Newsletter No. 127
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Free Pint
"Helping 55,000 people use the Web for their work"
http://www.freepint.com/
ISSN 1460-7239 12th December 2002 No.127
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IN THIS ISSUE
EDITORIAL
MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
By Liz Doney
FREE PINT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
JOBS
Client Information Officer
Senior Information Specialist
European Sales Manager
TIPS ARTICLE
"Home Pages: Websites for the Homeworker"
By Sara Ellis
BOOKSHELF
"Net Crimes & Misdemeanours"
Reviewed by Stephen Lafferty
FEATURE ARTICLE
"Archive Television - A Survey of Websites"
By Trevor Harvey
EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES
CONTACT INFORMATION
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>>> ABOUT FREE PINT <<<
Free Pint is an online community of information researchers. Members
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finding quality and reliable business information on the Internet.
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EDITORIAL
Well, what a great time we had at the Online Information show in
London last week. It's always a pleasure to be involved with this
event as it really is a great place to catch up with people from all
over the information industry.
Before the show, Free Pinters around the world were invited to
make their nominations for the 'Free Pint / Online Information Vendor
Customer Service Award'. A panel consisting of Katherine Allen, Event
Director for the Online Information show, Tim Owen, Head of External
Relations at the Chartered Institute of Library and Information
Professionals (CILIP), and myself, collated the 153 nominations for 60
organisations. We checked every vote, looking for any signs of
multiple voting, and the panel all agreed that there was a clear
winner, with twice as many nominations as the runner-up.
Therefore, the 2002 'Free Pint / Online Information Vendor Customer
Service Award' goes to Factiva, who were presented with an engraved
tankard at last Wednesday's Gala Awards Dinner. To read the full
press release see <http://www.freepint.com/go/b21490>.
Nominations for the award came in from around the world, with the
majority coming from the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Netherlands,
Germany and India. In fact, Free Pint has subscribers in over 200
countries, but that's really been brought home to us by the wide
variety of wonderful seasons greetings cards we've received in the
last couple of weeks. They range from a 'Lion Dance - Chinese Peasant
Painting' Christmas card from Hong Kong, to a very topical 'Central
Park - Winter Snowstorm on the Great Lawn', from a Free Pint fan in
Philadelphia, USA. Why not send us a card from your neck of the woods?
The address is 'Free Pint, 4-6 Station Approach, Ashford, Middlesex,
TW15 2QN, United Kingdom'.
We round off 2002 with the usual eclectic mix of articles and reviews
in today's Free Pint. We'll soon be sending you the six-monthly
'Free Pint Index' too, which you can use as a quick reference list
of all the topics we've covered in the last five years.
This has been a fantastic year for Free Pint, with the launch of
various new initiatives including our Exchange workshops. These are
moving to a new central London venue in 2003, when we'll be covering
hot topics like communities of practice, copyright, deep linking,
patents and financial information <http://www.freepint.com/exchange>.
So, we'd like to send seasons greetings to all Free Pinters, wherever
you are in the world, and thank everyone who has helped to make
this such a memorable year.
Best regards
William
William Hann BSc(Hons) MCLIP, Founder and Managing Editor
Email: <william@freepint.com> Tel: +44 (0)1784 420044
Free Pint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (R) 1997-2002
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MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
By Liz Doney
* I have the National electronic Library for Health (NeLH) as my
homepage <http://www.nelh.nhs.uk>. It's a great starting point
for finding all kinds of useful health-related websites.
* I use OMNI (Organising Medical Networked Information) to find
quality Internet resources in health and medicine
<http://omni.ac.uk>.
* To search for freely available full-text clinical guidelines I use
the SEEK (Sheffield Evidence for Effectiveness and Knowledge)
database <http://www.shef.ac.uk/seek/guidelines.htm>.
* The National Statistics Neighbourhood Statistics site provides
ward-level data across England
<http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/home.asp>.
