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Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Eagle of the Ninth was on BBC TV in 1977 | Getting DvD or download

Anthony Lawton100 Comments

TV ProgrammeRosemary Sutcliff‘s historical novel The Eagle of the Ninth, which by 2011 had sold more than a million copies since its appearance in 1954 (according to publisher OUP), was made into a BBC TV series shot in Aberdeenshire in the 1970s.

Rosemary  Sutcliff adored the portrayal of Marcus, the hero. As I have posted before, I thought ” I probably had” old old video tapes of hers in the attic. I do not, I find now on moving house.

Some readers here and ‘likers’ of the Facebook page have lobbied for a re-release or at least DVD.  I have tried.  Meanwhile John has been doing sterling work respondng to requests for DvDs (see below). And now there is some action about downloading  with torrents (and I have managed to dowlaod the whole series and am loving it – I last watched it I think with Rosemary).

The TV series was broadcast in six episodes.

  1. Frontier Fort (4 September 1977)
  2. Esca (11 September 1977)
  3. Across the Frontier (18 September 1977)
  4. The Lost Legion (25 September 1977)
  5. The Wild Hunt (2 October 1977)
  6. Valedictory (9 October 1977)

Very tiny excerpts here.

(Revised 3/2/14)

100 thoughts on “Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Eagle of the Ninth was on BBC TV in 1977 | Getting DvD or download”

  2. I have written to Lost Shows.com and offered them a copy. Also, I am happy to make a DVD copy for anyone who would like one,
    regards

    John
    Melbourne
    Australia

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    • To John in Melbourne, I am very interested in obtaining a DVD copy. I am in Perth, please email me regarding this (randhir21@hotmail.com).

      regards,
      Randhir

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          • Many thanks, John! Please email me at randhir21@hotmail.com, or alternatively let me know your email address, and I will send my address details and we can discuss other matters as well.

            For this board, I feel is perhaps more appropriate to focus discussion on availability of copies of the tv series, and to work on convincing the BBC, ITV and BFI to release the series on DVD.

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          • Dear John,
            Yet another request for a copy of a DVD! I do hope you are still able to do this and if so it is very much appreciated. I would like a copy not only for myself – I loved the series as a child – but also for friends who are Classics students and doing a course on representations of the ancient world in TV and film. Please contact me on anya-07@hotmail.com

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      • Hi John,
        I can’t believe that you have The Eagle of the Ninth on tape. You must have recorded it way back when it was originally aired on TV. GASP!!!
        The BBC must want it back, although they are notorious for treating their television history with contempt. I would love to buy a copy on DVD from you.
        Please email me the price. I’d be over the moon to get my hands on this old show.

        Many Thanks

        Martin
        Sydney, Australia

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    • I would be most grateful for a DVD. Please could you e-mail me (bridget@damorybooks.plus.com) and then I’ll send you my address

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    • I’m extremely interested in a chance to see this, and would be more than willing to pay international postage for a DVD copy. If you could email me at seascribe at gmail dot com to discuss details, I would be appreciative!

      –Kay

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    • Drat, I posted a reply just then but my connection had a hiccup and I don’t think it went through…

      John, if you have not already been deluged with requests, I would absolutely love a copy – could you drop me a line on victoria@markpoles.org.uk and I’ll send you my postal address & we can sort out how to pay for postage?

      Should a representative of the copyright holder happen to see this, please be assured that as soon as you get a DVD to somewhere I can buy it, I will definitely be buying a copy and promoting it everywhere I can!

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    • John, I would very much like a DVD copy. I’m in the USA; please email me to work out details. Sutcilff readers will love you for this. I did not believe a copy existed.

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    • I’m writing a few months after the last post I could find. I’d love to have a copy of the Eagle of the Ninth DVD but know that you’ve probably been deluged with requests. I’d be glad to reimburse you for any copying costs for the DVD and of course will pay the postage to the U.S. I’d very much appreciate your emailing me at gwenwade@q.com to discuss details. Hope I’m not too late to get a copy and thank you for your willingness to share! Anna Wade

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    • Dear John.
      I have been trying to obtain a copy of this series for years. My mother really wanted it as we are English and interested in Roman Britain. Unfortunately, she died some years ago, but now my young grandson is obsessed with Ancient Greece, Romans, Vikings and early history and myths & legends. I bought the new film The Eagle, which we enjoyed, but it is very different from the original Sutcliff novel, so I have renewed my efforts to find the original BBC version. If you could possibly send a copy, we would be really grateful. Are you still willing to do this, or have you been so inundated with requests that you are regretting your offer? Please let me know the cost if you can supply one.
      Thank you, best wishes, Janet

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        • Dear John,
          I have not used a website like this before, so am not quite sure how it works.
          I do not subscribe to Twitter or Facebook. If I send you my address will it be posted on this comments page, or can I send my details to your email address? It is lovely of you to say “no cost” but I could send you a cheque to cover disc, post & packing. We really look forward to seeing this series again.Thank you, Janet

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          • Hi Janet

            I don’t know how private this page is either, so I suggest you send your details to my email address. Thanks but please I really don’t want any payment. I’m not doing this for money. The cost involved is minimal and I’m happy to do it.

