Two further lost British sitcom episodes have been discovered via the BFI’s Missing Believed Wiped initiative. Here are the details.
Thanks to the hard work of the BFI, it’s an incredible time to be a fan of vintage British comedy.
In the last few months, the entire series of The Complete And Utter History of Britain and episodes of Til Death Us Do Part, Hugh and I and Sykes and a… have been found.
We can now add two more to the list, according to the British Comedy Guide. The first is the fifth episode of 1964 series Lance At Large, the first sitcom by The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin writer David Nobbs.
Previously thought entirely wiped, the show was written by Nobbs and Peter Tinniswood, and starred Lance Percival and Bernard Spear. The recovered episode also features guest stars Fred Emney, Hugh Paddick and Diana Chappell.
Thanks to the hard work of the BFI, it’s an incredible time to be a fan of vintage British comedy.
In the last few months, the entire series of The Complete And Utter History of Britain and episodes of Til Death Us Do Part, Hugh and I and Sykes and a… have been found.
We can now add two more to the list, according to the British Comedy Guide. The first is the fifth episode of 1964 series Lance At Large, the first sitcom by The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin writer David Nobbs.
Previously thought entirely wiped, the show was written by Nobbs and Peter Tinniswood, and starred Lance Percival and Bernard Spear. The recovered episode also features guest stars Fred Emney, Hugh Paddick and Diana Chappell.
- 12/1/2023
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
Una Stubbs, the British actress who died in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Thursday at age 84, may be best known to modern audiences for her role as Sherlock Holmes’ landlady, Mrs. Hudson, on the Benedict Cumberbatch-led series “Sherlock.”
But she had her breakout role in the long-running BBC sitcom “Till Death Do Us Part,” which ran for seven seasons between 1965-75 and inspired Norman Lear’s classic American hit “All in the Family.”
In “Till Death Do Us Part,” Stubbs played the Sally Struthers role — the left-leaning daughter of a reactionary white working-class father (played by Warren Mitchell) who regularly clashes with the Liverpool socialist husband of Stubbs’ character (played by Anthony Booth).
In a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lear recalled how his partner, Bud Yorkin, tipped him off about “Till Death Do Us Part” while shooting a film in London in the late 1960s. “’Holy s—, I’ve lived through that,...
But she had her breakout role in the long-running BBC sitcom “Till Death Do Us Part,” which ran for seven seasons between 1965-75 and inspired Norman Lear’s classic American hit “All in the Family.”
In “Till Death Do Us Part,” Stubbs played the Sally Struthers role — the left-leaning daughter of a reactionary white working-class father (played by Warren Mitchell) who regularly clashes with the Liverpool socialist husband of Stubbs’ character (played by Anthony Booth).
In a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lear recalled how his partner, Bud Yorkin, tipped him off about “Till Death Do Us Part” while shooting a film in London in the late 1960s. “’Holy s—, I’ve lived through that,...
- 8/12/2021
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
When “All in the Family” debuted Jan. 12, 1971, on CBS, it was exactly the TV show America needed — though America didn’t realize it at the time.
Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin had taped two ABC pilots of the script, both starring Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton, starting in 1968. But ABC was reluctant to commit; as Lear told Variety’s Army Archerd, it was “too controversial.”
Lear and Yorkin took the show to CBS, which surprisingly bought it.
The show was carefully tested for a long time. On July 22, 1970 — six months before the debut — Variety asked CBS president Robert Wood why the network wasn’t trumpeting the new show. He said, “Frankly, we’re still not sure how to introduce this one to the public … it might just be best to go on with no fanfare, and then prepare ourselves for the explosion.”
The first episode, “Meet the Bunkers,” aired Tuesday,...
Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin had taped two ABC pilots of the script, both starring Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton, starting in 1968. But ABC was reluctant to commit; as Lear told Variety’s Army Archerd, it was “too controversial.”
Lear and Yorkin took the show to CBS, which surprisingly bought it.
The show was carefully tested for a long time. On July 22, 1970 — six months before the debut — Variety asked CBS president Robert Wood why the network wasn’t trumpeting the new show. He said, “Frankly, we’re still not sure how to introduce this one to the public … it might just be best to go on with no fanfare, and then prepare ourselves for the explosion.”
The first episode, “Meet the Bunkers,” aired Tuesday,...
- 1/12/2021
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
All in the Family is roundly considered a touchstone for television achievement now, but when it debuted 50 years ago, even the network carrying it hoped it would fizzle quickly and unnoticed. CBS put an army of operators at phone lines expecting a barrage of complaints from offended middle Americans demanding its cancellation. Those calls didn’t come. What came was a deluge of support from people hoping this mid-season replacement was a permanent addition to the network’s lineup. The premiere episode contained a considerable list of “television firsts.” One of these rarities continues to remain scarce on network TV: creator Norman Lear trusted the intelligence of the viewing audience. To celebrate All in the Family’s 50th anniversary, we look back at its journey from conception to broadcast, and how it continues to influence and inform entertainment and society today.
Actor Carroll O’Connor, who was a large part of...
