Campaign to save Yorkshire archives behind comedy legends such as Steptoe and Son and Hancock’s Half Hour
A campaign is launched in Yorkshire to save the influential archives of the very comedy duo who are credited with inventing the British sitcom.
Script writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson are known for classics such as Steptoe and Son and Hancock’s Half Hour.
Now the University of York is in a final push to save their treasured archive for the nation, with early drafts, unmade films, and scripts unseen for 60 years.
Part of the collection has already been secured with donated funds but the university needs to raise a final £30,000 to ensure it isn't sold into private hands.
Gary Brannan is keeper of the archives and research collections at the Borthwick Institute for Archives.
He said: “Galton and Simpson invented modern British comedy as we know it, with their wit and humour leaving a profound and lasting imprint on the shows we watch today. Writing in the early 50s they would empty pubs as people rushed home to watch their shows. Real-world or situation comedy simply didn’t exist before them.”
Galton and Simpson first crossed paths as teenagers in 1948 while recovering in hospital from TB. They began writing and performing scripts for the hospital radio before submitting to the BBC.
Now they are widely recognised among the most influential figures in the history of British comedy, with the archive containing some of its biggest moments.
Among treasures at risk is the script for Hancock’s The Blood Donor, which remains one of the best-known sitcom episodes ever.
If teams are successful in raising the final £30,000, the archive will become the biggest philanthropically funded acquisition in the university’s history.
Tessa le Bars, on behalf of the Galton and Simpson estates, said it was "fantastic" to see the end goal for the campaign within touching distance, in what would be an "historic moment" for comedy in saving the collection.
"It will provide an invaluable record of their life and works from the moment they first met at Milford Sanatorium and used their enjoyment of American radio shows to prompt them into writing their own material and start a journey that saw them develop into the Godfathers of British Sitcom," she said.
Ms le Bars worked with the comedy duo for 50 years, from office junior to business manager.
“Ray and Alan would be delighted that their legacy will be secured to provide valuable materials to inspire future generations of scriptwriters, and for fans to enjoy.”
Mr Brannan added: “It would be a huge privilege to secure the complete Galton and Simpson’s archive at York for everyone in the city to use and enjoy. Alongside other archives in our care, this collection is a huge new source for research into comedy and what makes us laugh.
“Any help that fans of the lads can provide with our fundraising would be hugely appreciated - our generous donors have helped us enormously, and we don’t have any dedicated funding we can use. Every little helps to save this for the nation.”
To donate search galtonandsimpson on hubbub.net.