Light Programme, Drama, 1954

Drama on the BBC Light Programme in 1954
(The Light Programme ran from 1945 to 1967)


3rd January 1954
17.00-18.00:
Radio Theatre: The Wide Guy by Anthony Armstrong (George Anthony Armstrong Willis (1897–1976) )
Produced by Frederick Bradnum
   Mrs Lambert: Gladys Spencer
   Spike, the wide guy: Victor Maddern
   A barber: Richard Waring
   Sheila Farlaine: Susan Kennaway
   Madame Yves: Sybil Rares
   Michael Farlaine, Sheila's father: Michael O'Halloran
   A woman in a theatre: Sybil Rares
   A real tramp: Richard Waring
[Also produced in 1961 by Martyn C Webster with Alex McCowen as Spike]


4th January 1954
16.30-18.00:
The Lady Of The Camellias (1848) by Alexandre Dumas Fils (1824-1895). Translation by Norman Ginsbury and John Sand
Pianist, Cicely Hoye
Production by Ayton Whitaker
   Marguerite Gautier: Jean Kent
   Armand Duval: Patrick Troughton
   Prudence Duvernoy: Catherine Salkeld
   Gaston Rieux: T St John Barry
   Nanine: Vivienne Chatterton
   Georges Duval: John Turnbull
   Artur de Varville: Olaf Pooley
   Olympe: Betty Baskcomb
   Saint Gaudens: Bryan Powley
   Comte de Giray: Peter Bathurst
   Nichette: Virginia Winter
   Gustave: Stanley MacKenzie
Also with Audrey Mendes, Nancy Nevinson, Mary Williams, Peter Ducrow, Brian Hayes, Peter Hoar, Douglas Hayes, Cameron Miller and Harold Siddons
Repeated from 30th December 1953
[The original book was also adapted into the opera La Traviata]


6th January 1954
20.15-22.00 and 22.15-23.15
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Producer: Donald McWhinnie
   Servant to Capulet/Friar John: Cyril Shaps
   Servant to Capulet: Brian Hayes
   Abraham: Frank Tickle
   Benvolio: Jerome Willis
   Tybalt: Robert Shaw
   Capulet: Mervyn Blake
   Montague: James Dale
   Escalus, Prince of Verona: Powys Thomas
   Lady Montague: Janet Burnell
   Romeo, son to Montague: Tony Britton
   Paris: Richard Martin
   Peter: Peter Duguid
   Lady Capulet: Joan Sanderson
   Nurse to Juliet: Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies
   Juliet: Peggy Ashcroft
   Mercutio/ Chorus: Marius Goring
   Friar Laurence: Donald Eccles
   Balthasar: Derek Birch
   An apothecary: James Wellman
Repeated on BBC Home on 11th October 1954 and on R4 on 6th March 1972


10th January 1954
17.00-18.00:
Radio Theatre: The Strange Lover by Lord Dunsany (Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 1878-1957) adapted by Lance Sieveking (1896-1972)
Produced by Hugh Stewart
   Mr Grainger: Harold Scott
   Mrs Grainger: Hester Paton Brown
   Mariana: Ysanne Churchman
   Joan: Gabrielle Blunt
   Robert: Hugh Falkus
   Cook: Mary Williams
   Frank: Robert Del Kyrke
   Cundell: Richard George
   Professor Mefisto: Robert Farquharson
   Alcabra: John Cazabon
   Servant: Monica Grey


11th January 1954
16.30-18.00:
Monday Matinee: Disputed Barricade (1952) by Henry Gibbs (1909-1975), adapted by Rex Rienits
Produced by Cleland Finn
   John Anthrop: James McKechnie
   Tom Hylow: Heron Carvic
   Lex Anthrop: Michael O'Halloran
   A barber: Bryan Powley
   Mary: Gabrielle Blunt
   Eve Periapt: Mary Wimbush
   Simon Peters: Charles Maunsell
   Max Periapt: Hamilton Dyce
   Lily Field: Violet Loxley
   Holding: Charles Richardson
   Theo Mime: Donald Gray
   Percy Wallust: Alan Reid
   Mrs Periapt: Janet Burnell
   Toddy: Duncan McIntyre
   Boy: Barry MacGregor
   Young John: Jeremy Spenser
Also with Derek Hart. Rosamund Greenwood, Geoffrey Bond, and Virginia Winter
Repeated from 1st April 1953
[Henry Gibbs also wrote as Simon Harvester.]


