1975 Radio Plays
The Secret Garden
By Frances Hodgson Burnett 27.12.1975. SNT.(Saturday Night Theatre) Helen Worth/Violet Carson
Private Lives
By Noel Coward 20.12.1975. SNT. Paul Scofield/Patricia Routledge
Wobble To Death
By Peter Lovesey 6.12.1975. SNT. Sydney Tafler/Timothy Bateson/William Eedle.
For the uninitiated, wobblers are speed walkers. We don't see so many of them these days.
The Hideous Silence
By Michael Robson 29.11.1975. SNT. John Pullen/Jane Wenham/Lockwood West
Package From Berlin
By Simon Masters 22.11.1975. SNT. Douglas Blackwell/John Forrest
THE HOLY SINNER....1975
R3, 18 Nov 75. By Peter Redgrove,
based on the novel by Thomas Mann (Der Erwählte, 1951);
translated by H.T. Lowe-Porter.
Music composed and played on the psaltery by Bob Stewart.
Technical assistance by Allen Harris, Moira Mann and Richard Reynolds.
Produced in Bristol by Brian Miller. (World Drama)
The story -- a tale of sin, guilt and redemption -- was taken by Mann from the medieval German epic poem 'Gregorius vom Stein' by Hartmann von Aue, and has been creatively structured for radio by a modern poet.
Cast:
Sibylla.............Barbara Jefford ,
Grigorss............Richard Warwick ,
Liberius...........Clifford Norgate ,
Probus..................Hector Ross ,
Fisherman.............Nigel Lambert ,
Wife..............Constance Chapman ,
Lamb..................Tony Robinson ,
Maitre Poitevin.....Trader Faulkner,
Major-Domo..............Hector Ross ,
Roger..............Clifford Norgate ,
Jeschute...............Sheila Grant ,
Abbot................Peter Williams ,
Flann.................Tony Robinson ,
Mahaute...............Pauline Letts ,
Willo..................Steve Hodson ,
Grimald.................Hector Ross ,
Chamberlain...........Nigel Lambert .
Omegapoint
By Bruce Stewart 18.10.1975. SNT. Dinsdale Landen/Sydney Tafler.
Fascinating decryption of a transmitted message, and working out the plot which it conceals.
The Gabriel Hounds
By Mary Stewart 11.10.1975. SNT. David March/Emily Richard/Ian Liston
AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE....1975
21 Sep 75; by Henrik Ibsen, trans Michael Meyer, producer John Tydeman.
An Enemy of the People addresses the irrational tendencies of the masses, and the hypocritical and corrupt nature of the political system that they support. It is the story of one brave man's struggle to do the right thing and speak the truth in the face of extreme social intolerance.
Cast :
Freddie Jones Dr. Thomas Stockmann
Pauline Letts Mrs. Stockmann, his wife.
Maurice Denham Peter Stockmann, Thomas' brother
Sean Barrett Hovstad, editor.
Leslie Heritage Billing, sub-editor.
John Gabriel Morten Kiil, a tanner (Mrs. Stockmann's
John Rye Captain Horster (adoptive father), also known as the badger.
Petra Elizabeth Proud
Louis Stringer Aslaksen, a publisher.
David Howe Ejlif
Joe Manning-Wilson Morten
Citizens :
Sean Arnold, Ronald Forefar,
Richard Griffiths, Nigel Lambert,
Kerry Francis, Sarah Coward, Jane Knowles.
The Dark Windows Of A Room
By William Keenan 6.9.1975. SNT. Brian Trueman/Geoffrey Banks/Jane Knowles
KEWPIE DOLL....1975
By Edward Mackin, R4 15 Aug 75. 2 deaths and the smashing of a tombstone - the only element to link 3 disparate crimes is a cheap fairground doll.
Geoffrey Banks ............. Supt. Breen
Graham Roberts ............. Sgt. Ted Gould
Sam Kelly .................. Benson
Reg Farrier ................ Cohen
David Beames ............... Pickard
Ronald Baddily ............. Cartwright
David Jackson .............. McCullen
Kathleen Helme ............. Mrs McCullen
Elizabeth Kelly ............ Mrs Breen
Norma Cohen ................ PCW Hattersley
Produced by Alfred Bradley.
