A long-lost episode of Morecambe and Wise will air this Christmas

Virgin Radio

22 Nov 2021, 15:43

When you clear out the loft, do you ever find much of interest? Whilst the likes of us might only uncover things like old board games and broken tennis rackets, someone recently discovered something absolutely amazing. 

When Gary Morecambe, Eric Morecambe's son, was having a look for some paperwork in his attic, he chanced upon a film can which was intriguingly marked with a BBC stamp and nothing else. Upon further investigation, it turned out that it contained a long-lost, 45-minute episode of Morecambe and Wise. What a find! 

The episode of the classic show from the iconic double act Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise has only ever aired once before, all the way back in October 1970. Now though, having been restored, it is set for another outing over the holiday period. Originally in black and white, it’s now been turned into colour and will, appropriately, be titled Morecambe and Wise - The Lost Tape.

A TV source told the Daily Mirror: "We were so excited to hear that this episode, long considered lost, still exists. This should be a real Christmas treat for comedy fans. It’s an absolute delight."

Eric’s 65-year-old son Gary said: “I was looking through other stuff. As the decades went by we hadn’t really sorted enough out and my mother said why don’t you have a look in the attic. I got in there and came across five large canisters with spools in them.”

He added: "Four of them were blank or damaged, but the other one had a BBC stamp on it. It’s a huge discovery because it was presumed missing and lost for good."

Eric and Ernie’s partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984.

There is no set date for the airing of the show, but it’s definitely another reason to look forward to Christmas. 

All together now… “Bring me sunshine, In your smile, Bring me laughter, All the while...”