Dear Radio Times,
I write regarding your 11/5/14 broadcast “The Comedy Vault BBC’2’s Hidden Treasure”.
During the programme there was a simulation of a menu that featured various rare programmes from the vault – some of which were shown during the show.
During the programme i noticed “The Innes book of Records” in the menu simulated on the show. I waited with extreme excitement to see some clips and memories on one of the finest comedy and dramatic musical series’s ever produced only to find it was not even featured! I guess the fact it was on the list is a grain of sand of hope but to be honest had this lost masterpiece been featured then it would have been head and shoulders above the majority of the content and is up there with the greats. Neil Innes is a fantastic artist and deserves more recognition!
How disappointing that this show was not featured and even worse that the three wonderful series’s made between 1979 and 1982 have never been repeated and can only be obtained as grainy bootlegs these days or from YouTube glimpses – despite this they more than live up to my childhood recollections of beautiful comic tragedy expressed in fabulous short films partnered with Ray Davies level irony.
Ben Manning
Somerset
Ben Manning's Music + Arts 