back to article ZX Spectrum reboot scandal firm's original directors rejoin

The times, they are a-changin’ at flailing ZX Spectrum reboot biz Retro Computers Ltd as two of the firm’s original directors have rejoined it – with a furious chairman insisting this is “illegal”. Paul Andrews and founder Chris Smith rejoined the company earlier this week, according to filings made at Companies House that …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Possibility of being prosecuted for false advertising ?

    Is this Retro Computers or Boris Johnson ?

    1. gotes

      Re: Possibility of being prosecuted for false advertising ?

      This is not BBC HYS.

  2. hplasm
    Happy

    Massive-

    Popcorn Time.

    Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin...

    . < starts cassette ...Bzzzzzzzz!!!ZbbVVTTY!!YzzYYxxgggGGrt!!t!!zzzzzZZxxxXX!!)!!!.. >

    1. Khaptain Silver badge

      Re: Massive-

      Tape Loading Error

      Rewind

      Repeat

      Tape Loading Error

      Rewind

      Repeat

      .

      .

      .

      .

      .

      .

      1. Oh Matron!

        Re: Massive-

        Which is exactly what happened to my copy of Chequered Flag. Some idiot flicked the polarity switch the wrong way on my cassette power adapter, means the tap unspooled itself into the cassette deck. Took me ages to fish it out.

        Chequered flag would only then load if:

        It was a tuesday

        The wind from from the south east

        The ice cream van had already been

        the FTSE had lost more than 0.2% for the day

        1. pig

          Re: Massive-

          True Story.

          The only way Chequered Flag ever loaded for me was if I stopped the tape half way through the loading, rewound it a bit, then hit play again.

          I don't know how I discovered this, but I do find it amusing to this day that I didn't find it odd at all.

          That's just how it was having a Speccy. You learned to be creative to get things working.

          (Like my level skip cheat for Operation Wolf. It involved rubbing my socked feet across the keyboard until it gave the message it was skipping to the next level).

    2. msknight

      Re: Massive-

      I believe, at the moment, that we might be on side B.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Is there any money left in the company to pay for it to sue itself?

    1. JimmyPage Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Is there any money left in the company to pay for it to sue itself?

      Ron Decline ....

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PQvMtNnmWY

  4. ThomH

    The next part of the story should be more interesting

    As, the money being gone, it sounds like three out of four board members just want the legal ability to throw the fourth to the wolves?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    It was worth the cost of backing this project...

    ...just to watch the in-fighting.

  6. Only me!
    Pint

    This is taking longer to play out than......

    Loading the original games....remember have loads of games on a C90 tape, because you could not afford to buy a few C30's.....loading them was very hit and miss! Unlike this saga....at least some of it work in the end!!!

    Ok it is Friday so it must be beer o'clock for all those that member the good old days of 80's!

  7. smilerbaker

    Levy should go work for trump now, they'd be perfect together

  8. Anonymous C0ward

    Weren't there some other directors? What happened to them?

  9. SVV

    Jet Set Wally

    Trying hard for an appropriately retro early 80s cringeworthy pun here folks.

    1. Bibbit

      Re: Jet Set Wally

      Upvoted. I appreciate the effort.

      1. Gordon 10
        Joke

        Re: Jet Set Wally

        Manic Mining the 80's then?

  10. DrBed

    optimistic prediction

    Money is probably lost, but justice is yet to come.

    Levy lost this chess play.

    Mr. Andrews and Mr. Smith could fix it, because TheC64 Mini is selling well (relatively big success at USA and Canada market); Retro Games LTD retains IPs and good relations with many IP holders.

    They did it once already - although Levy spent hundred thousands RCL quids to stop them.

    What is the problem? That is exactly the sum missing to fulfill backers of Vega+ - to remade and produce new Vega+ edition of much better quality.

    RGL still needs to close their own missing "big" model of TheC64, promised to their own backers. But as they announce it recently, it seems that it is already in production, so it could came for Black Friday (and plenty of cash with).

    So it could be light at the end of tunnel for ZXspecimens.

  11. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

    <i>"advised them that it would be illegal"</i>

    Is Levy a lawyer now? It might be risky giving out that sort of advice without the advice of an actual lawyer.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So let me get this straight...

    So is Paul Andrews now in a position to give a refund to the guy he helped sue RCL (ElReg 31 Jan)? And is he still available to show up in court to help any of the other backers sue his own company, or is he going to be too busy defending himself in court against himself?

  13. confused and dazed

    off topic

    Anyone remember that plastic lens thing you had to bluetac to the TV so that you could unlock Elite ?

    1. Mk4

      Re: off topic

      LensLook? LensLock? Often we would just squint and guess. Worked more times that it should have.

      1. Brilad

        Re: off topic

        Lenslok I think was the spelling they used. You were supposed to fold the sides to set the correct distance from the screen - it gave a legible set of two characters roughly four times out of seven which added a nice bit of tension to the end of the tape loading process.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Holmes

    Errrmmm....

    Those 'filings at Companies House' to which you refer...

    ...Have just been reversed.

    Shenanigans? From this crowd? Surely not?

    (It appears one party is asserting - at least publicly - that they were not appointed by the board; the other that they were appropriately installed by a majority vote of shareholders).

    1. Alan Brown Silver badge

      Re: Errrmmm....

      "Shenanigans? From this crowd? Surely not?"

      If Levy filed those terminations then he's probably just made himself an "unfit person" in the eyes of Companies House.

      I think I'm going to invest in popcorn shares.

    2. VulcanV5

      Re: Errrmmm....

      You're correct. It's a pity El Reg didn't update this. The two new directors who were formerly the two old directors are now the ex-new-old-former-current directors. Companies House reports the termination of both directorships on November 2nd, the same day as Companies House reports the appointment of the instantly-terminated directors. Perhaps this could be released in the form of a game for the Spectrum? Either way, the lawyers are feeding well off this: does 75% shareholder voting count? (Answer: most likely it does. But it's when it counts: has there been an EGM?)

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