13th January 1954
20.30-22.00
Night Must Fall (1935) by Emlyn Williams (1905-1987), Adapted by Peggy Wells
Produced by Ayton Whitaker
   Mrs Bramson: Jean Cadell
   Olivia: Olive Gregg
   Hubert Laurie: Richard Pearson
   Mrs Terence: Joan Sanderson
   Dora: Betty Alberge
   Inspector Belsize: John Turnbull
   Danny: Richard Burton
Repeated 18th January 1954
[Betty Davies produced the play in 1969 for R4]


17th January 1954
17.00-18.00:
Radio Theatre: A Blaze Of Roses (1952) by Elleston Trevor (1920-1995)
Produced by Norman Wright
   Mr Keene: Brian Haines
   Josephine: Betty Hardy
   Hobson Piper: Neil Tuson
   Phyllis: Anne Cullen
   Sergeant Pink: Godfrey Kenton
   Mrs Cheyne: Mary Wimbush
Also with Virginia Winter, Audrey Mendes, Bryan Powley, and Geoffrey Bond
[The novel was re-published as "The Fire-Raiser" in 1970]
[Elleston Trevor used many pseudonyms]


20th January 1954
20.45-22.00
The Great Romancer (1937) by Jules Eckert Goodman (1876-1962)
Produced by Charles Lefeaux
   Ida Ferrier: Peggy Thorpe-Bates
   Victor Brun: William Fox
   Auguste Maquet: Bryan Hayes
   Josef, his servant: Derek Birch
   Alexander Dumas, the father: Robert Morley (1906-1992)
   Alexander Dumas, the son: David Peel
   Marie Dorval, an actress: Margaret Ward
   Alfred de Vigny: Godfrey Kenton
   Dr Bixio: Norman Claridge
   Adah Isaac Menken: Margaret Diamond
Repeated 25th January 1954
[Robert Morley played Dumas in the 1937 London stage play]


24th January 1954
17.00-18.00:
Radio Theatre: Wrong Number by Norman Edwards
Produced by Hugh Stewart
   Aloysius: Richard Waring
   Dr Pole: Cecil Parker
   Max: Victor Maddern
   Mildred Jones: Virginia Winter
   An announcer: Brian Hayes
   Bill Saunders: Leo Phillips
   Jack Bates: Patrick Westwood
   Miss Crystal: Hazel Hughes
   Fat Cyril: Allan Jeayes
   A Police Sergeant: Geoffrey Bond
   Inspector Blake: Campbell Singer
[Also produced in 1956 by Hugh Stewart with a different cast- Dr Pole by Robert Harris, Max by John Carol]
[Also produced in 1962 by Martyn C Webster with Raymond Huntley as Dr Pole]


27th January 1954
20.45-22.00
Rebecca (1938) by Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) adapted by Lester Powell
Produced by Cleland Finn
   Mrs de Winter: Ann Todd
   Mrs Van Hopper: Joan Young
   Maxim de Winter: Richard Williams
   Frith: Arthur Ridley
   Mrs Danvers: Enid Lorimer
   Frank Crawley: Richard Hurndall
   Beatrice Lacey: Olwen Brookes
   Giles Lacey: Norman Claridge
   Jack Favell: Roger Delgado
   Colonel Julyan: Edward Lexy
   Dr Baker: Charles Maunsell
Repeated 1st February 1954
[Not to be confused with the novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin of 1903]


31st January 1954
17.00-18.00:
Radio Theatre: A Present For Jenny by Laura Common
The clash between religion and rationalism in the life of Jenny.
Produced by Val Gielgud
   Jenny Loning: Monica Grey
   Carl Wainwright: Ian Holm
   Mrs Leary: Cecilia Eddy
   Mr Barnes: George Coulouris
   Mac: Rupert Davies
   Manion: Laurel Solash
   Sister Margaret: Ann Murray
   Mother Superior: Margaret Halstan
Repeated 8th August 1954

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2nd February 1954
20.00-20.30
Laurence Olivier Presents: The Country of the Blind (1904) by H. G. Wells.
Produced by Harry Alan Towers.
   Nunez: Laurence Olivier
Other cast meRepeated 8th August 1954mbers, announced on the show were: Roger Delgado, Robert Rietti, Gabrielle Blunt, Stephen Jack, Keith Pyott, Donald Visit, Anthony Carey
Broadcast on NBC (USA)[Theater Royal] 2nd January 1954
[This play follows the original 1904 version of the story].
[This was not a BBC production but an independent drama produced in London by Towers of London]
[Note- this play also exists in collections in a heavily edited version]


