Yorkshire libraries unveil BFI replay: Free streaming access to 60 years of film and TV history on offer

Library visitors in North Yorkshire can now access a newly launched streaming service that presents a wealth of film and television history spanning six decades.
Rachael Grealish
By Rachael Grealish
Published 17th Jan 2024, 12:15 GMT

Public libraries now have access to the British Film Institute (BFI) Replay service, which features approximately 100,000 digitised videos and television programmes.

The footage includes soap operas such as Coronation Street, Brookside and Crossroads, as well as Albion Market, General Hospital and Family Pride, the first British-Asian soap opera.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The collection also includes children’s TV with episodes of Metal Mickey and Animal Kwackers.

The BFI films and shows available will include filmmakers and actors explaining their craft in a series of vintage interviews with the likes of Robin Williams and Ben Kingsley.The BFI films and shows available will include filmmakers and actors explaining their craft in a series of vintage interviews with the likes of Robin Williams and Ben Kingsley.
The BFI films and shows available will include filmmakers and actors explaining their craft in a series of vintage interviews with the likes of Robin Williams and Ben Kingsley.

Filmmakers and actors explain their craft in a series of vintage interviews with the likes of Robin Williams and Ben Kingsley.

The BFI Replay delves into pioneering multicultural television from the 1970s onwards, featuring various magazine shows designed to cater to diverse audiences. Notably, Central TV's Midlands multicultural arts review series, Here and Now, showcases a young Benjamin Zephaniah, the esteemed poet who passed away in December 2023.

The platform also commemorates the golden era of regional television, highlighting figures like Richard Whiteley from Yorkshire TV's Calendar People, who conducted interviews with renowned personalities from the region.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for libraries, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “I’m delighted to see the introduction of this new service to our libraries, which are a fantastic resource to gain access to culture, information and creativity.

BFI Replay also celebrates the heyday of regional television, including popular figures such as Richard Whiteley in Yorkshire TV’s Calendar People interviewing famous names from the region.BFI Replay also celebrates the heyday of regional television, including popular figures such as Richard Whiteley in Yorkshire TV’s Calendar People interviewing famous names from the region.
BFI Replay also celebrates the heyday of regional television, including popular figures such as Richard Whiteley in Yorkshire TV’s Calendar People interviewing famous names from the region.

“The BFI Replay service offers something unique and is another asset for our communities to enjoy. I would encourage anybody with an interest in social history from the last 60 years to explore the collection.”

The clips cover screen history from the 1960s to the 2010s, offering a glimpse into Britain’s past, people and places – they record and reveal an era of rapid social, industrial, political and technological change.

Drawn from the collections of the BFI National Archive and partner UK Regions and Nations Film Archives, they also include material from ITV and Channel 4, revealing a picture of public life in the video era.

Anybody who signs into a library computer using their library card can access the streaming service.

Related topics:North Yorkshire

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.