David Bowie: 'Holy Grail' footage of star's first ever performance as Ziggy Stardust discovered

Bowie didn't unveil his Ziggy Stardust personal on Top of the Pops, but on ITV's Lift Off with Ayshea

(Getty)

Rare footage of David Bowie’s first ever performance as Ziggy Stardust, which has been deemed as the ‘Holy Grail’ for fans, has been unearthed.

Bowie famously performed as Stardust on the BBC’s Top of the Pops in 1972, in what is remembered as a momentous, career-making performance that propelled Bowie to stardom.

But the pop icon actually debuted his Stardust persona a month prior on ITV’s Lift Off With Ayshea – and a home video recording of that mostly forgotten performance has now been found.

The footage could now appear on the forthcoming BBC documentary Davie Bowie: Finding Fame, on the condition that the tape can be restored.

“For fans, it is something of a Holy Grail,” Francis Whately, the documentary’s producer and director, told the Radio Times.

“It would fall apart if we played it, so it’s had to be very carefully restored. It will be a real coup if it comes off.”

The restoration process could continue right up until the airing date, which should be next month.

A BBC spokeswoman said on the broadcaster’s website: ”We’re hoping [the footage] will be ready in time to include in the film.”