3rd February 1954
20.45-22.00
Craig's Wife (1925) by George Kelly (1897-1974)
Produced By: Charles Lefeaux
   Mazie: Beryl Roques
   Mrs Harold: Barbara Trevor
   Mrs Craig (Harriet): Phyllis Calvert
   Ethel Landreth: Jane Fergus
   Walter Craig: Robert Ayres
   Mrs Frazier: Bessie Love
   Miss Austen: Aletha Orr
   Billy Birkmlre: Russell Napier
   Catelle: Launce Maraschal
   Eugene Fredericks: Guy Kingsley Poynter
Repeated 8th February 1954
[The stage production won the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for Drama]


7th February 1954
17.00-18.00:
Radio Theatre: The Small Miracle by Paul Gallico (1897-1976). dramatised by R. J. B. Sellar
A boy and his donkey.
Produced by Hugh Stewart.
   Father Damico: Wilfrid Hyde White
   Pepino: Wilfrid Downing
   Dr Bantold: Wilfred Fletcher
   Giani: Richard Brooke
   Friar Bernard: Michael Logan
   A Monk: Brian Hayes
   The Bishop: Wilfred Walter
   The Lay Supervisor: John Cazabon
   A lorry driver: Lan Sadler
   A flower-seller: Eileen Thorndike
   A Swiss guard: Christopher Rhodes
   The Monsignor: William Fox
Repeated from 13th September 1953.
[Also produced by Archie Campbell in 1961, rptd 1964, for BBC Home with Willoughby Goddard as Damico]
[Filmed in 1951 under the title of Never Take No for an Answer]


9th February 1954
20.00-20.30:
Laurence Olivier Presents: Markheim (1885) by Robert Louis Stevenson adapted by Derek Patmore.
Music directed by Sidney Torch.
Produced by Harry Alan Towers.
   Markheim: Laurence Olivier
   The Stranger: Abraham Sofaer
Also with Donald Bishop, Paul Whitsun Jones, and Joan Lord.
Broadcast on NBC (USA)[Theater Royal] 28/11/1953 .
[This was not a BBC production but an independent drama produced in London by Towers of London]
[Note- this play also exists in collections in a heavily edited version]
[Above details transcribed from the episode- Joan Lord was an Australian actress who spent a few years in London.]


10th February 1954:
20.45-22.00
The Stars in Their Choices: The Unguarded Hour (1937) by Bernard Merivale, Adapted by Peggy Wells
Produced by Charles Lefeaux
   Pewson, the butler: Frank Tickle
   Colonel William Mason (Bill): Gordon Davies
   Lady Deardon (Yvonne): Helen Shingler
   Sir Francis Deardon,Q C (Frank): Malcolm Keen
   Metcalfe, the accused: Hamilton Dyce
   Judge: Derek Birch
   Lord Hemingway: Arthur Ridley
   Lady Hemingway: Janet Burnell
   Sir Thomas Grainger: Peter Copley
   Counsel for Defence: Rupert Davies
   Diana Lewis: Elizabeth London
   Sergeant Atkins: Ian Sadler
Repeated 15th February 1954
[Other productions- year, station, producer, Actor playing Pewson:
1937 /Mid Reg/ Otto Read/ not known
1945 /Light & Home/F O'Donavon/ Preston Lockwood
1948 rpt 1950/Light & Home/M C Webster/ Arthur Ridley]
[Malcolm Keen played in the 1935 London stage production]
[Original author's name: Radio Times in 1937 said:(Based on the German 'Kopf in der Schlinge' of Otto Bastian). Wikipedia says:("inspired by a Hungarian work by Ladislas Fodor" - which is supported by the 1935 Theatre Programme). The Library of Congress index of copyright entries says of the German play: (c)24/11/30 by "John von Bradley und Otto Bastian, pseuds von Ladislaus Fodor."]