Night Of The Wolf
By Victor Pemberton 9.8.1975. SNT. Vincent Price/Coral Browne.
Vincent Price tracks a shadowy monster in the search for his missing son. Gothic horror.
The Light Of A Thousand Suns
By James Follett 26.7.1975. SNT. Manning Wilson/John Rye/Ian Thompson/Sion Probert.
The ultimate weapon, and world peace. But what if it malfunctions?
Balance Of Power
By Alan Melville 19.7.1975. SNT. Jean Anderson/Robert Lang/Edward Hardwicke/Sandra Clark. Light comedy. Recording from Penny Fabb....ND
No Fear Or Favour
By Henry Cecil 5.7.1975. SNT. Paul Daneman/Srah Badel/Peter Sallis.
Recording from Jeremy Stevenson
VIOLENT SHORE.....1975
By Ian Cullen, with technical advice from Terry Bottomley . 14 Jun 75. Cast includes Eva Haddon, Eric Lander, Malcolm Hayes, Hector Ross, Michael Deacon, Clifford Norgate, Peter Woodthorpe, Garrard Green, Albert Welling. A thriller set at sea. A tale of big money, a disappearance, and murder. Producer Christopher Venning.
BLOOD SPORT....1975
By Dick Francis; 90m. Excellent thriller adapted from one of his novels.
Pegasus....1975
by Eric Saward. Produced by Roger Pine. 28 May 75.
In 1890 London a bomb explodes in an East End alley. The police ask thespian Richard Mace to help with the case. Rpt BBC7, 14-15 Feb 05. Cast:
Richard Mace......................................Geoffrey Matthews
Roundtree............................................Leonard Fenton
Insp. Maitland........................................William Eedle
Sgt. Bound............................................John Baddeley
Prof. Gutman.........................................Ronald Herdman
Marlin.................................................Ralph Lawton
Todd.................................................George Woolley
Asst. Commissioner....................................Jack Holloway
Sir Robert Stealwell...................................Simon Carter
Steward................................................Laurence Rew
THE CHILTERN HUNDREDS....1975
By William Douglas-Home. 26 Apr 75. Adapted for radio and produced for radio & produced by Brian Miller. With Roland Culver as Lord Lister,
Peggy Ann Wood as Lady Lister,
Laurence Payne as Beecham,
Jack Watson as Cleghorn.
'My father had 18 gardeners, ten footmen, and six keepers here.
Now after three damn wars, I've got no gardener and one gamekeeper
who is an ex-conscientious objector and faints when he sees a rabbit
in a snare.' Lister Castle, summer 1945.
Tony Lister - Tim Fearon
Caroline - Heather Chasen
June - Pauline Kelly
Bessie - Sue Withers
DEGAS CELLINI MING....1975
By Frederick Bradnum. 90m. This play seemed to go on and on and on - couldn't get to the end. Perhaps the fault is with me - must try again sometime.
Alibi For A Judge
By Henry Cecil 24.5.1975. SNT. Andrew Cruickshank/Amanda Grinling/Aubrey Woods
THE SHETLAND WILD CAT....1975
Mystery thriller taking place mainly at sea, around Stornoway. Alan Moore, Hillary Patterson. During the story I learned that a 'wild cat' is an isolated oil rig - in a place where, geologically speaking, one would not expect it. By Anthony Kearey. 90m. Producer Brian Miller.
CONVERSATIONS WITH A CUPBOARD MAN....1975
6 May 75. By Ian McEwan. With Robert Powell as the Cupboard Man & Christopher Benjamin as the social worker.
'That wardrobe over there takes up most of the room. If you look inside you won't find any clothes hanging up. It's full of cushions
and blankets. I go in there. I lock the door and sit in the dark.' Producer: Jane Graham.
