walk On By: the Story Of the Popular Song' which covered 20th century music from Irving berlin, through rock n roll, Brill building to the Hollywood musical, Dylan, punk and ending with Britney. Still have my VHS of that

Dan Zukovic's "THE LAST BIG THING", called the "best unknown American film of the 1990's" in the film book "Great Moments in Movies" (Editor: Chris Fujiwara), was finally released on DVD on June 29 through Vanguard Cinema. (www.vanguardcinema.com/thelastbigthing/thelastbigthing)Featuring an important early role by Mark Ruffalo ("Shutter Island", "Zodiac", "Collateral"), "THE LAST BIG THING" had a US theatrical release in 1998, and gained a cult following over several years of screenings on the Showtime Networks.

"A distinctly brilliant and original work." Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times
"A satire whose best moments echo the tone of a Nathanial West novel...Nasty Fun!"
Stephen Holden - New York Times
"One of the cleverest recent satires on contemporary Los Angeles...a very funny sleeper!" Michael Wilmington - Chicago Tribune
"One of the few truly original low budget comedies of recent years." John Hartl - Seattle Times
"'The Last Big Thing' is freakin' hilarious! The most important and overlooked
indie film of the 1990's. " Chris Gore - Film Threat

seem in no hurry to issue Let it Be, or Magical Mystery Tour on DVD.

It did seem like LIB was on the cards a few years back before Neil Aspinall died but I recall that Macca and Bongo decided there wasn't enough peace and love in it or something.

Not sure what the problem is with MMT.

They don't show The Squeeze on telly anymore and at time of writing, it's yet to receive a DVD release. Outrageous, really, because it's one of the best and most underrated Brit-crime thrillers ever made; it could easily rank alongide the Long Good Friday and Get Carter. And though the latter is based on the original Ted Lewis novel, Jack's Return Home, the Squeeze is actually closer to Lewis's sleazy, misanthropic tone.

It's also horribly authentic, in part due to its gritty locations: a cigarette smoke-fugged London Underground, dismal pubs and Soho 'massage parlours', and a pre-gentrified Battersea and Clapham, vividly portrayed in birds-eye view.

What a cast too: Stacy Keach. David Hemmings. Edward Fox. Stephen Boyd. Carol (Poor Cow) White. And, well, Freddie Starr - who's admittedly superb in this. It was made in 1977 by Michael Apted, who also devised the 7-Up series, oddly enough.

I've an old VHS of this complete with original cover, but this truly deserves a DVD release as soon as. If they can ressurect the mighty 'Babylon', they can do the same for The Squeeze.

Some years ago I saw a documentary on TV about cichlids in Lake Tanganyika which was absolutely mind-blowing.

Apart from being beautiful to look at, there were fish in it which had evolved to build structures and to use tools.

Maybe it exists on DVD somewhere, but I can't remember what it was called which makes it hard to search for it. I think it was a French production or co-production.

Would love to see it again.

Also, would love to replace my VHS of Pink Floyd's Delicate Sound of Thunder concert but I'm not holding my breath for that one.

This for starters: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0242490/
Then this: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285148/
And this: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0284693/

Pardon my lack of descriptive skills, but I simply can't be arsed tonight.

As per usual it's probably 'a rights issue'. At one point each ep of DITS was released on a seperate video, then later they did three-fers across 4 tapes. Of course you can get them all anyway off the net (taps nose) but yeah a decent dvd box surely isn't so much to ask.
The last ep; 'Planet Rock' was bloody amazing, for years after i would bump into folk who had seen it and they would rave about it's imapct on them. Afrika Bambaataa's bit about Kraftwerk was.. pretty mindblowing!

When I was leaving the UK in late 2001, I saw TV ads for DVDs of the Old Grey Whistle Test, and thought, "must buy those some time", but right then all of our belongings were in a container about to be shipped to Australia, so I thought I'd do it the next year. Or "one day".

Whenever I looked later, I never found them.

Thanks for reminding me. A quick google proves they're obviously still available, e.g. at the BBC shop: http://www.bbcshop.com/Music/Old-Grey-Whistle-Test-Complete-Series-1-3-D...

(According to the blurb, disc 1 includes memories from past presenters including "... David Hepworth, Mark Allen ..." (sic).)

... Sgt. Bilko/The Phil Silvers Show, but they've recently announced that season 1 will be coming later in the year, so hurrah for that... the "Colditz" TV series is another ridiculous omission, though I believe that's because it was a BBC/Fox co-production, and they've never been able to come to terms over sell-through rights.

