Released at last: The Real McCoy

Series 1 comes to BBC Store

Pioneering sketch show The Real McCoy has been made available to buy for the first time in 23 years.

The first series of the multicultural sketch show is up for download from the BBC Store from today.

Dating from 1991, it showcased a new generation of black and Asian comics including Curtis Walker, Robbie Gee, Felix Dexter, Llewella Gideon, Meera Syal and Kulvinder Ghir, paving the way for Goodness Gracious Me.

The show was to run for four more series, but it has never been released on DVD. A VHS was released in 1993, but the BBC said sales were low.

Four years ago, black newspaper The Voice ran a campaign to get the show released on DVD, but it was to be in vain, with the Corporation saying it was not a commercially viable prospect.

'We do not feel there is a big enough market to justify the investment,' a spokesman said at the time. However, the lower costs of digital release seem to have been enough to change executives' minds.

Gideon said the show was a significant milestone in comedy, explaining: 'It was written by, written for, written from the perspective of [our community], so that's why it totally resonated with its audience, and does so today. As for 'diversity', it's not just about putting people of colour in front of the camera, it's about allowing them to contribute their story, their skills, their perspective, as well as their talent. That's what The Real McCoy did.'

The Real McCoy has been released – priced £9.99 for six episodes – as part of a new collection of programmes revolving around the black and Asian experience in Britain entitled Race Through the Decades.

It also includes Citizen Khan and the 2014 and 2015 Goodness Gracious Me specials, as well as Lenny Henry's autobiographical drama Danny and the Human Zoo as well as a number of groundbreaking TV plays.

Aaron Bhamra, head of editorial at the BBC Store said: 'This snapshot of programmes from the past 50 years provides an insight into how attitudes towards Black and Asian groups on TV have shifted from being rarely seen to creating and starring in mainstream hit shows. The collection boasts some gripping performances, outstanding writing and hilarious comedy.'

Here are some clips from The Real McCoy, which is on sale here: