Out of Town – The Lost Episodes with Jack Hargreaves

OVER 30 lost episodes of Out of Town featuring presenter Jack Hargreaves have been released on DVD for the first time, after being tracked down by TV enthusiasts.

For over 20 years Out of Town was a television programme that provided a window on country life in rural Britain.

Fishermen and farriers, horsemen and horticulturalists were prominently featured as presenter Jack Hargreaves took the Southern Television cameras around the country, in the 1960s, ’70s and early ’80s, to explore pursuits and activities many of which have long since disappeared.

When broadcast by ITV, these programmes soon won a large following for the entertaining and informative way that they gave a gentle insight into country life, but as time has passed since the last transmission in 1981 they have become a nostalgic, historical, record of life in Britain from a bygone age.

Hundreds of programmes were broadcast by Southern Television but they were feared lost when the company lost its ITV franchise in 1981. Apart from 28 episodes that were recreated by presenter Jack Hargreaves in 1986, using extracts from films used in the original TV programmes with new footage filmed by Jack, it was presumed that all other examples of the original Out Of Town series had been lost forever.

In 2012, after extensive research by Jack’s stepson Simon Baddeley, Simon Winters, the classic television organisation Kaleidoscope, and Southern Television archive expert David King, 34 complete original episodes of Out Of Town – not seen since their original broadcast in 1980 & 1981 – came to light and are now being made available on DVD by Delta.

Over twenty eight hours of Out Of Town are presented on 10 DVDs. Only edited versions of some of the location films that are included have been seen on DVD – featured in the 28 programmes produced in 1986 – but the significant part of them are being presented in their original form for the first time since they were broadcast three decades ago.

Each disc also includes a special feature which allows the viewer to enjoy off-air studio comments and countdown clocks.

The limited edition collectors’ box set comes in an engraved presentation box with an exclusive booklet which offers an insight into Hargreaves’s life and how the lost episodes were discovered, and includes charming photos of Jack whilst filming on location.

The contents of the ten DVDs are as follows:

Volume 1: Coarse Fishing and seven other original films

Coarse Fishing / Yerro’s Operation

A River for All Seasons / Bass Fishing

Pebbles / Tidal Mill

Chalk Hills / Chalk Springs / Stagecoach

Volume 2: Gean Tree Furniture and seven other original films

Gean Tree Furniture / Southern Television Sea Angling Championships

Garden Competition / Dry Fly Fishing

Model Making / Teaching Fly Fishing Techniques

The Theft of the Countryside / Fell Ponies

Volume 3: Heavy Horses and six other original films

Heavy Horses / Fly Fishing in June

Gypsy Caravans / Fishing for Pollock

21st Anniversary Programme

Sheep Farming / Bite Indicators

Volume 4: Into the Past at Appleby Fair and seven other original films

Into the Past at Appleby Fair / Private Rivers

Fishing for Barbel / Ferrets

Pigeon Decoy / Fishing with a Dog Knobbler

Freeze Branding / Perch Fishing

Volume 5: Pony Riding and eight other original films

Pony Riding / Next Generation / Wild and Cottage Gardens / Sheep Fair / Barbel

Pannage / Dry Fly Fishing on the River Test

Wheels / Grayling Fishing

Volume 6: Sheep Dogs and five other original films

Sheep Dogs / Guns

Multiplier Reel Casting / Hounds

Corn Threshing / Eden Vale

Volume 7: Blackmore Vale and five other original films

Blackmore Vale / Breeding Lurchers

Annual Agricultural Show / Pheasant Shooting

Old Railway Line / Cloudburst at the Agricultural Show

Volume 8: Pigeons and six other original films

Pigeons / Fishing for Next To Nothing

Fishing for Minnows / Kingfishers / Corn Flail

Summer Fishing / Village Fair

Volume 9: Fish Hooks and five other original films

Fish Hooks / Gardening Earthworm Farm

Southern Fishing Competition In Ireland / Rabbit Catching

Observing The Country / Working Dog Show

Volume 10: Saving The Countryside and five other original films

Saving The Countryside / Going to Market

Sheep Farming / Centenarian Angler

Parsonage Down / First English Culture

• Out of Town – The Lost Episodes with Jack Hargreaves is out now, priced from £149.99. For more information visit www.outoftown-dvd.co.uk/

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Original Out of Town episodes to be released on DVD after recent rediscovery

Out of Town presenter Jack Hargreaves

THE SOLE surviving episodes of Out of Town — the leisurely countryside series fronted by Jack Hargreaves — are set to be released on DVD . . . after being rediscovered at a BBQ.

The shows, dating from the early 1980s, were believed to have been lost forever when the distribution company that owned them wiped the master tapes.

But copies of the 34 episodes were kept by the man tasked with remastering them to digital format, and came to light last year after a chance conversation at a summer party.

Rights to the shows — dating from 1980–81 and including the very last broadcast episode — have now been secured by the Delta Leisure Group, which is planning to release them on DVD at a date yet to be decided.

The episodes are the original TV broadcast programmes, as made by Southern Television. They were located by David King, Simon Baddeley, Simon Winters and classic TV organisation Kaleidoscope.

They feature the following location films:

Coarse Fishing/ Donkey Vet
A River for all Seasons/ Bass Fishing
Pebbles/ Eling Tidal Mill
Chalk Hills and Chalk Springs/ Stagecoach
Gean Tree Furniture/ Fly Fishing
Garden Competition/ Bulls & Countryside (dry fly fishing)
Model Making/ Fly Fishing
The theft of the countryside/Fell Ponies
Heavy Horses/ Fly Fishing
Gypsy Caravans/ Sea Fishing
Sheep Farming/Bite Indicators
Into the Past/Private Rivers
Wood Sculptor/ Ferrets
21st Anniversary Programme
Pigeons/Fly Fishing
Pony & Horse Branding/Perch Fishing
Pony Riding/Next Generation/Gardens/Sheep
Pannage /Dry Fly Fishing
Wheels/Grayling Fishing
Sheep Dogs/Guns
Multiplier Reel Casting/Hounds
Growing Corn/Eden Vale
Blackmore Vale/Dog Breeding
Annual Agricultural Show/Pheasant Shooting
Old Railway Line/Annual Agricultural Shows
Pigeons/Fishing
Fishing/Kingfishers/Corn
Fishing/Village Fair
Fish Hooks/Gardening
Southern Fishing Competition/ Rabbit Catching
Observing The Country/Dog Show
Saving The Countryside/ Going to Market
Sheep Farming/ Fishing
Parsonage Down/First English Culture

Out of Town ran for almost two decades, with viewers of all ages fascinated by Hargreaves’s gentle expeditions through the countryside and insights into the bygone ways of rural life.

When the demise of ITV franchise Southern Television in 1981 brought the much-loved programme to a close after 18 years, Hargreaves went on to make a further series of 27 Out of Town episodes for commercial release.

These direct-to-video episodes — using original cut film inserts Hargreaves had bought from Southern married with a new voiceover track and links — have recently been re-released by Delta.

But the original series, with it’s fondly-remembered studio ‘shed’ setting, has not been seen since original transmission

Delta, which has acquired the DVD rights from Endemol Worldwide Distribution, has said that it welcome the views of those with an interest in the release of these episodes on DVD and can be contacted by email at outoftown@deltaleisuregroup.co.uk.

• READ ON: You can read more about Out of Town over at Television Heaven. You can also listen to an audio recording of the last broadcast episode of Out of Town here.