Out of the Trees
From Freepedia
There is little known about this blink-and-you-missed-it one-episode television show written by Graham Chapman, Douglas Adams and Bernard McKenna apart from the following: the concept of the show was, according to Chapman, to follow the exploits of two modern-day linguists who would travel around a Britain gripped in rapid decline. The linguists would comment upon the origins of a word or phrase, which would then be the genesis of a sketch. Although two scripts were written (the second a Chapman and David Yallop collaboration), only one episode was ever filmed. It was broadcast only once by the BBC (The Chapman, Adams, McKenna script). "Out of the Trees" wasn't so much badly-received as it was underpromoted and so unseen, being shown late on a Saturday night when its core audience was most likely out on the town. In the late 1970s, the BBC wiped the video segments of the tape (a cost-saving procedure, not a critical comment upon the show), however the filmed sections were retained, and are all that remain of the show. The filmed sections comprise one sketch "Severance of a Peony" and some inserts intended for a sketch about Attila the Hun. The former has been included on the DVD for the 1981 Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Rumors that a complete tape of the show had been discovered are, as of this writing, still only a rumor. A reel-to-reel tape has been found but its contents, or its quality, is unsure.
Sources: The Graham Chapman Estate
