Preserving Television

The bfi has been preserving television for over 40 years, and during that time has built up one of the most remarkable and comprehensive archives in the world. It hasn't always been an easy task, particularly as television has struggled to be taken seriously as a medium worthy of preservation, and it may seem an obvious thing to do now, when programme libraries are valuable resources to be repeated on terrestrial and satellite channels, or sold all over the world. But it is only thanks to the vision and commitment of the bfi that many of the programmes in its Collections survive.

The bfi recognises that TV has intrinsic value. Its presence in our homes over the past 50 years has been a significant one, and it is probably the most substantial record of how life in Britain has changed during that time. The social and cultural changes of the the last 5 decades of the twentieth century are documented by the small screen, not just in serious current affairs or challenging drama, but in pop programmes, game shows and the apparently trivial chatter which so often fills our screens. Yet it's often the ephemeral moments which are the most precious 20 years on. For this reason it's also important to preserve the way television looks, with examples of continuity announcements and links, and the advertisements in between too. It's as much a record of the way that television has changed as the way that we have.

The bfi receives annual grants from ITV, Channel 4 and Five to record about 25 per cent of their programmes off-air for preservation, and this has built up to form a unique record of TV as it is seen by viewers. TV Acquisitions staff select the programmes to be recorded, following a set of guidelines, and staff at the the Archive's video unit, which is manned from noon to midnight 365 days a year, record the programmes and all linking material on to master tapes, and VHS tapes for access purposes.

It's not just serious and heavyweight programming that is recorded either. Although news and current affairs and documentaries are all archived, along with major dramas and comedy series we also preserve those programmes which are popular with viewers, like soaps, and examples of quiz shows, magazine programmes, and daytime television.

We also rely heavily on donations of older material from the TV companies, as well as from private individuals, be they collectors and fans of vintage television, or programme makers who entrust us with cherished copies of programmes which they worked on many years ago.

TV holds a very special place in the national consciousness. Although very few programmes are now able to command the vast audience figures of the past, where the whole country would be united round the TV screen, we are still joined together by our memories of Del Boy and Rodney, Morecambe and Wise, and debates about whether it was cooler to watch Magpie or Blue Peter, or favourite moments on Coronation Street.

The TV screen has held a mirror up to the changing face of the British nation, and whether we like what we see or not, the record is there in the archives, waiting for future generations to discover what helped to make them what they are.

Pam Rostron, Assistant Keeper of Television, bfi collections