Jack Hargreaves – New Project Launched

For those of us of "a certain age", Jack Hargreaves was a colossus of a man who brought fishing and the countryside into our lives via the outstanding weekly TV programme "Out of Town" broadcast by Southern Television during the 1960's, 1970's and early 1980's. Very little appeared to remain of those broadcasts (and of the other series and programmes created by Jack and others). But some determined work by his Stepson, Simon Baddeley, unearthed some treasure locked away at the South West Film & Television Archive. It consists of separate audio and visual tapes and, later next week, will be moved, at Simon's expense, to a suitable storage facility. That is the first step! In this day and age, when you and I can create good quality video with our phones, it is easy to forget that the technology in 1960/70 was very different. The programmes were created via various standards of film stock by the outstanding cameraman Stan Brehaut (who died in 2005). The audio and soundtrack were then added by very skilful technicians, the whole thing then brought together via further technology (Telecine process I think!). What precisely is held in the SWFTA remains to be seen and fully documented but it is clearly substantial and of great interest. Very early days but I and quite a few others believe it's extremely worthwhile to start the process to preserve this body of work for generations to come. For those who "do Facebook" please consider joining the group via the link given in the article. This project will take a lot of work and will happily accept all kinds of support and help to see it through. The more demonstrable the public support is, the stronger the case for funding will be! I hope to be able to report on the progress as often as possible but in the meantime this quote seems highly appropriate: "When they finally cover Britain with concrete, they will have something to remind them of what it was all about"

Moving the archive: [ame=http://vimeo.com/40226507]Jack Hargreaves ~ moving the collection from Plymouth to Birmingham on Vimeo[/ame]

Being of that 'certain age' I remember Jack's tv work well, also his books including 'Fishing for a year' illustrated by Bernard Venables. I look forward to your updates Neil. Jerry

If any among you have never read one of Jack's books, may I suggest The Old Country as a great starting point? (chronologically, one of his last). Jack was so much more than a country bumpkin (not least being a director of Southern TV) and wrote wonderfully. He was also a regular on an ITV series called How, in which the panel explained the workings of all kinds of objects and sprinkled it with easy-to-understand science. Incidentally, one of the other panellists was Fred Dineage, who wrote one of the most interesting books about the Kray Twins I have ever read, all based on interviews he did with Reggie in jail. Jack saw out his last days in a cottage at Upper Belchalwell, near my auntie's house. On Sundays, he'd quite often rig his pony and trap and drive down to Okeford Fitzpaine, and we'd see him in the Royal Oak having a pint or two. I am so glad Jack's wisdom isn't going to be lost, as it has been for one generation. Jack was witness to change, and railed against the destruction of the countryside and traditions he once knew. In truth, when Jack died, he was leaving a world he no longer wanted to live in.

Also being of that certain age I well remember "Out of Town" and Jack Hargreaves and he along with Bernard Venables gave me a priceless gift, that of a lifetime of angling. Quite a few years ago I was given a 65th birthday present of a collection of Jacks programmes and a selection of Bernard Venables early TV programmes. These I still watch with a sence of wonder and delight and remember those halcyon days when joints didn't creak into action each morning and aches and pains the norm. Yes Jack did live in a very different world to the present day, a world I remember well and with this project our off spring will be able to share this world of our youth with us just as my great grand children are able to enjoy the beginning of their angling lives tiddler snatching with a piece of garden cane and a short length of line, float and hook. Tony Stevens, New Zealand