'Lost' Peter Sellers films screened

Rare outing for early shorts

Two 'lost' short films from Peter Sellers' early career are to get a rare screening this weekend.

Dearth Of A Salesman and Insominia Is Good For You were made in 1957, but went missing for nearly half a century. Their discovery has been hailed as the film equivalent of finding the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The films were accidentally rescued by building manager Robert Farrow, who helped clean out the London offices of producers Park Lane Films in 1996. He thought he was saving empty film cans to store his father's cine film, but it wasn't until 2004 that he discovered what was inside.

The two short films, now digitally remastered will be shown at the Hyde Park Picture House in Leeds alongside a third, Cold Comfort, which were part of planned set known as the 'Bestsellers Series'. In all the films, the Goons star plays the Yorkshire everyman, Hector Dimwittie,

Insomnia is Good for You is a spoof public information film, while Dearth of a Salesman is a vehicle for Sellers' talent for accents as he tries out multiple voices as a door-to-door salesman.

Ollie Jenkins, from the cinema, said: 'With so many lost films out there, especially short ones, it's always a genuine thrill to hear when some are fortuitously rediscovered, especially when they're films from such iconic figures as Peter Sellers. Whether you're a keen Sellers fan, or like most people you've enjoyed one or two of his unforgettable performances in films like Dr Strangelove, this is a really special chance to see some brilliant films from one of the UK's greatest comic actors.' -

Here is a clip from Insomnia is Good For You: