Watch Knightmare at the Mediatheque

Go and watch Knightmare legally and for free at the Mediatheque, a fabulous video reference facility at the BFI Southbank in London.

The Mediatheque is a free, walk-in video library on the South Bank, near London Waterloo. It's open six days a week (including weekends) for research and entertainment purposes.

Its terminals hold around 180,000 titles from the BFI National Archive. This continues to grow thanks to National Lottery funding, which is supporting an ongoing digitisation and indexing effort.

Here's our on-site walkthrough.

Knightmare at the Mediatheque

The Knightmare collection at the Mediatheque has expanded over recent years.

There are currently 15 episodes available across five series, including the opening episode on each occasion.

This may grow further if data shows that these are being viewed on-site.

Episodes Available

1. 05/09/88 (Series 2, Episode 1)
2. 24/10/88 (Series 2, Episode 8)
3. 07/11/88 (Series 2, Episode 10)
4. 19/12/88 [Series 2, Episode 16)
5. 08/09/89 (Series 3, Episode 1)
6. 08/12/89 (Series 3, Episode 14)
7. 22/12/89 (Series 3, Episode 16)
8. 07/09/90 (Series 4, Episode 1)
9. 23/11/90 (Series 4, Episode 12)
10. 21/12/90 (Series 4, Episode 16)
11. 10/09/93 (Series 7, Episode 1)
12. 12/11/93 (Series 7, Episode 10)
13. 26/11/93 (Series 7, Episode 12)
14. 09/09/94 (Series 8, Episode 1)
15. 07/10/94 (Series 8, Episode 5)

Why watch at the Mediatheque?

One reason to visit the Mediatheque is the chance to watch episodes of Knightmare in their purest form.

As per original recordings, there are no broadcaster logos (Challenge) or commercial breaks in the middle.

Episodes also come with a generous amount of original continuities, including commercials from the time and the interstitial CITV footage between programmes.

It really is a trip back to the 80s and 90s.

Lots to see

Another reason to visit the Mediatheque is the sheer size of its collection.

If you're a fan of Knightmare and television of the past, there's going to be a lot here for you to enjoy.

Thanks to metadata and modern indexing, searches for Knightmare also draw related items, such as the episode of Kellyvision that features a behind-the-scenes segment about Knightmare.

Five episodes of Virtually Impossible are available, with one more currently in the queue for digitisation.

There is also a 'Coming soon' label for Take Two, the Children's BBC discussion show that hosted Knightmare creator Tim Child in December 1991.

You will find plenty to interest you, either to revisit or to watch for the first time.

What you need to know

Opening

• Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 9pm.
• Closed on Mondays, except Bank Holidays.

Capacity

• 4 sharing booths.
• 8 individual booths, including 2 adapted for people with disabilities.

Amenities

• Headphones are provided, but you can bring your own, wired headphones.
• Some booths have Bluetooth connectivity, but it can be temperamental.
• Deep cleaned overnight. Hand sanitiser available.
• No power outlets available. The BFI advises visitors to charge devices beforehand.

(Check the BFI website for updates)

We would like to thank

• The BFI for permission to film on premises.
• Richard Pickard (BFI Press Office) for providing the imagery.
• Katie Reddington (BFI Library Manager) for facilitating our access.