Nigel Anthony Radio Plays:
World Service, 1974-2010
When you put out your request regarding Nigel Anthony, I decided to take a look at how many plays he appeared in from the small number of World Service plays which was, for a short time, in the public domain. World Service produced an enormous number of plays. Of the small sample that became available (from 1974 to 2000), I found that Nigel Anthony appeared in forty plays and five serials, which I've listed below. It makes me wonder how many other World Service plays Nigel starred in which will never, ever see the light of day, remaining in the World Service vaults.
One bit of trivia I came across: Nigel appeared in the last play World Service ever produced (Passionate Playing’ by Helen Kluger in 1996) before they started buying them from a central source.
'Jim'
DATE .......... TITLE / AUTHOR / PROGRAMME ......./ CHARACTER PLAYED
c1974 ‘The Detour’ by Martin Walser (Theatre of the Air) / Berthold
c1975 ‘No Quarter’ by Barry Bermange (Theatre of the Air) / Barton's Companion
c 1975 The World of Ernest Hemingway (11 dramatisations)
#3 – ‘The Killers’ / Max
#4 – ‘The Gambler, The Nun and The Radio’ / Fraser
#10 – ‘A Way You'll Never Be’ / Major Paravicini
c 1976 ‘As Time Goes By’ by Mustapha Matura (Theatre of the Air) / Mark
c 1976 ‘London Assurance’ by Dion Boucicault (Theatre of the Air) / Charles Courtly, Harcourt's son
c 1976 ‘Mortal Passion’ by George Mikes (Theatre of the Air)
Nigel was one of nine actors who played twenty-one parts in the play
c 1976 ‘The Collection’ by Harold Pinter (Radio Theatre) / Bill
1977.12.24 ‘The Circle’ by W. Somerset Maugham (Theatre of the Air) / Edward "Teddie" Luton, Elizabeth's Lover
c 1978 ‘Disorderly Women’ by John Bowen (Play of the Week) / Pentheus, King of Thebes, Son of Agave
c 1978 ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ by Alexandre Dumas (Thirty-Minute Theatre) / Vicomte Albert de Morcerf, Fernand's Son
Appeared in 5 of the 10 parts:
4)'Roman Carnival';
5)'The House at Antenil'; 6) 'False Message';
7)'The Marriage Contract'; 8) 'Haydee'
c 1979 ‘Harlequinade’ by Terence Rattigan (Play of the Week) / Jack Wakefield, Stage Manager
c 1979 ‘Trelawny of the Wells’by Arthur Wing Pinero (Play of the Week) / Arthur Gower, Sir William's Grandson
c 1980 ‘Owners’ by Caryl Churchill (Play of the Week) / Worsely, Marion's Assistant
c 1980 ‘The Merchant’ by Arnold Wesker (Play of the Week) – 2 pts / Bassanio
1981.06.20 ‘Knuckle’ by David Hare (Play of the Week) / Max, Sarah's Fiancé
1981.06.22 ‘Act One’, play 5 of 6 - ‘Excursion’ by Alan Plater (30-Min Theatre) / Tom
1981.09.12 ‘For Services Rendered’ by W. Somerset Maugham (Play of the Week) / Sydney Ardsley
1983.07-09 ‘The Ten Commandments (Thirty-Minute Theatre) - 10 plays
#2 - ‘Thou Shalt Not Make Unto Thee a Graven Image’ by Ken Whitmore (1983.08.01) / Russell
1983.10 ‘Lord Jim’ by Joseph Conrad (Radio Theatre) – 4 pts / Lord Jim
1) 'The Pilgrim Ship' (1983.10.02)
2) 'Of Beetles and Butterflies' (1983.10.09)
3) 'The Kingdom In The Jungle' (1983.10.16)
4) 'The White Long Boat' (1983.10.23)
1983.10.29 ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’ by Tom Stoppard (Play of the Week) / Rosencrantz
1984.01.14 ‘Motive for Murder: Overkill’ by Michael Robson (Thirty-Minute Theatre) / Gordon Haymer, an Electrical Engineer in Mining
c 1987 ‘Quartermaine's Terms’ by Simon Gray (Play of the Week) / Mark Sackling
1987.01.04 ‘Runyon's Guys & Dolls: 'A Piece of Pie' by Damon Runyon (Thirty-Minute Theatre) / Horsey
1987.12.05 ‘Collaborators’ by John Mortimer (Play of the Week) / Henry Winter (in his 30s), a Struggling Young Barrister
c 1989 ‘By the Pool’ by Stewart Conn (Play of the Week) / Martin
Later broadcast on Radio 4 (October 1990)
1989.09.24 ‘Watch On The Rhine’ by Lillian Hellman (Play of the Week) / Count Teck de Brancovis
c 1990 ‘The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’ by C. S. Lewis (Play of the Week) / Reepicheep, Talking Mouse, Chief of his Race and Old Friend of Lucy and Edmund
c 1991 ‘The Film Society’ by Jon Robin Baitz (Play of the Week) / Jonathon Balton
c 1991 ‘Where the Lovemaking Does Go On’ by Roy Kendall (Play of the Week) / Tom
1992.03.15 ‘Lost For Words’ by Ken Blakeson (Play of the Week) / Adam Lowell Later broadcast on Radio 4 (October 1992)
1992.09.20 ‘The Royal Hunt of the Sun’ by Peter Shaffer (Play of the Week) / Fray Vincente de Valverde, Dominican Chaplain to the Expedition
1993.01.10 ‘Across Oka’ by Robert Holman (Play of the Week) / Professor Pavel
1994.10 ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ by R. L. Stevenson (30-Minute Drama) / Dr.Jekyll
1) Part 1 of 3 (1994.12.01)
2) Part 2 of 3 (1994.12.08)
3) Part 3 of 3 (1994.12.15)
1995.06.18 ‘Some Americans Abroad’ by Richard Nelson (Play of the Week) / Joe Taylor
1995.07.16 ‘Time of My Life’ by Alan Ayckbourn (Play of the Week) / Calvinu, the Head Waiter / All the other Waiters
1995.08.27 ‘Who Was Emily Davison?’ by Rose Tremain (Play of the Week) / King George V
Re-broadcast in 1997 on Radio 4
1995.10.13 Future Past
By Andrew Verster With Janet Suzman, Rowena Cooper Tessa Worsley and Nigel Anthony. BBC World Service Drama production, directed by Gordon House. (Play of the Week). Janet Suzman, Rowena Cooper, Tessa Worsley & Nigel Anthony.
1996.06.29 ‘Passionate Playing’ by Helen Kluger (Play of the Week) / Marcello
This was the last specially commissioned play by World Service.
After this, all music, sports, science or drama programmes were "bought" from a central source.
1997.01 ‘Kingdom Come’ by Roy Kendall (Play of the Week) – 2 pts / The King
1) Part 1 of 2 (1997.01.18)
2) Part 2 of 2 (1997.01.25)
1997.09.27 ‘Mosquitoes’ by Stephen Webster (Play of the Week) / Ronald Ross
1998.03.07 ‘Your Ashen Hair Shulamith’ by Bernard Kops (Play of the Week) / Nigel Anthony read Paul Celan's poem
1998.03.28 ‘The Death of Che Guevara’ by Michael Bourdages (Play of the Week) / Moostos
1998.08.29 ‘Dead White Males’ by David Williamson (Play of the Week) / Grant Swain, University Lecturer
2000.01.15 ‘West of Eden’ by Tim Jackson (Play of the Week) / Dr. Felix Zwibel
2007.06.30 (Rpt) Albert's Bridge by Tom Stoppard
David Hitchinson directs Tom Stoppard's play to coincide with the writer's 70th birthday. A comedy about a man whose chosen profession is painting a huge bridge. The task is perpetual, since one end of the bridge is already in need of a fresh coat before he reaches the other. With John Hurt, Nigel Anthony, Alexander John and Victor Lucas. (NB: There are three versions of this play listed, so the quoted details could be about the 1968 Afternoon Theatre, or a 1988 version with Paul Copley and Diane Bull, also seemingly directed by David Hitchinson; It may have been transmitted on 29-06-2007.)
Compiled by 'Jim' and coded by ND. Many thanks, Jim.
...update- two extras added by Clive Lever.
