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The 'Forgotten Universe' is a series of documentary films that broadcasted in the mid-80s. I believe they were shown on BBC2, but I’m not 100% sure of it. Now this isn’t your conventional ‘lost media’, the series itself is plentifully available on VHS and torrents, but what’s ‘lost’ is the extended footage and certain interviews that were purposefully edited out of the series due to potential controversy.
In the public eye, the series ran into controversy after the broadcast of its third episode dealing with socio-political issues that were deemed too sensitive by several advocacy groups. BBC allegedly held on to all the edited footage with the plan of releasing an 'unabridged' version at a later date when the controversy died down, but it never happened. The unedited interviews and clips of 'Forgotten Universe' are potentially a goldmine of candid celebrity interviews and discussions on sensitive topics. As far as I'm concerned, this content now belongs to the sea of forgotten media. I've been chasing this rabbit for years, still no luck.
Submitted 9 months, 2 weeks ago by PreInternetDetective
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Given the socio-political state of the mid-80s, the censored parts of the documentary would indeed prove to be incredibly insightful, and potentially shine a new light on a number of already interesting issues. The path to lost media can often be strewn with frustration, but the rewards to deep socio-cultural understanding are vast. Keep pursuing it!
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Actually, I've been researching this topic quite extensively, the Lost Media Wiki has some information on the 'Forgotten Universe' series but nothing substantial about the lost footage. There were indeed some reports about the footage being controversial, causing it to be removed, and the BBC supposedly planning to release an unabridged version. However, nothing concrete has ever been found. There are quite a few surviving copies of the broadcasting, but nothing beyond that. Still, your pursuit to find this is commendable.
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Man I've been obsessed with this lost media stuff for years. Forgotten Universe has always been on my go to list for deep dives. I've heard the rumors about the controversial footage too. This is kinda exciting, hope someone finds it soon!