The Tape Traders Those Were The Days!
The Tape Traders Those Were The Days! In 2010 we saw the release of the Cybermen Box Set that included both Revenge of the Cybermen and Silver Nemesis . One of the specials that I was really looking forward to was an extra produced and directed by Ed Stradling called Cheques, Lies and Videotape . This feature focused on how fans had to seek out hard-to-find Doctor Who episodes at a time when old episodes were not shown in the UK nor were episodes available on video to purchase. Fans had to find other ways to meet their needs and soon an underground movement began where fans could get videos via the pirate video circuit but in some cases they would have to pay for it. I really found this an interesting subject because you see, I was doing the same thing but in the US. In the late 1980s, I became a tape-trader. I look at my article as an unofficial addendum to Ed Stradling�s superb documentary except from a US perspective. I actually think the US angle is a little more interesting but I...