Jack Hargreaves - Out Of Town

Neil Maidment

Neil Maidment

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Just got back from the CLA Game Fair.

Bought a couple of DVDs of JH's "Out of Town" which complete my collection. I've just skimmed through them:

Mid 1970's, which, depending on your view is/is not a long time ago.

In one episode he catches a 20lb Pike from the Dorset Stour, on a roach livebait, uses a huge Gaff to hoik it out of the river and then prises the jaws open with a massive Gag.

In another, talking about historic attitudes to Game and Coarse fish he refers to:

Game Fish as "The White Man"
Coarse Fish as "The Black Man"
The Grayling as "The Cape Coloured"

Prime Time TV!!

Despite the unacceptable methods and terminology, he's still one of my heroes.
 
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Les Clark

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Got to agree Neil ,I loved watching his programs ,not allways about fishing just country life as it was then .
 
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The Monk

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yes I knew they had brought the DVD out, I really must get a copy, its years since I saw it, the Out of Town box set series 1 to 9 goes for about ?70, did you get the set?
 
Neil Maidment

Neil Maidment

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I've now got the set, I think, 1960 to 1982.

I've also bought the book "Jack Hargreaves A Portrait" by Paul Peacock which I'm looking forward to reading. It quotes a byline from The National Film Archive who have "saved" two episodes:

"When they finally cover Britain with concrete, they will have something to remind them of what it was all about"
 
Neil Maidment

Neil Maidment

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I've just seen in the book a listing of all the Out of Town episodes. It quotes 1,000+ films were transmitted of which only 28 remain intact.

I suspect the DVD set covers just those 28.

The series was/is of great interest to me as a lot of it covered my home area of Dorset and Hampshire. I believe JH lived in Sturminster Newton on the Stour.
 
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mark williams 4

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Jack ended his days living at Upper Belchalwell, not far from 'Stur' I used to see him in the pub in Okeford Fitzpaine, which he got to by pony and trap.

Jack was an incredible pioneer very far from the country bumpkin image. He was a major shareholder in Southern TV, for a start.

If you read any of Jack's books, read The Old Country. He too was getting old, and felt sad - bitter even - that the pattern of life he loved was gobe, and his life was being dictated from cities.

The book contains much reflection, and is summed up by its final chapter, which literally made me weep, its is so well-written, and distills the deep sadness I also feel that man as a species has completely lost sight of the importance of our countryside and wilderness.
 
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john ledger

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Neil
If my memory serves me well did not Jack used to appear on a kids tv programme called Magpie or something like that with Fred Dinage who did HOW.
I used to enjoy him too,remember him catching gudgeon and saying what a delicacy they used to be as an eating fish
 
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John Adair

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>If my memory serves me well did not Jack used to appear on a kids tv programme called Magpie or something like that with Fred Dinage who did HOW.

Wasn't he actually on How? So that would probably be How that you were thinking of...

The thing that's puzzling me is that I can distinctly remember two theme tunes for Jack Hargreaves shows: the classic "Say what you will / The countryside is still / The only place where I can settle down" Singalongamax thing, but also the Spanish-sounding one as well. Were these from two different programmes or did they just change the music some time over the run of the show?
 
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Clay Tony

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I have been collecting videos of Jack Hargreaves from Music and Video Collections and I am up to volume 8. I think it is the best series there is about country people and the way they used to live. This last video showed men fishing for skate, pulling them out at 100+. I watch these videos over and over again. Does anyone know how old he was when he died and what year it was?
 
chavender

chavender

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i have watched some episodes as i've got a dvd with 20+ episodes on it not sure if its all of them plus i've got two new origanal videos vol 1 & 2 which i brought to add to my collection but then got the dvd which has been most enjoyable to watch so i may see if i can get a full set on dvd to complete my collection.but i no longer need the two video's so if anyone is intrested i'll sell them,as the episodes are on my dvd version,they cost me ?14.99 from [url]www.anglebooks.com [/url] and im open to offers
 
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The Monk

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he also did Country Boy of course, not seen it on DVD though?
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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I remember hearing about Jack Hargreaves death; it was the year I returned from SA.

He was perhaps the last of the TV broadcasters who really created on screen the true atmosphere of the English countryside.

On one of the last days I spent with Peter Stone before he died - on Smith's Pool at Linear near Oxford, Peter told me of the time Jack set him what he thought was an impossible task, to catch a dace, a chub and a roach on the River Kennet in terrible conditions, from 3 different swims.

And do you know, Stoney managed it in temperatures below zero C!

When I watch that dreadful programme - Countryfile, I can't help but think the people presenting it are just a bunch of thick townies. Their orange anoraks are enough to make you puke!

I must borrow a couple of your DVDs Tony.

And I must go out and get a DVD player.
 
Neneman Nick

Neneman Nick

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On the road to rack & ruin !!!
steve wright used to take the mickey out of jack hargreaves by playing sound bites of him on his radio 1 afternoon show many moons ago.
eventually steve invited jack into the studio and the pair sat there chatting away live on radio....it was fascinating to hear.
i think the closest thing i have seen to jacks programmes in recent years is possibly hugh fearnly whittingstall`s a cook on the wild side and his river cottage exploits????
 
Neil Maidment

Neil Maidment

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Fred Dinenage penned the Foreword in the book:

Fred says JH "gave me my big break in TV when I joined 'HOW'". He describes JH as "The Guvnor' and the "greatest natural broadcaster I ever worked with".

There were two theme tunes: the classic sing-a-along and a later guitar solo.

I posted a thread a few months ago recalling I met Jack at Throop:

No cameras, no people, just Jack "fishing for dace" below the School Bridge. I spoke to him for quite a while and talked about how I never did any good on the Upper Stour. He said "I'll show you how to find the big Roach". It never happened of course but he was very genuine and sincere.

Unfortunately, word somehow got around and loads of kids, like me, and adults soon arrived and his peaceful day ended. He came downstream to me and said "Cheerio" and packed up and left. That was his usual ending for his shows.
 
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mark williams 4

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The later guitar solo is a Sibelius piece, I think.

Another interesting fact is that Fred Dineage wrote a very good book about the Krays, having interviewed them in prison. I read it, and thought it really showed them for the nutters they were.

Jack did, indeed, do How! with Fred. Country Boy was done with, I think, the lad who starrred as the artful dodger in the film version of Oliver (or maybe the stage version).
 
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Tony Rocca

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I bought all 9 cd's about a year ago, they are wonderful.

The guitar music is Recuerdos de la Alambra by F Tarrega.

Been trying to play it for 5 years and it still sounds nothing like.
 
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mark williams 4

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Thanks, Tony. Shows how little I know about 'proper' guitar music...!
 
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