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Wanted: BBC Special With James Burke Testing The Stone Tape Theory At Corfe Castle (1973)

KOFY_Fitz

KOFY_Fitz

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Hello all!

I came across a reference to a BBC Special in 1973 where Science correspondent James Burke carried out an experiment to test the Stone Tape Theory at Corfe Castle. I'm struggling to track down any other references to the programme and was wondering if anyone might know anythng about it and hopefully be able to point me in the direction of an actual copy of the recording.

Thank you!

Fitz
 
KOFY_Fitz said:
Hello all!

I came across a reference to a BBC Special in 1973 where Science correspondent James Burke carried out an experiment to test the Stone Tape Theory at Corfe Castle. I'm struggling to track down any other references to the programme and was wondering if anyone might know anythng about it and hopefully be able to point me in the direction of an actual copy of the recording.

Thank you!

Fitz
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Can’t help you find it but I do recall it!
 
Are you certain about the 1973 timeframe?

Where did you find mention of this alleged episode? What details were given?

The few samples of The Burke Special that survive consistently portray the show as being performed in a studio with an audience. If a field experiment at Corfe Castle was done it doesn't seem to match the show's production format. I'm therefore wondering whether the stone tape experiment was part of another show.
 
It was from a book on Dorset ghosts and it specifies that it was a BBC programme hosted by James Burke that investigated Stone Tape Theory at Corfe Castle in 1973. The only other detail was that they believed that they had managed to record some voices that they thought were speaking in medievil or otherwise very early English.
 
Part of it consisted of him standing in front of a painting saying it could have recorded some of the sounds being made whilst the painting was being painted and I’m sure he used the example of your soup is getting cold. That was studio bound along with the material from Corte Castle
 
Thanks to both of you for the additional information. It would seem it was indeed an episode of The Burke Special (and therefore a lost or MIA piece).
 
Bad Bungle said:
I know my brother saw the prog because he's mentioned it several times since - I think everyone sang Auld Lang Syne in the ruins to confuse future investigators.
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It obviously had a big effect on me to be able to remember it from then. Apparently James Burke is exactly the same now as he was then and a really nice chap. A friend had cause to speak to him about a book he wrote on the controllers of the Apollo missions.
 
Although the shows look to be gone forever, one possible avenue for research is the BBC Written Archives centre at Caversham Park, Reading. It's likely that they have documentation that might help. This might be correspondence (before and after tx) and perhaps - though unlikely - a transcript?
 
KOFY_Fitz said:
I came across a reference to a BBC Special in 1973 where Science correspondent James Burke carried out an experiment to test the Stone Tape Theory at Corfe Castle.
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I remember watching James Burke's, 'Connections' series. :)

If we are referring to his 1973 investigation re, the, 'Stone Tape Theory', the earliest mention I can find of same is a 1972 BBC broadcast of Nigel Keane's science fiction play, entitled, 'The Stone Tape'.

Quoting Wikipedia:

"Contemporarily, the concept was popularized by a 1972 Christmas ghost story called The Stone Tape, produced by the BBC. Following the play's popularity, the idea and the term "stone tape" were retrospectively and inaccurately attributed to the British archaeologist turned parapsychologist T. C. Lethbridge, who believed that ghosts were not spirits of the deceased, but were simply non-interactive recordings similar to a movie".

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Tape


As likewise with research endeavours of others, I can't locate online availability of the James Burke episode.

However, if the following is new background material, it might be of interest:

'The Stone Tape Theory'



Further resultant of your interesting question, is the discovery we can watch our inaugural 1972 BBC Christmas ghost story on YouTube:


I have only had time to view the first couple of minutes so far and those who are also of a more mature vintage, will instantly recognise it's just so early 1970s!

Most certainly keeping this aside until an impending weekend evening, with unquestionable justification for an especially fine wine.

Perchance someone knowledgeable could suggest a befitting, 1972 accompaniment? :nods:

Although briefly viewed, my first thought was how reminiscent of Quatermass.

At that point, I did not realise this was also a creaton of Nigel Kneale. :bdown:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Kneale
 
Thanks, I did come across some of that while I was looking into it and I'm looking forward to watching them but I was doing some research for a section on Corfe castle so it was the combination of the two that were of specific interest.
 
