Performances taped in America in the 1960s

Footage of Tommy Cooper never before seen on British TV is to air this Christmas.

A new tribute programme will feature his guest appearance on The David Frost Show in New York in 1969 and his tour-de-force performance on an American television special in 1967.

The Channel 5 programme, Tommy Cooper: The Lost Tapes,  will also include performances unseen since their original single transmission decades ago, to be show in full.

The programme includes testimony and memories from those who worked with or knew Tommy, including actress Dame Sheila Hancock, music producer Trevor Horn, broadcaster Janet Street-Porter, entertainer Jimmy Tarbuck and writer Colin Edmonds. 

Also featured are famous fans including broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald, comedian Zoe Lyons and comedy magician Pete Firman.

Cooper died on stage during a televised performance at  Her Majesty’s Theatre in London in April 1984, at the age of 63.

Tommy Cooper: The Lost Tapes is produced and directed by Mark Wells for Double Yellow Entertainment, which previously made Morecambe & Wise in America for U&Gold.

The new documentary  will air at 9pm on December 30 on Channel 5.

Published: 8 Dec 2024