Lost TV episodes recovered

Two long-lost episodes of Johnny Speight's classic sitcom Till Death Us Do Part have been unearthed thanks to a former BBC editor.

Although the sitcom was one of the biggest hits of its day, most of the 26 episodes from the first three series, broadcast between 1965 and 1968 have been lost. The BBC wiped the recordings of many shows at the time so it could reuse the expensive tape and save on storage costs.

But now enthusiasts at vintage TV group Kaleidoscope have tracked down two intact black-and-while episodes from the second season.

They are In Sickness And In Health, first shown on February 13, 1967, which features Alf Garnett undergoing treatment on the NHS, and State Visit, which aired the following week, in which the bigoted character rails at the deviousness of politicians, from Prime Minister Harold Wilson to Peter Mandelson's grandfather Herbert Morrison.

The episodes were in the archive of former BBC film editor Graham Walker, who got in touch with Kaleidoscope after seeing that the shows were included on its list of missing shows published on the internet.

Walker also had a copy of third episode, Peace and Goodwill, that did survive in the BBC archives, but in an edited form.

He said: ‘These early episodes are just wonderful. The mixture of hilarious humour and pathos has never been bettered.

‘It's amazing how much is still relevant today. The sentiments behind the dialogue at the beginning of State Visit about Britain's role as a declining world power could so easily be transposed to events of now.’

Mark Ward, author of the recent book about Till Death Us Do Part, A Family At War, said: ‘This is an astonishing find of major importance to British television history, one from which we will all maybe – to use Alf Garnett's charming phrase – "bloody learn somefink".

‘Neither episode has been seen in public for 40 years, and both demonstrate the series ability to be funny, topical and utterly shocking despite the passing of time.’

Kaleidoscope's Chris Perry said: ‘This is a find of enormous cultural significance.’

The episodes have now been returned to the BBC for restoration and transfer to high-quality video. One of them – thought it’s not yet sure which – will be aired at a tribute night to Bob Monkhouse Kaleidoscope is staging at Bafta’s headquarters in October.

Published: 6 Aug 2009