Film-wise, Whit Stillman's "Barcelona" (the one between "Metropolitan" and "The Last Days Of Disco") has been out of print for years for no apparent reason (actually, even "The Last Days Of Disco" is hard to find these days.)

the artist Robert Smithson's short film Spiral Jetty.

Have only ever read about this - series about Hollywood in the silent era - shown in 1979/1980, just in time to interview the few remaining stars of the era before they died. Never released on DVD, and apparently highly unlikely to be so (inevitable rights problems), but bloody hell I'd love to see it.

How about anything by Kate Bush? Some of the best videos of the 80s - a number of which she directed herself - and I have to rely on grainy Youtube videos to ... ahem... sate my appetite.

Tales From A Long Room read by Robin Bailey.

Playing for Real(?) - BBC drama about playing subbuteo, the star player being a girl, of all things.

Another vote for Colditz.

The Monocled Mutineer, just to upset the Daily Fail again.

Might as well put When The Boat Comes In out as well, just so we can prepare for the way the country's going to look again in a couple of years. Except there'll be no coal either.

Eric Idle's post-Python tv series with Neil Innes. EI seems to have blocked its release or repeat since forever.

The Lynn Redgrave/Rita Tushingham swinging London beano - inexplicably nowhere to be found.

Also
I Start Counting with Jenny Agutter
The Subject Was Roses with Martin Sheen
Diary Of A Mad Housewife
Summer Wishes Winter Dreams
Claudine
Reflections In A Golden Eye with Marlon Brando

Some of Michael Palin's finest work as a writer. I literally just heard that this has been released:

http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/10125561/East-Of-Ipswich/Product.html

Seasons 1 and 2 are out on DVD, seeme little liklihood of any of the others appearing now.

and Walk On By. If I remember correctly, DVD had hardly been invented when DITS came out, so I assume the copyright didn't cover any future technologies. Or something. Yet another reason Youtube is wonderful.

The movie of George Gershwin's life, Rhapsody In Blue would be good to see - not a great film, but I remember the music as quite glorious. I seem to have a vague image of a documentary on Rogers and Hart with terrific performances shown some years ago, and never seeing the light of day again. I google it once in a while, but I'm not holding my breath.

And there is apparently a good deal of footage of Floyd's The Wall Tour somewhere. I've seen excerpts here and there - nice to see it in full one day.

it's hands down the best music documentary I've ever seen. I presume it has the exact same problem as some of the others listed above, that is they have problems with the soundtrack. There are others in the series as well, also unreleased.

...The Riff Raff Element: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293739/
and
A Very Peculiar Practice: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090541/

Genius from Debbie Horsfield and Andrew Davies respectively.

someone mentioned Dougal and the Blue Cat in the original article. I have been waiting to get hold of this little masterpiece for nigh on 20 years. I had the record as a child and then my mother went and gave it to the grandson of the old dear who lived next door without asking. I was livid (well, as livid as you can be when you're ten).

Just recently I managed to source a shonky digital copy from that nice Mr BitTorrent, but I want to be legal. I remembered it being wonderful and, contrary to all usual experience, was delighted to find it was even better than my childhood memory; now I understood more of it, and appreciated the darker tone much more.

with Glynis Barber. An early evening rush of excitement in my just-pre-teens

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=111...

(oops, so exciting, I posted this twice)

with Anthony Hopkins as Donald Campbell.
"The Billy Plays". A trilogy set in Belfast with Kenneth Brannagh and James Ellis

His series for the BBC were excellent. 'Stuff' has been out for some time but they never got around to 'Merry Go Round' and our VHS is wearing out. Also, what's happened to Armstrong & Miller's early series on Channel 4 (late 90s/early 00s) - never issued as far as I'm aware and many of their writers of that time went on to bigger things, eg Mitchell & Webb ?

Also, musically, as far as I'm aware Ready Steady Go has never made it onto DVD, although I have the VHS.

starring Jane Asher and Diana ("Do you like Georgie Best?") Dors, with a soundtrack from Cat Stevens and Can. I thougfht it was long lost but apparently being restored for reissue. The problem with all these films is they can't possibly live up to your memory of them, can they?

Seems to have come to a grinding halt at series 4.

venerated or ancient as some of the titles on this blog, but neither series of Heston Blumenthal's In Search of Perfection have ever reached DVD. This is usually 2Entertain's domain, so I've never been sure why this has never been released.

used to love the flashback bit in court at the end when he explained how they did it. One of my favourite early tv memories. Not even on you tube or the alibi channel and why don't bbc show it in the afternoons? Better than Murder she wrote or Dick Van Dyke and his Diagnosis Murder.

