Channel 4 announces The Unseen Frankie Howerd

Twenty years after his death, never-before-seen footage of Frankie Howerd will be revealed in a new documentary for Channel 4.  Alongside the clips from classic shows the programme will unveil professional and personal archive film and audio that has never been broadcast - from pilots, to home movie footage, to unseen material from his live stand up show. In addition, the film will lift the lid on his vast collection of personal correspondence. From Sir Laurence Olivier to Howerd's many fans, everyone wrote to Frankie - and Frankie always took the time to write back.

A range of contributors have been interviewed for the 90-minute doc, including some of the comedian's most famous fans as well as the people who were closest to him, such as his former agent and collaborators.

The Unseen Frankie Howered will air late 2012.

Gogglebox Entertainment's joint Managing Director Mat Steiner said: "Frankie was a pioneer who cleared a path for some of today's biggest comedians. His career was a roller coaster over four decades and yet he never managed to go out of fashion."

The Unseen Frankie Howerd is being made by Gogglebox Entertainment and has been commissioned by Channel 4 Head of Comedy Shane Allen. The Unseen Frankie Howerd is being produced and directed by Andy Humphries, who has previously directed The Untold Tommy Cooper, The Secret Life of Bob Monkhouse, Being Ronnie Corbett and Not Again - Not The Nine O'clock News. Executive Producer is Mat Steiner (Gogglebox Entertainment).