BBC Military Documentaries from the 1950s - Present Day
 

Hi,

In the last two weeks, the BBC have released their archive of documentary programmes about the British Army. They are available to watch via iplayer and include "The Paras" from 1983 and also "Defence of the realm" from 1996 (plus lots more).

A full selection of the programmes is available via BBC Four Collections.

BBC Four - Collections - Army: A Very British Institution

Cheers

I wonder if 'Skywatch' will be released?

A lot of them have been available on youtube for some time now - albeit, (probably) lower quality vid.

I'd highly recommend the Cutting Edge documentary on P Company from the early 90's - very tough course and some great lines in it also! :ok:

:ok: thanks.

Who remembers the BBC documentary filmed during Taceval at Wildenrath in the early/mid 80s? That'd be good to see again.

Great, watching the marines in Borneo in 64, that's when my dad was there.

I was involved in Skywatch with 12 Sqn (Buccaneers)! Spent too many nights in Wittering Officers' Mess helping Raymond Baxter consume most of the BBC's hospitality budget in 'G&Ts All Round!'.

Recent research would suggest that a copy of it is not even in the BBC Archive!

Foldie :E

I've got the Box Set of "SAILOR" was watching it a couple of years back and the first thing that sticks out at the start is the Ship's Company returning from a night on shore. Flares and shirt collars like kites.

From the previous decade, loafing around somewhere, I've got Ludovic Kennedy's 1966 Christmas Special, a Documentary on life aboard HMS Eagle on a cruise to the Far East. "Warship Eagle"!:ok:

FB:)

Al R, it was called "Phantom" and originally aired as a Man Alive programme narrated by Jack Pizzey.

I have a copy of the original programme on VHS which I got from Paul Hamer, the producer. It's quite amusing to watch the ground play which seems so naive nowadays.

I clipped together some of the flying shots (BBC copyright). Spare a thought for one of our crews who were killed filming some of the flying sequences.

F4 Videos pictures by DeeGee - Photobucket

.. thanks, I enjoyed that.

I watched the first episode of 'The Paras' last night, and was struck by how 'innocent' and 'make do and mend' it was. But in many ways, being under resourced with ironing boards and the like didn't automatically make for a worse training and learning environment.

Ali Melvyn incidentally, was the first recruit broadcast at Aldershot. As a Sgt, I shared a snow hole near Tromso with him 16 years later and we had a good old natter (with Padre Frank Collins too).

In The Paras one of the instructors, Cpl Al Slater

Training the Phantom Pilot
 

Geehoval,
Is this PHANTOM the one that went though the Pilot training from Biggin Hill to Op Sqn? I was a young J/T at Church Fenton in 1972 / 73 when it was filmed, if my memory is correct the subject pilot had been chopped before getting to a Sqn. I can be seen walking in to Aero Med (that's were some of you will remember having your EEG or even having Airsickness treatment)
The film did the rounds as the 'B' movie to Serpico with Al Pacino, Ii saw it in the ABC Lincoln that was near the old CIO, it is now the waterside shopping centre.