            all the best

            John

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          • Dear John, Trying again…original email disappeared in to the ether. I have already thanked you at your email address, but I am now thanking you on the website for so very kindly sending me the DVD of The Eagle of the Ninth. It was wonderful to see it again, & my nearly 6-year old grandson also loves it. He is fascinated by history & learns a lot through fiction. He understands the successive invasions of Britain, & has added the Ancient British, the Picts, the Romans & the Saxons to his original interest in the Vikings — all developed from the typical (unfortunately!) boy interest in weapons & fighting. Better the Romans than cops & robbers violence. Thanks again, Janet

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    • Hi John, I have been telling my kids about this book and tv series for years, I originally saw it on the ABC as part of their childrens afternoon television. Would it be possible to obtain a copy from you? More than happy to reimburse costs etc. I can be contacted at spek@orcon.net.nz
      Many thanks
      Kate

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    • Dear John,
      I have seen you offer of sending interested people DVD copies of “The Eagle of the Ninth”. I would absolutely love to have one, and am of course ready to reimburse you for the cost of postage to Austria (Europe).
      Please let me know at which email address I can send you my details.
      Many thanks and best wishes,
      Patricia

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    • I would love one please John in Melbourne. How much would it cost? Postage at least…. I am in the UK. Please let me know – I have been searching for this for years. John in Oxford UK.

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      • Hi John in UK.
        John in Melbourne sent me a copy which I’ve copied a couple of times and now passed on to someone else who’d seen this site; they have also agreed to make it available to others in the UK.
        If you can give me an email address John, I’ll pass it on to the previous person and that way we can save our wonderful Australian friend more international postage. At the very least we can make a copy for ourselves and pass the original copy along.
        Jane

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    • Oh my. I didn’t know there was any such thing, but me too, me too, I’d love to see it! I’ve just lately reread the book, and the actor in the clip is almost exactly who I pictured as Marcus.

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    • Hi John in Melbourne,
      We used to love watching this show with our kids, and now the grand kids are the right age to enjoy it. I’d love a copy, (if you aren’t sick of doing this by now!) email address below so I can email you my address.
      Frances in Brisbane.

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    • Hi John,
      I don’t know if you are still making copies of this amazing show. I would love to purchase a copy from you. Please accept a payment for what you are doing. I can be contacted at
      MandSSzabo@gmail.com

      Many thanks

      Martin
      Sydney
      Australia

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  3. What wonderful news from John, dated 19 August. Is there any chance of copies being made available, commercialy?

    Please could Dusk Peterson e-mail me the address of the organisation which is working with the BBC, ITV and BFI to recover lost television programmes; and I’ll certainly weigh in my two penny worth

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    • I checked the website of this organization, which is apparently working in coordination with the BBC, ITV, and the BFI to recover lost television episodes. It looks as though the BBC may still have the master copies of this series, but the site cautions that the database may have errors, so I’d (really, really, really) suggest that you drop them a line and ask them whether they’re in need of a copy. Given the recent interest in this novel, I imagine that there would be many TV viewers interested in seeing the program. (*Waves hand enthusiastically.*)

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    • Hi john,

      I grew up watching this series as a child and was crushed to find my mothers vhs tapes had vanished. If I could please get a copy that would be fantastic!
      I can be contacted on jonathanemoore84@gmail.com and live in sydney

      Thank you in advance

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    • Hi John, can’t believe I’ve only just stumbled over this conversation. I have been longing for a copy of the original TV series – for some ‘lost-in-the-mist- of-pre-adolescence’ reason I only ever saw 1 episode and it is my very favourite Rosemary Sutcliff, perhaps because its the first I read. If you are still happy to do DVD copy I’d be very grateful. I’m also in Melbourne, my email is katbooks@iinet.net.au. Please let me know, I’m happy to reimburse you for costs.
      p.s finally more than just “The Eagle of the Ninth” out in ebook format – so exciting, I can stop destroying my lovingly collected opshop OUP hardbacks with my re-reading. cheers Kat

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    • Dear John,
      I have been looking for a copy of this for years. It is just for myself. Is it still possible to obtain a copy from you? I am in the U.S. Could you please email me at juditanova105@gmail.com to work out the details? I would be most grateful. Sincerely, Judie Feldman

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  5. in the unlikely event that anyone should have any sort of videotape of the series, or suspect they may, I’d urge them to find it and have it recorded to DVD urgently. I’ve hear the BBC had wiped the originals, so there may well be no copies in existence and that would be a crying shame. Please, please, if you have it, try to save it. It was a magnificent piece of theatre which must be preserved.

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  6. I would love to see this production. Unfortunately, according to this article, “Some time in the early 1990s, a huge amount of videotaped children’s programmes were bulk-erased by the BBC archives.”

    Obviously, I don’t know whether “The Eagle of the Ninth” was one of the victims (though this post claims it was, but if it was, and if you turn up a videotape of the show, the BBC might be interested in a copy of it. They’ve used viewers’ copies to issue DVDs of other shows, such as certain wiped episodes of Doctor Who.

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  7. I’ve been told that at the time this series was made the BBC commonly binned the reels of film after a series was finished. People in the know would sometimes retrieve them from the skips, and in more recent times the Beeb have occasionally been able to “borrow” these reels back (no questions asked) copy them, and return them.

    Maybe someone somewhere has the originals for the “Eagle of the Ninth” mini-series? I’d also love to see it if possible.

    “The Eagle of the Ninth” BBC Radio dramatisation is still available though at Amazon and the BBC Shop.

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  9. Margaret – I saw it also and was delighted as I was very familiar with the book as a child (many years ago)! and would be thrilled to obtain a copy on dvd or video. What a fantastic tale and what a brilliant writer.

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