Pre-Python episodes in David Frost's archive

Two long-lost episodes of Monty Python precursor At Last The 1948 Show have been discovered in Sir David Frost’s personal archives.

The show featured John Cleese and Graham Chapman alongside Tim Brooke-Taylor, Marty Feldman, and Aimi Macdonald.

But Thames Television wiped all the tapes, except for two episodes rescued by Cleese when he became aware of what was happening.

In recent years the British Film Institute has been piecing together the lost material, from compilation episodes made for Swedish television and fans recordings.

The entire first and last episode was found in Frost’s collection. The first was completely missing until now, while only some of the last had been discovered.

The programmes were contained on two reels of 16mm film and had been filmed directly from a television screen

They have now been loaned to the BFI by the family of Frost, who was executive producer of the show and died last year at the age of 74. They will be aired for the first time since 1967 in December, at an event on London’s South Bank presented by Cleese.

At Last The 1948 Show – titled to mock the slow speed at which programmes were commissioned – contained the first airing of the Four Yorkshireman sketch and the beginnings of the: ‘And now for something completely different…’ catchphrase.

Dick Fiddy, the BFI consultant who has been spearheading the Missing Believed Wiped programme to recover lost TV classics, said: ‘This latest recovery is a crucial find. It represents a key moment in the history of British television comedy featuring the combined talents of some of its greatest exponents.

‘These gifted comedians, all in their 20s and 30s, were let off the leash and allowed to experiment with style and content, resulting in shows which have had an enduring influence on comedy worldwide.

‘Even very recently the famous Four Yorkshiremen sketch - which originated on At Last The 1948 Show - was used as the opener for the Python’s stage shows at the O2 and had been performed previously by the team in galas such as the Secret Policeman’s Ball.

‘Cleese, Feldman, Brooke-Taylor and Chapman, created, scripted and starred in the 1948 Show and the fact that the show remains very, very funny 47 years later is a tribute to their extraordinary abilities.’

• Another former Python, Terry Jones, will be talking about his forgotten comedy heroes at the Chortle Comedy Book Festival in Camden, North London, on November 10, in a double bill with Python collaborator Carol Cleveland. Details

Published: 23 Oct 2014