Turning the Tide

Since the broadcast of the BBCs execrable pseudo-documentary The Secret History Of Our Streets there has been much discussion on local blogs and in Deptford pubs about what passes for tv production at the BBC in the 21st Century. For example, did the programme makers use stock footage of who knows where because they were too mean to pay a professional film researcher to locate footage of Deptford or did the BBC make the mistake of commissioning a programme from people who are so ignorant of television that they did not comprehend that there are such people as film researchers? Why did nobody at the BBC notice the ham-fisted editing of the interviews with Nicholas Taylor? Leaving aside the fact that Nick was completely stitched up, the editing was so poor that not so many years ago that the programme would have been pulled on the basis of such technical failings.

Mr Taylor was falsely portrayed as an apologist for the demolitions when he, as the programme makers knew, was the man who stopped the demolitions. A letter  from his son Martin Taylor setting the record straight was published by The Guardian on Wednesday 13 June.

The brouhaha surrounding the programme has re-kindled interest in Deptford and re-newed demand for copies of Jess Steele's excellent 1993 book Turning the Tide: The History of Everyday Deptford. Brand new copies are available from:
http://www.dfpbooks.co.uk/index.html
for the princely sum of £10 + £2 post and packageing. A number of other Deptford Forum Publishing titles are also available.

You can if you so wish, buy a second hand copy on Amazon who are currently offering it for prices ranging from £50.39 for a copy in very good condition, through £51.95 for one in good condition to £89.18 for one in 'acceptable condition. (All + £2.80 pp)