Spike Milligan: The Unseen Archive

In this documentary, we delve into a treasure trove of recently unearthed archive to tell a brand-new story of Spike Milligan.

Film, scripts, letters, objects, photographs, recordings, art – they all come together to paint a portrait of a comic genius. But one plagued by crippling mental illness, insecurity, and an enduring lifetime struggle to reinvent what comedy could be. The archive takes us on a surreal and revelatory journey into Spike Milligan’s brain.

Key pieces of archive are jumping off points to explore a part of his character or specific chapter in his life. These range from unpublished plays and campaigning letters;  home movies of sunny afternoons in the paddling pool; through to a simple annotated envelope that read: I went into the now overgrown garden in 127 Holden Rd. I found this little toy… I broke down and cried. I feel I wanted those yesterdays with the children to come back.

Contributors include: Joanna Lumley, Ian Hislop, Al Murry, Eddie Izzard & Sarfraz Manzoor. The film was directed by Sebastian Barfield, with animations created by Joe Magee.

Read the behind the scenes story of how the team grappled with thousands of hours of archive here: https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/behind-the-scenes/spike-milligan-the-unseen-archive-sky-arts/5177211.article