* To find out what plants are native to my garden, I search the
Natural History Museum's Postcode Plants Database
<http://www.nhm.ac.uk/science/projects/fff/>.
Liz Doney works as a Primary Care Knowledge Manager for Nottingham
City PCT, providing knowledge management, library and information
services to primary care staff.
Submit your top five favourite Web sites. See the guidelines at
<http://www.freepint.com/author.htm>.
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Tricky research questions answered in minutes. Post your request to
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FREE PINT JOBS
<http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
As well as the selected listings below, check out the weekly Bar
postings which list the latest additions to Free Pint Jobs. This
week's can be found at <http://www.freepint.com/go/b21459> and last
week's at <http://www.freepint.com/go/b21392>.
Here are some of the latest featured jobs:
Client Information Officer
Natural leader required by City Law firm as records and staff
manager. Must have legal and systems inputing experience.
Recruiter: Recruit Media
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j2160>
Senior Information Specialist
Opportunity for top City Researcher in client facing role to take on
responsibility in Temp to Perm job. Pharmaceutical experience helpful.
Recruiter: Glen Recruitment
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European Sales Manager
Intl Sales Mgr role, based The Hague, 50-65k base & uncapped
commission + paid relocation, manage 5, demonstrable closing ability.
Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j2170>
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TIPS ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/121202.htm#tips>
"Home Pages: Websites for the Homeworker"
By Sara Ellis
If you are fed up with daily traffic jams, bad bosses and office
politics then why not consider working from home?
For more and more people the temptation to turn their back on the
stresses and strains of the modern office environment in favour of
working from home, either for another company or for themselves, is
becoming a reality.
Many working adults, and especially those with children, are seeking
greater flexibility outside the usual 9-5 routine that is familiar
to so many of us. Some large companies are beginning to accept that
having part of their workforce work away from the office during the
week can bring real benefits to their business and from April 2003
employers will legally be required to consider applications from
prospective employees who require a flexible working pattern to care
for young or disabled children.
So, if you are thinking of joining the millions of others across the
UK who go to work in their slippers, you need to know where to turn
for advice and support. The aim of this article is to explain the
options available to you and to offer a brief overview of the
websites that can help you in your path to becoming a homeworker.
The Options
===========
Working from home can be split into four broad categories:
The Freelancer
--------------
Popular activities within this sector include writing, proofreading,
editing and research work. Freelancers work for someone else who pays
for their services, be it through regular work or one-off projects.
Clients might include book publishers, magazine editors or
newspapers.
The Internet has provided many new opportunities for freelancers to
advertise their skills and work on projects at an international level.
A great site for finding out about the latest creative, technical, and
marketing freelance opportunities in the UK is at
<http://www.freelancers.net>. Visit this resource for postings on the
latest UK based freelance jobs. In addition, freelancers can advertise
their skills and expertise online by adding their names to the
freelancers directory.
The Teleworker
--------------
A recent Labour Force survey from the government revealed that over 7%
of the UK working population (over 2 million people) 'telework' from
home, using a computer and telephone link to stay in touch with their
clients or employer.
The teleworker employed by a company works from home or alternatively
on the road, exploiting new technology to access centralised network
systems to read emails or submit work. More businesses are letting
their employees work from home as a way of creating flexibility and
reducing their overheads, thus saving cost on office space, heating,
lighting and recruitment expenses. The Telework Association has a
website at <http://www.tca.org.uk/> providing a host of useful
resources including membership details, current telework
opportunities, up-to-date events, feature articles, a list of links
and a directory of telecottages and telecentres around the UK.
Another handy site is at <http://www.flexibility.co.uk>. This resource
offers informative and stimulating articles, news, research and
case-studies on the world of teleworking.
The Self-Employed Commission Agent
----------------------------------
This type of work involves individuals who sell a product or service
and generate a commission from every sale they successfully fulfil.
