'Lost' footage of David Bowie to be shown on TV

Rare footage of David Bowie performing his number two single 'The Jean Genie' on 'Top of the Pops' will be shown on TV once again.

It was thought that all recordings of Bowie performing the song had been destroyed but retired cameraman John Henshall remembered that he had his own copy.

As a result, the footage, originally shown in 1972, will be broadcast as part of a 'Top of the Pops Christmas Special' on BBC 2.

Mark Cooper, executive producer of 'Top of the Pops 2', said: " Bowie singing 'The Jean Genie' is electric and the kind of piece of archive that not only brings back how brilliant Top Of The Pops could be, but also how a piece of archive can speak to us down the years."

He added that he couldn't think of any other early 70s footage that would be as great a find as this.

Bowie became a full-blown rock star in the 1970s following the release of the album 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust' in 1972 - a concept album about a sexually ambiguous rock star from outer space.