The Terrible Connexion
By Michael Robson 19.4.1975. SNT. Nigel Stock/Liane Aukin/Anthony Hall
ONE TO THE POWER OF TWO....1975
9 Apr 75. By Graham Blackett. Why does the affable Mr Threadneedle keep taking his money out of the bank to look at it?
The U-Boat That Lost Its Nerve
By James Follett 22.2.1975. SNT. Nigel Lambert/David Ryall/Michael Deacon
Fire, Burn !
By John Dickson Carr 8.2.1975. SNT. Michael Denison/Rachel Gurney/Marjorie Westbury/John Westbrook
END OF TERM....1975
29 Jan 75. By "E.H. Hendry". Very funny play about a little-known private school where all is not well. There has been a catastrophic loss of pupils, the staff are resting on imaginary laurels, and it's approaching the end of term. Stars Richard Briers/Peter Sallis/Nigel Lambert/Norma Ronald. 45m. Producer Martin Jenkins. (......I am grateful to Alan Stokes who supplied a recording - ND)
The Heaven Tree
By Edith Pargeter 18.1.1975. SNT. Meg Wynn Owen/William Squire
THE MAN BORN TO BE KING....1975
Recorded 20 Nov 74; broadcast 19 Jan 75. A cycle of 12 plays on the life of Jesus Christ, by Dorothy L. Sayers,
adapted & produced by Raymond Raikes.
Music composed by Roberto Gerhard. English Chamber Orchestra, conductor: R. Jenkins. Repeated on BBC7 during 2007.
1. Kings In Judaea
Cast:
Peter Marinker,
Michael Kilgarriff,
Norman Shelley,
Gabriel Woolf,
June Tobin ,
Robert Eddison ,
Jo Wilson ,
James Thomason ,
Denise Bryer ,
Trevor Martin ,
Denys Blakelock ,
Nan Marriott-Watson ,
James Dale ,
Paul Danquah ,
Daniel Rose.
- A 2007 comment from the BBC7 messageboard on the production: (edited for clarity)
The use of variations on the same theme for the music was subtle and evocative, a real support for the text. Remember this is an adaptation of Dorothy L.Sayers' adaptation of the gospels. D.L.S. generally pleases in all she did: think of Lord Peter W., or her heroic translation of much of Dante into an English poetic Terza Rima.
That the series so far disappoints us, I think must probably be the responsibility of the 1970s adaptation - I think D.L.S would have more temerity than to swap the word "shoe laces" for "sandals" when referring to J.Baptist not being worthy to meddle with the Messiah's feet.
Remember this was at the threshold between the mostly stilted radio drama style of the 1960's and the more realistic style which we have now.
More (mainly negative) 2007 comments about the production followed:
..........Sorry to all you good folks and please don't do me any worse harm than tarring and feathering for my treason, but having only just come round to listening to the first of my recordings I do not know what to make of it. The nearest I get is seeing it as a rendition of the story as written by Terry Pratchett and performed by the Dead Ringers team. If this is not meant to be a parody (it was broadcast in the panto season, wasn't it?), what is it? (AB)
.........I'd always defend the voice of Gabriel Woolf (John "ba" Zebedee). The guy who played the voice of Jesus came over convincingly biblical. Yes, many of the others were stuck in the stilted sixties style but things age, don't they? (FI)
.........Am I dreaming or do I detect the seeds of "The Life of Brian" h.re? I'd be prepared to bet this was the inspiration for the Monty Python film. So much so that I listened in two states of mind; seeing the scope for spoof and enjoying the plays for what they are - masterful popularizations of the Gospels.
A CD of the twelve plays, and a book about production, cast and the context (Vicars complaining about late arrivals of the faithful to service caused as audiences stood glued to their radio sets unable to tear themselves away... bishops complaining to Churchill about how preposterous it was that a woman should dare to write about the gospels etc.) would make an excellent Christmas gift. Here's a potential money spinner if ever there was one.(T)
.........I can think of a better money spinner - Nick Warburton's 5 plays based on the gospel of Luke. (NS)
Compiled by Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
Above plays known to exist in VRPCC collections
