Tim Beddows RIP (1963-2022)

[felixdeburgh]

You may not immediately recognise the name but I’m sure that most people who post regularly on here will have a DVD or BD with Tim’s name on it - he was the man behind Network and was responsible for releasing many of the shows that we thought would never see the light of day again, and also for introducing us to new ones we’d never even heard of. Suffice to say, he played a massive part in television fandom and we might not even be on this forum without him.

RIP.

[fordcapri]

Nov 25, 2022 21:07:28 GMT felixdeburgh said:

You may not immediately recognise the name but I’m sure that most people who post regularly on here will have a DVD or BD with Tim’s name on it - he was the man behind Network and was responsible for releasing many of the shows that we thought would never see the light of day again, and also for introducing us to new ones we’d never even heard of. Suffice to say, he played a massive part in television fandom and we might not even be on this forum without him.

RIP.

Shocking.  One of my mates just messaged me with this news.  Same age as me.  I knew Tim slightly, having met him in 2016.  He seemed like a nice enough guy.  I wonder what will happen to Network now?  I was under the impression that he was Network.  Again... shocking news.  RIP.  

[felixdeburgh]

I met him briefly as well at an Elstree event - he was very enthusiastic about all aspects of film and TV. Network have already said that the plan for the next 5-10 years as envisaged by Tim is already in place so one hopes that their good work will continue.

[spacecadet]

Shocking news. Always like receiving a quality release from Network. Hope Network do carry on. RIP.

[AlanH]

Very sad and unexpected.

This is what Network posted on their Facebook page earlier this evening:

It is with great sadness that we share with you the devastating news that on Friday 18 November, our beloved founder Tim, Mr Network, passed away.

Tim’s passing was a terrible shock to everyone who knew him but we are committed to continuing his legacy of releasing beloved film and TV classics with the same passion and care that we always have.

Tim had an incredible journey at Network but long before that, at the age of ten, he had a passion for the audio visual technology of the era – tape recorders, record players, cine projectors, you name it! As a child, he was already recording soundtracks of TV episodes, including titles that he would later release on DVD like The Saint and The Persuaders!. An avid collector throughout his life, in 1997 Tim decided to turn his passion into a business and Network began with its first ever release - a VHS of Charley Says, a title we’re still proud to have in the catalogue to this day. Over our 25 year journey with Tim at the helm, we’ve released nearly 5,000 separate titles on DVD, Blu-ray and digital, securing deals with ITV, Fremantle, the BBC and StudioCanal to bring you lovingly-crafted editions of entertainment from the UK and across the world. Without Tim’s dedication to The British Film range and his passion for restoring classic cinema, we’d have lost access to hundreds of British films, and because of Tim’s forward-thinking leadership, we’ve got an exciting future ahead thanks to our recent acquisition of the Rapido library and our deal with Hammer Films to form Hammer Studios Limited.

His legacy is huge and we want to reassure you all that this work will continue. Tim had already started to plan for the next five to ten years, so he will remain a very real presence here on both the outlook of the company and on our releases. We are all heart-broken by his passing but the whole team understood Tim's dreams for the future of the business. We are committed to delivering that dream, and building upon his legacy for you all.

Together we will take the company forward with his vision, and he’ll be with us on the continuing journey.

[AlanH]

I didn't know him personally but Tim made a huge impact on my life in terms of expanding my scope of entertainment. This is a very tragic happening in Network's 25th anniversary year - but in some ways the anniversary gave a lot of people who have benefitted from Tim's vision and enterprising nature the chance to reflect on and post at Network's site and Facebook page about what Network - and he - have meant to them. Hopefully that gave him a good few smiles in what sadly turned out to be his last days.

RIP and my condolences to all those who knew him and held him dear, including those at Network.

[metro1962]

RIP Tim.

[ontheslate]

Very sad news as Felix said did not know the name but, his network output is probably the majority of my dvd collection, released dvds that no one else would giving classic shows a revival or new fans. RIP

[Arch Stanton]

Rubbish news. Didn’t know him, never heard of him even but thanks Tim for all your endeavours.
Network have had their issues on odd occasion but by and large have been fabulous at allowing fans to re-see old telly and some films they’d have never seen otherwise.

RIP Tim.

[McCann]

Sad to see an untimely death.

I always appreciate the work Network put in to their releases.

[Portland Road]

Sorry to hear of Tim's death - there is a lot of passion in the pursuit of cult TV.

[jno]

I only just noticed this thread, sad to read this.

Tim Beddows is a name all over DVDs I own, and responsible for a lot of shows seeing the light of day once again. Thank you for all your hard work Tim. RIP

deadline.com/2022/11/tim-beddows-dies-was-59-1235181783/

[Albert Wendell]

I'm glad he was able through his company to release so many brilliant and unusual television shows and films, DVD releases especially on older programmes can be a nightmare to do and very costly I've often wondered if they have lost money on many of their releases. His enthusiasm for retro film and television will always be appreciated by the many people that have purchased his dvds and I'm sure also from the actors/actresses who didn't have copies of their work or their family members have got to see their parents, grandparents etc when they were young performers.

Although DVD is said to be an in-decline format with the constant editing of shows/films by television companies and streaming services let us hope that more people turn to DVD for the uncut version and that Network and other similar companies can continue to thrive into the future.

Thank you Tim for all the hours of great television I've been able to view and the rest that is still in the shrink wrap awaiting the dvd player.

RIP