The BFI only seems to have one recording from the 1973 series of the Burke Special, namely March 15. I had hoped there might have been some confusion over the date, but - not entirely to my surprise - it looks as though Paul's correspondent is right, and it is indeed the June 28 broadcast you want. Here's a distinctly unhelpful "synopsis" at the BBC genome project for the March 15 broadcast:

BBC Genome said:
Synopsis
with James Burke
Every minute of the day, things are happening that will, sooner or later, change our lives. They're like parts of a jigsaw.
It's only when the picture comes together that you know if you like it or not.
It used to be you could afford to wait and see. Not any more. Tomorrow comes too fast.
That's why this programme puts the picture together - ahead of time.
Executive producer MICHAEL BLAKSTAD
Director ROBIN BATES
(Where Are You Taking Us?: Sundays at 10.10 pm Radio 4)
Contributors
Unknown: James Burke
Producer: Michael Blakstad
Director: Robin Bates
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"the earliest mention I can find of same is a 1972 BBC broadcast of Nigel Keane's science fiction play, entitled, 'The Stone Tape'. "

If you'll excuse me bumping my post from The Stone Tape thread, the earliest reference I am aware of to the theory was in the 1952 supernatural thriller "Ghost Ship":

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044656/

In one scene a psychic investigator explains to two sceptics how vibrations generated by a traumatic experience could be absorbed into the walls and then picked up or replayed by a suitably sensitive recipient. He demonstrated the theory, using tuning forks.
 
gordonrutter said:
If you’re referring to The Stone Tape it’s available on DVD, if you’re referring to the Burke show basically no chance.
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Yeah I've just seen now that it is sadly pretty much unavailable, being born and based in Dorset makes me even more interested. I've seen the Stone Tape a few times and it is still one of my favourites of that genre/era of British supernatural drama, along with Children of the Stones, a few episodes of Play for Today (Robin Redbreast, Penda's Fen) and Nigel Kneale's - Murrain and Stigma etc.
 
FrKadash said:
Yeah I've just seen now that it is sadly pretty much unavailable, being born and based in Dorset makes me even more interested. I've seen the Stone Tape a few times and it is still one of my favourites of that genre/era of British supernatural drama, along with Children of the Stones, a few episodes of Play for Today (Robin Redbreast, Penda's Fen) and Nigel Kneale's - Murrain and Stigma etc.
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I have said it before on hear but Children of the Stones was fantastic and that's from a adult view point.
 
I was always quite entertained by James Burkes different programs, such as the 'connections' series, and his appearances on Tomorrows World.
He also chaired a number of science related documentaries.
I think it was James Burkes progs, and Johnny Ball's "Think of a number" along with 'HOW' which were my favourites growing up.
 
FrKadash said:
Yeah I've just seen now that it is sadly pretty much unavailable, being born and based in Dorset makes me even more interested. I've seen the Stone Tape a few times and it is still one of my favourites of that genre/era of British supernatural drama, along with Children of the Stones, a few episodes of Play for Today (Robin Redbreast, Penda's Fen) and Nigel Kneale's - Murrain and Stigma etc.
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Ah, Penda's Fen, I thought I was the only person in the universe still to remember that! It's now available on a BFI DVD; until not long ago it was only available on dodgy DVDs presumably taken from video recordings. I don't know Robin Redbreast, I'll check out that and your other suggestions.
 
cycleboy2 said:
Ah, Penda's Fen, I thought I was the only person in the universe still to remember that! It's now available on a BFI DVD; until not long ago it was only available on dodgy DVDs presumably taken from video recordings. I don't know Robin Redbreast, I'll check out that and your other suggestions.
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Hopefully London Live and Talking Pictures TV will eventually show these. I missed the brilliant Out on the latter and gave up on Budgie because the character was so unpleasant.
 
DrPaulLee said:
It's not really a "theory" though, is it? A theory is a testable hypothesis. With Stone Tape, we have no knowledge of a recording mechanism, and no knowledge of how to play it back.
Incidentally, I wrote up some thoughts here:

http://www.paullee.com/ghosts/sns_new.html
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I remember watching a paranormal documentary sometime in the late 70's to early 80's that might be the Corfe Castle documentary (or footage from it at least or something else entirely), 2 or 3 people standing in a stone castle looking type of room but more discussing poltergeist activity, psychoanalyst stuff also being discussed, they made a big deal about the old room being built over an underground running stream but were also talking about the stone tape theory in context ..
 
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Just as the James Burke series were wiped by the BBC, so I'm trying to track any trace of the first season of Leap in the Dark (BBC2 1973). The pilot gave teasers of paranormal experiments with the results to be shown later in the series (all wiped). Later seasons were dramatisations of short stories, some introduced by Colin Wilson. I want to know if the dowsers out on the Moor found the position of the miners hiding underground, how accurate was the medical diagnosis of the presenter by pendulum etc.
 
cycleboy2 said:
Ah, Penda's Fen, I thought I was the only person in the universe still to remember that! It's now available on a BFI DVD; until not long ago it was only available on dodgy DVDs presumably taken from video recordings. I don't know Robin Redbreast, I'll check out that and your other suggestions.
Click to expand...


You'll love it! It's my favourite of this genre next to Penda's Fen. It's worth getting the DVD. Also try and check out Artemis 81 also written by David (Penda's Fen) Rudkin. I got the DVD a few years ago, but it's one of those DVDs that are hard to find/OOP, but not sure if it's easier to find now.
 
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