This goes back to the early-mid 90s I think. I watched some of it and thought it was great, but haven't seen it repeated since, let alone released. Presumably the same copyright issues as so many others.

there was an excellent ep on touring which featured footage around Metallica at milton Keynes Bowl. And on royalties with the surviving Teenagers fighting to get their dues for 'Why Do Fools Fall In Love'.
Remember Dire Straits manager being a great caustic talking head

Nothing to do with Queen but a Timothy Hutton/Kelly McGillis film from 1987:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093467/

It looks like it's available from the Warner Archive web site but they'll only ship to the US

Peter Kosminsky drama about British troops in Bosnia made in the late 90's for the BBC starring Damien Lewis, Ioan Grufford and Matthew McFaddyen

The first couple of series in the early 1990s before he briefly took the Murdoch shilling.

Particularly overdue is Smashie And Nicey: The End Of An Era, although I suspect that landfill sites can do without any release of the Celeb series.

It is worth knowing that the BBFC website (http://www.bbfc.co.uk/) is a great place to search for things that might be on the verge of being re-released, as a new issue often requires a new certificate. That is how I discovered that Heimat was on the way again (it was re-released last month).

TV

Chelmsford 123 - early 90s C4 comedy set in Roman Britain

Paul Calf's Video Diary - I find Steve Coogan hit and miss, but this is genius (actually, it is avavilable but only as part of a Complete Coogan boxset)

Film

The Navigator - amazing New Zealand movie where a group of medieval Cumbrian villagers tunnel through the earth following the visions of a young boy who believes he can save them from the plague, and end up in twentieth century NZ

The John Sayles masterpiece 'Lone Star' (the finest 'ensemble' film I have ever seen).

The Peter Weir drama 'Fearless', featuring an astonishing performance from Jeff Bridges.

And Ang Lee's earlier work like 'The Wedding Banquet' and especially 'Eat Drink Man Woman'.

It may be that some of these are on Region 1 only or something, and I just haven't investigated properly. But films this good should possibly be available to everyone, everywhere in the world. Free. 8-)

A complete box set is needed. Or at least Eskimo Day & Cold Enough For Snow... can't even find clips on YouTube.

A one off drama series about 1989 or 1990 or thereabouts. Probably not as good as I remember but I would like to see it again. Tim Roth was in it. And Stephen Fry I think.

More episodes of The Goodies. There's about sixteen available at the moment, but if I recall, there was about ten series worth of stuff made.

What about more DVD compilations of the 80's music show "The Tube". They did a brilliant one a few years ago with 6 hours of the best of series one, what about series' 2-5?

This. Is. Brilliant. Last I checked, unavailable on DVD.

(For those who can't access clips, it's a pastiche of Alec Baldwin's spectacular cameo in Glengarry Glen Ross).

......now who can help me find this one?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046733/

My dad revealed late last year that he had appeared in this film along with a childhood friend. He would've been only 7 years old at the time. He lived not far from Shepperton Studios and was asked to go along to the set to appear. I believe it was in a fairground scene.

I'd love to see this film and also get a copy for my dad and also my children. Some fairly big names in the film including Sid James.

Of course its not on DVD. Any ideas where to find this??

Returning to Christopher Eccleston, the BAFTA award winning series Our Friends In The North is currently unavailable on DVD, despite being one of the finest dramas ever produced by the BBC. The episode in which Eccleston's political idealist Nicky stands as a Labour candidate at the 1979 general election, only to have his entire campaign undermined by Machiavellian tactics from the evil Tories, is pure TV gold.

You can't find either "Local Lads Done Good" or live 1976 - 1977 recordings of Supercharge anywhere on line. Has no-one digitised these?

OK, I know that was audio.

I still want to see the gritty "Softly, softly: task force" series reissued.

Does anyone remember a series of that name? I'm pretty sure it had Simon Callow in the lead role of Tom Chance.

As I recall it was hilarious, ( I was very young ), and I've never seen anything of it since.

As mentioned on the recent TV series thread, I loved this programme which was lasted one series. Phil Daniels is a dodgy public prosecutor showing his new young assistant the ways of the world. Fantastic stuff, strangely never recommissioned, and the DVD now unobtainable for a reasonable fee....

The first Addams Family movie

Ghostbusters Of East Finchley.

