Comedy Playhouse

[Simon Smith]

How much Comedy Playhouse is archived? And what plans (if any) are there to release it on vid or DVD?

[Deleted]

Very patchy survival rate, sadly. A sprinkling of episodes across the years. As far as I know, there are no current plans to release the episodes as a generic set although a few episodes will find their way onto the releases of respective series that began as CP pilots (e.g. All Gas & Gaiters, Up Pompeii etc.)

[RWels]

For Up Pompeii that has already happened, yes.

[Terry Rogers]

Comparing these two lists:
www.lostshows.com/default.aspx?programme=ff3578ef-0c2a-482a-8c42-e2b95992bc96
www.imdb.com/title/tt0861749/episodes

Suggests that the following episodes survive:

From the first 2 series, all written by Galton & Simpson:
05/01/1962: The Offer [Pilot for "Steptoe & Son"]
01/03/1963: Our Man in Moscow
08/03/1963: And Here, All the Way From...
29/03/1963: Impasse
05/04/1963: A Clerical Error
12/04/1963: The Handyman

From the rest of the run (series 3 onwards):
28/12/1963: The Bed [Pilot for "Meet the Wife"]
03/01/1964: The Mate Market
17/05/1966: The Bishop Rides Again [Pilot for "All Gas And Gaiters"]
30/06/1967: The Old Campaigner
07/06/1968: B-and-B
17/09/1969: Up Pompeii! [Pilot]
25/03/1970: Last Tribute (16mm)
28/01/1972: Born Every Minute
27/03/1972: The Dirtiest Soldier in the World
30/08/1972: No Peace on the Western Front
07/09/1972: Weren't You Marcia Honeywell?
08/09/1972: Are You Being Served? (16mm) [Pilot]
04/01/1973: Of Funerals and Fish [Pilot for "Last of the Summer Wine"]
11/01/1973: The Rescue (16mm)
18/01/1973: Elementary My Dear Watson
25/01/1973: The Birthday
08/02/1973: Home from Home (16mm)
16/01/1974: No Strings
07/05/1974: Happy Ever After [Pilot]
21/05/1974: The Big Job [Pilot for "Mr. Big"]
25/06/1974: Pygmalion Smith
09/07/1975: Going, Going, Gone... Free?

[Andy Howells]

I believe the pilot for All Gas and Gaiters has been released on a collection of surviving episodes, I saw this myself at a showing at the BFI when the Beeb recovered the missing Dad's Army episodes some years back and enjoyed it immensely.

I'm also certain Are You Been Served has also been released (Sure that one turned up as a newspaper freebie).

Would love to see Born Every Minute, I think that has just been mentioned on the Kaleidiscope thread as not only does it feature Juliet Harmer but the pairing of James Beck and Ronald Fraser.

A DVD release of these shows would certainly be a welcome addition to many collewctions I'm sure.

Does Marry The Girls featuring John Le Mesurier survive?

[Peter Elliott]

Yes, the pilots of "Steptoe", "All Gas", "Up Pompeii", "Are You Being Served" and "Last Of The Summer Wine" have all appeared on DVD.