Steve Allen mentions the great news of the DVD releases on his show on Sunday 24th June.
Click here to hear the 2 and a half minute clip
Thank you Steve!

Dear Paul

Good old Steve - bless his heart - he always comes through.

Nice plug, which should help in lots of ways. Please do give him my thanks
and my best wishes, and tell him I look forward to doing another interview
with him when I am next over in the UK for more than a couple of days (no
idea when that will be!)

George

Hi Paul

Many thanks for sending through the questions - there's some nice ones in there that I hadn't thought of myself so I'll see how I may be able to incorporate them, but for the large part what the fans appear to want to know are things I want to know myself, which is good .

With regards to photos etc. I've gone through the gallery and there's some excellent ones in there. I'll pull together a list of any that I may want to use and will be back in touch.

Many thanks Paul and best wishes

Richard
Richard Adamson
Producer
Phoenix Film & Television Productions Ltd

I e-mailed Richard Adamson the questions for him to think about asking when he interviews George.

The following emails come in from Richard......

Hi Paul

I hope you are well.

I just wanted to let you know that I have received the DVD you sent through. Many thanks for that - it's making interesting and entertaining viewing.

Also, I wanted to see if you have received any response yet to the request for questions from the fan-base. If you have had replies would it be possible to get these over to me by the end of tomorrow so I can begin to get a feel of what the fans may like to know.

Thanks again Paul and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes

Richard

Richard Adamson
Producer
Phoenix Film & Television Productions Ltd

& Faye.

Dear Paul,
Please accept my apologies for the delay in replying. We have been extremely busy and I am just catching up!
I believe Richard Adamson has been in touch regarding questions for the interview – we look forward to seeing his final selection. Thank you for sending through the sound clip of Steve Allen’s show mentioning the DVDs, it is good to hear we are getting publicity already.
Thank you for your help so far. We will be in touch soon regarding any other information we require.
Best regards,
Faye

I replied and gave him my number, but forgot to pick my phone up as I went out and missed the call, DOH!

Hi Paul

Many thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I have left a brief message on your mobile and will try calling again on Monday. If there's a good time to catch you on Monday please just drop me a quick reply to let me know. Also if there's any information you wish to send through over the weekend or anything you feel would be worth me knowing before I call please do not hesitate to e-mail me.

Many thanks and I'll hopefully speak to you on Monday.

Best wishes

Richard
Richard Adamson
Producer
Phoenix Film & Television Productions Ltd

Also this came through from Richard Adamson at Phoenix Film & Television Productions Ltd.
Dear Paul

I have been given your e-mail address by Faye Baker at Acorn Media with regard to the forthcoming Hinge & Bracket DVD releases.

I will be producing the DVD extras and feel that, given your remarkable knowledge and dedication to the Hinge & Bracket cause, it would be worth us speaking/e-mailing so I can identify what would be of greatest value to the fans. If you have a contact tel. no. that you would be happy for me to call you on we can perhaps speak next week. If not, then hopefully we can communicate via e-mail.

Many thanks Paul and I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards

Richard

Richard Adamson
Producer
Phoenix Film & Television Productions Ltd

Dear Faye,
Thank you also for your prompt reply.

I have asked George for any proper & correct biographies of both of them, which I will send to you as soon as I get them.

I have also asked him if he has anymore slides/negatives that I can scan for you to use or pictures I can send on to you.

Are there any pictures on the site you would like to use?

If you have a look in the Gallery and right click and save the thumbnail pictures and e-mail them to me, I will see if I have got the full size pictures and will put any of them onto disc for you to use.

Would you be putting the H&B official website address on the DVDs too?

I would love to help out in anyway possible on this venture as I have campaigned for years to see the "Dear Ladies" Series' released on DVD.

I would love to put my two penneth in to say a big thank you to George & Patrick and the BBC for finally going ahead and realising that Hinge & Bracket were an act that can never be replaced and should live on forever, hence all my hard work over the years.

I have also asked George if it is ok for both of us to go over and stay with them when the filming is done.

Would you also be filming a bit at Patrick's Grave in Taunton to show the Grave and Bench we all donated? It would be good if George could come over for that as he hasn't seen the grave yet, and it would be such a nice thing for him to finally see it.

I can assure you that Steve Allen on LBC 97.3 will be plugging these DVDs for you and the run up to the releases. He always mentions H&B and my site.

I have added a link on the website to yours and a copy of the e-mail you sent yesterday for fans to read, and I can tell you the fan club members and yahoo group members are absolutely delighted.
I will also add everything on the Blog that they can read, I can assure you of good sales of these DVDs, so make sure you have enough made up, and don't stop making them after a little while as the interest is always going to be there.

