This July, BBC Comedy is celebrating 60 years of the TV sitcom, from Hancock and Steptoe & Son to Only Fools & Horses, Absolutely Fabulous and Miranda… there’s definitely something for everyone here!
As part of the celebrations the BBC’s photo library has selected never publicly displayed photographs for an exhibition at Compton Verney in Warwickshire. BBC Faces of Comedy has been curated by Steven Parissien, director of Compton Verney, Paul Merton and Citizen Khan’s Adil Ray.
Steven said of the curation process: “We were keen not to have promotional pictures, we are trying to get behind the veneer of the posed publicity shot.” The photos capture some of our greatest comedians at work and behind the scenes – featuring a picture of Frankie Howerd catching 40 winks during a script meeting and Miranda Hart joking with the film crew.
The controller of BBC comedy commissioning Shane Allen said: “We wanted to reflect our audience’s enduring love of these iconic comedy shows and performers with this new exhibition. It’s a fabulous photographic roll-call of the comedy and sitcom greats post-war.”
BBC Faces of Comedy will be on display from Saturday 9th July – Sunday 2nd October. For more information click here!
