Declassified at last – Lost episode of Hugh and I Spy recovered by Kaleidoscope

A LOST episode of Hugh and I Spy — featuring popular 1960s TV double-act Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd — has been recovered by Kaleidoscope.

The classic TV organisation joined forces with the Tim Disney Archive to buy the 16mm print of the episode, Tea or Coffin, from a collector on internet auction site eBay.

The recovered show, broadcast by the BBC on February 26, 1968, is said to be in “superb” condition and is now the only episode that remains from the six-part series — a sequel to the popular Hugh and I sitcom, which ran from 1962 – 67.

It will be shown at the BFI’s Missing Believed Wiped event later this year.

In Hugh and I Spy, written by John Chapman and produced by David Croft, Terry and Hugh found themselves unwillingly involved in espionage and double-dealing.

As befitting the spy genre, each episode ended in a cliffhanger.

Tea or Coffin was the final episode of Hugh and I Spy and starred Fred Emney and Rex Garner (series regulars) plus Derek Sydney, Robert Gillespie, Jasmina Hamzavi, Francisca Tu, David Toguri, Roger Carey, Julie Mendez, Dino Shafeek, Rafiq Anwar, Paul Anil and John Louis Mansi.

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Kaleidoscope uncover treasure trove of lost Pan’s People performances

A ‘treasure trove’ of steamy Top of the Pops performances by TV dance troupe Pan’s People is set to get men’s pulses racing once more — after being lost for over 40 years.

In an era before pop videos, the all-female group’s sultry routines to chart toppers of the day gave millions of dads a reason to tune in to the BBC’s flagship music show every week.

Yet despite being a staple of the programme for nearly a decade, the majority of Pans People appearances no longer exist — wiped by the BBC, along with hundreds of vintage editions of Tops of the Pops, in the late 1970s.

But now a dozen “sorely missed” Pans People performances — to hits by pop stars including T.Rex, Barry White, Elton John, The Jackson 5 and Diana Ross — can be seen again, after being uncovered in a music producer’s private collection.

The long-lost clips — choreographed by Felicity “Flick” Colby and featuring well-remembered Pan’s People dancers including Patricia “Dee Dee” Wilde, Louise Clarke, Ruth Pearson and Barbara “Babs” Lord — will be screened by Midlands-based TV research organisation Kaleidoscope at a special event in June.

Wilde, who hopes to be attending the one-day event on June 1, says it will be an “exciting if poignant experience” watching the clips since co-founders Colby and Clarke have both died in the last two years.

She said: “Considering that Pan’s People danced on Top of the Pops week in, week out, for so many years, it’s such a pity that most of our routines have been lost, wiped by the BBC back in the 70s.

“To hear that some of them have now been recovered thanks to a collector recording them himself and keeping the tapes all these years really is wonderful. Often we never even saw them go out as we were so busy.

“I can’t wait to see them again and it’s just so sad that neither Flick nor Louise are with us to enjoy their rediscovery too.”

The rare clips, dating from between 1973 and ’75 and featuring Pan’s People dancing to hits such as Truck On Tyke by T.Rex, (For You) I’ll Do Anything You Want Me To by Barry White, Island Girl by Elton John, I Want You Back by Jackson 5 and All Of My Life by Diana Ross, were tracked down in the collection of record producer and songwriter Ian Levine.

Other “significant” finds include dance routines to Dance With The Devil by legendary rock drummer Cozy Powell, You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet by Bachman Turner Overdrive and Rhythm And Blue Jean Baby by Lynsey De Paul.

Kaleidoscope spokesperson Chris Perry said: “This is a major find of missing Pan’s People performances in great condition not held by the BBC, Pan’s People or anyone else.

“Ian recorded the clips off the TV back in the 1970s using an early video recorder, and the tapes had sat unused on his shelf until donated to Kaleidoscope last year.

“We’ve received a huge haul of 20,000 tapes from Ian which we are currently cataloguing. We’ve also recently come across an almost complete Top of the Pops missing from the archives from 1976 so who knows what else is waiting to be found!”

Pan’s People expert Mike Morton, who will be releasing a biography of the dance troupe next year, added: “All in all this is a remarkable collection that manages to capture all the excitement and energy that made Top Of The Pops the greatest music show on television.

“Watching Pan’s People dance to the T.Rex hit ‘Truck On Tyke’, for example, is such a treat as no footage exists anywhere in the world of that particular Marc Bolan song, while they look like five sexy dream-catchers with feathers hanging from their waists in an electric performance alongside Cozy Powell.”

Pan’s People first appeared on Top of the Pops in 1968, four years after the programme was first aired, dancing to US Male by Elvis Presley.

They also appeared on other TV shows of the era including Lulu, The John Denver Show and The Two Ronnies.

Their last Top of the Pops appearance was in April 1976, dancing to Silver Star by The Four Seasons, but the troupe remained popular after leaving. During this period Sarah Brightman, who later married composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, was briefly a member.

For more information on Kaleidoscope’s The Ballroom! event on June 1, visit www.kaleidoscope.org.uk

ENDS

Lost behind-the-scenes James Bond footage comes in from the cold

LOST BEHIND-THE-SCENES footage from the making of James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me has been found in time for the secret agent’s 50^th anniversary.

The rare footage comes from a recently recovered edition of children’s TV show Clapperboard — “ Behind the Scenes on The Spy Who Loved Me” — dedicated to the making of the film.

The 25-minute programme (Tx 17/1/77) also includes a lost interview with famed Bond set designer Ken Adam, who was nominated for a BAFTA for his work on the movie.

Notably, the 1977 film starring Sir Roger Moore as 007 featured a supertanker set which was the largest sound stage in the world at the time it was built.

The show is one of two editions of ITV’s Clapperboard passed on to classic TV organisation Kaleidoscope by a contact involved in the making of a new James Bond documentary being produced for the film franchise’s 50^th anniversary.

The other, from 14/2/77, also features Adam — who made his name with his innovative, semi-futuristic sets for the James Bond films of the 1960s and ’70s — but looks more at his other work such as “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “Sleuth” with Michael Caine and Laurence Oliver.

Both episodes come from 91-year-old Adam’s personal collection and have now been transferred from the original U-Matic broadcast tapes to digital format.

Out of Town – The Lost Episodes with Jack Hargreaves

OVER 30 lost episodes of Out of Town featuring presenter Jack Hargreaves have been released on DVD for the first time, after being tracked down by TV enthusiasts.

For over 20 years Out of Town was a television programme that provided a window on country life in rural Britain.

Fishermen and farriers, horsemen and horticulturalists were prominently featured as presenter Jack Hargreaves took the Southern Television cameras around the country, in the 1960s, ’70s and early ’80s, to explore pursuits and activities many of which have long since disappeared.

When broadcast by ITV, these programmes soon won a large following for the entertaining and informative way that they gave a gentle insight into country life, but as time has passed since the last transmission in 1981 they have become a nostalgic, historical, record of life in Britain from a bygone age.

Hundreds of programmes were broadcast by Southern Television but they were feared lost when the company lost its ITV franchise in 1981. Apart from 28 episodes that were recreated by presenter Jack Hargreaves in 1986, using extracts from films used in the original TV programmes with new footage filmed by Jack, it was presumed that all other examples of the original Out Of Town series had been lost forever.

In 2012, after extensive research by Jack’s stepson Simon Baddeley, Simon Winters, the classic television organisation Kaleidoscope, and Southern Television archive expert David King, 34 complete original episodes of Out Of Town – not seen since their original broadcast in 1980 & 1981 – came to light and are now being made available on DVD by Delta.

Over twenty eight hours of Out Of Town are presented on 10 DVDs. Only edited versions of some of the location films that are included have been seen on DVD – featured in the 28 programmes produced in 1986 – but the significant part of them are being presented in their original form for the first time since they were broadcast three decades ago.

Each disc also includes a special feature which allows the viewer to enjoy off-air studio comments and countdown clocks.

The limited edition collectors’ box set comes in an engraved presentation box with an exclusive booklet which offers an insight into Hargreaves’s life and how the lost episodes were discovered, and includes charming photos of Jack whilst filming on location.

The contents of the ten DVDs are as follows:

Volume 1: Coarse Fishing and seven other original films

Coarse Fishing / Yerro’s Operation

A River for All Seasons / Bass Fishing

Pebbles / Tidal Mill

Chalk Hills / Chalk Springs / Stagecoach

Volume 2: Gean Tree Furniture and seven other original films

Gean Tree Furniture / Southern Television Sea Angling Championships

Garden Competition / Dry Fly Fishing

Model Making / Teaching Fly Fishing Techniques

The Theft of the Countryside / Fell Ponies

Volume 3: Heavy Horses and six other original films

Heavy Horses / Fly Fishing in June

Gypsy Caravans / Fishing for Pollock

21st Anniversary Programme

Sheep Farming / Bite Indicators

Volume 4: Into the Past at Appleby Fair and seven other original films

Into the Past at Appleby Fair / Private Rivers

Fishing for Barbel / Ferrets

Pigeon Decoy / Fishing with a Dog Knobbler

Freeze Branding / Perch Fishing

Volume 5: Pony Riding and eight other original films

Pony Riding / Next Generation / Wild and Cottage Gardens / Sheep Fair / Barbel

Pannage / Dry Fly Fishing on the River Test

Wheels / Grayling Fishing

Volume 6: Sheep Dogs and five other original films

Sheep Dogs / Guns

Multiplier Reel Casting / Hounds

Corn Threshing / Eden Vale

Volume 7: Blackmore Vale and five other original films

Blackmore Vale / Breeding Lurchers

Annual Agricultural Show / Pheasant Shooting

Old Railway Line / Cloudburst at the Agricultural Show

Volume 8: Pigeons and six other original films

Pigeons / Fishing for Next To Nothing

Fishing for Minnows / Kingfishers / Corn Flail

Summer Fishing / Village Fair

Volume 9: Fish Hooks and five other original films

Fish Hooks / Gardening Earthworm Farm

Southern Fishing Competition In Ireland / Rabbit Catching

Observing The Country / Working Dog Show

Volume 10: Saving The Countryside and five other original films

Saving The Countryside / Going to Market

Sheep Farming / Centenarian Angler

Parsonage Down / First English Culture

• Out of Town – The Lost Episodes with Jack Hargreaves is out now, priced from £149.99. For more information visit www.outoftown-dvd.co.uk/

Lost Doctor Who footage and musical performances by the Spencer Davis Group unearthed

RARE behind-the-scenes footage from Doctor Who has been discovered.

The brief clip shows movie Doctor Peter Cushing preparing to battle arch foe the Daleks during the making of an early big-screen adaptation of the long-running sci-fi series.

The precious black and white footage, taken on the set of cult sixties film Dalek Invasion of Earth: 2150 A.D., also captures director Gordon Flemyng — father of actor Jason — behind camera as he talks with stunt-men and plans out the movie’s climatic final scenes.

The material is the first to be uncovered documenting the 1966 film and forms part of a ‘lost’ TV show found recently in the possession of a collector living in Wales.

Though the BBC wiped the master-tape of A Whole Scene Going, a copy of the magazine show — also featuring an interview with Flemyng and musical performances by the Spencer Davis Group — was made and found its way on to the collector’s circuit.

Classic TV organisation Kaleidoscope, which recovered the unique 16mm film print in conjunction with the Tim Disney Archive, said the find will “delight” Doctor Who and vintage music fans alike.

Chris Perry of Kaleidoscope said: “A Whole Scene Going is an exciting TV find on two fronts.

“For Doctor Who fans there’s a fascinating glimpse into the making of feature film Dalek Invasion of Earth: 2150 A.D., showing Peter Cushing as the Doctor on the set along with director Gordon Flemyng and lots of Daleks.

“For music lovers there are priceless performances by classic British beat band the Spencer Davis Group as well as American singer/songwriter Judy Collins.

“Sixties pop shows were routinely shown live or wiped after transmission so it’s great to find one that slipped past the eraser’s magnet!”

Tim Disney of the TDA said: “How this print came into existence or found it’s way to a Welsh village, we’ll never know.

“However, one theory is that it could have been film recorded by BBC Wales from the network feed down the line from London for transmission at a later date.”

A Whole Scene Going was a short-lived TV teen culture show hosted by Wendy Varnels and Barry Fantoni.

The recovered edition, from March ’66, captures Flemyng at Shepperton Studios while directing an action-packed finale involving Horror icon Cushing and an army of Robomen thwarting a Dalek plan to drop a giant bomb into the Earth’s core.

Cushing played the Timelord — currently portrayed on TV by Matt Smith — in two Flemyng-directed films during the height of “Dalekmania”, also starring in 1964’s box-office hit Doctor Who and the Daleks.

Interspersed with the footage is an interview with Flemyng — who died in 1995, aged 61 — revealing that he preferred making “entertainment pictures”as opposed to more high-brow films, but “didn’t take them any less seriously”.

The emergence of A Whole Scene Going has also got music fans excited with the discovery of a rare interview with the Spencer Davis Group, who also perform chart-topping single “Somebody Help Me Now” in the studio.

Kaleidoscope and the TDA — who bought the film print privately from the collector — are currently in the process of returning a digital copy to the BBC Archive.

Eager fans will get the chance to see the recovered footage for the first time in more than four decades at Kaleidoscope’s next screening event, taking place in Stourbridge, West Midlands, on Saturday, June 9.

Tim Disney of the TDA added: “Dr Who was not the primary draw for us in recovering this programme, but the content of the programme as a whole — the exciting period of popular culture it reflects and it’s place in the history of British television.

“Thankfully, after the collector discovered he had a unique TV recording he was keen to ensure it would be returned to the BBC archives, turning down silly money offers to deal instead with Kaleidoscope and the TDA.”

To see a clip from the recovered show visit www.timdisneyarchive.com. For more information about the screening visit www.kaleidoscope.org.uk.

Click here for full contents of the recovered episode of A Whole Scene Going.

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Hallelujah! Lost episode of Our Man at St. Mark’s recovered

A LOST episode of Our Man at St. Mark’s — the ’60s ecclesiastical comedy starring Leslie Philips — has been recovered after being bought on internet auction site eBay.

PRAISE BE: Leslie Philips starred in A-R comedy show Our Man at St. Mark's.

The 16mm film print of “A Previous Conviction” was bought with the assistance of classic TV organisation Kaleidoscope and The Tim Disney Archive.

It’s recovery brings the total number of surviving episodes to four and doubles the number of surviving episodes to feature Carry On . . . star Philips in the lead role.

It will now be transferred to digital format before being offered for loan to the British Film Institute. A public screening is also expected at some point “in the not too distant future”.

Broadcast by A-R between 1963 and 1965, Our Man at St. Mark’s was a “light-hearted but superior” comedy that revolved around the day-to-day exploits of a parish vicar.

“A Previous Conviction” (Tx 23/10/63) hails from the first series of the show and stars regular cast members Philips, as the slightly eccentric Reverend Andrew Parker, Anne Lawson as his girlfriend Anne Gibson and Joan Hickson as his housekeeper, Mrs Pace.

In the episode — guest-starring Warren Mitchell, Frank Tregear and Freddie Jones — Revd Parker’s attempt to give an ex-convict a fresh start in life becomes more than complicated when Anne decides to take a hand.

With the recovery of the print, four out of the 35 broadcast episodes are now known to exist. The others are the very first episode, “The Facts of Life” (Tx 25/09/63), “We Do It on Saturday” (Tx 18/06/64) and “A Funny Thing Happened to Amanda” (Tx 26/04/65).

Philips only appeared in series one of the show. For the remaining two series (1964–5), Donald Sinden took over the charge of St Mark’s as vicar Stephen Young.

• READ ON: You can read more about Our Man at St. Mark’s over at Television Heaven. There’s also a handy episode guide (you’ll need to scroll down to find it on the page). Finally, you see can see the very first episode, starring Leslie Philips, on YouTube. Visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX3F6F-Zl04.

Original Out of Town episodes to be released on DVD after recent rediscovery

Out of Town presenter Jack Hargreaves

THE SOLE surviving episodes of Out of Town — the leisurely countryside series fronted by Jack Hargreaves — are set to be released on DVD . . . after being rediscovered at a BBQ.

The shows, dating from the early 1980s, were believed to have been lost forever when the distribution company that owned them wiped the master tapes.

But copies of the 34 episodes were kept by the man tasked with remastering them to digital format, and came to light last year after a chance conversation at a summer party.

Rights to the shows — dating from 1980–81 and including the very last broadcast episode — have now been secured by the Delta Leisure Group, which is planning to release them on DVD at a date yet to be decided.

The episodes are the original TV broadcast programmes, as made by Southern Television. They were located by David King, Simon Baddeley, Simon Winters and classic TV organisation Kaleidoscope.

They feature the following location films:

Coarse Fishing/ Donkey Vet
A River for all Seasons/ Bass Fishing
Pebbles/ Eling Tidal Mill
Chalk Hills and Chalk Springs/ Stagecoach
Gean Tree Furniture/ Fly Fishing
Garden Competition/ Bulls & Countryside (dry fly fishing)
Model Making/ Fly Fishing
The theft of the countryside/Fell Ponies
Heavy Horses/ Fly Fishing
Gypsy Caravans/ Sea Fishing
Sheep Farming/Bite Indicators
Into the Past/Private Rivers
Wood Sculptor/ Ferrets
21st Anniversary Programme
Pigeons/Fly Fishing
Pony & Horse Branding/Perch Fishing
Pony Riding/Next Generation/Gardens/Sheep
Pannage /Dry Fly Fishing
Wheels/Grayling Fishing
Sheep Dogs/Guns
Multiplier Reel Casting/Hounds
Growing Corn/Eden Vale
Blackmore Vale/Dog Breeding
Annual Agricultural Show/Pheasant Shooting
Old Railway Line/Annual Agricultural Shows
Pigeons/Fishing
Fishing/Kingfishers/Corn
Fishing/Village Fair
Fish Hooks/Gardening
Southern Fishing Competition/ Rabbit Catching
Observing The Country/Dog Show
Saving The Countryside/ Going to Market
Sheep Farming/ Fishing
Parsonage Down/First English Culture

Out of Town ran for almost two decades, with viewers of all ages fascinated by Hargreaves’s gentle expeditions through the countryside and insights into the bygone ways of rural life.

When the demise of ITV franchise Southern Television in 1981 brought the much-loved programme to a close after 18 years, Hargreaves went on to make a further series of 27 Out of Town episodes for commercial release.

These direct-to-video episodes — using original cut film inserts Hargreaves had bought from Southern married with a new voiceover track and links — have recently been re-released by Delta.

But the original series, with it’s fondly-remembered studio ‘shed’ setting, has not been seen since original transmission

Delta, which has acquired the DVD rights from Endemol Worldwide Distribution, has said that it welcome the views of those with an interest in the release of these episodes on DVD and can be contacted by email at outoftown@deltaleisuregroup.co.uk.

