Comedy legends’ archive saved for the nation following record-breaking campaign

Posted on Friday 12 December 2025

The University has finalised the acquisition of the archive by raising £30,000 in a successful fundraising appeal, preventing the collection from being split up and sold into private hands.

The success marks the largest, wholly philanthropically funded archive acquisition in the University’s history. Funding was generously given by the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund alongside well over a hundred individual online donors who contributed to a public crowdfunding campaign.

Original scripts

The final push of fundraising was specifically dedicated to securing the original scripts for Tony Hancock’s last series with Ray and Alan - 1961’s ‘Hancock’. These include rare drafts of some of the most loved shows, famously unrecorded moments and the script for ‘The Blood Donor’.

The full archive also features unmade films for Tony Hancock, Harold Steptoe’s scarf from Steptoe and Son and scripts for shows unseen for over 60 years.

National identity

Gary Brannan, Keeper of Archives and Research Collections at the Borthwick Institute for Archives, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to get this over the line. Galton and Simpson didn't just write jokes. They helped shape our national identity and defined an entire genre.

"These documents represent some of the most culturally important writings in the English language. To see the drafts where they honed their craft is to witness the birth of modern British comedy.

"It is a huge privilege to secure this archive at York for everyone to use and enjoy. Our generous donors have helped us enormously, and we simply couldn’t have done it without them."

The collection joins the University’s existing archives on British comedy legends including Frankie Howerd, Ernest Maxin and Eric Morecambe, and the newly-acquired archive of writer Johnny Speight, cementing York’s ambition to create a nationally significant archive of British popular entertainment.