A TELEVISION company is appealing to Lancashire locals to give them a helping hand researching a new Channel 4 documentary.

A production crew of 2020 TV, based in London, is currently trying to trace a photograph of Oswaldtwistle teacher Teddy O'Neill.

They are creating a documentary about the history of education and Teddy, who taught in the 1920s, was a well-known progressive teacher, who will play a part in the programme.

The crew have found much of their information from a book - The Idiot Teacher - written about Teddy in 1952, but it contains no illustrations of him.

Tim Carter, associate producer at 2020 TV, is eager to hear from anyone who may have a photograph of the man.

Teddy was brought up in Salford and taught at the Central Technical School, Oswaldtwistle, before becoming head teacher at the Prestolee School, Kearsley, Bolton. Mr Carter said: "Teddy was a somewhat unorthodox teacher who began to experiment with new teaching methods while he was in Oswaldtwistle and then in Bolton.

"He was an extraordinary teacher at that time, as the majority of classes in primary schools were highly disciplined and tedious.

"He realised that children were stimulated by colours and by finding things out for themselves, not by learning lists of statistics, figures and dates.

"He started to collect insects in jam jars for them, kept fish in tanks and allowed the pupils more freedom around the classroom, much to the dismay of head teachers.

"He was very successful and much loved by all his classes."

The television company last year produced The Canterbury Tales, a documentary on the history of the Church of England which was shown on Channel 4.

Anyone who has a picture of Teddy O'Neill can contact Tim Carter on 0171 2842020, or send it to 2020 TV, Suite 2, Grand Union House, 20 Kentish Town Road, London, NM1 9NX.

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