About this episode
The episode discusses the rediscovery of a lost Morecambe and Wise Show episode and its implications for comedy and cultural memory.
Something quietly marvellous has happened. A lost episode of the Morecambe and Wise Show has turned up, not with trumpets exactly, more like a slightly dusty miracle pulled from a cupboard somewhere, and it has done what very few things manage now. It has made people genuinely pleased. Not outraged, not divided, just pleased, which is almost suspicious in itself. This rediscovered piece of classic British comedy has stirred up a wider conversation about whether we still make things like this, or whether we mostly remember them and sigh. And into that gentle cultural moment steps Arts Council England , now considering increased investment in comedy. Yes, comedy. Funded. Which sounds either like a very good idea or the beginning of something unintentionally hilarious. The facts are straightforward enough. The episode was long thought lost, another casualty of archival neglect or, perhaps more accurately, the old habit of taping over things that would later turn out to matter rather a lot. Its recovery highlights both the fragility and the stubborn endurance of cultural memory. Meanwhile, Arts Council England already supports aspects of live and written comedy, but there is talk…
People in this episode
Hosts: Mark, Pete
Topics covered
- comedy
- cultural memory
- investment in arts
- British television
- archival recovery
Keywords
- comedy
- Arts Council England
- Morecambe and Wise
- cultural investment
- television history
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Arts Council England
Books & works: Morecambe and Wise Show
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