Long lost yet much remembered, this creepy 1970s childrens' time-travel drama is finally unearthed and released for the first time on DVD...

The brief, bubbling signature tune of HTV West is heard as the animation jerkily constructs the defunct regional television company's white logo over a royal blue background. Scratches on the film stock dance hypnotically across the screen. We have been taken back in time; 2010 is a long way away.

The screen fades. A clock chimes six. There is a knock on the door. The museum warden Mr Ellis, whose beret makes him look not too dissimilar from Frank Spencer, ignores this interruption and continues with his crossword. Urgency converts the knock to a hurried buzz as the caller tries the door bell. Muttering to himself, this cantankerous caretaker leaves his puzzle and rises to answer the door.

So begins The Georgian House, a rarely seen and much sought-after children's supernatural time-travelling drama that was screened on ITV in 1976. Written by novelist Jill Laurimore and produced by Leonard White – who found fame a decade earlier with the the camp crime-fighting series The Avengers, this seven-part series is a huge slice of hide-behind-the-sofa television that left thousands of kids indelibly wary of African objets d' art.

The door is answered and we are introduced to Dan Jefferies (played by Spencer Banks), a well-spoken, well-dressed schoolboy who has won one of two places to work as a guide (or "experimentor" as he clinically puts it) in this Georgian house museum in Bristol.

We soon meet the second winner – the talkative and, let's face it, plain annoying Abbie Wills (Adrienne Byrne) – but not before a piece of sexism that clearly defines The Georgian House as of its time. As she motions frantically at the window to be let into the museum, Dan says: "I don't suppose she could be the other experimentor." "Don't be daft it's a girl," replies Mr Ellis (Jack Watson). "Just ignore her. She'll go away." After she is let in, she hints at familiarity. She has been to this place before.

As the threesome are tidying a room in the museum later that night, Abbie digs out a cylindrical exotic carving from a box of knick-knacks. "It is African," says the caretaker. We are then given a sneaky peak of the mystery that lies ahead when Abbie hears a gutteral chanting of what sounds like "Boy." After calling Dan over to investigate, she faints.

Later as the two "experimentors" are alone, their curiosity gets the better of them and they once again investigate the strange carving. As it repeats its chant, it starts to spin and an African drum beat pounds out. Abbie and Dan peer more closely at the rotating object and, before we and they know it, they find themselves transported back in time to 1772.

Two hundred years in the past and there is a complete reversal of the two experimentor's social standing. Working class Abbie becomes the uppity, privileged Abigail Ventnor, the niece of the well-off Leadbetter family whose home is to become the Georgian house museum; public school educated Dan is now a lowly kitchen boy.

But why are they here and how do they get back home to 1976, a time the viewer presumes is Dan and Abbie's own? And who is the African slave who so desperately needs their help? All, the saying goes, will be revealed.

Cherished by aficionados of ratchety television shows, The Georgian House has existed only in the distant memories of those who saw the programme during its initial – and only – airing all those years ago. Until now, that is.

Cult release specialists Network has scoured the archives, dusted off the cobwebs and released it for the first time on DVD... or at least what remains of it. Long lost in its entirety, only three episodes of the series are known to remain – the first, third and concluding seventh part.

Bundled together on one disc, the three make for an interesting 75-minute trip down TV's memory lane. Any plot confusion that may develop due to the missing episodes is negligable. Anyway, the DVD extras include a detailed breakdown of the first four episodes as well as the rehearsal scripts for episodes three, four and five and the original draft script for the penultimate episode six.

So, how does The Georgian House stand up 34 years later? Much like with the first few series of Tales of the Unexpected or the majestic Hammer House of Horror, the viewer can wallow in nostalgic whimsy and excuse the clunky acting, stunted dialogue and low production values. After all, what this drama offers is an eerie storyline with as many twists and turns as that pocket footballing wizard, Lionel Messi.

As gently unsettling as some of the public information films from the same time, the Georgian House is a bite-sized chunk of British televisual history and a reminder of the power of good storytelling.

Certificate: U
Directors: Terry Harding, Leonard White
Writers: Jill Laurimore, Harry Moore
Starring: Spencer Banks, Jack Watson, Adrienne Byrne, Constance Chapman, Janine Duvitski, Brinsley Forde

Available from Network

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS ARTICLE, PLEASE HELP SUPPORT OUR SITE, AT NO COST WITH ONE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK 'LIKE' BUTTON BELOW: