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Explore the South Bank Show film archive

Find out how the archive is being used for research and how you can access the digitised films of The South Bank Show.

This event will feature short presentations from library and academic speakers covering:

  • what the archive consists of
  • how to access digitised films
  • how the films are being used in research projects and to support teaching.

Date: Wednesday 18 July, 11am–1pm.
Location: Sheppard Room, Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery, Parkinson Building.
Cost: Free.
See the programme and book your place on Eventbrite.

About the archive

The archive contains the raw footage of the South Bank Show and consists of almost 8,500 tapes and reels. Usually only small parts of the original tapes were broadcast. The rest has rarely, if ever, been seen after the initial editing process. This material provides a rich resource for scholars of music, film, theatre, fine art, literature and more.

More than 700 items from the South Bank Show production archive are now digitised by the Library. This material is available online for university staff and students.

The digitised material features interviews with public figures like Carol Ann Duffy, Gore Vidal, Zaha Hadid, Alan Bennett, Michael Frayn and Caryl Phillips. It also contains rehearsal footage from The Royal Shakespeare Company, performances of music and poetry, and an extensive behind-the-scenes look at Disney and Pixar's animation studios.