IF we cast our minds back to November of last year, some of you might remember a series of articles in our free weekly paper the Dispatch on TV programmes and films which were shot in Dorset.

We wrote about a film shoot for a programme about Thomas Hardy, which was filmed in February 1989 - we had no idea what it was for!

Well, it has taken until now to find out the answer and we can't thank Jennifer Crosbie, who has returned from Australia and filled us in on this production.

It was called Hardy's Country and featured her daughter Mandy (Amanda) Crosbie, who played a young Emma Hardy. Jennifer still has the VHS tape of the film and has very kindly sent us the video cover of Hardy's Country.

Hardy's Country was 'a dramatised documentary based on the life of Thomas Hardy' featuring Cliff Warfield as old Thomas Hardy, Guy Henderson as Young Hardy, Clive Parkinson as Hermann Lea and of course Mandy as Emma.

We also know that the documentary was made by Vincent Video Productions of Mandeville Road, Wyke Regis, Weymouth. Filming was also done on location in Cornwall. The production was written and produced by Anne Vincent and photographed and directed by Joe Hardy.

Thanks so much to Jennifer for helping us finally solve this Thomas Hardy mystery!

’.