Comedy Playhouse (partially found British anthology series; 1961-1975)

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Comedy Playhouse.jpg

The program's original title card.

Status: Partially Found

Comedy Playhouse was a British anthology series created by Tom Sloan that was broadcast on the BBC for 15 series from December 15th, 1961 to July 9th, 1975. The series was a collection of unrelated, one-off sitcom episodes, with each episode essentially acting as a backdoor pilot for a potential series based on the concept presented.

History

The series was created in 1961 at the prompting of Tom Sloan, the then-head of BBC Light Entertainment. At the time, noted British comedy writing duo Galton and Simpson were no longer under the employment of Tony Hancock, and so Sloan asked them to write 10 one-off sitcom pilots in the hopes that one of them would become a full series. This request would ultimately pay off, as the Comedy Playhouse episode "The Offer" would subsequently be spun off into Steptoe and Son, which would enjoy an immensely successful run of eight series and two feature films between 1962 and 1974, and which would later serve as inspiration for the immensely successful American sitcom Sanford and Son.

Based on this early success, many more episodes of Comedy Playhouse would subsequently be produced across 15 series, with many of these episodes being written by other famed British comedy writers such as David Croft, Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Graham Chapman, Jeremy Lloyd, John Esmonde, Johnny Speight, Richard Harris, and Roy Clarke among others. In total, 27 different sitcoms would be spun off from Comedy Playhouse episodes, with many of these programs often being regarded as some of the greatest and most popular sitcoms in British history, including the aforementioned Steptoe and Son, The Liver Birds, Till Death Us Do Part, Are You Being Served?, and Last of the Summer Wine, which currently stands at the world's longest-running live-action sitcom, with 31 series having been produced between 1973 and 2010.

Comedy Playhouse would ultimately be cancelled in 1975, but it would leave a lasting legacy due to its profound impact on the world of British television, with a documentary about the series' production, Comedy Playhouse: Where It All Began, being produced in 2014, and the program itself later enjoying a brief revival of nine episodes across three series between 2014 and 2017.

Availability

Altogether, 130 episodes of Comedy Playhouse would be produced between 1961 and 1975, 3 of which would go unaired for unknown reasons. And while the series itself would never receive a dedicated home media release, a number of its episodes would later be included within home media releases of their respective series', while several others would later have their scripts adapted into episodes of other series such as Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's... and Dawson's Weekly.

However, the majority of the series remains lost. Due to the expensive nature of videotapes at the time, the lack of space present within BBC network archives, and the generally held belief that television was an inherently impermanent medium with no means of showing a program again after it had been broadcast, many television programs produced by the BBC prior to the mid-1970s would frequently have their videotapes wiped so that they could be re-used for other programs. Comedy Playhouse was no exception to this practice, with 82 of the 130 episodes of the series being confirmed to not exist within the BBC archives in any capacity as a result. Additionally, of the 48 episodes of the series that the BBC does have access to, many of them only survive in formats that are vastly inferior to how they were initially presented, with 3 episodes produced in colour only surviving as black-and-white telerecordings, 15 episodes only surviving as audio recordings with no available footage, and 2 episodes only having brief fragments survive, with the full programs remaining lost.

Of these 48 episodes, many of them have not yet been released from the BBC archives for public consumption, with only 16 full episodes of the series having been made available publicly through home media releases and unofficial online uploads, along with partial clips from 3 other episodes.

Episode List

Series 1 (1961-1962)

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
1 Cliquot et Fils Dec 15th, 1961 Lost
2 Lunch in the Park Dec 22nd, 1961 Lost Remade as an episode of Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's... in 1997.
3 The Private Lives of Edward Whiteley Dec 29th, 1961 Lost
4 The Offer Jan 5th, 1962 Found Available on Steptoe & Son - Series One DVD.[1]
5 The Reunion Jan 12th, 1962 Lost
6 The Telephone Call Jan 19th, 1962 Lost
7 The Status Symbol Jan 26th, 1962 Lost
8 Visiting Day Feb 2nd, 1962 Lost Remade as an episode of Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's... in 1997.
9 Sealed with a Loving Kiss Feb 9th, 1962 Lost Remade as an episode of Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's... in 1996.
10 The Channel Swimmer Feb 16th, 1962 Lost

Series 2 (1963)

