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{{Short description|1967 British satirical TV show}}
{{infobox television |
{{use British English|date=January 2020}}
| show_name = At Last the 1948 Show
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
| image = [[Image:AtLastthe1948ShowCast.jpg|thumb|220px|Cast photograph: [[Aimi MacDonald]], <br>[[Marty Feldman]], [[Graham Chapman]], <br>[[John Cleese]], and [[Tim Brooke-Taylor]]]]
{{Infobox television
| format = [[Sketch comedy]]
| image = AT_LAST_THE_1948_SHOW.jpeg
| runtime = 25 minutes
| runtime = 25 minutes
| creator = [[Tim Brooke-Taylor]] <br>[[Graham Chapman]] <br>[[John Cleese]] <br>[[Marty Feldman]]
| starring = [[Tim Brooke-Taylor]] <br>[[Graham Chapman]] <br>[[John Cleese]] <br>[[Marty Feldman]]<br>[[Aimi MacDonald]]
| creator = {{ubl|[[Tim Brooke-Taylor]]|[[Graham Chapman]]|[[John Cleese]]|[[Marty Feldman]]}}
| starring = {{ubl|Tim Brooke-Taylor|Graham Chapman|John Cleese|Marty Feldman|[[Aimi MacDonald]]}}
| country = [[United Kingdom]]
| country = United Kingdom
| network = [[ITV]]
| first_aired = [[1967]]
| network = [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]
| first_aired = {{Start date|1967|02|15|df=yes}}
| last_aired = [[1968]]
| last_aired = {{End date|1967|11|07|df=yes}}
| num_episodes = 13
| imdb_id = 0061233
| num_series = 2
| num_episodes = 13 (2 missing)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/1887/at_last_the_1948_show_2_episodes_discovered/|title=At Last The 1948 Show episodes rediscovered|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=16 September 2015|website=British Comedy Guide|access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref>
|}}
| related = ''[[Do Not Adjust Your Set]]'' (1967–1969)
| company = [[Paradine Productions]] for [[Rediffusion London]]
}}


'''''At Last the 1948 Show''''' was a [[satire|satirical]] TV show made by David Frost's Paradine Productions (although they weren't credited on the actual programmes) in association with [[Associated-Rediffusion|Rediffusion London]] for Britain's [[ITV]] network during [[1967]], bringing [[Footlights|Cambridge Footlights]] type-humour to a broader audience. It starred [[John Cleese]], [[Graham Chapman]] (in their pre-[[Monty Python's Flying Circus|Python]] days), [[Tim Brooke-Taylor]] (later one of [[The Goodies]]), [[Marty Feldman]] (in his first screen appearance), and [[Aimi MacDonald]].
'''''At Last the 1948 Show''''' is a [[satire|satirical]] television show made by [[David Frost]]'s company, [[Paradine Productions]] (although it was not credited on the programmes), in association with [[Associated-Rediffusion|Rediffusion London]]. Transmitted on Britain's [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] network in 1967, it brought [[Footlights|Cambridge Footlights]] humour to a broader audience.


The show starred and was written by [[Tim Brooke-Taylor]], [[Graham Chapman]], [[John Cleese]], and [[Marty Feldman]]. Cleese and Brooke-Taylor were also the programme editors. [[Aimi MacDonald]] (usually billed as "the lovely Aimi MacDonald") was the cheerfully ditsy host who introduced the show and also appeared in occasional (and brief) in-show linking segments, but she did not appear in sketches. The director was Ian Fordyce. Chapman and Cleese would later be among the founders of the [[Monty Python]] comedy troupe, and several of the sketches first performed in ''At Last the 1948 Show'' would later be performed by Monty Python in various formats. Cleese and Chapman's future Python partner [[Eric Idle]] appears as a bit part player in a few sketches; similarly, Brooke-Taylor's future ''[[The Goodies|Goodies]]'' partner [[Bill Oddie]] appears in some small roles.
The programme editors were John Cleese and Tim Brooke-Taylor.


While only two episodes of the show had been thought to survive, efforts to locate missing episodes have been fruitful, with seven episodes being accounted for by 2013. On 23 October 2014, two episodes were recovered by the [[British Film Institute]] from the [[David Frost]] collection, and a further two episodes were recovered the following year, making the number of complete episodes eleven out of thirteen.<ref name="bfi 2015">{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/announcements/bfi-announces-re-discovery-pre-python-classic-tv-series-last|title=BFI announces re-discovery of pre-python classic TV series At Last the 1948 Show|website=British Film Institute|access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref>
[[David Frost (broadcaster)|David Frost]] personally approached John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Tim Brooke-Taylor, to star in a new television sketch series, and they suggested to him that Marty Feldman, who had been known only as a comedy writer (primarily for radio) up to then, be included in the cast.<ref>''From Fringe to Flying Circus'' - 'Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960-1980' - Roger Wilmut, Eyre Methuen Ltd, 1980, ISBN 0-413-46950-6.</ref>


==History==
[[Image:1948-Show-dvd.jpg|thumb|left|200px|At Last the 1948 Show (DVD cover)]]
The series represented an important stage between the radio cult series of ''[[I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again]]'' and the television cult series ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' and ''[[The Goodies]]'', as well as leading to Marty Feldman's television comedy sketch series ''[[Marty (TV series)|Marty]]'' (which included Tim Brooke-Taylor in the cast), when the conventional [[light entertainment]] format in which wacky comedy scenes were interspersed with unchallenging popular songs was finally abandoned. The shows had no relationship to the year [[1948]]; the title simply referred to the BBC's annoying habit of letting new shows sit on the shelves for months at a time before broadcasting them. The cast also recorded an LP of sketches from the show.
Frost approached Cleese, Chapman and Brooke-Taylor to star in a sketch series. They suggested Marty Feldman, until then a comedy writer.<ref>Roger Wilmut ''From Fringe to Flying Circus: Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960–1980'', London: Eyre Methuen, 1980, {{ISBN|0-413-46950-6}}.</ref> The series bridged the radio series ''[[I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again]]'' and television's ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' and ''[[The Goodies (TV series)|The Goodies]]''. It also led to Feldman's television series ''[[Marty (TV series)|Marty]]'' (which also featured Tim Brooke-Taylor). The convention of comedy scenes interspersed by songs was abandoned. It still used [[punch line|punchlines]], which would often be dispensed with in ''Monty Python's Flying Circus''.