Selling in this way can be done by mail order, over the telephone,
through a party event (like Ann Summers or the infamous Tupperware
parties) or even door-to-door. This type of home business is really
suited to people who want to earn some extra cash or for people only
interested in working part time, as commission work like this is
notoriously low paid.
The Small Business Owner
------------------------
An owner/manager sets up and runs a business from scratch. They decide
how and where to advertise, what to sell, how much to charge and how
to receive payments. The small business owner could be anyone from a
cheese producer to a cattery owner or greetings card maker. There are
a variety of websites out there to help small businesses succeed. One
of the best is at <http://www.startups.co.uk/>, which offers an
abundance of resources on the many aspects of starting and running a
business. There is a section dedicated to the subject of working from
home, which provides some succulent practical information.
Online Networking and Support
=============================
An important aspect of working from home is networking and making
contacts. Not only is this vital in the search for clients, but it
also offers interaction with others and a means of overcoming the
isolation that working from home can bring. The following web
resources offer mutual support for home based workers.
The Home Business Alliance can be found at
<http://www.homebusiness.org.uk/>. They are there to offer the new
business working from home, support, help and advice from the start.
To find out about joining the organisation and the benefits this can
bring, as well as news affecting the home-based business visit this
site.
The National Group on Homeworking at <http://homeworking.gn.apc.org/>
is a lobbying organisation that campaigns for the rights of
homeworkers. Their site provides facts, advice and information to help
those thinking of setting up at home. There is also an up-to-date news
section, membership details and a host of useful links.
OwnBase <http://www.ownbase.com/> is a member network for self-
employed home-based workers, enabling members to support each other
and share their frustrations and worries. The OwnBase online network
enables members to advertise their services and find new contacts.
Home Business UK <http://www.homebusinessuk.co.uk/> is a web resource
full of practical advice and tips to help people succeed with their
home-based business. One of the big attractions here is the section
highlighting the many 'work from home' and 'get rich quick' scams that
have made the headlines in recent years. The site is also a useful
place to find out the current business and web-based opportunities
available.
The online site of Home Workers Magazine
<http://www.home-workers.com/> is a useful reference resource with
feature articles, resources and a number of frequently asked questions
for those new to the business of working from home. For the human
element visit the bulletin board and chat with others.
The Legalities
==============
Red tape can be a bewildering issue for many self-employed people, but
it has to be addressed by everyone working from home.
For help on Income Tax and National Insurance regulations, the Inland
Revenue's website at <http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/> is a must. The
business section provides practical information to help people
understand what they need to do to pay their tax and National
Insurance contributions correctly. There are also practical
checklists, and official forms. Finally, the Starting Up in Business
Guide can be downloaded free, providing vital reading for anyone
starting out on their own.
The Valuation Office Agency <http://www.voa.gov.uk/> is the place to
go to find out how council tax and business rates will affect a home
business. A domestic property that is partly used as an office may be
liable to business rates whilst the remainder of the property will
continue to be liable to council tax. This site contains a number of
free factsheets as well as outlining examples of the assessment
process for business rates.
Final Considerations
====================
Overall, the key to taking the plunge and going it alone is careful
planning and detailed research. Don't skimp on finding out exactly
what is required of you. Research your market carefully; look at what
you can offer, to whom, where and for how much. Think about your
potential competitors and how you will attract clients of your own.
Construct a business plan to help focus your thoughts and the options
open to you, as you develop your ideas and potential.
This article should point you in the right direction and get you
started in your quest for information. There is a great deal of help
out there, if you know were to look for it, and the web resources
outlined here will provide you with some pointers to a more flexible
working environment.
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Sara Ellis is a researcher and writer for the small business sector,
with four years experience of providing practical web based and hard
copy resources for start-ups and expanding small and medium-sized
enterprises in the UK. She holds an MA in Information and Library
Management from the University of Northumbria and currently works in
the North East. She writes here in a personal capacity.
