Two further lost British sitcom episodes have been discovered via the BFI’s Missing Believed Wiped initiative. Here are the details.
Thanks to the hard work of the BFI, it’s an incredible time to be a fan of vintage British comedy.
In the last few months, the entire series of The Complete And Utter History of Britain and episodes of Til Death Us Do Part, Hugh and I and Sykes and a… have been found.
We can now add two more to the list, according to the British Comedy Guide. The first is the fifth episode of 1964 series Lance At Large, the first sitcom by The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin writer David Nobbs.
Previously thought entirely wiped, the show was written by Nobbs and Peter Tinniswood, and starred Lance Percival and Bernard Spear. The recovered episode also features guest stars Fred Emney, Hugh Paddick and Diana Chappell.
The second is Them, scripted by Til Death Us Do Part writer Johnny Speight in 1972. Another sitcom previously thought to be completely wiped, it starred Cyril Cusack and James Booth as a pair of tramps, one Irish and one Cockney. The recovered episode two follows the troublesome twosome as they take refuge in a haunted house.
The episodes will be screened as part of the Missing Believed Wiped event at BFI Southbank on Sunday 3rd December. You can find out more details here, and the description of the event reads as follows…
Our annual look at recent television rediscoveries features a fascinating lost comedy. Following his successful appearances on That Was the Week That Was, Lance Percival was given his own show, Lance at Large, the first sitcom written by comedy royalty David Nobbs and Peter Tinniswood. The whole series was missing from the archives. However, one episode has resurfaced and will be screened here today, alongside a couple of treats for fans of Dad’s Army and other titles still to be confirmed.
Hopefully more discoveries aren’t far away…
