The Ronald Wolfe Collection - Wild, Wild Women (BBC Sitcom 1968-1969, a variation of The Rag Trade) - an archive of material from Wolfe's collection relating to the creation of the now largely lost sitcom, which starred Barbara Windsor. The collection features research, early drafts and material for the creation of the Comedy Playhouse pilot which spawned the full series. Including:

• Wolfe and Chesney's original typed 'Master' script for the pilot. Appearing to have been made from several earlier drafts, profusely annotated and changed throughout, with mis-matched page numbers, added-in pages etc. Very much a 'working' draft for the pilot episode.
• A partial master typed '2nd Draft' appearing incomplete (the missing sections are likely to be found in the above 'Master' draft) also annotated and amended by Wolfe and Chesney.
• a typed list of casting suggestions, with handwritten names all over - names considered include Patrick Cargill, Derek Francis, Terence Alexander, Alastair Sim and many others.
• a typed synopsis document (2pp) for an idea for a 'Victorian Situation Comedy' - clearly borrowing heavily from The Rag Trade with Reg Varney as the lead, based around an import and export business. Whilst this idea is completely different to that of Wild, Wild, Women, there are the early germs of the show present in some of the themes noted.
• cuttings from 1960s Radio Times / newspapers / magazines concerning Suffragettes and other programmes that Wolfe used for inspiration and education whilst creating the pilot. With a January 1968 edition of The Observer with the headline 'Women: The Second-class Sex?' and a 'Women In Revolt' folder filled with information regarding the Suffragette movement.
• a notebook 'Wild, Wild Women!!! - Ronnie Wolfe' filled with Wolfe's ideas, research, casting suggestions, gags etc.
• several pages from another of Wolfe's notebooks detailing further ideas etc
• several assorted master typed script pages ultimately not used, with many deleted scenes, sections of dialogue etc. 20+
• Wolfe's personal finished rehearsal script from the Comedy Playhouse pilot. Dated May 1968, running to 85pp. Complete, with original fastener. Signed to the cover by Wolfe, noting the script as his.

A unique and important collection relating to the series. The Comedy Playhouse pilot, and much of the series (bar one episode) are missing from the archives, believed wiped.

Wild, Wild Women is a British television sitcom that aired on BBC from 1968 to 1969. Shot in black-and-white, it starred Barbara Windsor and was centered around a group of women working in a hat-making business in London, c1902. It was largely a period reworking of Wolfe and Chesney's earlier hit The Rag Trade. In the pilot the women were shown as strong supporters of the suffragette movement, but it was decided not to make much of this in the series. Eight episodes were made, including the Comedy Playhouse pilot, but only one episode (Ep3) survives in the archives. All others are missing, believed wiped.

Ronald Wolfe (1922-2011) was a British television, radio and cinema screenwriter, and one half of the Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney writing partnership. Wolfe wrote for some of the biggest stars in Britain from the 1950s to the 1990s, and had major success with the sitcoms The Rag Trade, Meet The Wife and On The Buses. In later life he taught comedy writing at City University, London. He passed away in 2011. The items being offered for sale in this special auction are direct from his estate, and represent an important archive of British comedy, television, and radio history.

*any photographs used for illustrative purposes remain with their respective copyright holders and are not included within the lot, unless specified.