This article has been edited from the original version to include details on where the episode came from.
Talking Pictures TV is to air a newly discovered episode of the BBC’s Dixon of Dock Green. The channel has been airing existing episodes of the police procedural drama since January 2024.
Dixon of Dock Green originally ran for 432 episodes over 22 series between 1955 and 1976 on the BBC. It features Jack Warner as PC George Dixon. Due to the show either being broadcast live or the BBC’s tape wiping policy, only 32 episodes existed until this discovery. The character of Dixon first appeared in the 1950 film The Blue Lamp, directed by Basil Dearden.
The newly discovered episode, Duffy Calls the Tune, was originally broadcast as part of the fifth series in 1959. It was written by Ted Willis.
Music lover, Duffy Clayton winds up in a spot of trouble when his crooked friend
Synopsis from Talking Pictures
decides to involve himself in some dodgy business. Can PC Dixon and the team
help their old friend?
EDIT: Steve Roberts, Principal Operations Engineer for BBC Archives, has informed us of where the episode came from. “This episode was recently loaned to BBC Archives by a film collector. Once it had been scanned, we contacted TPTV as we were aware they were screening all extant episodes to let them know there was an additional one they could show”.
Steve continues; “The film was one of three missing BBC programmes loaned to us by a private collector with whom we have had a relationship with for a number of years, via an intermediary that has been responsible for negotiating the return of a number of missing BBC films in the past”. Thanks to Steve for providing further context.
This isn’t the first time Talking Pictures TV has aired rare or missing material. The Footage Detectives hosted by Mike Read and Noel Cronin, regularly show pieces of cultural history through rare films. They have also broadcast previously missing episodes of shows including Runaround and No Hiding Place.
Duffy Calls the Tune will air on Talking Pictures TV on Saturday the 30th of March at 7:20pm. Please see the channel schedule for more information.
Talking Pictures TV is available free-to-air on Freeview and Freesat in the UK. Its channel allocation is 82 for Freeview and 306 for Freesat. It is also available on subscription platforms, channel 328 on Sky Digital and 445 on Virgin. The channel is dedicated to vintage film and television, often highlighting forgotten treasures and classics.
