I think we are all agreed that the iPlayer catch-up service has been a something of a triumph for Auntie Beeb. The 190 million requests for television and radio content it receives each month suggests it is, anyway. But it’s not without its faults.
Why, pray tell, are programmes only available for seven days after they have been aired? I can understand there being rights issues when it comes to their Formula 1 coverage, but why they are unable to repeat classic episodes of Doctors or Pointless after a week has elapsed, I know not.
The BBC iPlayer: making the unmissable, unmissable – for a few days at least.
But all is not lost of course, because the Internet is full of rascals who illicitly upload content for others to enjoy. Like the recent documentary on Nicholas Hamilton who is currently embarking on a career in motor racing.
Originally screened back in March, Racing with the Hamiltons: Nic in the Driving Seat – part of the BBC’s Beyond Disability season – follows Lewis Hamilton’s younger brother, who has cerebral palsy, through his first season racing in the Clio Cup series.
His story is one of triumph over adversity, and while it is obvious his family connections have helped him get on the race track, he deserves to be there. If nothing more than to act as an inspiration to others – evidence of what a bit of determination can achieve.
Such an inspirational documentary deserves to reach a wider audience, regardless of the time scale involved.
Praise be the archival paradise that is Vimeo on this occasion, then
