BFI archives over 400 videos to preserve uK's unique web culture

The British Film Institute (BFI) National Archive has launched a landmark initiative to preserve the UK's digital heritage, unveiling a collection of over 400 online videos that span three decades of internet culture. The project, which was unveiled in May and June 2026, addresses the vulnerability of content on major platforms like YouTube, which "make no promise to preserve and save the work" they host, safeguarding a vital cultural record from digital decay.

Supported by the BFI Screen Heritage Fund and National Lottery funding, the two-year project marks the first time online moving images have been formally integrated into the BFI's national collection. The archive captures the evolution of web video, from early 1990s webcams and flash animations to modern TikToks and Twitch streams.

It includes iconic viral hits such as "Charlie Bit My Finger" and "Badgers," alongside the Daily Star's week-long "Will Liz Truss Outlast This Lettuce?" livestream, video essays, and ASMR content.

Will Swinburne, the BFI's Digital Curator, highlighted the project's urgency, explaining that the loss of these videos would mean "losing access to what life was like at this time and how people were expressing themselves." This preservation effort stands in stark contrast to the fate of platforms like Vine, where a significant amount of user-generated content was lost when the service shut down.

A Curated Approach to Vast Online Content

Unlike traditional film archiving, which can sometimes aim for a completist collection, the sheer volume of internet video required a highly selective curatorial strategy. The BFI team focused on UK-produced works that demonstrated artistic achievement, cultural impact, or were representative of the online video medium.

This process involved navigating complex new challenges, such as defining what makes a video "British" in a globalized digital space and untangling intricate copyright issues.

The technical and logistical hurdles were substantial. Archivists had to develop new digital processes to handle unfamiliar metadata, such as unique aspect ratios from platforms like TikTok and Instagram, without relying on physical drives. A major part of the work involved tracking down creators, some of whom had not kept their original raw files for decades, to obtain the highest quality versions for preservation.

These digital assets are now secured within the BFI's Digital Preservation Infrastructure (DPI), which uses advanced technology like robot-operated tape libraries to ensure their long-term safety.

More Than Memes: A Diverse Collection of Internet Culture

Beyond viral sensations, the collection's value lies in its diversity, offering what the BFI calls a "mosaic of the internet." It features niche sub-genres that provide a nuanced historical record, including makeup tutorials by blind creator Lucy Edwards, "Slow Television" videos of canal boat journeys, and surviving footage from the world's first webcam in the 1990s.

By placing these works alongside traditional cinema and television, the BFI is integrating online video into the broader narrative of filmmaking history. Swinburne noted that these online videos are "woven into our general collection of film history," allowing for a more complete understanding of visual culture.

The collection is accessible to the public through the BFI's Replay site, with curated selections also available for free in UK public lending libraries. While the initial two-year collection phase has concluded, the BFI is now incorporating online video preservation into its "business as usual" operations, ensuring a continuous effort to archive what it considers the "21st Century's defining moving image art form."