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
1 Our Man in Moscow Mar 1st, 1963 Partially Found Full copy known to exist within BBC archives.[2]
2 And Here, All the Way From... Mar 8th, 1963 Lost Full copy known to exist within BBC archives.[3]
3 Impasse Mar 15th, 1963 Found
4 Have You Read This Notice? Mar 29th, 1963 Lost
5 A Clerical Error Apr 5th, 1963 Lost Full copy known to exist within BBC archives.[4] Remade as an episode of Dawson's Weekly in 1975, and as an episode of Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's... in 1997.
6 The Handyman Apr 12th, 1963 Found

Series 3 (1963-1964)

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
1 On the Knocker Sep 28th, 1963 Lost
2 Underworld Knights Oct 5th, 1963 Lost
3 Fools Rush In Oct 12th, 1963 Lost Full copy known to exist within BBC archives.[5]
4 Shamrot Oct 19th, 1963 Lost
5 The Bachelor Girls Oct 26th, 1963 Lost
6 The Plan Nov 2nd, 1963 Lost
7 A Picture of Innocence Nov 9th, 1963 Lost
8 Nicked at the Bottle Nov 16th, 1963 Lost
9 The Chars Nov 23rd, 1963 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[6]
10 Comrades in Arms Nov 30th, 1963 Lost
11 The Walrus and the Carpenter Dec 14th, 1963 Lost
12 The Bed Dec 28th, 1963 Found Available on Meet the Wife: Series 1-5 All Remaining Episodes DVD.[7]
13 The Mate Market Jan 3rd, 1964 Lost Full copy known to exist within BBC archives.[8]
14 The Hen House Jan 10th, 1964 Lost
15 The Siege of Sydney's Street Jan 17th, 1964 Lost Full copy known to exist within BBC archives.[9]
16 The Mascot Jan 24th, 1964 Lost
17 Good Luck Sir, You've Got a Lucky Face Jan 31st, 1964 Lost

Series 4 (1965)

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
1 Barnaby Spoot and the Exploding Whoopee Cushion May 28th, 1965 Lost
2 Mother Came Too Jun 5th, 1965 Lost
3 Here I Come Whoever I Am Jun 11th, 1965 Lost Remade as the "Lust" segment of the 1971 anthology film The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins.
4 Happy Family Jun 18th, 1965 Lost
5 Memoirs of a Chaise Longue Jul 2nd, 1965 Lost
6 Murray and Me Jul 8th, 1965 Lost
7 Hudd Jul 15th, 1965 Lost
8 Till Death Us Do Part Jul 22nd, 1965 Partially Found
9 The Time and the Motion Man Jul 29th, 1965 Lost
10 Sam and the Samaritan Aug 5th, 1965 Lost
11 The Vital Spark Aug 12th, 1965 Lost
12 Betsy Mae Aug 19th, 1965 Lost

Series 5 (1966)

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
1 The Bishop Rides Again May 17th, 1966 Found Available on All Gas and Gaiters DVD.[10]
2 Beggar My Neighbour May 24th, 1966 Lost
3 A Little Learning May 31st, 1966 Lost
4 Judgement Day for Elijah Jones Jun 7th, 1966 Lost
5 Room at the Bottom Jun 14th, 1966 Lost
6 The End of the Tunnel Jun 21st, 1966 Lost
7 Seven Year Hitch Jun 28th, 1966 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[11]
8 The Mallard Imaginaire Jul 5th, 1966 Lost
9 The Reluctant Romeo Aug 2nd, 1966 Lost

Series 6 (1967)

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
1 Hughie May 19th, 1967 Lost
2 House in a Tree May 26th, 1967 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[12]
3 Spanner in the Works Jun 2nd, 1967 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[13]
4 Heirs on a Shoestring Jun 9th, 1967 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[14]
5 Uncle Fred Flits By Jun 16th, 1967 Lost
6 Loitering With Intent Jun 23rd, 1967 Lost
7 To Lucifer: A Son Jun 29th, 1967 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[15]
8 The Old Campaigner Jun 30th, 1967 Found

Series 7 (1968)

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
1 State of the Union Apr 26th, 1968 Lost
2 View By Appointment May 3rd, 1968 Lost
3 The Family of Fred May 10th, 1968 Lost
4 Stiff Upper Lip May 17th, 1968 Lost
5 Wild, Wild Woman May 24th, 1968 Lost
6 Thank You Sir, Thank You Madam May 31st, 1968 Lost Short extract known to exist within BBC archives.[16]
7 B-And-B Jun 7th, 1968 Lost Full copy known to exist within BBC archives.[17]
8 Me Mammy Jun 14th, 1968 Lost
9 The Gold Watch Club Jun 28th, 1968 Lost
N/A Current Affairs Unaired[18] Lost

