Graham Gauld Radio Plays
SERIAL PLAYS
THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO....1964
By Alexander Dumas; 10.7.1964 - 1.10.64; Gabriel Woolf as Edmond Dantes, and starring Alan Wheatley, Mary Wimbush & Ronald Baddiley.
LOST HORIZON....1966
By James Hilton. With Gabriel Woolf as 'Glory' Conway. 5.3.66 - 19.3.66. Starred Jill Balcon, Stephen Jack.
SHADOW OF THE PHAROAH....1972
Exciting adventure story set in ancient times; 6 x 30m.30-Sep-1972; Sean Barrett , David Valla, John Bentley, Sheila Grant , Betty Baskomb, John Westbrook, John Ruddock, Martin Friend, William Eedle, Katherine Parr, produced by Graham Gauld.
PETRELLA AT 'Q'....date nk
With Peter Gilmore. Five stories were adapted from the collection
of mystery stories by Michael Gilbert, all about Patrick Petrella, a
charismatic policeman. They were scripted by Gilbert himself, an
experienced and capable writerfor radio and television, as well as a
mystery novelist of high reputation. Peter Gilmore played Petrella
as he was written: intelligent, resourceful, competent and sympathetic.
A later series used the Petrella stories but made of them travesties.
Philip Jackson played Petrella as sententious and lugubrious, nothing
like the authentic triple-G version (Gilbert-Gilmore-Gauld). -Barry Pike.
GOODBYE MR. CHIPS....date nk
By James Hilton. (no details)
LOST HORIZON....1981
New dramatisation and production with Derek Jacobi as Conway. 20.9.81-4.10.81. Also stars
Alan Wheatley, Andrew Branch, Garard Green.
A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME....1979-82
By Anthony Powell, dramatised by Frederick Bradnum.
This was in 25 episodes spread over four years,
1979-1982. There were about 250 characters in this sequence.
It starred Simon Cadell, Jane Asher, Sian Phillips,
Alan Wheatley, Christopher Good, Brian Hewlett, Peter Pratt
and Noel Johnson amongst many others.
A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME is revered by enthusiasts for radio drama,
partly because of its length (surpassed by THE FORSYTE CHRONICLES but
still unusual) but mainly because of its quality. Anthony Powell's
twelve-novel sequence is passionately admired and is likely to remain
so, unless books go under in years to come. Frederick Bradnum's
adaptation preserves much of the shape of the original and is
generally faithful in term of character, incident and dialogue.
Some of the performances are spectacularly
successful. Brian Hewlett is altogether remarkable as Widmerpool, the
pompous social and sexual misfit who forges for himself, by sheer dogged determination,
a successful career iin commerce, the army and government. Equally so
is Simon Cadell as Stringham, the golden boy, gifted and privileged but
impenitently self-destructive.
The narrator throughout is Noel Johnson,
who encounters all the other characters and acts in general as a still
centre to the turbulence of others.
Noel Johnson plays him with that impressive crisp authority
that made him so memorable on radio, narrating for three quarters of the
sequence and participating fully in the final run. Young Nicholas
is admirably played by Gareth Johnson, son of Noel, who takes him
from his schooldays to the end of the second World War. Graham Gauld's
achievement in bringing all this to Radio 4 over 28 weeks in 4 years
deserves the highest praise: he and Frederick Bradnum did a marvellous
job. -B.P.
A MYSTERY SERIAL....early 1980s
By Ted Willis ("can't remember title" - GG) with George Baker.
LOST HORIZON....1985
A wonderful story, long famous as a novel, and
also as a Ronald Colman film. Barry Campbell adapted it in 3 60-minute
episodes, preserving all the magic and mystery of the original. Graham
Gauld's production brought Shangri-La to eerie life high in the
mountains of Tibet. He had excellent actors, notably Derek Jacobi as
the enigmatic Conway and Alan Wheatley as the High Lama, a mesmerising
figure. - B.P.
THE LIGHT THAT FAILED....1986
By Rudyard Kipling. R4, 20.7.1986 - 3.8.1986. With Steve Hodson,
Stuart Organ, Natasha Pyne.
THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO....1987
A new adaptation and production, R4, 23.8.1987 - 4.10.1987. With
Andrew Sachs as Dantes; also starring Geoffrey Matthews,
Nigel Anthony, Paul Gregory, Melinda Walker, Steve Hodson, Leslie Sands.
THE WAY WE LIVE NOW....1988
By Anthony Trollope.
R4, 10.6.1988 - 29.7.1988. With David March,Emily Richard, Rosalind
Shanks, Stephen Rashbrook, Debby Cumming.
This was a substantial adaptation of Trollope's novel by David
Spenser, broadcast in 60-minute episodes over 8 weeks; classic 'classic'
radio, with David March in cracking form as the devious tycoon. - B.P.
CROWN HOUSE....1988
By Peter Ling & Juliet Ace. With Martin Jarvis, Jane Asher, Margaret Rawlings, Dinah Sheridan, Richard Pasco, Barbara Leight Hunt, Gayle Hunnicut, Dominic Rickhards. R4, 30.10.88 - 18.12.88
THE HISTORY OF MR. POLLY....1989
By H.G.Wells. R4, 1.9.1989 -15.9.1989.With Christopher Guinee, Roger Snowdon, Nigel Lambert, Megs Jenkins.
GRAHAM GAULD: MY TIME AS A RADIO PRODUCER
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Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