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Related Free Pint links:
* 'Finance and Business' resources in the Free Pint Portal
<http://www.freepint.com/go/p50>
* Post a message to the author, Sara Ellis, or suggest further
resources at the Free Pint Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
* "Taking the Plunge into the Entrepreneurial World of the Independent
Information Professional", Feature Article in Free Pint No.123
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/171002.htm>
* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/121202.htm#feature>
* Access the entire archive of Free Pint content
<http://www.freepint.com/portal/content/>
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Thursday 13th February 2003, Central London, UK
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"Net Crimes & Misdemeanours"
Written by Jayne A Hitchcock
Reviewed by Stephen Lafferty
'Net Crimes & Misdemeanours' describes the various ways in which
Internet users can be deceived, defrauded and harassed, giving
examples from the author's correspondents and the solutions to their
problems. The book was inspired by Hitchcock's own cases of identity
fraud and online harassment and the descriptions of her experiences
make the advice given all the more sensible by comparison.
The book deals with one method or area of personal attack or
harassment per chapter, from spam email, credit card fraud, identity
theft, email viruses to chat rooms and auction web sites. Each chapter
contains at least one example of the topic discussed and a list of
online resources collated to help victims. Some of the subjects are
esoteric, such as adoption fraud or 'lone gunmen' stalkers, but all
make for interesting reading. The final chapters deal with American
police forces attempting to catch online criminals, encryption of
information, anti-virus programs, firewalls and a quick reference
summary chapter.
A question repeatedly addressed throughout this book is 'How do I stay
safe online?'. The answer given by Hitchcock assumes no trust of
others on the part of the user. Advice ranges from the sensible 'Don't
give out personal information' such as contact and financial details,
to the ultra cautious 'Use a PO Box in the next town as your mailing
address' and 'Get an unlisted telephone number'. Information equals
ammunition in this analysis, with the more information available about
an individual making them an easier target for malicious users. With
recent news stories of the identity theft of thirty thousand people by
a New York-based gang
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2513015.stm>, limitation appears
to be the best way of avoiding trouble.
The crimes described in the book can affect any Internet user, but
Hitchcock has written for the American market. The resources listed
should be treated as an introduction to each subject by non
American-based users, who may well find that their own country has
its own organisations for dealing with each crime. The writing is
clear and aimed at the non-technical Internet user, with a
glossary defining technical terms used in the text.
This book would make an excellent basis for a course on Internet
safety and security, as everybody should be aware of the dangers
involved in communicating and doing business via a computer. With
more households going online and the uptake of broadband/ASDL
connections rising, new Internet users should take the advice Jayne
Hitchcock gives and stop themselves from becoming victims in the first
place.
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Stephen Lafferty has an MSc. in Library and Information Management and
is taking Jayne Hitchcock's advice and not giving too much personal
information away.
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Related Free Pint links:
* Find out more about this book online at the Free Pint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/netcrimes.htm>
* Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0910965579/freepint0c>
or Amazon.com
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0910965579/freepint00>
* "Net Crimes & Misdemeanours" ISBN 0910965579, published by
CyberAge Books, written by Jayne A Hitchcock (Editor)
* Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the Free Pint
Bookshelf at <http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
* Read about other Internet Strategy books on the Free Pint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/strategy.htm>
To propose an information-related book for review, send details
to <bookshelf@freepint.com>.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/121202.htm#feature>
"Archive Television - A Survey of Websites"
By Trevor Harvey
Do you look back with fondness to the days of the 'toddler's truce'
when programmes went off the air for an hour in the early evening so
the children could be put to bed, when the only on-screen
entertainment during the mornings and for most of the afternoon was
the test card, when the choice of viewing in glorious black and white
was limited to two or three channels? If you do then it is a good
chance that you are an archive television fan.
For the purposes of this article, I have defined 'Archive Television'
as those websites devoted to programmes that were originally shown in
the 1950s and 1960s on British television. I have used 1970 as my
cut-off point, the main reason being that there are so many
TV-related sites on the web.
