I have just been alerted to the fact that there was a television documentary which went out on BBC2 on 8 June 1977 about the Whitechapel Bell Foundry described as ‘In the Making – A Visit to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry where some of the most famous bells in the world have been made’. I have no experience of retrieving documentary footage, apart from knowing that much of the archival material relating to the Bell Foundry is held by the London Metropolitan Archives, which, by chance, re-opens tomorrow. So, I am hoping that one of my readers might know how to locate the original film and ideally whether it can be put on to YouTube, since one of the things that I have noticed about the Bell Foundry is that it was essential to have visited it to understand its appeal; although there are wonderful and atmospheric photographs of it, they do not convey the noise and activity of a working foundry, the people. A film would help remind us of what is in danger of being lost
| Charles | Saumarez | Smith | 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/researching-bbc-archives/zrqpwty
The programme, if it has been preserved, will be at the BFI or the BL. They don’t supply the copies – but there may be a way. The first step would be to contact the BFI. If they have it you may consult it for research purposes. This gives you the producer/director etc. It will have been made inhouse as the BBC did not commission independents until the eighties. There is one way to get a copy which is if you were a contributor, producer, writer etc but this service is suspended because of Covid. Presumably it will restart. Let me know if there is anything I can do. I think Piers Bedford might be able to help with this.
Dear Leslie, Thank you – this is really helpful. Charles
Tantalisingly I have found a bit of footage where it is trailed ‘Next week’s programme visits the Whitechapel Bell Foundry’ but no more than that. That can be seen about 30 seconds in on this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdeQtdCOSy4 Hopefully someone else will come up with the actual programme.
Best wishes,
Joan
Dear Joan, Amazing ! Thank you. Charles
Interesting planning decision in Birmingham where a Planning Inspector rejected plans to replace a music venue (The Flapper which closed in Jan 2020 when lease expired) with a block of flats.Ruling that the strength and volume of objections to the scheme demonstrated the venue’s value to the community ‘beyond the market approach’.
Thank you – this is very helpful. Let’s hope the strength of local community feeling wins out this time too. Charles