Two Ronnies. Original manuscript for 'The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town', in Ronnie Barker's hand, 1976, the original fifty-six-page script for all eight episodes, written in black ink in a clear hand on ruled foolscap paper, most versos blank though occasionally with insertions and amendments, several deletions and corrections, in Barker's holograph throughout, some of the leaves re-numbered in red and with a few minor insertion notes in an unidentified hand, signed on inside front cover 'With best wishes, Ronnie Barker '76', orig. punch-holed stiff wrapper and board (the upper wrapper inscribed in Barker's hand 'The Phantom 1-6') with foldback clips, 4to, together with two autograph letters signed from Ronnie Barker, TV Centre, 26th November and Avon Gorge, 9th May 1978, both to Mr Harrison, the first reading 'Thank you for your letter - it suddenly occurred to me that you might like the manuscript of "The Phantom Raspberry Blower" (written in my own fair hand) to auction at your next event. I must explain that I wrote the serial, adapting it from Spike Milligan's original half-hour version', the second regretting that he cannot make it to the school as he is so busy rehearsing and re-writing, 'but I am so glad to hear the pool is now in use, and hope the children get great enjoyment from it', both one page, 8vo.

In 1976 Ronnie Barker sent this script to a charity auction to help raise funds for a swimming pool at Kingsweston Special School, Bristol. The auction took place at Bristol Rovers Social Club where the current owner secured it. 'The Phantom Raspberry Blower' was broadcast by the BBC as an eight-part serial in The Two Ronnies series 5 (air dates 4th September to the 23rd October 1976). The fifth series is due for release by the BBC as a DVD for the first time on 14th July 2008. When broadcast the writing credit was given to Spike Milligan and a Gentleman [Ronnie Barker] but it is clear that the original script offered here is entirely written by Barker himself. Ronnie Barker refers to this script in his book 'All I Ever Wrote: The Complete Works', edited by Bob McCabe (1999). In the Foreword he notes: 'The title 'All I Ever Wrote' needs a bit of qualification, because it is not, in fact, entirely true. What you find within these pages is everything I wrote THAT STILL EXISTS. For reasons that I cannot explain, I failed to keep copies of several, indeed many items. Whole serials (from The Two Ronnies) have gone missing. The BBC have kindly supplied as much as they've got in the archives, but still great holes occur. I think its probably best not to mention what has been lost as many people would immediately cry "Oh, that was my favourite", which helps nobody and disappoints many. If I say nothing, hopefully people won't notice' (p. 11). Bob McCabe notes in the Foreword to The Serials section: 'One of the most popular elements of The Two Ronnies were the weekly cliff-hanger serials. Throughout the show's twelve-season run, these serials were penned by Gerald Wiley (with one exception, the fondly recalled 'Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town', which was co-credited to Spike Milligan. This was, in fact, adapted and expanded on by Ronnie from an original half hour by Milligan that had made up one of the 'Six Dates with Barker' series back in 1971). As Ronnie mentions in his Foreword to these books, for various unfathomable reasons, the scripts for these serials have been lost', (p. 340). Offered for auction here is Ronnie Barker's fair copy of this lost script.

Auction date Thursday 19th June, Estimate £3,000- £5,000