At Last the 1948 Show (Series 1 episode 1)

The very first show, featuring the debut delivery of the immortal linking line: ‘And now for something completely different...'

The very first show, which survived in Sir David Frost’s personal archive, still manages to astonish as a bold new departure in television comedy. John Cleese's manic performances as a bullying doctor and an unhinged secret service agent steal the show, but Marty Feldman’s debut as a performer as well as a writer is totally assured and Graham Chapman gives his signature turn as a wrestler fighting himself. It’s just six minutes in when Aimi MacDonald first delivers the immortal linking line: 'And now for something completely different...'