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Sid Perou: The Lost River of Gaping Gill - Breakthrough

Back to Sid's filmography:   This film documents the connection between Gaping Gill and Ingleborough Cave made on May 28th 1983. Geoff Yeadon and Geoff Crossley had previously achieved a handshake connection between the two in the January and invited Sid to film the actual connection being made. Geoff Crossley and Geoff Yeadon entered Gaping Gill, abseiling down the shaft, and Julian Griffiths and Jim Abbott ferried the diving gear through Ingleborough Cave to Radagast's Revenge, and made their way out of Gaping Gill. Other cavers featured include Sid Perou and Bob Mackin. The dig collapsed soon after, and to date (2016) the through trip has yet to be repeated. The film was first shown on BBC Two on May 10th 1984. It won the Best TV Reportage prize at the 7th Festival International du Film de Spéléologie at La Chapelle-en-Vercors later that year; it jointly won with Hollow Mountains of Mulu the prize for the best story or adventure film at the 3rd International Festival Internacional de Cinema Espeleològic in Barcelona, also in 1984; and it won the Silver Gentian Prize at the 33rd International Film Festival in Trento in 1985. It also won the UK's Pye Colour Television Award for the Best Regional Production in 1985.