I can confirm that the rumours are true: There are episodes of Prisoners of Gravity at the The Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy and you can access them as a member of the public.

These tapes are from the personal collection of Mark Askwith. He donated a copy of the series to the library after the run. The tapes themselves are a mix of what appears to be direct copies of the Masters (if not the Master tapes themselves) and episodes taped off of the original broadcasts on TVOntario. The Master copies are a bit of a surprise, but the only thing that sets them apart is that they include a production slide with the episode number and title. The copies recorded from broadcast include the nostalgia of the older TVOntario bumpers. It's fun, either way.

It should be noted that it appears that the Merril Collection does not have copies of episodes from before season two. I watched the season two opener at the Collection and the tape was labeled “Show #1”. All the other episodes from season two and onward should be there.

If you want to watch the Prisoners of Gravity episodes, you'll have to contact the Merril Collection and make plans in advance. They do not have dedicated viewing facilities at the Collection, but arrangements can be made. During my visit, I was offered viewing space in the Collection's workroom. Yes, this isn't like watching the series in the living room, but what can you do? Because I was watching in their workroom, I needed to fill out a form stating who I was and why I was there and had to show photo ID to prove I was the person I said I was. Any bags and coats must be checked in the Collection's lockers. They are coin operated, but the Collection can loan you the money for one if you're short on change. Of course, no food or drink is permitted.

While the Collection is part of the Toronto Public Library system, it is a reference branch and is therefore non-circulating. Because of the viewing arrangements and lack thereof, The staff may ask you to give an idea of when you'll be visiting and what tapes you'll require. However, an exact list isn't needed. While the staff working the day I visited knew that I was coming to watch PoG, they didn't know all of the episodes I wanted. They were helpful enough to go back and grab the episodes I wanted, though. Sadly, you cannot see the shelves of tapes themselves, as they are back in the library's rare books collection and hidden away from the public.

The Merril Collection is located at 239 College Street in Toronto, Ontario. It's on the third floor and shares the building with other branches of the Toronto Public Library that you might want to check out while visiting. For visitors into the city, the Collection is easiest to reach via Toronto Transit. Take the Bloor Subway line to the Spadina station and transfer to the Spadina streetcar, which can be boarded underground in the subway station. Take the streetcar south and get off at College Street. The Collection should be a block or so east, on the south side of the street. Gook luck!

Official Website of the Merril Collection

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