''Arthur's Treasured Volumes'' was a

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

British

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

that aired on ITV in 1960. Starring

Arthur Askey Arthur Bowden Askey, (6 June 1900 – 16 November 1982) was an English comedian and actor. Askey was known for his short stature (5' 2", 1.58 m) and distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, and his playful humour incorporating improvisation ...

, it was written by Dave Freeman and was made for the ITV network by ATV. All six episodes were missing having been presumed

wiped Lost television broadcasts are mostly those early television programs which cannot be accounted for in studio archives (or in personal archives) usually because of deliberate destruction or neglect. Common reasons for loss A significant prop ...

during the 1960s, until part of the first episode "A Blow In Anger" was recovered by Paul Stroud and shown at the National Film Theatre in November 2003. The remaining episodes were re-discovered in ITV's archive by a researcher from archive television organisation Kaleidoscope in December 2019.

Cast

- Various *

Anthea Askey Anthea Shirley Askey (2 March 1933 – 28 February 1999) was an English actress, particularly prominent on television in the 1950s. Anthea Askey was born in Golders Green, north London, to the comedian and actor Arthur Askey, and his wife Elizab ...

- Herself/Narrator *

Sam Kydd Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British-Irish actor. His best-known roles were in two major British television series of the 1960s, as the smuggler Orlando O'Connor in '' Crane'' and its sequel ''Orlando''. He als ...

- Various *

Arthur Mullard Arthur Ernest Mullard (né Mullord; 19 September 1910His obituary in ''The Times'' gives his date of birth as 10 November 1910 but conflicts with the birthdate given in his death registration. His year of birth appears as 1908, 1910, 1912 and 1 ...

- Various *

Roger Avon Roger Avon (23 November 1914 – 21 December 1998) was an English stage, film and television actor born in Jarrow, County Durham. Some of his television appearances include ''Hancock's Half Hour'', ''Dad's Army'', ''When the Boat Comes In'', ...

- Various *

Tony Sampson Tony Sampson (born August 17, 1977) is a Canadian musician, oiler and retired actor. From 1999 to 2009, he voiced Eddy in the Cartoon Network animated series ''Ed, Edd n Eddy''. Biography Tony Sampson was born on August 17, 1977 in Vancouver ...

- Various *

Paddi Edwards Paddi Edwards (December 9, 1931 – October 18, 1999) was a British-American actress. She worked steadily in film and television. Career She found a niche in television movies, and toward the end of her life, doing voice work in projects fo ...

- Various *Billy Tasker - Various * Barbara Mitchell - Various *

Wilfrid Brambell Henry Wilfrid Brambell (22 March 1912 – 18 January 1985) was an Irish television and film actor, best remembered for playing the grubby rag-and-bone man Albert Steptoe alongside Harry H. Corbett in the long-running BBC television sitcom '' ...

- Various *

Patrick Newell Patrick David Newell (27 March 1932 – 22 July 1988) was a British actor, known for his large size. Early life and education The second son of Eric Llewellyn Newell, of High Lodge, Hadleigh, Suffolk, an Oxford-educated physician who served ...

- Various *

June Whitfield Dame June Rosemary Whitfield (11 November 1925 – 29 December 2018) was an English radio, television, and film actress. Her big break was a lead in the radio comedy '' Take It from Here'', which aired on the BBC Light Programme in 1953. ...

- Enid Brown * Janet Davies - Miss Tiddy * David Garth - Hamlet

Plot

''Arthur's Treasured Volumes'' was a series of one-episode sitcoms. At the beginning of each episode, Anthea Askey, Arthur's daughter, takes down a book from a shelf and the story begins. All the 'books' are in fact scripts written by Dave Freeman. In each episode, Arthur Askey, Sam Kydd and Arthur Mullard play different roles. Amongst those who made guest appearances were

and

Geoffrey Palmer Geoffrey Palmer may refer to: Politicians * Sir Geoffrey Palmer, 1st Baronet (1598–1670), English lawyer and politician *Sir Geoffrey Palmer, 3rd Baronet (1655–1732), English politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicestershire *Geoffrey Pa ...

Episodes

#"A Blow In Anger" (2 May 1960) #"The History of Mr Lacey" (9 May 1960) #"The Command Performer" (16 May 1960) #"Pilbeam of Twickenham" (23 May 1960) #"A Slight Case of Deception" (30 May 1960) #"The Curse of the Bellfoots" (6 June 1960)

References

Mark Lewisohn Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps.

, "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy", BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2003
British TV Comedy Guide for ''Arthur's Treasured Volumes''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arthurs Treasured Volumes 1960 British television series debuts 1960 British television series endings 1960s British sitcoms ITV sitcoms