BBC Store Brings Back VHS for April Fools with Faux Announcement Video!
Just in case any of you Tapeheads missed it, the BBC recently generated some VHS-fueled April Fools’ laughs via a video released last Friday for the annual worldwide celebration of playful fake-outs. Originally brought to our analog attention by fellow Videovore and creator of The Boston Yeti John Campopiano (who also just published a most informative and fun piece on the still-VHS-only campy Kiwi kid’s vampire flick GRAMPIRE over on Dread Central), the nearly three minute faux video announces that all of the BBC’s programs will now be available on their brand new imprint that will help initiate and celebrate the “Videocassette Rewind” BBC Store Video.
A still from the video with one of the reps stating, “As well as its classic, sleek appearance, it’s a format known for its high quality, its ease of storage, and of course, its robustness.” Storing tapes in your dish rack? Brilliant.
References to the vinyl resurgence and even interview segments with someone sub-titled simply as a “hipster”, this playfully sardonic short is slathered in sarcasm and peppered with jocular jabs at our favorite format. In the true tradition of the BBC, the video is sharply written and well-produced all around so it’s sure to elicit of few honest chuckles with an abundance of mordant enthusiasm and a few video-driven visual gags. But don’t take our word for it, Videovores. Clickity-click and check out the video below… Okay, so I know it’s expressly labeled as an April Fools’ joke, but I have to wonder: how many emails did they receive from the BBC audience actually requesting some of the new stuff on VHS? I’d have to imagine at least a couple, right? Man, I VHSure hope so.Groove and Groove and Truth is VHStranger than Fiction.
Josh Schafer