A long-lost comedy sketch starring British television legends John Cleese and Ronnie Barker, written by future Monty Python collaborators Terry Jones and Michael Palin, has been rediscovered by film preservationists.

The sketch, titled "The Bank Manager," was broadcast in April 1967 as part of "The Frost Report," a satirical British television series hosted by David Frost. It is believed to have been lost from the BBC Archives for nearly six decades.

Still from the recovered BBC sketch "The Bank Manager," showing Ronnie Barker surrounded by women in veils while John Cleese sits at a desk.

The English film archivist group Film is Fabulous! recently found a copy of the sketch on a 16mm reel containing a collection of comedy clips assembled by a former BBC film editor. The sketch satirized the attitudes of banks toward customers seeking overdrafts.

"The Frost Report" was known for its sharp political and social commentary. By its second season, the show was targeting institutions such as banks and the judiciary, as well as prominent political figures of the era, including then-Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Conservative Party leader Edward Heath.

Much of the second season of "The Frost Report" is considered lost media, a result of the BBC's former policy of wiping broadcast programs to save costs. While audio recordings for all episodes exist, visual records are scarce.

Still of John Cleese from the recovered BBC Archives sketch "The Bank Manager."

The BBC has received a digital scan of the rediscovered footage. Film is Fabulous! is set to return the original 16mm film, along with other unearthed archival material, at the end of September.

This discovery follows Film is Fabulous!'s recent finding of a lost sketch featuring comedian Marty Feldman, which dated back to a 1968 BBC program.