Why is there such a large number of websites devoted to Archive
Television? The ongoing interest in nostalgia is one reason, but there
are others. The Internet is the ideal medium in which to present
information about television, with its potential to load images as
well as audio and video clips. Considering British Television's
enormous social and cultural impact in the second half of the 20th
century, the literature on it is not that extensive. The Internet goes
a long way to making up for this shortfall as it contains a wealth of
easily accessible information on television programmes and history.
These websites are popular because they tap into a collective
consciousness. Before the advent of video recorders and the current
proliferation of cable and satellite channels, television was very
much more at the centre of people's lives and viewing the most popular
programmes was a national event which was discussed everywhere the
next day. Amidst all the accusations of 'dumbing down' that have been
increasingly levelled at British television in the 1990s, viewers may
look back to a 'golden age' when perhaps fewer programmes did mean
better quality.
Many archive television programmes are now available on video or on
cable/satellite TV; this has the effect of creating an interest in the
product, and viewers looking for further information will turn to the
Internet. Indeed, many current TV programmes promote links to further
discussions or back-up information on a related website.
Proof that the Internet is now a primary source of information on
television programmes was demonstrated recently when a UK newspaper
allegedly lifted whole chunks from an archive television website for
its own feature on 'Blue Peter' presenters without acknowledging the
source.
Archive television websites also serve to act as a reminder of the
number of programmes lost due to the wholesale wiping of tapes for re-
use due to the high cost of video recording in the 1960s when the
technology was in its infancy and many programmes went out live. The
'Missing Episodes' site at <http://www.missing-episodes.co.uk/> is a
depressing catalogue of lost programmes including a feature on "Why
are so many TV programmes missing?" by Andrew Henderson. Even the BBC
has recognised the folly of this wholesale junking by admitting on
their 'Treasure Hunt' website
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/treasurehunt/> that "forty years ago, few
people foresaw the long-term cultural and historical value of
television and radio programmes - or their commercial potential".
That last phrase must be particularly galling for the BBC. However,
initiatives to track down 'missing' programmes have been successful.
Finds are listed on the aforementioned 'Treasure Hunt' site and the
programmes shown at the London National Film Theatre's (NFT) annual
'Missing believed wiped' forum.
As most archive TV sites are created by enthusiasts, this has resulted
in many entertaining and imaginative web pages which display a
thorough researching of their material as well as drawing on people's
memories. This can have drawbacks of course, as recollections are not
always accurate. There is also the thorny problem of copyright and
I noticed that one site in my survey had removed material because
of copyright infringement.
The best sites are those which provide more than just a mere listing
of episodes and transmission dates. Commentary, evaluation, interviews
with those involved in the making of the programmes, sound and video
clips, all go to create an above average 'Archive Television' website
and I have concentrated on this type in my review. As many of the
sites have video/audio clips you will need to download the
appropriate software.
Directory Sites
---------------
The first type of archive television site I shall examine is what I
call the 'directory' type where a range of programmes is covered
usually with links to dedicated sites. And where better to start than
with one of the best of the lot, 'Whirligig'
<http://www.whirligig-tv.co.uk/> which is named after a 1950s
children's television programme and is dedicated to '1950s British
Television Nostalgia'. This site is very well set out with
easy-on-the-eye yellow text on a blue background; it contains a
wealth of fascinating information that is hard to find elsewhere,
e.g. children's programmes of the period, especially its feature on
that bastion of the BBC's output, 'Watch with Mother'. Perhaps the
highlight of 'Whirligig' is its video and audio clips of programmes,
interlude films, signature tunes and commercials. There is also a
message and discussion board creating a real sense of community on
this authoritative, well researched and maintained site.
