John Cleese’s Lost Sketches Are The Next Best Thing To More Monty Python

Monty Python fans, rejoice! Two episodes of a sketch comedy series starring a young John Cleese and Graham Chapman, which was long through lost, have been found.

The two episodes of At Last the 1948 Show belonged to the late David Frost, a television interviewer best known for his interviews with former President Nixon. The episodes were discovered in his archives.

According to the British Film Institute (BFI), they had not been aired since 1967, 47 years ago. While the show only lasted 13 episodes, British comedy fanatics credit the show for shaping these young performers and allowing them to develop their unique comedy styles.

The BFI said that the two rediscovered episodes of At Last will be presented at their cinema in December as part of the Institute’s annual celebration of newly recovered television programs, Missing Believed Wiped.

The BFI’s Missing Believed Wiped coordinator Dick Fiddy said: “This latest recovery is a crucial find. It represents a key moment in the history of British television comedy featuring the combined talents of some of its greatest exponents. These gifted comedians, all in their 20s and 30s, were let off the leash and allowed to experiment with style and content, resulting in shows which have had an enduring influence on comedy worldwide.”

Now that these episodes have been found, hopefully the BFI will make them available for Monty Python fans all around the world. New comedy from Cleese and the late Chapman is always welcome, and considering that the famed catchphrase “And now for something completely different” came out of At Last, these episodes are an important part of British comedy history.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

×