Lost tapes of a British comedy duo have been found in a derelict cinema in Sierra Leone after 50 years.

Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise were a British comedy double act who achieved iconic status in the UK.

Despite this, some of their episodes were lost when BBC workers recycled the tape reels for new recordings.

But archive preservation expert Philip Morris found that recordings were also sent around the world, reports the Daily Mail.

He found two episodes from 1968 in an abandoned cinema in Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown.

These episodes will now be broadcast on the BBC in the UK at Christmas.