A close runner-up for best archive TV website is 'Television Heaven'
<http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/>. Their A-Z listing of US and UK
programmes not only has the years of transmission but also summaries,
reviews and background information. Other site features include 'TV
History', a series of short essays on subjects such as drama on
British television (including a survey of the late 1950s ITV series
'Armchair Theatre'), light entertainment and the background to the
arrival of independent television in the UK. These are well-researched
essays, with sources quoted. Under the heading 'Features' there are
interviews with the man who voiced the puppet of Alan Tracy on
'Thunderbirds' and with Raymond P. Cusick who designed the Daleks. The
'TV Greats & Unsung Heroes' section includes Vivian Vance (Lucille
Ball's co-star in 'I Love Lucy'), Patrick McGoohan, Hattie Jacques and
Barry Gray (composer of the music for the Gerry Anderson puppet
series). The original material, good design and acknowledgement of
sources make this site stand out.
Another very impressive professional site is
<http://www.transdiffusion.org/> which describes itself as "dedicated
to using modern methods of communication to educate and inform on
broadcasting history ... by making available Transdiffusion's
broadcasting archive for research and educational purposes". This site
is divided into various sections or 'microsites'; perhaps the best
feature is the contributors' personal reminiscences of TV viewing in
the 1950s and 60s including the ITV companies Granada and ABC and the
early days of BBC2. There's also a TV schedules archive at
<http://www.transdiffusion.org/pmc/schedules/>. The site as a whole
is worth exploring as it contains a lot of serious thought-provoking
articles on British television past and present.
If you want to go back to the early pioneering days of television in
the UK check out the award winning Alexandra Palace Television Society
site at <http://www.apts.org.uk/> whose mission statement is "to
preserve, for present and future generations, the oral and written
history of the pioneers who inaugurated the world's first, regular,
public high-definition television service from Alexandra Palace, North
London, in 1936". The presence of the APTS on-screen logo is
distracting but this is more than compensated for by its fascinating
content including rare video clips among which is the re-opening of
BBC television in 1946 after its closure during the second world war.
Children's programmes are covered by the 'Watched it!' site
<http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/1011/index.html>. Like all
good directory sites it has links to individual programmes' dedicated
websites. There are articles written especially for the site, (e.g. Rob
Moss on 'Box of Delights') and there is a good feature on 'Magpie',
ITV's rival to 'Blue Peter'.
Logos and theme tunes
---------------------
"British TV Idents / Logos / Jingles and other television station
memorabilia from the years 1950 - 2000" <http://tv50.net/index.htm> is
an unusual fun site. The station idents (a trademark or logo
representing a particular station or channel) are available in both
audio and video format. There is also a nice gallery of vintage 'Radio
Times' covers <http://tv50.net/misc/radio-times/index.htm>. This site
consists solely of images so it can be slow to load, unless you have
broadband.
A number of sites are dedicated to TV theme tunes. You can listen to
'Tony's TV Themes' <http://tomay.users.btopenworld.com/> or the 'TV
and Movie Theme Archive' <http://www.themez.co.uk/>.
Children's programmes
---------------------
Puppets seemed to be everywhere in 1950s and 60s children's TV. Two
creators of some of the most memorable programmes of that period are
Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate and the Smallfilms website
<http://www.smallfilms.co.uk/> is a tribute to their work. All their
major creations ('Ivor the Engine', 'Noggin the Nog', 'The Pogles' and
'Bagpuss') are covered here and amongst the gems on this site you will
discover how the Pogles' films were transferred to video and a sample
script page. I am pleased to say that 'Noggin the Nog' and 'Clangers'
get websites of their own at <http://www.smallfilms.co.uk/noggin/> and
<http://www.clangers.co.uk/home.htm> respectively.
Another well-known name in children's television of the period was
Gordon Murray who created a series of programmes about the villages of
'Camberwick Green', 'Trumpton' and 'Chigley' and the Trumptonshire web
<http://www.eh.org/evans/trumpgo.htm> is dedicated to them. It is a
gem of a site, well designed with everything you would ever want to
know about these three shows: why they were so successful, the
animation techniques used, the scriptwriters and the music, plus an
extensive interview with Brian Cant who provided the narration.
