“Discarded TV film was secretly salvaged from bins and skips by staff and contractors who worked at the BBC between 1967 and 1978, when the corporation had a policy of throwing out old reels.”
The BBC threw its own history in the skip for 11 years. The staff who pulled it out now fear prosecution for keeping stolen BBC property. Two lost William Hartnell episodes sit with collectors who won’t come forward without an amnesty. The archive survived because people ignored the rules, and the BBC still hasn’t said they’re safe.