Sean Connery BBC period drama rediscovered

Connery starred in the first James Bond film, Dr No, a year later

An adaptation of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, starring a young Sean Connery as the title character's lover, has been rediscovered by BBC archivists 49 years after it was first shown.

Claire Bloom played the title role opposite Connery, who starred in the first 007 film, Dr No, a year later.

The drama, broadcast on 3 November 1961, will come out on DVD next month.

It tells the story of a Russian society woman who puts her marriage in jeopardy by embarking on a passionate affair.

Bloom went on to star in roles including Lady Marchmain in 1980s hit Brideshead Revisited, which earned her an Emmy nomination in the US.

In 1953, she won a film Bafta for most promising newcomer after starring in US film Limelight alongside Charlie Chaplin.