No survey of children's archive television would be complete without a
reference to Gerry Anderson and his range of groundbreaking TV
programmes which benefited from improved puppetry techniques and are
still popular today from re-runs on television and video/DVD
sales. 'Thunderbirds' is regarded as the best of his shows and
<http://www.thunderbirdsonline.com/site/> is described as the official
site which is well designed with a good use of images and graphics, a
handy pop up 'did you know' fact files, description of the
Supermarionation technique and short descriptive items on making the
puppets and the sets, with video and sound clips. You can check out
other of Anderson's shows via the Gerry Anderson webring
<http://u.webring.com/hub?ring=fabsig&id=29&hub> or at TV Century 21
<http://www.tvcentury21.com/productions/>.
A former colleague of Anderson's who branched out on her own was
Roberta Leigh. Her puppet series 'The Adventures of Twizzle' and
'Torchy' are covered on the Whirligig site mentioned above but perhaps
not so well remembered is her series 'Space Patrol'
<http://homepages.tesco.net/~space.patrol/SpacePatrol/Home.htm>. This
site is a veritable homage to "one of the forgotten series of
telefantasy [which was] popular and innovative for its time". A
detailed and entertaining site with not only the usual episode guides
and production information but also details of associated
merchandising and comics. Even people involved in the creation of the
programme have been tracked down and their biographies supplied. This
website is probably the primary source of information on 'Space
Patrol'.
Cult TV
-------
The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'cult' as a "great devotion to a
person, idea, object, movement, or work as a film or book" and TV
programmes can certainly be added to that list. Cult TV programmes
have spawned probably the greatest number of archive television
websites. The 'Doctor Who' webring
<http://u.webring.com/hub?ring=drwho> lists 160 sites so take your
pick! I particularly liked the 'Doctor Who Cuttings Archive'
<http://www.cuttingsarchive.org.uk/index.htm>. The blurb states: "The
Archive chronicles press and media coverage of the programme and
contains a great many 'Doctor Who' related articles from newspapers,
general magazines and listings magazines". (It is heartening to see
exemplary bibliographical details supplied for the journals). "In
addition there are pages containing examples of adverts, comics and
many other items of related interest". This is a particularly valuable
resource as many episodes of 'Doctor Who' are missing from the
archives.
If you are a fan of 'The Avengers' then 'Avengers.TV'
<http://theavengers.tv/default.htm> "an international family of
websites devoted to the cult classic TV series from Great Britain" is
probably the best one to consult as it links to a number of Avengers
sites of which the jewel must be 'The Avengers Forever'
<http://theavengers.tv/forever/> which has an astonishing amount of
information about the programme. I am pleased to see that this site
gives due prominence to the pre-Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) era when David
Keel (Ian Hendry) and Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) partnered John Steed
(Patrick Macnee).
The 1960s series 'Danger Man' is represented by such sites as
<http://www.dangerman.co.uk> and
<http://www.johndrakeontheweb.co.uk/johndrake/johndrakeonthx.html>. Its
leading actor Patrick McGoohan went on to star in his pet project 'The
Prisoner' that most cult of all cult series. Would 'The Prisoner' get
made these days? I doubt it, but McGoohan had a lot of clout in the
1960s and persuaded the TV moguls to put up the money. There are many
sites devoted to 'The Prisoner': The Prisoner Official Appreciation
Society's site is at <http://www.netreach.net/~sixofone/> though I
found 'The Prisoner TV series' at
<http://www.the-prisoner-6.freeserve.co.uk/> more informative.
So, as you scan the television listings in the vain hope of finding
something you actually want to watch this Christmas, why not switch on
your PC instead? A veritable televisual feast awaits you!
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Trevor Harvey spent too much of his youth watching television. He now
watches hardly any. He has worked in the information profession for
over 20 years and is currently Information Officer for the Financial
Institutions Group at law firm Clifford Chance.
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