Actor Carroll O’Connor, who was a large part of...
- 1/11/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Prolific comedy actor who worked with Peter Sellers, Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan and Hattie Jacques
The stony-faced, beaky comedy actor Graham Stark, who has died aged 91, is best remembered for his appearances alongside Peter Sellers, notably in the Pink Panther movies. His familiar face and voice, on television and radio, were part of the essential furniture in the sitting room of our popular culture for more than half a century. A stalwart in the national postwar comedy boom led by Sellers, Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Dick Emery, Eric Sykes and Benny Hill, he worked with them all in a sort of unofficial supporting repertory company that also included Hattie Jacques, Deryck Guyler, Patricia Hayes and Arthur Mullard. He was also a man of surprising and various parts: child actor, trained dancer, film-maker, occasional writer, and dedicated and critically acclaimed photographer.
Like Gypsy Rose Lee, he had a resourceful and determined...
The stony-faced, beaky comedy actor Graham Stark, who has died aged 91, is best remembered for his appearances alongside Peter Sellers, notably in the Pink Panther movies. His familiar face and voice, on television and radio, were part of the essential furniture in the sitting room of our popular culture for more than half a century. A stalwart in the national postwar comedy boom led by Sellers, Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Dick Emery, Eric Sykes and Benny Hill, he worked with them all in a sort of unofficial supporting repertory company that also included Hattie Jacques, Deryck Guyler, Patricia Hayes and Arthur Mullard. He was also a man of surprising and various parts: child actor, trained dancer, film-maker, occasional writer, and dedicated and critically acclaimed photographer.
Like Gypsy Rose Lee, he had a resourceful and determined...
- 11/1/2013
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
The Sopranos was named the best-written show in television history by the Writers Guild of America, edging out an eclectic collection of some of the most beloved and admired series. Members of the Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) voted online for the 101 Best Written TV Series, with David Chase’s iconic “family” drama topping Seinfeld, The Twilight Zone, All in the Family, and M*A*S*H*.
“At their core, all of these wonderful series began with the words of the writers who created them and were sustained by the writers...
“At their core, all of these wonderful series began with the words of the writers who created them and were sustained by the writers...
- 6/3/2013
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside TV
It is for comedy that Eric Sykes will be remembered, and here – in clips from his own hit shows and alongside Tommy Cooper, Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers – is why
I interviewed Eric Sykes, who has died aged 89, in 2001 and the first thing the subeditor who received my copy said was: "I didn't know he was still alive." The legendary comedian had just filmed a straight role alongside Nicole Kidman in The Others, which demonstrated that his range was wider than people perhaps thought. But it is for comedy that Sykes will be remembered, and here is why.
Reading this on mobile? Click here to view
Sykes started out after the second world war writing for Frankie Howerd and the Goons but by 1960 he had his own sitcom vehicle, Sykes and A …. His unmarried twin sister was played by Hattie Jacques, but perhaps the most memorable episode was more of a solo turn,...
I interviewed Eric Sykes, who has died aged 89, in 2001 and the first thing the subeditor who received my copy said was: "I didn't know he was still alive." The legendary comedian had just filmed a straight role alongside Nicole Kidman in The Others, which demonstrated that his range was wider than people perhaps thought. But it is for comedy that Sykes will be remembered, and here is why.
Reading this on mobile? Click here to view
Sykes started out after the second world war writing for Frankie Howerd and the Goons but by 1960 he had his own sitcom vehicle, Sykes and A …. His unmarried twin sister was played by Hattie Jacques, but perhaps the most memorable episode was more of a solo turn,...
- 7/4/2012
- by Bruce Dessau
- The Guardian - Film News
Roger Ebert has just released a draft of the mockumentary script he wrote for the Sex Pistols svengali in 1977
The online publication of Roger Ebert's Anarchy in the UK film script, in the wake of the death of Malcolm McLaren, uncovers one of the more bizarre episodes in the Sex Pistols' story. It provides a barely fictional snapshot of the group at the height of their public notoriety, and raises the intriguing question of what the film would have been like.
The idea for a Sex Pistols film had been first mooted in February 1977, after the group was sacked by Emi: McLaren was obsessed with entering the heart of the media industry – where the big money was. After discussions with Peter Cook stalled, McLaren sponsored the making of Sex Pistols Number 1: an extraordinary montage of Sex Pistols TV News footage that is rarely seen.
In the summer of...
The online publication of Roger Ebert's Anarchy in the UK film script, in the wake of the death of Malcolm McLaren, uncovers one of the more bizarre episodes in the Sex Pistols' story. It provides a barely fictional snapshot of the group at the height of their public notoriety, and raises the intriguing question of what the film would have been like.
The idea for a Sex Pistols film had been first mooted in February 1977, after the group was sacked by Emi: McLaren was obsessed with entering the heart of the media industry – where the big money was. After discussions with Peter Cook stalled, McLaren sponsored the making of Sex Pistols Number 1: an extraordinary montage of Sex Pistols TV News footage that is rarely seen.
In the summer of...
- 4/29/2010
- by Jon Savage
- The Guardian - Film News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.