Several sketches came from the 1963 [[Cambridge Footlights Revue]] entitled ''[[Cambridge Footlights Revue#.22A Clump of Plinths.22 .E2.80.94 .22Cambridge Circus.22|Cambridge Circus]]'' (the revue was previously entitled ''A Clump of Plinths''), including Graham Chapman's solo routine "[[Colin "Bomber" Harris vs Colin "Bomber" Harris|One-Man Wrestling]]". Certain sketches from the show would later be reused in the one-off John Cleese special ''[[How to Irritate People]]'' ("Freedom of Speech"), as well as the second episode of ''[[Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus]]'' ("One-Man Wrestling" again – now with play-by-play commentary added by Cleese – and "Hearing Aid Shop"). Further sketches were reprised in the Python stage shows, including the "[[Four Yorkshiremen]]" sketch (as featured on ''[[Live at Drury Lane]]'', ''[[Monty Python Live at City Center|Live at City Center]]'', ''[[Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl]],'' and ''[[Monty Python Live (Mostly)]]''), "One-Man Wrestling" once again (''Drury Lane'', ''City Center'', and ''Hollywood Bowl''), "Secret Service" (''Drury Lane'' only), and a few that have never received official release: "Beekeeper," the aforementioned "Hearing Aid Shop," and "Minister Falling to Pieces". The "Beekeeper" sketch was also performed in the [[The Secret Policeman's Balls|Secret Policeman's Ball]] stage shows, as were "Top of the Form" and "Take Your Clothes Off!". Another, the "Bookshop" sketch, was recorded in modified form for ''[[Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album]]''. New versions of "Door to Door Undertaker" and "Memory Training Course" were also recorded during that album's sessions, but not included on the final version (they would, however, end up appearing on the widely bootlegged ''[[The Hastily Cobbled Together for a Fast Buck Album|Hastily Cobbled Together for a Fast Buck]]'' album). "Psychiatrist", "Tea Boy on a Mission", and "Grublian Holidays" were also performed again by ''[[The Two Ronnies]]''.
The show was made shortly before the introduction of colour on ITV. There were two short series totalling 13 25-minute episodes (six episodes in the first series, seven in the second). Unfortunately, [[Thames Television]] [[Wiping (magnetic tape)|wiped]] the original material from existence once they had acquired the [[Rediffusion]] archive, and all but two episodes were destroyed (John Cleese having rescued the two episodes from destruction when he became aware of what was happening). In addition to the two episodes, five compilation episodes made for Swedish television survived. Much, but not all, of the missing material has been recovered in video or audio recordings from the series, or from the LP version, and the surviving video footage has reportedly been restored by the [[British Film Institute]].


Monty Python's catchphrase, "And now for something completely different," parodying a phrase often used on [[Blue Peter]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/oct/08/johnezard.uknews2|title=Now something different - which was made earlier|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=7 October 2005}}</ref> originated in ''At Last the 1948 Show'', and was originally spoken by [[Aimi MacDonald]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/sep/16/missing-episodes-of-monty-python-precursor-at-last-the-1948-show-found "Missing episodes of Monty Python precursor At Last the 1948 Show found"], ''The Guardian'', 16 September 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.</ref>
Of the surviving footage, only the five Swedish compilation episodes have been released on DVD. This includes the original "''[[Four Yorkshiremen sketch]]''" with John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Marty Feldman. The DVDs were issued by Pinnacle Vision in the UK (Region 2) and by Tango Entertainment in the [[United States|US]] (Region 1). The DVD incorrectly states these as "recently recovered '''episodes'''", titles them as "episodes [1-5]", and also presents them in the wrong series order. There is no mention on the DVD that the content is compilation material.


The shows had no relationship to the year 1948; according to Cleese, the title referred to television executives' tendency to dither extensively over commissioning decisions.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilmut|first1=Roger|title=From Fringe to Flying Circus: Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960–1980|date=1980|publisher=Eyre Methuen|page=144}}</ref> Feldman claimed in ''eyE Marty'', his posthumously published autobiography, that he came up with the title, which "meant nothing".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Feldman|first1=Marty|title=eyE Marty: The Official Autobiography of Marty Feldman|date=2016|publisher=Rare Bird Books|page=116}}</ref> The series was video-taped at what was later [[Fountain Studios]], [[Wembley Park]], [[Wembley]].
Several of the show's sketches were later revived by the [[Monty Python's Flying Circus|Monty Python]] team for their two [[Germany|German]] TV specials (''[[Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus]]'') and for their stage shows, including the "''[[Four Yorkshiremen sketch]]''", which was performed on the stage show ''[[Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl]]''.


A total of thirteen 25-minute episodes were made within a year, six in the first series and seven in the second.
Some other important pre-Python / pre-Goodies shows that fared no better in terms of archival preservation were ''[[Do Not Adjust Your Set]]'', ''[[Twice a Fortnight]]'' and ''[[Broaden Your Mind]]''.


===Survival of episodes===
==Reference==
[[Thames Television]] [[Lost television broadcast|discarded]] the material once they had acquired the [[Rediffusion London]] archive, and all but two episodes were destroyed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://orangecow.org/pythonet/1948show/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819002253/http://orangecow.org/pythonet/1948show/|url-status=dead|title=Pythonet - 1948 Show|archive-date=19 August 2010|access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref> John Cleese became aware of tapes from two surviving episodes after Feldman's wife left them to him in her will.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=56m40s&v=nL0dmBy5qTw|title = Unbound: John Cleese in conversation with John Hodgman|date = 12 March 2015|access-date = 3 May 2015|website = youtube|publisher = BAMorg}}</ref> Five compilation episodes for [[Sweden|Swedish]] television also survived. Much missing material has been recovered in video, and surviving video has been restored by the [[British Film Institute]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/and-now-for-something-completely-similar-the-original-monty-python-79669.html|title=And now for something completely similar - the original Monty Python|website=[[Independent.co.uk]]|access-date=10 September 2024}}</ref>
<references />


The majority of a previously missing episode (season 2, episode 6, broadcast 31 October 1967) was recovered from a private collector in May 2010.<ref name="chortle 2010">{{Cite web|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2010/06/02/11116/lost_comedy_archives_unearthed|title='Lost' comedy archives unearthed : News 2010 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide|first=Steve|last=Bennett|website=www.chortle.co.uk|access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="miss ep com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~m.brown1/1948.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725173416/http://www.btinternet.com/~m.brown1/1948.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2008-07-25|work=Missing Episodes|title=AT LAST THE 1948 SHOW|date=25 July 2008|access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref> On 23 October 2014, the BFI announced film copies of two previously missing episodes &ndash; the first and final episodes of the series (broadcast 15 February 1967 and 7 November 1967) &ndash; had been recovered from the private collection of the show's executive producer [[David Frost]].<ref name="bbc 2014">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-29722866 Pre-Monty Python TV comedy episodes rediscovered], bbc.co.uk, 23 October 2014</ref> A year later, the BFI announced the recovery of another two episodes from a fan's collection, with one of the new recoveries - the third episode of the first series (tx 1 March 1967) &ndash; to be screened at the ''Radio Times'' Festival at Hampton Court on 25 September 2015.<ref name="bfi 2015"/>
==External links==
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/a/atlastthe1948sho_7770420.shtml Comedy Guide - ''At Last the 1948 Show''] at [[bbc.co.uk]]
*[http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/tv/comedy/atlast1948.htm At Last the 1948 Show] - Nostalgia Central
*[http://www.tv.com/at-last-the-1948-show/show/11768/summary.html&full_summary=1 At Last the 1948 Show] TV.com
*{{imdb title|id=0061233|title=At Last the 1948 Show}}
*[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/559951/index.html British Film Institute Screen Online]
*[http://lost-british-television.blogspot.com/ Blog describing many missing UK Television programmes]
* [http://www.the-goodies.co.uk UK Goodies Fan Site] &mdash; A UK-based fan site dedicated to The Goodies with information and discussion on At Last the 1948 Show


Out of an original total of 13 episodes, eleven now exist in complete or near-complete form, while two remain incomplete.<ref name="bfi 2015"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvbrain.info/|title=TVBrain &#124; Kaleidoscope &#124; Lost shows &#124; TV Archive &#124; TV History|website=www.tvbrain.info|access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref> While most surviving episodes are from original tapes or [[kinescope|telerecordings]], two of the complete episodes have been reconstructed from footage recovered from five compilation tapes returned from Sweden.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wwwk.co.uk/television/shows/comedy/at-last1948-show.htm |title=At Last the 1948 Show |access-date=3 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609130137/http://www.wwwk.co.uk/television/shows/comedy/at-last1948-show.htm |archive-date=9 June 2010 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> The two incomplete episodes' surviving footage also comes from these compilations. The complete audio of all 13 episodes exist, recorded off air by several fans.<ref name="miss ep com"/>
<br clear=all>


A 1967 LP release featured sketches taken from the soundtrack of the show's first series, accompanied by a 7" single featuring newly recorded versions of "The Ferret Song" and "The Rhubarb Tart Song". These have since been reissued on CD.
{| border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" align="center"

|- bgcolor="lightblue"
=== Home media ===
! <font size="2">At Last the 1948 Show</font size>
The five Swedish compilation episodes were released on DVD in July 2005 by Tango Entertainment in the [[United States|US]] (Region 1)<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009GX1ZQ Amazon.com]</ref> and in January 2007 by Pinnacle Vision in the UK (Region 2).<ref>[https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0009U5CC2 Amazon.co.uk]</ref> This includes the [[Four Yorkshiremen sketch]], written and performed by [[Cleese]], [[Graham Chapman|Chapman]], Brooke-Taylor and [[Marty Feldman]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://radiohaha.typepad.com/central/2006/06/episode_1.html#ep1interview |title=Tim Brooke-Taylor interview |publisher=Radiohaha.typepad.com |date=3 June 2006 |access-date=8 June 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090529075428/http://radiohaha.typepad.com/central/2006/06/episode_1.html| archive-date= 29 May 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> The DVD incorrectly states these as "recently recovered episodes", presents them as episode numbers 1 through 5, in the wrong compilation-series order (the correct order is DVD ep# 4, 3, 1, 5, 2), with no mention on the DVD that the content is in fact a compilation. The episodes on all DVD releases are soft, grainy, and generally low picture quality, even considering the material's age.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/16810/at-last-the-1948-show/|title=At Last the 1948 Show|website=DVD Talk|access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref> [[Eric Idle]] appears in three of the episodes (2, 4, and 5), but never speaks except for a brief line in the teaser of episode 4.
|-

| [[Tim Brooke-Taylor]] — [[Graham Chapman]] — [[John Cleese]] — [[Marty Feldman]] — [[Aimi MacDonald]]
The DVD was re-released in May 2012 by One Media iP, a digital-only (streaming media format) label (no physical DVD) based in the UK, available for free on their OMP YouTube channel. This release has the compilation episodes in the same (mis-)order, and includes the 2 bonus interview tracks from the original DVD as well. They describe the episodes as compilations, but their description of what original episodes they are taken from is wrong (one episode claims the excerpts are all from series 1 when in fact they are all from series 2).

