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Southern Television Archive Houseparty
Ena Sharples
Posts: 757 Forum Member
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Does anyone know how I could track down some old recordings of a women's magazine programme called Houseparty that was made by Southern Television? This was an afternoon show that ran for about 12 years back in the 1970s and I would be really interested in getting hold of a copy of some of the very early episodes, recorded between 1970 and 1972. I've tried Meridian tv and drawn a blank so I am hoping that someone on here might be able to help. 
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If it was a recorded programme, then contact Southern Star, who bought the Southern (and possibly TVS) programme archives. Someone at Meridian will be able to give you their contact details - though if they didn't do that last time you contacted them, it probably means they know SS doesn't have that programme.
What was the name of the company Meridian gave you the details of? It might be worth trying them again, as they are likely to be right people.
Although Meridian never inherited a massive catalogue of old programmes, they did put a lot of effort into tracking down programmes made by or for their predecessors, and had a reasonably complete database of who holds what.
http://www.southernstargroup.com/sstar/sstarDADAServlet?sid=146576SQLSYD&gen=0&page=EP5&ent=3ES100
And www.tv-ark.co.uk
Thanks for this - I tried tv-ark and the guy was really nice but he only had later recordings of the show. I'm trying to get hold of early editions because my mum was in them and of course we didn't all own video recorders or dvd players then so she hasn't any record of "when she was on the telly"!
I'm sorry I don't know if anyone died of breast cancer - it's really sad if they did. I'm following this up for my mum, and she was on this show in the very early years.
http://www.the-mausoleum-club.org.uk/xmb/index.php
Thank you Gary, I've just registered with them - got to be worth a try
There are only a few editions of Houseparty officially around.
It never went out live, always recorded, but rarely kept.
The series ran from 72-81.
The BFI have copies:
1x from 1981
1x from 06/06/1980
1x from 1972
All were acquired by the BFI on one tape.
Then they have a number of the Meridian era series (the re-make) of the programme:
27/09/93
31/10/94
5/09/95
12/09/96
24/03/95
04/10/93
15/12/95
Then all the other Meridian era programmes are held, I think by Granada Ventures in Leeds.
As to the people on it:
Cherry Marshall died a few years ago, following long retirement in Frinton On Sea, where she made haute couture from charity shops clothes!
Lucy Morgan died of breast cancer, and had become estranged from her two sons in the latter years.
Daphne Lee (my mothers friend and daughter, Sam, a school friend of my sister) died in France where she had retired, of what I don't know.
Anne Ladbury occasionally appears on BBC Southern Counties Radio (not sure which bit, Sussex or Surrey) talking about Houseparty, with Nic Ayling, who knows her well. She has some Betamax tapes with editions of Houseparty on. Nic (the owner of the Southern TV logo) can be contacted at: http://www.southerntelevision.co.uk
Jean Orba, the 'programme organiser' of Houseparty can be contacted through harry.tuffill@virgin.net
Hope this helps,
John