Series 8 (1969)

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
1 The Liver Birds Apr 14th, 1969 Lost
2 The Valley Express Apr 21st, 1969 Lost
3 Tooth and Claw Apr 28th, 1969 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[19]
4 As Good Cooks Go May 5th, 1969 Lost
5 The Loves of Larch Hill May 12th, 1969 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[20]
6 The Making of Peregrine May 19th, 1969 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[21] Last edition produced in black-and-white.
7 Up Pompeii! Sep 17th, 1969 Found Available on The Frankie Howerd Collection DVD.[22] First edition produced in colour, last edition broadcast in black-and-white.

Series 9 (1969-1970)

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
1 Joint Account Dec 19th, 1969 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[23] First edition broadcast in colour.
2 The Jugg Brothers Jan 1st, 1970 Lost
3 An Officer and a Gentleman Jan 8th, 1970 Lost
4 Who's Your Friend? Jan 15th, 1970 Lost

Series 10 (1970)

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
1 Keep 'Em Rolling Mar 11th, 1970 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[24]
2 Better Than a Man Mar 18th, 1970 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[25]
3 Last Tribute Mar 25th, 1970 Lost Full black-and-white telerecording known to exist within BBC archives.[26]
4 Haven of Rest Apr 1st, 1970 Lost
5 Mind Your Own Business Jul 8th, 1970 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[27]
6 The Old Contemptible Jul 15th, 1970 Lost
7 Don't Ring Us... We'll Ring You Jul 29th, 1970 Lost
8 Meter Maids Aug 5th, 1970 Lost

Series 11 (1971)

# Episode Title Air Date Status
1 Just Harry and Me Apr 1st, 1971 Lost
2 Uncle Tulip Apr 8th, 1971 Lost
3 It's Awfully Bad for Your Eyes, Darling... Apr 15th, 1971 Lost
4 The Rough with the Smooth Apr 22nd, 1971 Found
5 Equal Partners Apr 29th, 1971 Lost
6 The Importance of Being Hairy May 6th, 1971 Lost

Series 12 (1972)

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
1 Idle at Work Jan 14th, 1972 Lost
2 And Who's Side Are You On? Jan 21st, 1972 Lost
3 Born Every Minute Jan 28th, 1972 Lost Full copy known to exist within BBC archives.[28]
4 The Dirtiest Soldier in the World Mar 27th, 1972 Lost Full copy known to exist within BBC archives.[29]
5 No Peace on the Western Front Aug 30th, 1972 Lost Full copy known to exist within BBC archives.[30]
6 Weren't You Marcia Honeywell? Sep 7th, 1972 Lost
7 Are You Being Served? Sep 8th, 1972 Found Black-and-white telerecording available on Are You Being Served? - The Complete First Series DVD.[31]

Series 13 (1973)

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
1 Of Funerals and Fish Jan 4th, 1973 Found Available on Last of the Summer Wine Series 31 & 32 DVD.[32]
2 The Rescue Jan 11th, 1973 Lost Full black-and-white telerecording known to exist within BBC archives.[33]
3 Elementary, My Dear Watson Jan 18th, 1973 Found [1] [2] [3]
4 The Birthday Jan 25th, 1973 Found
5 Marry the Girls Feb 1st, 1973 Lost
6 Home From Home Feb 8th, 1973 Lost Full black-and-white telerecording known to exist within BBC archives.[34]

Series 14 (1974)

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
1 No Strings Apr 16th, 1974 Found
2 Franklyn and Johnnie Apr 23rd, 1974 Lost
3 Howerd's History of England Apr 30th, 1974 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[35]
4 Happy Ever After May 7th, 1974 Found Available on Happy Ever After: The Complete Collection DVD.[36]
5 The Dobson Doughnut May 14th, 1974 Lost
6 The Big Job May 21st, 1974 Partially Found Full copy known to exist within BBC archives.[37]
7 It's Only Me May 28th, 1974 Lost
8 The Last Man on Earth Jun 4th, 1974 Lost Full copy known to exist within BBC archives.[38]
9 Sitting Pretty Jun 11th, 1974 Lost
10 Pygmalion Smith Jun 25th, 1974 Found
11 A Girl's Best Friend Jul 3rd, 1974 Lost
12 The Reverend Wooing of Archibald Jul 9th, 1974 Lost
13 Too Much Monkey Business Dec 12th, 1974 Lost
N/A French Relish Unaired[39] Lost
N/A Bird Alone Unaired[40] Lost