I also have the 5 Specials DVDs which I produce, so if you ever need anything to add as special features on the DVDs do let me know if there is anything you wish to use.

I am looking forward to hearing from you both.

Kind Regards

Paul Dunford

from Rupert Waring at the BBC

Dear Paul,
 
I'm very pleased for you, I had wanted to let you know about the release myself but we thought Acorn should have that pleasure!
 
I look forward to seeing this series when it hits the shelves.
 
Best wishes,
 
Rupert

Rupert Waring
Commercial Assistant: DVD, Comedy & Entertainment
Commercial Agency

Dear Faye,
Thank you so much for getting in touch regarding the Dear Ladies, it is something I have longed to see happen for many many years.
 
It is very exciting for me that this is finally going to happen, and I will be pleased to help out in any way I can.
 
I will advertise these on my website for you when they are near release etc.
 
When will you be doing the interview, as my partner and I are invited over to France to stay with George & Louie when we can get time, I am assuming you will be going to France to film, and we would dearly love to be there to see the background of this happening so I can report it to the fans via the website.
It would be fantastic to give the fans details of the making of the interviews and to get some pictures for them to see on the site. 
 
It will be an honour to help out with anything you need to go on these DVD's, pictures etc, as George endorsed my website in 2004 and I have spent hundreds of hours giving people all the information they have wanted to hear, so it will be a great thing to add on to the DVDs too.
 
I hope you have seen the 2 petitions I have got on the website, which made the BBC get in touch and realise there is a need for the Dear Ladies to be reborn on DVD.
 
I helped raise lots of money to pay for the bench we got put up at Taunton Deane Crematorium in 2006, and also the costs towards the correcting of his mis-spelt headstone.
 
It is wonderful knowing that finally a company is going to release these officially to all the devoted fans, and it is a fitting tribute to Patrick, and I am sure he will be very pleased.
 
My wishes go with you on this excellent venture, please do not hesitate to get in touch either by e-mail or in person. Alternatively you could call me if you need to talk.
 
Kind Regards
 
Paul Dunford

Dear Paul,
I work with a company called Acorn Media and I am delighted to confirm that we have successfully licensed from BBC the rights to Dear Ladies: Series One and the seven concerts filmed by the BBC between 1978 and 1981. We will be releasing these on two DVDs in the near future. The exact release date is dependent upon final confirmation from BBC, however we hope to be able to release at least one of these DVDs this side of Christmas.
George Logan has very kindly agreed to allow us to film two short interviews with him as an extra feature for the DVDs.
When we went to the BBC picture archives we found they hold very few images and the ones they do have are black and white which are not suitable for use as cover art. I see from your website that you have many images of Hinge and Bracket and we wondered whether you would be willing to allow us to use any images for the purpose of the DVD sleeves.
We are also hoping to include biographies of both George Logan and Patrick Fyffe as extra features. I wonder whether you would be so kind as to help us with information for these biographies as I believe you are the oracle on all things Hinge and Bracket.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Faye Baker

www.acornmediauk.com

Hi Paul,  
 
Thanks for the update and great to see there is so much interest from your supporters. 
 
At this stage we are still in the somewhat lengthy process of examining the costs of a release. Although we are very much expecting a successful outcome, we will not be in a position to give the distributors the go-ahead until this stage is complete. As soon as we have any more news I will certainly let you know.
 
Just for your information 2 Entertain will not be the distributors of this title, so the best place to come for updates is myself. Please feel free to pass this on to the group, but rest assured I will be in touch with any developments.
 
Fingers crossed we have some good news soon,
 
Best wishes,
 
Rupert
Rupert Waring
Commercial Assistant: DVD, Comedy & Entertainment
Commercial Agency

Steve Allen mentions the BBC planned releases of Dear Ladies on LBC 97.3
Click here to hear it.

Andy Colcombe writes the following to Mr Waring

Dear Rupert
delighted to hear as a Hinge and Bracket fan club member that there are plans to release this material. This is indeed excellent news and I think thanks must go to Paul Dunford for setting up the club with George Logan's approval and keeping us fans informed.
I, along with many other members I'm sure look forward to news of the releases.
Best Regards
Andy Colcombe

I received the following reply from Mr Waring

Dear Paul,
 
Thank you for your email, Tom Webley has been in touch with me and explained the situation.
 
We are indeed currently discussing Dear Ladies and other Hinge and Bracket titles with with potential distributors, and we very much hope that this will result in a release. I will certainly keep you informed of our progress and will also look into the the radio titles you mention.
 
In the meantime all pledges of support are most welcome. 
 