In October 2015, One Media iP acquired the rights to three original full episodes that had recently been discovered, and released them on their YouTube channel as well. They are the two episodes discovered in David Frost's archives, ep. #1.1 and #2.7, and the episode discovered in a fan collection and screened in 2015, ep. #1.3. The three episodes are presented in the wrong aspect ratio: the picture is squeezed horizontally to a ratio of 1:1 square.

In recent years, some of the other surviving, original full episodes have been uploaded on YouTube and other video-sharing websites. All of these have since been removed, and new uploads continue to be removed, due to claimed copyright restrictions and new YouTube rules, as well as internet policing by One Media iP. The five compilation episodes (in the same mis-order) plus the three original full episodes released by One Media iP are still available for free on YouTube, on the free streaming service [[Tubi]], and on [[Amazon Prime]], the subscription streaming provider. On Tubi and Amazon Prime, the three original episodes are numbered 6 through 8 in order of broadcast: ep. #1.1, 1.3, and 2.7 respectively. On these latter two providers, the squeezed 1:1 aspect ratio of episode #7 (1.3) is corrected.

The [[British Film Institute]] released a comprehensive three-DVD set of the surviving material on 16 September 2019, including audio-only portions for all missing segments.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=2019 |title=At Last the 1948 Show |url=https://shop.bfi.org.uk/pre-order-at-last-the-1948-show-3-disc-dvd-set.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623154414/https://shop.bfi.org.uk/pre-order-at-last-the-1948-show-3-disc-dvd-set.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 June 2019 |access-date=23 June 2019 |publisher=British Film Institute |id=BFIV2121}}</ref>

As of July 2020, the BritBox streaming service has the thirteen episodes available for viewing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britbox.com/us/season/At_Last_the_1948_Show_S1_26162|title=BritBox|website=www.britbox.com|access-date=30 July 2020}}</ref>

==Guest stars==
* [[Barry Cryer]] as director in Chartered Accountants and Gorilla / first person to sit in Thief in Library / Nigerian guide & Eskimo guide in Studio Tour / Feldman in Scottish Opera / deerstalker hat detective in Detective Sketch / Wine waiter in Four Yorkshiremen / miscellaneous voice-over announcements
* [[Bill Oddie]] as depressed patient/Kowalski in Detective Sketch
* [[Christine Rodgers]] as Mrs. Lotterby / waving co-host / Susan / opera-host / introduces self in "I'm The Loveliest" show intro
* [[Eric Idle]] as Librarian in Thief in Library / Beethoven patient / waiter / elevator operator in Detective Sketch / end of row opera patron in Scottish Opera
* [[Jo Kendall]] as Mary in John and Mary in Malaya / Sara Mellish in Studio Tour
* [[Mary Maude]] as Lady in bath / introduces self in "I'm The Loveliest" show intro
* [[Dick Vosburgh]] as director in Studio Tour / bearded front row patron in Scottish Opera
* [[Antony Jay]] as stage manager in Studio Tour
* [[Frank Muir]] as Jordanian entourage member in Studio Tour
* [[Denis Norden]] as Jordanian entourage member in Studio Tour
* [[Ronnie Corbett]] as wrestling stage hand in Studio Tour
* Frances Dean as accented opera-host / introduces self in "I'm The Loveliest" show intro
* [[Karin Feddersen]] as Long haired brunette patron in Scottish Opera
* [[Jacqueline Rochelle]] as magic amulet opera-host
* [[Penny Brahms]] introduces self in "I'm The Loveliest" show intro
* [[Joan Crane]] as receptionist in Spiv Doctor / introduces self in "I'm The Loveliest" show intro
* [[Vicki Murden]]
* [[Anne Lewington]]
* Natalie Shaw
* [[Jenny Walton]]
* [[Patricia Franklin]]
* Dick Holmes

== List of episodes ==
Not all ITV regions screened the series, and those that did so on different transmission dates and times, with the series beginning and ending at different times of the year. Unless stated otherwise, the dates below reflect the transmission dates of the series in the London ITV region - Rediffusion's ITV franchise.

Audio recordings exist for all 13 episodes, with only a very few missing segments. These have been used to reconstruct the order of sketches in complete episodes.

=== Series 1 ===
Series 1 was not shown in [[ITV Granada|the Granada region]].
{| class="wikitable"
! Episode
! Original air date
! Sketches
! Archival status
|-
| Series 1, Episode 1
| 15 February 1967 (ITV)
| Opening: Leave Tim Alone - Doctor Sketch (Man with Skinny Legs) - Witch (Restaurant Quickie) - Self-Wrestling (One-Man Wrestling) - Secret Service Chief Interview (Hit by Balls) - There's a Man in my Soup (Fly Noises) -Treasure Trove - Public Opinion (Vox Pop)
| Complete except missing end credits; recovered in 2014<ref name="bbc 2014"/>
|-
| Series 1, Episode 2
| 22 February 1967 (ITV)
| Opening: John in Bath - Foggy Spain Link - The Four Sydney Lotterbys - Lucky Gypsy Clothes Pegs - Judge Not
| Incomplete; only first 5:45 of video footage and about a minute of 'Judge Not' exists from compilations. Full audio is available commercially.
|-
| Series 1, Episode 3
| 1 March 1967 (ITV)
| Opening: Flying into New York - Bookshop - Visitors for the Use of... - Job Description (Do You Match This Description?) - Sheepdog Trials - Sleep Starvation - Mice Laugh Softly, Charlotte (Captured Spy)
| Complete; recovered in 2015<ref name="bfi 2015"/>
|-
| Series 1, Episode 4
| 8 March 1967 (ITV)
| Someone Has Stolen the News - Grublian Holidays (Grublia Tourist Office) - Jack the Ripper Song - Memory Training Course (Word Association) - One Man Battalion - Ministerial Breakdown (Minister Who Falls to Pieces) - Engine Driver Spriggs - Plain Clothes Police(wo)men (Undercover Policemen)
| Complete; kinescope recovered in 1994
|-
| Series 1, Episode 5
| 15 March 1967 (ITV)
| Rural Farm (Gentleman Farmer Dialect) - The Wonderful World of the Ant - Judo - John and Mary in Malaya - Top of the Form
| Complete; kinescope recovered in 2003
|-
| Series 1, Episode 6
| 22 March 1967 (ITV)
| Opening: Six Girls and Exhibit A - Televisione Italiano Presenta: Let's Speak-a English - Headmaster - Raid on a Crinolene Frock (The Siege in the Frock) - Real Life Drama (Choristers Repetition) - Chinese Restaurant - Beekeeping - The Ferret Song
| Complete; kinescope
|}
|}


=== Series 2 ===
In [[ITV Granada|the Granada region]], each episode was shown three days after the dates specified below at 10.30 in the evening.
{| class="wikitable"
! Episode
! Original air date
! Sketches
! Archival status
|-
| Series 2, Episode 1
| 26 September 1967 (ITV)
| Spiv Doctor (Doctor Trying to Sell Things) - Reptile Keeper Swallowed by Snake - Thief Hiding in Public Library - Joke Shop - Come Dancing
| Incomplete; 18:30 of video footage exists from compilations; missing Joke Shop and some of the links
|-
| Series 2, Episode 2
| 3 October 1967 (ITV)
| Opening: Bringing New Meaning to the Word Yech - Shirt Shop - The Nosmo Claphanger Show (Game Show) - Insurance for an Accident Prone Man - Take Your Clothes Off! - Rowdy Scottish Ballet Supporters (Thuggish Ballet)
| Complete; kinescope from an almost complete compilation episode, except Clothes Off kinescope recovered from ABC Australia.
|-
| Series 2, Episode 3
| 10 October 1967 (ITV)
| Opening: The Story So Far - Pessimistic Customer (Only Buying One Shoe) - Meek Bouncer - Men's Club (Old Men Dying in Club) - Look at Science (Insecure Neurotic Scientist) - Sydney Lotterby Craves the Test Score - Shop for the Sight and Sound Impaired (Hearing Aid & Contact Lens Shop)
| Complete except missing end credits; kinescope recovered 1994
|-
| Series 2, Episode 4
| 17 October 1967 (ITV)
| Discussion on Pornography - Teach Yourself a Foreign Language Record - Door to Door Undertaker - Uncooperative Burglars - Topic: Freedom of Speech - Programme Announcement (Repeats Report) - Studio Tour (Tour Through a Live Programme)
| Complete; recovered in 2015<ref name="bfi 2015"/>
|-
| Series 2, Episode 5
| 24 October 1967 (ITV)
| Opening: Reluctant Choir (Choir Won't Sing Hymns) - Psychiatrist - Deadly Architectural Model (Edible Town Square Model) - Secret Service Cleaner - Footballer on Trial (Reprimanded Soccer Player) - The Pretty Way (Western Quickie) - Misunderstood magazine programme
| Complete except missing end credits; recovered 2003
|-
| Series 2, Episode 6
| 31 October 1967 (ITV)
| Police Banquet - Sydney Lotterbys Renewed Acquaintance (Return of the Sydney Lotterbys) - The Chartered Accountant Dance - MI5 Banquet - Dentistry with a Difference - The Four Yorkshiremen
| Complete; recovered in 2010<ref name="chortle 2010"/>
|-
| Series 2, Episode 7
| 7 November 1967 (ITV)
| Current Affairs Programme - Railway Carriage (Train Travelling Pest) - Pet Shop (The Pathos of Pet Shops) - The Rhubarb Tart Song
| Complete except missing Rhubarb Tart Song; recovered in 2014<ref name="bbc 2014"/>
|}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060202013756/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/a/atlastthe1948sho_7770420.shtml Comedy Guide - ''At Last the 1948 Show''] at [[bbc.co.uk]] ([[Internet Archive]] copy)
*{{British Comedy Guide|tv|at_last_the_1948_show}}
*{{IMDb title|0061233}}
*[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/559951/index.html British Film Institute Screen Online]


{{Monty Python}}
[[Category:ITV comedy|At Last the 1948 Show]]
{{Graham Chapman}}
[[Category:British television sketch shows|At Last the 1948 Show]]
{{The Goodies}}
[[Category:Satirical television programmes|At Last the 1948 Show]]


[[Category:1960s British television sketch shows]]
[[id:At Last the 1948 Show]]
[[Category:1967 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1967 British television series endings]]
[[Category:Black-and-white British television shows]]
[[Category:ITV sketch shows]]
[[Category:British English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Monty Python]]
[[Category:1960s British satirical television series]]
[[Category:Television shows produced by Associated-Rediffusion]]
[[Category:Rediscovered television]]

Latest revision as of 03:08, 8 November 2024

At Last the 1948 Show
Created by
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series2
No. of episodes13 (2 missing)[1]
Production
Running time25 minutes
Production companyParadine Productions for Rediffusion London
Original release
NetworkITV
Release15 February (1967-02-15) –
7 November 1967 (1967-11-07)
Related
Do Not Adjust Your Set (1967–1969)

At Last the 1948 Show is a satirical television show made by David Frost's company, Paradine Productions (although it was not credited on the programmes), in association with Rediffusion London. Transmitted on Britain's ITV network in 1967, it brought Cambridge Footlights humour to a broader audience.

