A&E Protectors?

[Melvin]

Does anyone own the two A&E DVD box sets of The Protectors? If so how would you rate them against the two UK box sets. If the Amazon web sites are correct the UK sets came out in 2002 and the US sets in 2004 but how, if at all, do they differ?

[Simon Morris]

I haven't got the A+E sets, although a kind soul sent me an mp3 of the commentary that John Hough did for '2000ft to Die', which was a great commentary; Hough didn't stop talking from beginning to end and had plenty to say!

The design of the box sleeves for the A+E set was awful, I thought - a friend who has the sets maintains there is no difference in quality between the A+E set and the Carlton.

I bought the Australian set last year - very nice sleeve design (using the correct logo - something the Amercian set didn't) and the prints seem to be those used on the Carlton set. Lots of photo galleries and a commentary by Derren Nesbitt which sadly isn't really very good. It's clear he remembers nothing about the series or his episode 'Disappearng Trick') other than the fact (as he says)"I never went to Paris!"

Network are apparently bringing out their own set of The Protectors in the late summer; it will have to be pretty good to tempt me to purchase a set for the third time. A John Hough commentary would swing it (not on 2000 ft to Die though), and possibly some script pdfs.

I remember an issue of FAB many years ago profiling excerpts from Trevor Preston's Lena episode, and he wrote tremendously literate and descriptive prose - far more evocative and readable than most other tv scripts I've seen.

[Melvin]

Thanks Simon for that info. The bit about Network bringing out the series, well I nearly fell off my sofa, thats great news. I was hoping they would. I had an idea they might when they released the CD box set.
Do you know of any other related DVD releases from Network, apart from whats advertised on their website? Cheers.

[Simon Morris]

Haven't a clue I'm afraid.

The fact they're going to be doing The Protectors was something I saw on another forum - apparently there is a vague mention of it on Network's Facebook site. I wouldn't know myself because I don't go anywhere near Facebook