The South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA) is the regional film archive for the South West of England. Established in 1993, SWFTA's core collection comprises of the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and TSW (Television South West). The archive also cares for a significant number of donated film collections, both amateur and professional, dating back to the early 1900s.
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Charlie Drake tees off
Drake muses on why he carries two pairs of trousers - just in case he has a hole in one.
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Overview
Small with curly red hair and a high-pitched voice Charlie Drake is a comedian known for slapstick. From 1958 to 1968 he hosted The Charlie Drake Show always opening with the catchphrase Hello my darlings! In 1961 he suffered a serious accident during a live show for a slapstick routine that went wrong and spent several months in hospital. The same year he accepted the TV Comedian of the Year but only returned to his sketch show in 1963.
The World of Charlie Drake won the 1968 Montreux Festival. The mimed observational comedy features an orchestra performing Tchaikovsky's Overture 1812, in which Drake plays all the instruments. According to LostShows.com the complete episode is missing. He had a hit song with My Boomerang Won't Come Back (1961) produced by George Martin and the lyrics were changed but the unedited version was banned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2015 for not being politically correct with inaccuracies regarding Aboriginal Australians. Drake starred in four films but is best remembered for co-writing and performing in the sitcom The Worker (1965- 1970) about a man who is constantly seeking work.
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