Well. You know how it is. You start an internet search off looking for one thing and, before you know it, you've ordered a hundredweight of charcoal briquettes, booked a coach holiday in Scotland and you're half-way through a box-set of 'The Best of something you've never heard of before'.
OK, not quite but there I was researching one thing on the RHS Lindley Library online catalogue and up popped something else that I was not expecting and had no idea even existed:
Title: Dig for victory
Author: Thoday, Peter R.
Publisher: Twofour Productions,
Pub date: 2006.
Physical description:1 DVD. 58 mins.
There it was, a DVD I'd never heard of, yet attributed to Peter Thoday, in the RHS library (8 copies, in fact). But a further set of cross-reference searches then left me wondering. The usual culprits had it listed for sale but none mentioned Peter. None referred to 'Twofour Productions' but one said it was by Acorn, though I could find nothing on the Acorn website. There was only one thing left to do to establish if Peter was on the DVD or not; find the cheapest copy I could, and get hold of it. eBay came up trumps with a used copy certified to be in excellent condition (it is) for next to nothing and free postage. It arrived on Saturday.
It's a perfectly decent little documentary with interviews with people who remembered, 'Digging For Victory', or who were Land Girls, and images and footage from the time. Although some of the background music sounded 'period', some certainly did not. However, the point was made, as Peter was the presenter, after all, in a sort of reprise of his 'Wartime Kitchen & Garden' act.
So, they were all right and they were all wrong, in a way. It was an RHS co-production with 'Twofour' but Acorn DID publish it (AV9459). The worst bit of wrong, though, is that NOWHERE on the sleeve, the DVD label, or anywhere else does the name 'Peter Thoday' appear. You have to watch it to find out. What a waste of having a presenter with a 'name' and the only place that name's listed is in the Catalogue at the RHS; the first place I always look when I'm after a new DVD. Not. I just wonder if they'd have sold more if people had been aware of Peter being the presenter?
Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Charcoal briquettes . . .
OK, not quite but there I was researching one thing on the RHS Lindley Library online catalogue and up popped something else that I was not expecting and had no idea even existed:
Title: Dig for victory
Author: Thoday, Peter R.
Publisher: Twofour Productions,
Pub date: 2006.
Physical description:1 DVD. 58 mins.
There it was, a DVD I'd never heard of, yet attributed to Peter Thoday, in the RHS library (8 copies, in fact). But a further set of cross-reference searches then left me wondering. The usual culprits had it listed for sale but none mentioned Peter. None referred to 'Twofour Productions' but one said it was by Acorn, though I could find nothing on the Acorn website. There was only one thing left to do to establish if Peter was on the DVD or not; find the cheapest copy I could, and get hold of it. eBay came up trumps with a used copy certified to be in excellent condition (it is) for next to nothing and free postage. It arrived on Saturday.
It's a perfectly decent little documentary with interviews with people who remembered, 'Digging For Victory', or who were Land Girls, and images and footage from the time. Although some of the background music sounded 'period', some certainly did not. However, the point was made, as Peter was the presenter, after all, in a sort of reprise of his 'Wartime Kitchen & Garden' act.
So, they were all right and they were all wrong, in a way. It was an RHS co-production with 'Twofour' but Acorn DID publish it (AV9459). The worst bit of wrong, though, is that NOWHERE on the sleeve, the DVD label, or anywhere else does the name 'Peter Thoday' appear. You have to watch it to find out. What a waste of having a presenter with a 'name' and the only place that name's listed is in the Catalogue at the RHS; the first place I always look when I'm after a new DVD. Not. I just wonder if they'd have sold more if people had been aware of Peter being the presenter?
Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Charcoal briquettes . . .