The show starred and was written by Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, and Marty Feldman. Cleese and Brooke-Taylor were also the programme editors. Aimi MacDonald (usually billed as "the lovely Aimi MacDonald") was the cheerfully ditsy host who introduced the show and also appeared in occasional (and brief) in-show linking segments, but she did not appear in sketches. The director was Ian Fordyce. Chapman and Cleese would later be among the founders of the Monty Python comedy troupe, and several of the sketches first performed in At Last the 1948 Show would later be performed by Monty Python in various formats. Cleese and Chapman's future Python partner Eric Idle appears as a bit part player in a few sketches; similarly, Brooke-Taylor's future Goodies partner Bill Oddie appears in some small roles.

While only two episodes of the show had been thought to survive, efforts to locate missing episodes have been fruitful, with seven episodes being accounted for by 2013. On 23 October 2014, two episodes were recovered by the British Film Institute from the David Frost collection, and a further two episodes were recovered the following year, making the number of complete episodes eleven out of thirteen.[2]

History

[edit]

Frost approached Cleese, Chapman and Brooke-Taylor to star in a sketch series. They suggested Marty Feldman, until then a comedy writer.[3] The series bridged the radio series I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again and television's Monty Python's Flying Circus and The Goodies. It also led to Feldman's television series Marty (which also featured Tim Brooke-Taylor). The convention of comedy scenes interspersed by songs was abandoned. It still used punchlines, which would often be dispensed with in Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Several sketches came from the 1963 Cambridge Footlights Revue entitled Cambridge Circus (the revue was previously entitled A Clump of Plinths), including Graham Chapman's solo routine "One-Man Wrestling". Certain sketches from the show would later be reused in the one-off John Cleese special How to Irritate People ("Freedom of Speech"), as well as the second episode of Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus ("One-Man Wrestling" again – now with play-by-play commentary added by Cleese – and "Hearing Aid Shop"). Further sketches were reprised in the Python stage shows, including the "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch (as featured on Live at Drury Lane, Live at City Center, Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl, and Monty Python Live (Mostly)), "One-Man Wrestling" once again (Drury Lane, City Center, and Hollywood Bowl), "Secret Service" (Drury Lane only), and a few that have never received official release: "Beekeeper," the aforementioned "Hearing Aid Shop," and "Minister Falling to Pieces". The "Beekeeper" sketch was also performed in the Secret Policeman's Ball stage shows, as were "Top of the Form" and "Take Your Clothes Off!". Another, the "Bookshop" sketch, was recorded in modified form for Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album. New versions of "Door to Door Undertaker" and "Memory Training Course" were also recorded during that album's sessions, but not included on the final version (they would, however, end up appearing on the widely bootlegged Hastily Cobbled Together for a Fast Buck album). "Psychiatrist", "Tea Boy on a Mission", and "Grublian Holidays" were also performed again by The Two Ronnies.

Monty Python's catchphrase, "And now for something completely different," parodying a phrase often used on Blue Peter,[4] originated in At Last the 1948 Show, and was originally spoken by Aimi MacDonald.[5]

The shows had no relationship to the year 1948; according to Cleese, the title referred to television executives' tendency to dither extensively over commissioning decisions.[6] Feldman claimed in eyE Marty, his posthumously published autobiography, that he came up with the title, which "meant nothing".[7] The series was video-taped at what was later Fountain Studios, Wembley Park, Wembley.

A total of thirteen 25-minute episodes were made within a year, six in the first series and seven in the second.

Survival of episodes

[edit]

Thames Television discarded the material once they had acquired the Rediffusion London archive, and all but two episodes were destroyed.[8] John Cleese became aware of tapes from two surviving episodes after Feldman's wife left them to him in her will.[9] Five compilation episodes for Swedish television also survived. Much missing material has been recovered in video, and surviving video has been restored by the British Film Institute.[10]

The majority of a previously missing episode (season 2, episode 6, broadcast 31 October 1967) was recovered from a private collector in May 2010.[11][12] On 23 October 2014, the BFI announced film copies of two previously missing episodes – the first and final episodes of the series (broadcast 15 February 1967 and 7 November 1967) – had been recovered from the private collection of the show's executive producer David Frost.[13] A year later, the BFI announced the recovery of another two episodes from a fan's collection, with one of the new recoveries - the third episode of the first series (tx 1 March 1967) – to be screened at the Radio Times Festival at Hampton Court on 25 September 2015.[2]

Out of an original total of 13 episodes, eleven now exist in complete or near-complete form, while two remain incomplete.[2][14] While most surviving episodes are from original tapes or telerecordings, two of the complete episodes have been reconstructed from footage recovered from five compilation tapes returned from Sweden.[15] The two incomplete episodes' surviving footage also comes from these compilations. The complete audio of all 13 episodes exist, recorded off air by several fans.[12]

A 1967 LP release featured sketches taken from the soundtrack of the show's first series, accompanied by a 7" single featuring newly recorded versions of "The Ferret Song" and "The Rhubarb Tart Song". These have since been reissued on CD.

Home media

[edit]

The five Swedish compilation episodes were released on DVD in July 2005 by Tango Entertainment in the US (Region 1)[16] and in January 2007 by Pinnacle Vision in the UK (Region 2).[17] This includes the Four Yorkshiremen sketch, written and performed by Cleese, Chapman, Brooke-Taylor and Marty Feldman.[18] The DVD incorrectly states these as "recently recovered episodes", presents them as episode numbers 1 through 5, in the wrong compilation-series order (the correct order is DVD ep# 4, 3, 1, 5, 2), with no mention on the DVD that the content is in fact a compilation. The episodes on all DVD releases are soft, grainy, and generally low picture quality, even considering the material's age.[19] Eric Idle appears in three of the episodes (2, 4, and 5), but never speaks except for a brief line in the teaser of episode 4.

The DVD was re-released in May 2012 by One Media iP, a digital-only (streaming media format) label (no physical DVD) based in the UK, available for free on their OMP YouTube channel. This release has the compilation episodes in the same (mis-)order, and includes the 2 bonus interview tracks from the original DVD as well. They describe the episodes as compilations, but their description of what original episodes they are taken from is wrong (one episode claims the excerpts are all from series 1 when in fact they are all from series 2).

In October 2015, One Media iP acquired the rights to three original full episodes that had recently been discovered, and released them on their YouTube channel as well. They are the two episodes discovered in David Frost's archives, ep. #1.1 and #2.7, and the episode discovered in a fan collection and screened in 2015, ep. #1.3. The three episodes are presented in the wrong aspect ratio: the picture is squeezed horizontally to a ratio of 1:1 square.

In recent years, some of the other surviving, original full episodes have been uploaded on YouTube and other video-sharing websites. All of these have since been removed, and new uploads continue to be removed, due to claimed copyright restrictions and new YouTube rules, as well as internet policing by One Media iP. The five compilation episodes (in the same mis-order) plus the three original full episodes released by One Media iP are still available for free on YouTube, on the free streaming service Tubi, and on Amazon Prime, the subscription streaming provider. On Tubi and Amazon Prime, the three original episodes are numbered 6 through 8 in order of broadcast: ep. #1.1, 1.3, and 2.7 respectively. On these latter two providers, the squeezed 1:1 aspect ratio of episode #7 (1.3) is corrected.

The British Film Institute released a comprehensive three-DVD set of the surviving material on 16 September 2019, including audio-only portions for all missing segments.[20]

As of July 2020, the BritBox streaming service has the thirteen episodes available for viewing.[21]

Guest stars

[edit]
  • Barry Cryer as director in Chartered Accountants and Gorilla / first person to sit in Thief in Library / Nigerian guide & Eskimo guide in Studio Tour / Feldman in Scottish Opera / deerstalker hat detective in Detective Sketch / Wine waiter in Four Yorkshiremen / miscellaneous voice-over announcements
  • Bill Oddie as depressed patient/Kowalski in Detective Sketch
  • Christine Rodgers as Mrs. Lotterby / waving co-host / Susan / opera-host / introduces self in "I'm The Loveliest" show intro
  • Eric Idle as Librarian in Thief in Library / Beethoven patient / waiter / elevator operator in Detective Sketch / end of row opera patron in Scottish Opera
  • Jo Kendall as Mary in John and Mary in Malaya / Sara Mellish in Studio Tour
  • Mary Maude as Lady in bath / introduces self in "I'm The Loveliest" show intro
  • Dick Vosburgh as director in Studio Tour / bearded front row patron in Scottish Opera
  • Antony Jay as stage manager in Studio Tour
  • Frank Muir as Jordanian entourage member in Studio Tour
  • Denis Norden as Jordanian entourage member in Studio Tour
  • Ronnie Corbett as wrestling stage hand in Studio Tour
  • Frances Dean as accented opera-host / introduces self in "I'm The Loveliest" show intro
  • Karin Feddersen as Long haired brunette patron in Scottish Opera
  • Jacqueline Rochelle as magic amulet opera-host
  • Penny Brahms introduces self in "I'm The Loveliest" show intro
  • Joan Crane as receptionist in Spiv Doctor / introduces self in "I'm The Loveliest" show intro
  • Vicki Murden
  • Anne Lewington
  • Natalie Shaw
  • Jenny Walton
  • Patricia Franklin
  • Dick Holmes

List of episodes

[edit]

Not all ITV regions screened the series, and those that did so on different transmission dates and times, with the series beginning and ending at different times of the year. Unless stated otherwise, the dates below reflect the transmission dates of the series in the London ITV region - Rediffusion's ITV franchise.

Audio recordings exist for all 13 episodes, with only a very few missing segments. These have been used to reconstruct the order of sketches in complete episodes.

Series 1

[edit]

Series 1 was not shown in the Granada region.

Episode Original air date Sketches Archival status
Series 1, Episode 1 15 February 1967 (ITV) Opening: Leave Tim Alone - Doctor Sketch (Man with Skinny Legs) - Witch (Restaurant Quickie) - Self-Wrestling (One-Man Wrestling) - Secret Service Chief Interview (Hit by Balls) - There's a Man in my Soup (Fly Noises) -Treasure Trove - Public Opinion (Vox Pop) Complete except missing end credits; recovered in 2014[13]
Series 1, Episode 2 22 February 1967 (ITV) Opening: John in Bath - Foggy Spain Link - The Four Sydney Lotterbys - Lucky Gypsy Clothes Pegs - Judge Not Incomplete; only first 5:45 of video footage and about a minute of 'Judge Not' exists from compilations. Full audio is available commercially.
Series 1, Episode 3 1 March 1967 (ITV) Opening: Flying into New York - Bookshop - Visitors for the Use of... - Job Description (Do You Match This Description?) - Sheepdog Trials - Sleep Starvation - Mice Laugh Softly, Charlotte (Captured Spy) Complete; recovered in 2015[2]
Series 1, Episode 4 8 March 1967 (ITV) Someone Has Stolen the News - Grublian Holidays (Grublia Tourist Office) - Jack the Ripper Song - Memory Training Course (Word Association) - One Man Battalion - Ministerial Breakdown (Minister Who Falls to Pieces) - Engine Driver Spriggs - Plain Clothes Police(wo)men (Undercover Policemen) Complete; kinescope recovered in 1994
Series 1, Episode 5 15 March 1967 (ITV) Rural Farm (Gentleman Farmer Dialect) - The Wonderful World of the Ant - Judo - John and Mary in Malaya - Top of the Form Complete; kinescope recovered in 2003
Series 1, Episode 6 22 March 1967 (ITV) Opening: Six Girls and Exhibit A - Televisione Italiano Presenta: Let's Speak-a English - Headmaster - Raid on a Crinolene Frock (The Siege in the Frock) - Real Life Drama (Choristers Repetition) - Chinese Restaurant - Beekeeping - The Ferret Song Complete; kinescope

Series 2

[edit]

In the Granada region, each episode was shown three days after the dates specified below at 10.30 in the evening.

Episode Original air date Sketches Archival status
Series 2, Episode 1 26 September 1967 (ITV) Spiv Doctor (Doctor Trying to Sell Things) - Reptile Keeper Swallowed by Snake - Thief Hiding in Public Library - Joke Shop - Come Dancing Incomplete; 18:30 of video footage exists from compilations; missing Joke Shop and some of the links
Series 2, Episode 2 3 October 1967 (ITV) Opening: Bringing New Meaning to the Word Yech - Shirt Shop - The Nosmo Claphanger Show (Game Show) - Insurance for an Accident Prone Man - Take Your Clothes Off! - Rowdy Scottish Ballet Supporters (Thuggish Ballet) Complete; kinescope from an almost complete compilation episode, except Clothes Off kinescope recovered from ABC Australia.
Series 2, Episode 3 10 October 1967 (ITV) Opening: The Story So Far - Pessimistic Customer (Only Buying One Shoe) - Meek Bouncer - Men's Club (Old Men Dying in Club) - Look at Science (Insecure Neurotic Scientist) - Sydney Lotterby Craves the Test Score - Shop for the Sight and Sound Impaired (Hearing Aid & Contact Lens Shop) Complete except missing end credits; kinescope recovered 1994
Series 2, Episode 4 17 October 1967 (ITV) Discussion on Pornography - Teach Yourself a Foreign Language Record - Door to Door Undertaker - Uncooperative Burglars - Topic: Freedom of Speech - Programme Announcement (Repeats Report) - Studio Tour (Tour Through a Live Programme) Complete; recovered in 2015[2]
Series 2, Episode 5 24 October 1967 (ITV) Opening: Reluctant Choir (Choir Won't Sing Hymns) - Psychiatrist - Deadly Architectural Model (Edible Town Square Model) - Secret Service Cleaner - Footballer on Trial (Reprimanded Soccer Player) - The Pretty Way (Western Quickie) - Misunderstood magazine programme Complete except missing end credits; recovered 2003
Series 2, Episode 6 31 October 1967 (ITV) Police Banquet - Sydney Lotterbys Renewed Acquaintance (Return of the Sydney Lotterbys) - The Chartered Accountant Dance - MI5 Banquet - Dentistry with a Difference - The Four Yorkshiremen Complete; recovered in 2010[11]
Series 2, Episode 7 7 November 1967 (ITV) Current Affairs Programme - Railway Carriage (Train Travelling Pest) - Pet Shop (The Pathos of Pet Shops) - The Rhubarb Tart Song Complete except missing Rhubarb Tart Song; recovered in 2014[13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "At Last The 1948 Show episodes rediscovered". British Comedy Guide. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e "BFI announces re-discovery of pre-python classic TV series At Last the 1948 Show". British Film Institute. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  3. ^ Roger Wilmut From Fringe to Flying Circus: Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960–1980, London: Eyre Methuen, 1980, ISBN 0-413-46950-6.
  4. ^ "Now something different - which was made earlier". TheGuardian.com. 7 October 2005.
  5. ^ "Missing episodes of Monty Python precursor At Last the 1948 Show found", The Guardian, 16 September 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  6. ^ Wilmut, Roger (1980). From Fringe to Flying Circus: Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960–1980. Eyre Methuen. p. 144.
  7. ^ Feldman, Marty (2016). eyE Marty: The Official Autobiography of Marty Feldman. Rare Bird Books. p. 116.
  8. ^ "Pythonet - 1948 Show". Archived from the original on 19 August 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Unbound: John Cleese in conversation with John Hodgman". youtube. BAMorg. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  10. ^ "And now for something completely similar - the original Monty Python". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  11. ^ a b Bennett, Steve. "'Lost' comedy archives unearthed : News 2010 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  12. ^ a b "AT LAST THE 1948 SHOW". Missing Episodes. 25 July 2008. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  13. ^ a b c Pre-Monty Python TV comedy episodes rediscovered, bbc.co.uk, 23 October 2014
  14. ^ "TVBrain | Kaleidoscope | Lost shows | TV Archive | TV History". www.tvbrain.info. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  15. ^ "At Last the 1948 Show". Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. ^ Amazon.com
  17. ^ Amazon.co.uk
  18. ^ "Tim Brooke-Taylor interview". Radiohaha.typepad.com. 3 June 2006. Archived from the original on 29 May 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
  19. ^ "At Last the 1948 Show". DVD Talk. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  20. ^ At Last the 1948 Show. British Film Institute. 2019. BFIV2121. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  21. ^ "BritBox". www.britbox.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
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