Books
Kaleidoscope Publishing exists to promote the appreciation of British television in general and particularly ‘classic’ television programmes that many of us remember from years gone by.
“...a very enterprising group of people in the midlands called Kaleidoscope who specialise in looking at old programmes, gettings copies that everyone thinks have long disappeared and they find them and restore them, and they do credits lists for people like me.” Alan Plater, CBE.
To this end we have published a number of guides to British television archive holdings. These guides include exhaustive information on the number of archived programmes and the format(s) that they are held in. We have created this website as a means by which visitors can get a flavour of just why our guides have been described as “invaluable resources for anyone wishing to research, or even with a general interest in, British television”.
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Sound and Vision
The definitive history pre-war television.
All transmissions pre war.
Seven volume set. Hardback.
£200.00
Sound and Vision - Individual Volume purchase
Definitive guide to pre-war television, grouped in years. Seven volumes to choose from.
Please state which volume you want at checkout.
Volumes 1-5 are actual information.
Volumes 6-7 are Appendices A and B.
£35.00
Steptoe and Son - US 1965 pilot - DVD
Lost US TV pilot on DVD.
Only 4 copies left before stock runs out for ever.
£10.00
Tennis that Counts (2 DVD set)
Learn to play your best game of tennis in this six-part Channel 4 series, presented by Adrian Stonebridge. Every player, from absolute beginner to serious enthusiast, can benefit from Adrian's unique system of tennis instruction, which aims to make tennis FUN!
All region PAL. 4.5 hours runtime.
Extras:
See and Play Tennis With Adrian Stonebridge (one-hour commercially produced video, originally released in 1985)
Don't Forget the Numbers - unscreened pilot for Tennis That Counts, made for Channel 4 commissioner Adrian Metcalfe in 1982
Roustabout - Adrian interviewed by Mick Robertson, on The Children's Channel (1990s)
Sports Special - Adrian interviewed on a Croydon cable channel (1990s)
Accompanying 16-page booklet, colour illustrated with many behind the scenes photos. . With contributions from Adrian Stonebridge, producer Christopher Toyne, and Lesley Scoble (who created the on-screen cartoons and graphics for the series)
IN STOCK NOW
£23.00
The Ads Show
DVD of TV series about the history of advertising, with a humourous twist.
1 copy left before all stock is gone.
£400.00
The Best of Times
Brian Tesler’s professional career encompassed TV’s entire post-war evolution from a single-channel BBC to the explosion of satellite and cable channels in the 1990s. Programmes were always at the heart of his career and this is a brief summary of their importance to it.
£27.99
The Comedy Makers / Greatest TV Sitcoms
An exclusive DVD/Book set for TV Brain.
A 1970 Dutch Tv documentary that followed the making of BBC and LWT sitcoms.
Come behind the scenes on Steptoe and Son, Please Sir and Hark at Barker to name but three.
Combined with a new book examining the greatest sitcoms. This is a superb reference tome, a huge book with photos.
£26.99
The Complete Sacred Geometrical Works of Joan Moore
The drawings of Joan Moore, all in one volume. Includes new material.
£49.99
The Hurricane's Tail
In an engaging, fast-paced and deftly plotted thriller, ranging from London and Paris to the Caribbean, a unique newcomer to British crime fiction, Harper Buchanan, encounters danger as well as many surprises, especially as he is a West Indian who has never set foot in the West Indies!
£12.99
The Missing Adventures of Sexton Blake
Often referred to as ‘The poor man’s Sherlock Holmes’ or ‘The schoolboy’s detective’, Sexton Blake has thrilled generations across the world for well over a hundred years.
£39.99
The Optimist
Meet The Optimist! A guy who has big dreams in life, yet creates problems and confusion wherever he goes. He means well, but in this dialogue-free comedy series he manages to leave a trail of chaos across Hollywood and London. If you like Mr Bean, you will love The Optimist. Starring Enn Reitel.
All episodes are complete and uncut.
Extras:
Sea Dreams (rough cut). The pilot that was screened to Channel 4 commissioner Cecil Korer in 1981, from which the full series was commissioned
Original music by David Spear. Music created for Sea Dreams, sourced from the original master tapes.
PDF scripts; Original scripts by series creator Richard Sparks.
The Making of The Optimist: 24-page booklet, colour illustrated with many behind the scenes photos. Features contributions from series star Enn Reitel, producer Robert Sidaway, writer Richard Sparks, and cast members Sharon Davies, Jenny Runacre, Jenifer Landor, Julie Peasgood, Annette Lynton-Mason and Karen Smith.
IN STOCK NOW
£21.00
The Thrilling Adventures of Sexton Blake
Often referred to as ‘The poor man’s Sherlock Holmes’ or ‘The schoolboy’s detective’, Sexton Blake has thrilled generations across the world for well over a hundred years.
£39.99
