Colin Finbow Radio Plays
The Fair in the Park....1961
First transmitted 8 May 1961, 21.15–22.00, Home Service.
John Barry-Hayes, Derek Blomfield, Keith Buckley, Fanny Carby, Judi Dench, Kenneth Dight, Nicholas Edmett, Doris Gilmore, Marvin Kane, Lane MacNamara, Jean Marlow, Jon Rollason, Michael Turner, Gudrun Ure - Producer: Archie Campbell.
Some Time by the Sea ....1961
First transmitted 28 July 1961, 20.45–21.30, Home.
Wendy Craig, Avril Elgar, Haydn Jones, Dilys Laye, Frederick Treves, Tom Watson - Producer: Charles Lefeaux
As Soon as Thursday ....1961
First transmitted 24 October 1961, 21.10–22.10, .Third.
Derek Birch, Sheila Grant, Betty Hardy, Haydn Jones, Mary O'Farrell, Cyril Shaps, Frederick Treves - Producer: Charles Lefeaux
Tonight is Friday....1962
First transmitted 2 October 1962, 20.00–21.10, Third.
Frank Finlay, Sheila Grant, Kenneth Haigh, Johnny Harris, Dilys Laye, Elizabeth Morgan, Mary O'Farrell, Terry Raven - Producer: Charles Lefeaux.
[RB/HR, West Germany - Freitagabend - 6 Mar 1964 - 74 min]
[KRO (Hilversum I), Netherlands - Een vrije vrijdagavond - 8 Jul 1969 - 66 min]
[ORF, Austria - Freitagabend - 11 Jul 1979 - 48 min]
See below (1969) for notes about the play.
Before Tomorrow ....1963
First transmission 8 December 1963. 21.20–22.00, Third.
Ken Grant, Sheila Grant, Alec McCowen, Marjorie Westbury - Producer: Charles Lefeaux.
The Princess of Doves ....1964
First transmitted 15 September 1964, 21.30–22.00, Home.
Eric Anderson, Valerie Kirkbright, Molly Rankin, Lindsay Scott-Patton, Cyril Shaps, Dennis Waterman, Marjorie Westbury - Producer: Charles Lefeaux.
A Day Like Sunday ....1965
First transmitted 1 July 1965, 21.45–22.45, Third.
Nigel Clayton, Robert Hardy, Cherie Lunghi, Vivien Merchant, Gerald Rowland - Producer: Charles Lefeaux.
[VPRO, Netherlands - Net zondag - 7 Apr 1967- 49 min]
And Now the Barley ....1967
First transmitted 30 June 1967, 21.00–22.05, Third.
Christopher Bidmead, Christopher Jenkins, Haydn Jones, Barbara Mitchell - Producer: Charles Lefeaux.
Outlook for Wednesday ....1968
First transmitted 27 October 1968, 19.00–19.50, Third.
Paul Dorfman, Leonard Fenton, Michael Hordern, Beatrix Lehmann - Producer: Charles Lefeaux.
Een vrije vrijdag avond....1969
65m. Exact date nk. In 3 parts. (Dutch broadcast of "Tonight is Friday)
....I am grateful to Kevin Flynn, who writes: ....The date was sometime in 1969. The producer was Léon Povel, who worked for KRO (the Katholieke Radio Omroep), so KRO was almost certainly the broadcaster.
- Later notes by Kevin, added Oct 2017:
Een vrije vrijdag was broadcast in the Netherlands as part of the KRO series Dinsdagavondtheater (Tuesday Evening Theatre) at 21.00 on 8 July 1969, in a translation by Gérard van Kalmthout. The cast included Hans Veerman, Ida Bons, and Maria Lindes, and the production -- by Léon Povel -- featured trumpet improvisations by Cees Smal.
I think the information you have about the Dutch being a three-parter is probably wrong, because the broadcast ran for 66 minutes (compare the 70 minutes of the original BBC production).
Tonight is Friday was first broadcast at 22.00 on 2 October 1962 in the BBC Third Programme. Among the cast were Kenneth Haigh, Dilys Laye, and Sheila Grant, and the trumpeter in this production -- by Charles Lefeaux -- was Johnny Harris.
Another translation -- by Hanns A. Hammelmann and entitled Freitagabend -- was broadcast for the first time in Germany on 6 March 1964 in a co-production by Radio Bremen and Hessischer Rundfunk (Frankfurt). The producer was Ulrich Lauterbach.
Austrian radio (ORF) also broadcast its own version of the play, produced by Tamas Ferkai and first transmitted on 11 July 1974 with repeats on 14 and 15 January 1979.
The following is adapted from published synopses of the German-language broadcasts:
"The tediousness of marriage, the tediousness of love: a worker's Friday evening begins with a trivial altercation and ends in the grey dawn with an insubstantial declaration of love."
Kevin adds - a number of Colin's other radio plays were also broadcast on Belgian, Dutch, and German radio. The Dutch-language ones appear to be available for download (as part of a paid-for subscription service, I think).
Last Week in August ....1969
First transmitted 20 October 1969, 23.45–24.00, Home.
John Bull, Trevor Cooper, Alan Downer, Doris Hare, Jo Manning Wilson, Elizabeth Rider.
[BRT, Belgium - Laatste week in augustus - 23 Sep 1980 - 13 min]
https://www.hoorspelen.eu/Hoorspelen/HoorspelL/Laatsteweekinaugustus.htm
A Day Like Sunday....1970
Rpt. from 1965. Robert Hardy/Vivien Merchant/Cherie Lunghi; Afternoon Theatre, 9.10.70. Repeated again on 29.6.73.
Time Out of Season ....1980
First transmitted 7 March 1980, 23.45–24.0, Home.
John Baddeley, Lolly Cockerell, Sarah Golding, Josie Kidd.
[BRT, Belgium - Buiten seizoen - 16 Jun 1985 - 19 min] https://www.hoorspelen.eu/Hoorspelen/HoorspelB/Buitenseizoen.htm
The Custard Boys....1981
By John Rae/Colin Finbow. 6.6.1981. Bernard Gallagher/Theresa Streatfield/James Robinson. SNT.
*Another Monday....1982
Peter King,Nicky Henson, Alex Marshall,Ellis Dale. 07.10.82,R4,60m. A school-based story with lots of classroom scenes and young actors. I'm in the learning game, so the play wasn't to my taste, but anyone not in teaching would probably enjoy it. Producer Peter King.
A Fair In The Dark....1983
Helen Mason/Isobel Mason/Julian Silvester/Chris Chescoe. Afternoon Theatre, 6.7.1983.
Teddy Boys' Picnic....1984
24.1.84. Afternoon Theatre. Norman Jones/Alex Marshall
*HARD ROAD....c1984?
Two thirteen-year olds drive off
in a 1950 Ferrari. The boy is from a rich family which shows little
affection; the girl from a much poorer background.
They are away for days .. and the police search begins.
Very well-written, interesting play.
NO UNCERTAIN TERMS....1987
2.8.87. Afternoon play.
*Emily`s Ghost....1994
55 min. 15 Dec 94. Afternoon play.
Compiled by Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
I am grateful to Kevin Flynn who supplied the 'first transmitted' entries above and the information about European broadcasts.
Asterisked plays known to exist in VRPCC collections
