Over Here

[ExAdvert]

Does anyone remember the 1996 2-part mini series "Over Here" about the "friendly" rivalry between the RAF & USAAF during WW2, starring Timothy West & Martin Clunes? It was possibly one of the funniest & truest comedys produced with some great one-liners - think Blackadder doing crew room banter.

I'm trying to track down a copy - was it ever released on video or dvd?

Cheers,

Ex

[Hempy]

According to IMDB it was never released on DVD

Over Here (1996) (TV) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117274/)

[Guzlin Adnams]

"Ah Jack, do you like Debussy?" (Martin Clunes playing a wing comander, listening to you know who with a small glass of something red in it in hand)
American officer replies looking into his wine glass,"It's not bad, I've never had it before"
A good show with a serious theme. Timothy West narrated it and I think made a late appearence as the main charactor, a British fighter pilot, in later life. His son Samual West played the pilot in younger life. I recall that the final scenes were poignant. The American bomber crew who were central to the plot appeared as ghosts alongside TW I think....obviously they never made it....worth watching if you can get it.

[taxydual]

ExAdvert

Check your PM's

[NP20]

It was partly filmed in the Bunker at Uxbridge, written by John Sullivan (Only Fools & Horses, Citizen Smith, Just Good Friends, Dear John etc) & several of the 'girls' from LATCC(Mil) were extras, one of whom was my wife! Very funny, particularly the bit about the Yanks being briefed not to swear (damn, bloody etc), but they kept pronouncing the county above Suffolk as Norf**k!

[PPRuNeUser0211]

I seem to remember a line about a fight with an otter...!:)

[bunny1]

My sister works for ITV achive and supplied the following, if it helps:



This turns out to be a BBC programme ;

BFI | Film & TV Database | OVER HERE (1996) (http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/533425)


My advice would be to ring the BFI (British Film Institute) on 0207-255-1444 - they should be able to advise on if you can get hold of a copy.


Could try ringing the BBC direct, but experience tells me that’s not very productive. If it was available to view online on BBC I-Player there’d be no problem, but I can’t see it listed.

[pipertommy]

Brilliant mini series i`ve seen for a long time!! Would be interested if anyone managed to get a copy.

Thanks.

Short clip YouTube - Samuel West WW2 Comedy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrPPXh9keJ4&feature=related)

[Talk Reaction]

I've been seeking out a copy for some time too, I have it on video somewhere already but its been loaned and watched so much it's unusable now :( I did once try the BBC but to no avail.

Great lines, " Yes, I did say we wouldn't be on night patrol any more but, in funny sort of a way, I lied"

"What's that plane doing on my front lawn?" "Well it's mine, I sort of need it for my job!"

If you have any success please PM me - best of luck

[Min Decent Ht]

Comedic and poignantly brilliant 2-parter. Some great flying scenes with Spits.
I managed to get a copy on VHS through a friend at the Beeb. Priceless. Mine too, is getting a little worn so if anyone has a source for a DVD copy I'd be interested too.

Two Nations devided by a common language.

"Luftwaffe", twitch.

[CrabInCab]

Awesome bit of TV, I have a copy on VHS - fairly poor quality but one of my most cherished possessions. I did look into trying to get a copy but turned up nothing on the BBC archives. Would love a DVD copy if you have any luck - a Help for Heroes fundraiser maybe?

The breakfast scene after the wedding, we've all been there.

[fradu]

The series was being released on DVD, but unfortunately due to the demise of the producers (possibly connected to DD Video) it didn't happen.

A real pity.

"Close the door please Tully...."
Always remember the B-17 navigator getting lost :)

[taxydual]

Just for the sake of conjecture. Let's say that a chap has (on his computer hard drive) a reasonable copy of both episodes of a certain comedy drama (that may or may not be RAF/USAAF orientated).

How does that chap stand, if he was to burn onto DVD said comedy drama and pass gratis and free of charge the burned DVD to other chaps? Would he be in the poo copyright wise?

Would it be more appropriate for said chap to receive from other chaps a Stamped Addressed A5 Envelope that contains a blank DVD, that possibly would be returned to sender with the formatting of that DVD slightly altered?

Now, obviously this chap could accept no fee or recompense for his efforts, but, would consider donations, made by recipients, to a certain charity that Helps Heroes.

Please bear in mind that said chap has only 1 DVD writer and it takes roughly an hour to burn the DVD. So patience is a virtue.

I would be grateful for advice from the Military Forum.




Bit of clarification.
The 1 hour to burn includes converting the video format (.avi) to a format that can be viewed on standalone DVD players as well as PC DVD players.

[ian16th]

Taxydual


Strictly speaking making copies of broadcast programmes is illegal. If you do it for profit and the Performing Rights people catch you they will press charges.

Burning a DVD from your hard drive should not take an hour! What software are you using?

If you do burn any, please pass a copy to the retired Police Sgt in Bedale, with the strange surname that includes all 5 vowels. And ask him to post it to his old school friend in South Africa!

He spent his National Service in the RAF, as a clerk in Singapore! He spent most of his time playing cricket for FEAF.

Cheers

[ExAdvert]

Just for the sake of conjecture, I would say thank you.

Thank you ;)

[NP20]

Taxydual,

The 'Chap' could always upload the programme from his hard drive to a file-sharing site such as www.uknova.com; I've used the site to download UK TV programmes as I'm currently 'Over There' and it seems well established and safe enough. I've just checked the list of banned programmes, and it isn't on there.

NP20

[taxydual]

NP20.

Thanks for that tip. I'll look into it and report back.

Regards

[taxydual]

I've followed NP20's advice and created a .torrent file on Home - UKNova (http://www.uknova.com)

The title is OverHere1996SEED. I'm uploading it now and it appears to be working.
(Thats a first!).

You will need a Bittorrent client to download it. I am using Utorrent (it's free and seems to work).

As I say, I am a total novice when it comes to torrents and uploading things, so if it all goes pear shaped, the SAE and DVD option remains open.

Regards

[artyhug]

Nice one Taxy,

It looks promising so far, just a tip for those planning on downloading it, search for OverHere1996 rather than OverHere1996SEED. You'll also find BBC NI's version of the show on the same site.

It seems that it isn't available for download until 28 hours after initial upload, ie 2.48 pm tomorrow but we'll soon see if it works!

[taxydual]

Fingers crossed.

I'm a torrent virgin when it comes to this sort of thing.

Thanks for the feedback. It tells me I'm seeding (?), but it doesn't tell me if I've done it right.

[artyhug]

You've done everything correctly as far as I can tell, it just seems UKNova have a set time limit which must expire before we get access to the file. I'm no expert however!

'Seeding' means the file is available from your hard-drive for those who downloaded the torrent to access. As more people download from you they will in turn provide access to the file from their hard-drives and the whole download process exponentially increases in speed.

It all depends on the original 'seeders' computer being online however, to start with at least.

[taxydual]

After many self-imposed 'cock-up's' (sorry, Airmen Tendency's showing) I've managed to get both parts of the Comedy Drama onto the Internet.

You can download it (in torrent format) at Home - UKNova (http://www.uknova.com), Search for OverHere1996.

You need to create (don't worry, it is free) a login, and use something like utorrent Torrent - The Lightweight and Efficient BitTorrent Client (http://www.utorrent.com/) as a torrent client.

As posted earlier, the DVD option is still available via SAE. PM me for contact details.

Regards

[Tabby Badger]

Thanks for doing this.:D I'd never heard of the program and being in the US, couldn't get it any other way. I enjoyed it immensely, especially the low-level Spitfire scenes.

Are there any other RAF-oriented TV programs I've missed in the past 10 years?

The Badger

[Wiley]

I've just done downloaded the torrent file, but when I attempt to play it back, get only the audio, without the video (.avi format). Is there something obvious that I've missed in setting up the download?

[artyhug]

Wiley,

More than likely you just lack the correct Codec to play the file. Being an .avi file means generally Windows Media Player as it comes out of the box won't have said codec.

A codec is a device or computer program capable of encoding and/or decoding a digital data stream or signal. The word codec is a portmanteau of 'compressor-decompressor' or, most commonly, 'coder-decoder'.

Options are varied to solve the problem, the easiest would be to Google for a Free Avi player and download it, it will come with all necessary codecs. I seem to remember I used DivX. Once said player is downloaded all the codecs will also be available for other media players such as WMP.

There is no doubt a more elegant solution but I am a luddite and proud!

[taxydual]

Wiley,

If you download VLC VLC media player - Overview (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/) (It's free) it plays perfectly.

Regards

TD

[Wiley]

Just finished watching 'Over Here'. (Thank you taxtdual.) Very well done, and quite poignant at the end, if a little lacking in research into proper RAF etiquette. Saluting indoors sans hats(!) My old WOD would be rolling in his grave.

Well worth the (considerable) download time.
.

[coldbuffer]

More seeders needed - please :)

[November4]

I prefer GOM Player (www.gomlab.com/eng/GMP_download.html) for watching videos.

Thanks for uploading....should be watching it tomorrow

[Stretch182]

Excellent viewing - must have missed it 1st time round.
Thanks very much!

[Min Decent Ht]

Worth the download wait. Excellent!

The latest replacement for the Blues Brothers/Monty Python/24/Halo for the boys and girls on Q I wager. Prepare those '1000hrs Over Here' patches and EKQs immediately! Should be mandatory at IOT too.

[TacLan]

Must have missed it first time round, but then there was plenty of opportunity for all of us to do that. Thanks vey much

Moving on......does anyone remember a film4 production called "A Winter Flight"? an 80's RAF story concerning a young Assistant Air Traffic Controller (Reece Dinsdale), a Rockape (a very young Sean Bean) and female NAAFI person (Nicola Cowper)

It would also appear to have never been released on DVD/VHS. I have tried all that I can think of, IMDB/Amazon et al, even to the extent of contacting Channel 4 direct (with no response). So if you have a copy and are willing to part with it/upload it via file sharing, I would be a happy bunny. Willing to discuss lucre/charity payment via PM.....Ta

[Arthur Rowe]

It is available as a DVD on Amazon at £19.59 but only one copy left when I looked. Entitled '40s Britain - Over Paid Over Sexed And Over Here'.