A lost episode of The Morecambe and Wise Show has been recovered after decades spent missing, which looks set to be broadcast on the BBC once again in the coming months.
The duo are often considered two of the most iconic comedians in modern British history, yet not every episode of their legendary sketch show was archived at the time of broadcast.
One such ‘lost’ instalment, dating back to their September 1968 return to the BBC (after a stint at the now-defunct ATV), is the latest to be rediscovered by a charitable trust called Film is Fabulous.
The organisation is run by film collectors, cinema lovers and vintage television enthusiasts, which aims to ensure vulnerable materials held in the UK are preserved when their original owners pass away.
It announced on its X (formerly Twitter) account that The Morecambe & Wise Show would be the latest beneficiary of their diligent work, with a long-lost episode likely to be returned to the BBC Archives imminently.
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In an interview with BBC News, Professor Justin Smith, of De Montfort University in Leicester, who sits on the Film is Fabulous Board of Trustees, revealed the episode featured risqué skits involving a balloon dancer and a nudist camp.
“It is very much of its time and very tongue-in-cheek obviously. But what comes across is the spark that Eric and Ernie had, they were in their prime,” he said. “It is fast-paced, it is witty and it has many of their trademarks that we associate with vintage Morecambe and Wise.”
If all goes to plan, further details will be shared on the episode this coming Tuesday, which is hoped to receive a very belated repeat on the BBC in a timeframe of mere months.
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Previously, Film is Fabulous has restored missing episodes of Doctor Who, Steptoe and Son, The Likely Lads, ITV Playhouse and The Basil Brush Show among others, returning precious items to the BBC and BFI archives as appropriate.
Most recently, it made headlines just last month for unearthing Doctor Who episodes The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet, dating back to November 1965, offered by the estate of an anonymous individual who had died.
The Morecambe and Wise Show is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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