That’s TV has announced that it is set to broadcast four episodes of classic sitcom Till Death Us Do Part that have not been seen on British TV for more than 50 years.
The channel – which specialises in classic TV – will be showing reruns of the sitcom as part of its upcoming Alf Garnett season, which will begin on Sunday 4th September 2022 at 9pm.
In total, it will be broadcasting 80 episodes of Till Death Us Do Part and its successor In Sickness and in Health, but it’s the four ‘lost’ episodes which will be particularly enticing for viewers.
The four episodes are titled Intolerance (season 1 episode 4), In Sickness and in Health (season 2 episode 8), State Visit (season 2 episode 9) and The Phone (season 3 episode 1) and will all be shown in early September.
They each went missing from the archives in the late ’60s, along with most other early episodes of the sitcom, but have since been rediscovered by technicians and film collectors.
The series originally ran for seven seasons on BBC One between 1965 and 1975, with In Sickness and in Health then airing for a further six runs from 1985 to 992.
It was previously described by Prince Philip as the Queen’s favourite TV programme, and follows the exploits of Alf Garnett – who was described by actor Warren Mitchell as “an ignorant, loud-mouthed, stupid pig of a man. A know-all. Nasty, repulsive.”
It shows Alf constantly squabbling with his wife Else (by Dandy Nichols), daughter Rita (Una Stubbs) and son-in-law Mike (Anthony Booth), with producer Dennis Main Wilson explaining in 1973 that the “intention was to hold a mirror up to the world”.
“Let it see itself – warts and all,” he added. “With his loud-mouthed bigotries, he was to be the anti-hero. He was to be laughed at – not with.”
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Kris Vaiksalu, the Head of Programming at That’s TV, explained: “At a time of great social change, Till Death Us Do Part set out to challenge ignorance and prejudice and in doing so became one of the most popular sitcoms in British history. Alf Garnett’s antics provided compulsive viewing for four decades and That’s TV is excited to have secured the rights to show every season of the show this autumn.
“Whilst only a small number of the episodes from the 1960s still exist, they represent an extraordinary social commentary of the time. These episodes have a special place in television history and are of wider historic significance, with Alf Garnett rallying against the changing attitudes of the 1960s.”
Meanwhile, Connie Speight – the widow of the show’s creator Johnny Speight – said that it was “wonderful news that That’s TV will be showing these ‘lost’ episodes of Till Death Us Do Part from the 1960s”.
“Discovering these lost episodes from the 1960s is like finding a time capsule,” added Speight’s daughter Samantha. “It should not just be academics that get to see TV shows from the last century and discuss their impact.
“There is something special about watching episodes which have not been broadcast for so long. My children, Sophia and William, and I are looking forward to watching the shows on That’s TV and reliving a piece of history.”
That’s TV broadcasts on Freeview channel 65, Sky channel 183 and Freesat channel 178, and will start showing the surviving episodes of Till Death Us Do Part from this Sunday at 9pm. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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