• READ ON: You can read more about Out of Town over at Television Heaven. You can also listen to an audio recording of the last broadcast episode of Out of Town here.

WHAT TO BUY THE MUSIC LOVER WHO HAS EVERYTHING: A COMPILATION OF PREVIOUSLY MISSING RECORDINGS

CHRISTMAS is just around the corner, and if you are stuck for a gift to buy – and the intended recipient enjoys rare pop gems from the golden era of British music – then the latest release from Top Sounds is highly recommended.

Following on from three previous “excavations” of 1960s and early ’70s BBC radio session performances with the Shapes And Sounds anthologies, specialist label Top Sounds has released its most ambitious collection of previously lost or hard-to-find tracks yet with Radio Tymes.

Nigel Lees has once again searched high and low to source missing gems from private collections and BBC transcription discs, delivering a treasure trove of very rare and desirable recordings from the likes of Deep Purple, The Move, The Yardbirds and none other than The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

The compilation gets off to an impressive start with a highly charged rendition of “The Painter” by Deep Purple, taped for Chris Grant’s Tasty Pop Sundae in July 1969 and then lost in the ether for more than 40 years. It is notable for a great performance by lead singer Rod Evans and is well worth a listen. The other Purple track on the album, first single “Hush”, is even more impressive, and historic, coming from the only known recording of the rock band’s very first British radio appearance – aired on John Peel’s Top Gear on June 30, 1968.

While Radio Tymes captures Deep Purple right at the beginning of their career, it presents pioneering guitar band The Yardbirds at the close of theirs with three shining recordings from the legendary group’s final BBC session (on Top Gear) in 1968, including arguably the best take of stable cover “Dazed and Confused”. Though an off-air recording of the wiped Top Gear session was previously known to exist, it was lo-fi to say the least. Thankfully, Top Sounds has now managed to uncover a second recording of much better quality.

Other big names to enjoy on the release are The Move – with two tracks featuring Birmingham’s  finest, “Cherry Blossom Clinic” and “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star”, from the very first Top Gear, in October 1967 – and, in what could possibly be Top Sounds’ biggest scoop to date, The Jimi Hendrix Experience on Dee Time, performing “Burning of the Midnight Lamp”.

Unheard anywhere since its broadcast in 1967, the live version of Experience’s fourth single Midnight Lamp marked the band’s second and final appearance on Dee Time. As Nigel writes in the comprehensive accompanying booklet to Radio Tymes, hardly any material from the popular sixties BBC chat show – presented by DJ Simon Dee – remains, so this recently unearthed recording is of double importance.

Rounding out the compilation are Top Gear session tracks from important psychedelic band Tomorrow with Keith West, playing their underground anthem “My White Bicycle”, Welsh blues-rock band Love Sculpture with a live version of “Sabre Dance” and two colourful covers, and Barclay James Harvest belting out upbeat rocker “Night”.

As with previous Top Sounds releases, all the music has been professionally restored and the album is accompanied by an attractive booklet packed with photos, illustrations and detailed information.

Radio Tymes is a legitimate collection licensed from the BBC and the relevant record companies, and has been a costly labour of love for Nigel. The only way Top Sounds is going to be able to continue delivering such treats is if music lovers show their support through their wallets so I highly recommend the album, available both on CD (£12.99) and vinyl (£14.99), to you all.

• To buy a copy or for more information visit the Top Sounds website.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARCHIVE 2011 & LOST SHOWS APPEAL FINDS

CLASSIC TV organisation Kaleidoscope has unveiled its latest list of finds made as part of its annual Raiders of the Lost Archives campaign, detailing all the missing British TV and radio material located in the last 12 months by the group along with the BBC, ITV, BFI and determined enthusiasts.

In addition, there are the fruits of the “Lost Shows Appeal” to reveal. Launched by missing episode hunter Charles Norton back in June of this year to tie in Kaleidoscope’s http://www.lostshows.com website, the appeal has proved a big success in tracking down recordings of otherwise lost TV and radio shows that until recently only resided in the lofts, sheds and cupboards of the general public.

Thanks to the two initiatives a wealth of long-lost shows, interviews and excerpts have been located both as audio and visual recordings.

Highlights of the Kaleidoscope Raiders’ list (spanning October 2010 to November 2011) include the Frankie Howerd Audio Archive, finds held by the Tim Disney Archive (including Sir Ian McKellen’s first TV appearance in BBC series Kipling), the latest BSB recoveries made by Ian Greaves, and comedy gems from the Graham Webb Audio Archive including the soundtracks to wiped editions of World of Beachcomber; Peter Cook’s ill-fated chat show, Where Do I Sit?; sitcom No, That’s Me Over Here, starring Ronnie Corbett; Broaden Your Mind; Monty Python precursor At last the 1948 Show; The Frost Report and many, many others.

Mention should also go to Wiped News’s columnist Ray Langstone, who, incredibly, has been responsible for over 100 finds during the last 12 months. Well done, Ray!

Meanwhile, the Lost Shows Appeal has also delivered a bumper crop of archive material to get excited about, including a massive haul of material that has been donated courtesy of the estate of late radio producer John Fawcett Wilson, and a  large quantity of unedited
(audio-only) television studio recordings and production tapes including editions of The Old Grey Whistle Test, Lulu, The Rolf Harris Show, International Cabaret, and The Morcambe and Wise Show.

Other finds include rare episodes of Radio Luxembourg’s 1950s’ Dan Dare serial and interviews with figures such as Benny Hill, Peter Sellers, film director Lindsay Anderson and Doctor Who star Jon Pertwee.

Already some more of this year’s rediscovered material is on its way to find new audiences. Episodes from the BBC’s 1967 Sexton Blake radio series are due to be released by BBC Audiobooks early next year.

So without further ado, here are the full lists for the Raiders of the Lost Archives 2010 – 11 and the Lost Shows Appeal 2011.

TV TREASURE TROVE COMES TO STOURBRIDGE

TV treasures lost for over 40 years will get a rare showing in Stourbridge this weekend.

Acclaimed 1960s’ crime anthology series 13 Against Fate and star-studded dramas featuring the likes of Derek Jacobi, Leonard Rossiter and Jeremy Brett are among the vintage shows being screened at the Talbot Hotel, High Street, on Friday and Saturday.

They come from an incredible collection of nearly 150 hours’ worth of British TV programmes found in an American archive last year and only recently returned to the UK.

Also on the bill is a 1965 BBC adaptation of George Orwell’s classic sci-fi novel 1984 by celebrated screenwriter Nigel Kneale.

The event is being organised by Midlands-based TV research group Kaleidoscope, which worked alongside the British Film Institute (BFI) in recovering the haul, described as the “most important” find of its kind in over 20 years.

There will also be talks with special guests Colin Edmonds, a comedy writer for the likes of Bob Monkhouse and Paul O’Grady, and 1984 actress Jane Merrow.

Chris Perry of Kaleidoscope said: “It’s a fantastic line-up packed with genuine classics, many of which were only located last year by Kaleidoscope and the BFI in the archives of the Library of Congress in Washington, America.

“It’s wonderful to be able to enjoy again first-rate dramas such as The Typewriter, starring a young Jeremy Brett, farce Dr Knock, with Leonard Rossiter and John le Mesurier, and a lavish 1967 version of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing boasting Derek Jacobi and Michael Gambon.

“This marks their first showing outside of London and we are grateful to the BFI for their assistance in making this possible.”

The event runs from 9pm to 12.30am on Friday, September 9, and 12 – 7pm on Saturday, September 10. Admission is free and all proceeds will go to the Royal National Lifeboat Institute. For more information visit www.kaleidoscope.org.uk