Yahoo News The Complete and Utter History of Britain: What is it and why is it hitting headlines?
An old comedy from Terry Jones and Michael Palin has been rediscovered by ITV
A rediscovered comedy gem has caused much excitement this week for Monty Python fans — but what is the series, and why is it hitting headlines 54 years on from it first airing?
The comedy in question is The Complete and Utter History of Britain, written by Terry Jones and Michael Palin, and thought to have been lost.
Here's everything you need to know about why its rediscovery is so significant.
What is The Complete and Utter History of Britain?
Before there was Monty Python's Flying Circus, there was The Complete and Utter History of Britain.
The pre-Python series aired in January and February 1969 and was created by Terry Jones and Michael Palin who went on to form the Monty Python troupe after the show's success.
Its much more famous successor, Monty Python's Flying Circus, debuted in October that year, changing the face of UK comedy.
The comedy was filmed in seven parts but edited together to air in six episodes on London Weekend Television and was made as a mockumentary of key periods in British history, including a chat show hosted by Samuel Pepys and Julius Caesar's home videos.
Why is The Complete and Utter History of Britain in the news?
For decades, it was thought that only two full episodes of the series and small parts of the other four had survived in archives.
But now, the entire series has been rediscovered thanks to a labelling error at ITV which was uncovered during a project to identify all of the broadcaster's assets.
According to The British Comedy Guide, ITV said: "It was found by the ITV Archive team as part of a huge project to fully identify every archive asset ITV holds.
"The series had been sitting in the ITV vaults though mis-catalogued for decades, but through the identification programme we were able to make this remarkable find.
"We flagged it to our colleagues in streaming, had the film cleaned and restored from the 16mm telerecordings and then finally made available to our viewers for the first time since the original broadcasts."
How can I watch it?
The great news is that the entire series of The Complete and Utter History of Britain is now finally available to watch in full.
It is sure to be of huge interest to Monty Python fans and offers an insight into British comedy history.
You can watch the full series on streaming service ITVX Premium.
