Titles from John Cleese's Video Arts

Corporate training videos featuring comedians are to be preserved by the British Film Institute.

The films were made Video Arts, the company John Cleese set up in 1972 with Yes Minister co-creator Sir Antony Jay to bring humour to workplace training.

BFI curator Patrick Russell said the films were 'an important part of the art and history of film-making that has had a real impact in the workplace'.

They have featured comic luminaries such as Ronnie Corbett, Ronnie Barker, Rik Mayall, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Rob Brydon and Ricky Gervais

Two of the Video Arts titles will also be put online for free on Sunday: Manhunt, from 1974, in Cleese plays hapless job interviewers; and Control Freakery, from 2016, which features Robert Webb and Sally Phillips.

Cleese sold the company from £43million in 1989 but continued to appear in their work, in videos like this:

Published: 20 May 2016