Best wishes,
 
Rupert 
Rupert Waring
Commercial Assistant: DVD, Comedy & Entertainment
Commercial Agency
rupert.waring@bbc.co.uk
Rm 220 Drama Building
Television Centre, Wood Lane
London, W12 7RJ

The following came through from Tom Webley
Dear Mr Dunford
 
Thank you very much for your email, and by copy thank you to all the fans who sent in supportive messages and, of course, to Mr Logan. Thank you also for confirming that you have removed all BBC material from your website.
 
Again, we were delighted to see how much support and enthusiasm there is for the characters Hinge and Bracket and we are very excited about the impending release of the material.
 
I am afraid that I am not currently in a position to give many details about what will be released and when. All I can tell you at the moment is that BBC Worldwide is in negotiations with some distribution companies who are very interested in the "Dear Ladies" series. The companies are also keen to distribute the Gala Evenings. While we are getting there, it will take time for the distributor who wins the contract to begin making the material available commercially.
 
As it will not be the BBC who will be distributing the shows, we cannot make any promises for the third party distributor, but I cannot see any reason why they would not want to take full advantage of the resources that your site offers and the direct access to so many fans and potential customers. We will certainly pass details of your website on to them and ask that they contact you.
 
In the meantime, we will keep you informed of progress so that you can let all of the fans know what is happening. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to create a waiting list of people who would be interested in the programmes so that we can give this to the distributor so that they ensure everyone gets a copy as soon as possible? If you think that this would be useful, please either place such a list on your website or email it to me and I will forward it on.
 
I am sorry that I cannot be more precise or give more details but this is all we know at present. We will be in touch as soon as we hear anything further. But in the meantime, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me either by email or by telephone on 020 8008 1942.
 
Many thanks again for all your support, co-operation and hard work.

Kind regards

Tom Webley
 

My reply is as follows

Dear Mr Webley,
Thank you so much for your reply.
We are all so excited about the future release of Dear Ladies and as I have stated before I WILL advertise it on my site for you so you get maximum sales from it.

I am just about to set up a NEW petition regarding the radio shows, and also one to get peoples details to pass on, but I do need an e-mail address so fans can add their name to a list. If you could send me the address I can do that.

I also need an e-mail address so that the BBC get a copy of each new petition entry if they need this as well.

I really am so pleased this is finally going to happen and I would love to be kept informed with details of who gets the contract and when production will start etc, and I will be pleased to hear from the companies involved as I may have material here they can use and re master.

Thank you so much for your earlier reply.

Yours sincerely

Paul Dunford

Later that day I got the following from Mr Webley

Dear Mr Dunford
 
Thanks again for you co-operation and support. The person you need to contact is Rupert Waring who works in BBC Worldwide. His email address is rupert.waring@bbc.co.uk. Failing that, or if there is anything you need, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am not part of the commercial deals, but I may be able to help.
 
Once again, many thanks and kind regards

Tom Webley
 

I immediately sent Mr Rupert Waring the following e-mail
Dear Mr Waring,
As you may have heard I run the official Hinge & Bracket website on

www.hingeandbracket-official.co.uk

I understand from Mr Tom Webley that in the pipeline is a release of the Hinge & Bracket TV Series, "Dear Ladies" on DVD when you have sorted out a contract with a supplier.

I would just like to let you know that there is a huge demand for the release of this material and we look forward in anticipation to it being released officially.

I have told Mr Webley that I will give full support and advertising to this project on my website.

I have also had a petition running for nearly a year to which the BBC have noticed recently and also I have just set up a new one to thank the BBC for finally getting round to getting this stuff released.

I have also given your e-mail address to all of the fans who will be writing in pledging their support to this project.

Please could you keep me informed of how things are going with this and details so I can put it on the site for everyone to see, as we are all very excited about this happening at last.

We are also hoping that the BBC will release "The Enchanting World Of Hinge & Bracket" & "The Random Jottings Of Hinge & Bracket" radio shows on CD as you did with "Round The Horne" etc, this will also have a huge demand.
Could you please keep an eye on the petitions via my website and pass on to whoever needs the details.

Your Sincerely

Paul Dunford

The following e-mail came through from George Logan

Hi Paul
I have written to Mr Webley (copy below) - I hope this helps.
Good news that the Beeb do intend to eventually put some of our stuff out commercially - that is, if indeed they do!  If so, I would say it is a large measure due to your hard work!
Needless to say, you must follow Mr Webley's instructions regarding stopping selling the BBC related stuff immediately, although of course you have my permission to continue with anything else that doesn't infringe the Beeb's copyright.
You also have my permission to put this email on the site, if you think it would be of interest.
 I hope you and Ryner are both well, and settling into the new house.  Hope to see you soon.
Best wishes
George Logan

Dear Mr Webley

I am George Logan, formerly Dr. Evadne Hinge of Hinge and Bracket, and I am in receipt of a copy of the letter you sent to Mr Paul Dunford regarding the work he has done in keeping the name of Hinge and Bracket alive, and in keeping much material otherwise unavailable to fans in the public domain. I am aware that the copyright in some of this material rests with the BBC, with whom I and my colleague, Mr Patrick Fyffe, the creator of Dame Hilda Bracket, enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship both on radio
and on television between 1974 and 2000. Needless to say, I have advised Mr Dunford to comply with your instructions regarding his distribution of this material forthwith.

I would like to say that I know Mr Dunford personally, and can assure you that his work on behalf of Hinge and Bracket has been in no way motivated by profit - I understand that his charges just about cover the cost of postage, blank media and packaging . He has also raised money to provide a memorial bench close to the site of Mr Fyffe's grave, and has worked very hard for no material reward to continue promoting the name and work of Hinge and Bracket during a period when no-one else seemed to be very interested.

I am pleased to learn from your letter that the BBC now intend to release some of this material commercially. Would you be kind enough to let Mr Dunford know any details you may have at present, in order that he can put the information on his web site for the benefit of those who are interested? It would be most appreciated.

I'm sure you are aware that not all of the material that Mr Dunford sells originates with the BBC - some is taken from private recordings made by myself and Mr Fyffe over the 30 years of our career as Hinge and Bracket, and Mr Dunford has my permission to copy and distribute this in any way he sees fit.

Yours faithfully

George Logan

The following comments came in from the fans

I Immediately e-mailed the following to George Logan
Dear George,
This was the day I was dreading happening.

Would you be able to get in touch with them and ask them to send me more details to put on the website please, such as when this stuff will be released etc so I can inform all of the fans.

Hope you are both doing well.

Best Wishes

Paul & Ryner
I then e-mailed Tom Webley the following
Dear Mr Webley,
I have received your e-mail today regarding the Hinge & Bracket Material on my website.

I would love to work alongside the BBC on this if possible as this is what I have been trying to achieve for years with no luck, until now.

I will just point out that I have made no money on any of these sales but I have put thousands of hours of my time into this project for all of the fans of Hinge & Bracket and even had approval from Mr George Logan (Dr Evadne Hinge) to run the site as an official site which came online on the 11th May 2004 (The second Anniversary of Patrick Fyffe's (Dame Hilda Bracket) Death))

I would much appreciate you sparing some of your time to maybe contacting me regarding the e-mail request so that I can have it clear for myself and the devoted fans. I have been in touch with George Logan and I am awaiting a response on this matter as it has been confirmed that the BBC sold the rights to a cable company in 2003/2004.
I am not sure if this is correct, but this is what George told me when I first met him on the 10th January 2004.

I of course welcome the fact that the "Dear Ladies" are FINALLY going to be officially released by a BBC distributor as this is what I and the yahoo group members have campaigned for since Patrick Died.

Many of us have e-mailed the BBC for years regarding a release of these treasures but all we ever got told was to contact BBC Worldwide who then said there are no intentions to release this material.
I even ventured into asking many companies to contact yourselves in regard to buying the copyrighted material and release it, but many of them didn't even bother answering and those that did, said No.

So on the fact I got negatives from everybody we all got together to compile our recordings onto DVD which another fan originally started in 2004, he later gave it up as his work hours changed and family life came first.

I have had no interest in making money from this, all we have ever wanted is to buy the official merchandise from the said companies.

My main intentions were and are to keep the memory of Hinge & Bracket alive for all to see for years to come.

With your help I hope this can still happen.

All I request is that I can be kept informed of release dates of "Dear Ladies" and also any details of how we can get all of the Radio shows released too. It has taken years to get hold of fans recordings of these classic radio shows, and yes it has been nice to hear a few episodes on BBC7 which I have advertised on my site each time they were being aired.

Please feel free to contact me on 01795 ** to talk further on this matter as you will agree it is in the fans and the BBC's best interest to support these official releases.

May I just add that everybody that has bought these DVDs from me WILL buy official releases and I am more than willing to advertise this all for you.

Yours Sincerely

Paul Dunford
I Informed the hingeandbracket_forever Yahoo! group of this immediately.

I receive a letter from Tom Webley, Litigation Solicitor at the BBC

Dear Mr Dunford,

Please see the attached letter.

Kind regards

Tom Webley

Solicitor

BBC Litigation Department

Room MC3 C6 Media Centre

201 Wood Lane

London

W12 7TQ

click here to read it