Series 15 (1975)

# Episode Title Air Date Status Notes
1 The Melting Pot Jun 11th, 1975 Found
2 Only on Sunday Jun 18th, 1975 Lost
3 For Richer...For Poorer Jun 25th, 1975 Lost
4 Captive Audience Jul 2nd, 1975 Lost Full audio recording known to exist within BBC archives.[41]
5 Going, Going, Gone...Free? Jul 9th, 1975 Lost Full copy known to exist within BBC archives.[42]

Scottish Comedy Playhouse

In 1970, six episodes of the series would be broadcast exclusively in Scotland under the title of Scottish Comedy Playhouse, with episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus being shown elsewhere in the UK while these airings took place. None of the six produced episodes would be spun off into their own series, and shortly after transmission, their master tapes would be wiped, with no footage, audio or stills from any of them being known to have survived.[43]

# Episode Title Air Date Status
1 Stand-In For a Hearse Sep 22nd, 1970 Lost
2 The Siege of Castle Drumlie Sep 29th, 1970 Lost
3 The Dinner Party Oct 20th, 1970 Lost
4 To Gracie: a Son Oct 28th, 1970 Lost
5 Stobo Takes the Chair Nov 3rd, 1970 Lost
6 Made In Heaven Nov 10th, 1970 Lost

External Links

References

  1. ↑ Amazon page for Steptoe & Son - Series One DVD. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  2. ↑ Page for "Our Man in Moscow" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  3. ↑ Page for "And Here, All the Way From..." on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  4. ↑ Page for "A Clerical Error" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  5. ↑ Page for "Fools Rush In" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  6. ↑ Page for "The Chars" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  7. ↑ Amazon page for Meet the Wife: Series 1-5 All Remaining Episodes DVD. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  8. ↑ Page for "The Mate Market" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  9. ↑ Page for "The Siege of Sydney's Street" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  10. ↑ Amazon page for All Gas and Gaiters DVD. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  11. ↑ Page for "Seven Year Hitch" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  12. ↑ Page for "House in a Tree" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  13. ↑ Page for "Spanner in the Works" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  14. ↑ Page for "Heirs on a Shoestring" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  15. ↑ Page for "To Lucifer: A Son" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  16. ↑ Missing Episodes forum thread that mentions the rediscovery of footage from "Thank You Sir, Thank You Madam". Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  17. ↑ Missing Episodes forum thread mentioning the presence of "B-And-B" within the BBC archive. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  18. ↑ Page for "Current Affairs" on the British TV Comedy Guide. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  19. ↑ Page for "Tooth and Claw" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  20. ↑ Page for "The Loves of Larch Hill" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  21. ↑ Page for "The Making of Peregrine" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  22. ↑ Amazon page for The Frankie Howerd Collection DVD. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  23. ↑ Page for "Joint Account" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  24. ↑ Page for "Keep 'Em Rolling" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  25. ↑ Page for "Better Than a Man" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  26. ↑ Page for "Last Tribute" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  27. ↑ Page for "Mind Your Own Business" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  28. ↑ Page for "Born Every Minute" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  29. ↑ Page for "The Dirtiest Soldier in the World" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  30. ↑ Page for "No Peace on the Western Front" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  31. ↑ Amazon page for Are You Being Served? - The Complete First Series DVD. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  32. ↑ Amazon page for Last of the Summer Wine Series 31 & 32 DVD. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  33. ↑ Page for "The Rescue" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  34. ↑ Page for "Home From Home" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  35. ↑ Page for "Howerd's History of England" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  36. ↑ Amazon page for Happy Ever After: The Complete Collection DVD. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  37. ↑ Page for "The Big Job" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  38. ↑ Page for "The Last Man on Earth" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  39. ↑ Page for "French Relish" on the British TV Comedy Guide. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  40. ↑ Page for "Bird Alone" on the British TV Comedy Guide. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  41. ↑ Page for "Captive Audience" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  42. ↑ Page for "Going, Going, Gone...Free?" on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
  43. ↑ Page for Scottish Comedy Playhouse on the website of media preservation organisation Kaleidoscope. Retrieved 18 Dec '16
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