...with James Bolam
The Prize
mid sixties thriller with Paul Newman and Elke Sommer..in fact most of Newman's films are poorly represented on dvd..Judge Roy Bean - another missing title
Operation Crossbow - war time caper with George Peppard & Sophia Loren
Hannibal Brooks & The Triple Echo & Castaway - all featuring Oliver Reed , another actor whose output is terribly scarce.
A Touch of Class - Glenda Jackson & George Segal
also another vote for Colditz (the series)

A brilliant one off BBC2 drama-documentary about heroin addicts in Middlesbrough, shown in 2002. It featured a cast of unknowns, mainly non-professional actors and reformed drug addicts from Teeside. As realistic and compelling as anything I've seen on TV, it was directed by Paul McGuigan, who made Gangster No 1. As far as I'm aware, its never been shown since, possibly because it was too disturbing for mass consumption.

recommend this site that lists the latest DVD releases
which is skewed towards the more cultish releases

http://www.zetaminor.com/dvd/incoming_db/incoming.php

and check the 'Pipeline' section for sets that have been put together but stucvk in pending hell

Also known as Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This? (1966), USA, a Hanna-Barbera production using the voices of Mel Blanc, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Sammy Davis Jr as the Cheshire Cat.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275070/

There are a couple of tv series from my childhood I'd like to see again.

Tightrope was an ITV kids series about a school for spies and featured Spencer Banks and John Savident. I'm sure my memory has improved it over the years but I remember it as an intriguing, intelligent drama series.

I know it is on Network video's radar because there is one episode of it available on a 70s compilation. I want the whole series.

Another nostalgia trip would be The Tyrant King which was another kids drama from about 68 which solved a mystery using the sites of London as background. Particularly memorable was the soundtrack which used music by prog rock groups of the time such as the Nice and Moody Blues.

Little Armadillos from 80s Channel 4 was a late night series by Jim Sweeney and Steve Stein and featured many comedians of the time.

I'd also love to see Jerry Sadowitz's tv series which was a lot better than he thinks it was.

Double Post

Think it came out in the early 1970s. It even has William Shatner!

I'm also still waiting for the BBC's Rock n Roll Years. I was hoping BBC4 would repeat the lot, instead of just one episode.

the answer is you know

Cracked Actor - the Omnibus documentary from '75.

i recall in that bowie mojo special around 2004 that there was news it was on it's way. what's keeping them i wonder? i'm sure Bowie's in no rush to 'go back there' in promo interviews etc.

on the card to be released with the Diamond Dogs reissue but someone nixed it. Wouldn't be surprised if it was Bowie

The one-off TV play is poorly served on DVD. I would like to see again;

John Osborne's The Entertainer with Michael Gambon as Archie Rice

Measure for Measure with Tom Wilkinson as the Duke

Anything by David Mercer; a few plays repeated on BBC2 in the 80s, but since vanished.

Filmwise, the non-availability of Greed by Von Stroheim and Chimes at Midnight by Orson Welles is mystifying.

Back in the 90s there was a comedy about a group of people who all knew each other and at various times they lived near or with each other. There were 3 men and 3 women. I am sure it was only shown once on Channel 4 and was never heard of again. I think it was called Friends. Any ideas?

- classic post-punk, teens-on-the-dole BBC drama from 1983.

Spanning the years 1977 to 1983 this is essentially Ken Loach for teenagers. Given that much of it was set in my native Stoke Newington, at 10 years old when it was released, I was glued.

The only thing I've seen of this recently was the theme tune on YoTube

The nursing series. There must have been about nine series of this. Not that I'm gagging to watch it, but I remember finding it grimly gripping in the few moments I ever saw of it. Sometimes a bit disturbing too. A like Crossroads.

I'm struggling to think of anything I might possibly want that hasn't made it to DVD. It's amazing the amount of obscure stuff that has been released already - Network DVD, for instance, have dredged up all kinds of interesting things from the ITV archives : http://www.networkdvd.net/index.php

Actually, I'd quite like to see 'Glam Metal Detectives' released - it could be variable in quality, but it was an interesting sketch show that was hyped to the max when it first appeared around 1994/5, even to the extent that an album and a comic were produced tying in with the fictional band. It probably isn't very good, but the nostalgia factor would be interesting.

Also "25x5"-The Rolling Stones docu

Noddy Holder, playing the man he might have been if the singing hadn't worked out, Amanda Holden before the botox, Brian Conley as the world's most sadistic PE teacher, not to mention Jan Ravens, Nigel Planer and others.

First two series are the best, but even series three is pretty good.

with Edward Woodward, as discussed passim, also decent reissues of more of the Greenaway films esp Drowning by Numbers, and an affordable cut of Prospero's Books (it's in a pricy boxed set).

And those early Armstrong & Miller's as above---and Zokko, out of sheer curiosity.

Though I was really pleased to see the Complete Larry Sanders is finally due out on R1---may have to spring for that.

Film version of the Michael Moorcock novel, complete with needle guns and napalm. Would love to see this again.

finally got the 'Complete Very Peculiar Practice' in on DVD today after years of rumour and missed release dates.

My now defunct Series 1 will be up for grabs at Fridays mingle