14th February 1954
17.00-18.00:
Radio Theatre: Brother Henry by Lionel Brown
Produced by David H. Godfrey
The setting is before the passing of the Administration of Estates Act.
   Barbara Scott: Elizabeth Rogers
   Sir Claud Grahame: Owen Fellowes
   Alan Brunell: Richard Bebb
   Beech: James Dale
   President Valdazar: Cyril Shaps
   Judy Valdazar: Sarah Leigh
   Frances Brunell (Bruney): Margaret Ward
   Sir Charles Barrington.: William Fox
Repeated 15th August 1954


16th February 1954
20.00-20.30
Laurence Olivier Presents: The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) adapted by Derek Patmore.
Music directed by Sidney Torch
Produced by Harry Alan Towers (Towers of London)
   The Ghost: Laurence Olivier
   Lord Canterville: Howard Marion-Crawford
   Mr Hiram B Otis: MacDonald Parks
   Mrs Lucretia Otis: Natalie Benesch
   Virginia: Frances Hyland
   Elmer: Lois MacLean
   Mrs Umney: Thelma Ruby
Broadcast on NBC (USA)[Theater Royal] 26/12/1953.
[Note- this play also exists in collections in a heavily edited version]


17th February 1954
20.30-22.00:
Robert's Wife by St. John Ervine (1883-1971)
The play is set in 1937: Pacifism may lead to arrest for sedition and birth control is controversial. Ministers of religion face moral problems.
Produced by Archie Campbell
   Miss Orley: Elspeth March
   June Hanvey: Elizabeth London
   Anne, the parlourmaid: Sulwen Morgan
   Sanchia Carson: Edith Evans
   Dick Jones: Cyril Shaps
   Robert Carson: Patrick Barr
   Bishop of Winterbury: Kynaston Reeves
   Mrs Jones: Elea Palmer
   Bob Carson: Owen Holder
   Inspector Lindsey: Michael O'Halloran
   Mrs Armitage: Eileen Thorndike
   The Rev Arthur Jefferson: Godfrey Kenton
Repeated 22nd February 1954
[The play was also produced by Ayton Whitaker in 1948]
[Also produced by Norman Wright in 1969 for R4 with Jessie Matthews as Sanchia]
[Edith Evans played Sanchia in the 1937 theatre production].


21st February 1954
17.00-18.00:
Radio Theatre The Einstein Highway by Charles Eric Maine (David McIlwain; 1921-1981)
Is it murder when time travel is involved?
Produced by Archie Campbell
   Clerk of the Court: Harold Ayer
   Judge Canning: MacDonald Parke
   Breen: William Sylvester
   District Attorney: Alan Tilvern
   Narrator: Guy Kingsley Poynter
   Dr Breuer: William Sherwood
   Dr Charles Elyiaston: Nicholas Stuart
   Attorney for the Defence: John Bushelle
   Lydia Elvaston: Peggy Hassard
   Graham Baxter: William Nagy
   Controller: Michael O'Halloran
   Dr Karn: Rudolph Offenbach
Also with George Herbert, John Oazabon, Ian Sadler, T.St. John Barry
[This play was developed into a novel published 1955 "Timeliner"]


23rd February 1954
20.00-20.30:
Laurence Olivier Presents: The Queen of Spades (1833) by Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837)
Music directed by Sidney Torch
Produced by Harry Alan Towers
(A Towers of London Production)
   Herman: Orson Welles
   Narumov: Seymour Green
   Surin: Ferdy Mayne
   Tomsky: Robert Rietty
   Countess Anna Fedotovna: Ellen Pollock
   Lizaveta Ivanovna: Cecile Chevreau
   Natasha: Joan Lord
   Midinette: Joan Lord
   Chekalinsky/ Servant: Paul Whitsun-Jones
Broadcast on NBC (USA)[Theater Royal] 10th April 1953.
[Note- this play also exists in collections in a heavily edited version]
[Original title "Pikovaya dama"]


23rd February 1954
21.30
How Music Came To Roaring Gap by Sam Davis
Guitar: Billy Bell; Fiddle: Danny Levan; Piano: Stanley Black
1858: A mining camp in California
Produced by Charles Chilton (1917-2013)
   Narrator: Andrew Faulds
   Wagoner: Pat Campbell
   Gambler: Alan Keith
   Bartender: Guy Kingsley Poynter
   Rosita: Brenda Dunrich
   Old man: MacDonald Parke
Repeated on BBC Home on 12th April 1954 and 6th May 1955


24th February 1954
20.30-22.00
Curtain Up: The Pirate (1942) by S. N. Behrman (1893-1973), adapted by C. E. Webber (1909-1969)
Produced by Martyn C. Webster
   Manuela: Marjorie Westbury
   Isabella: Janet Burnell
   Pedro, Manuela's husband: Cyril Shaps
   Ines, Manuela's mother: Hester Paton Brown
   Capucho Manuela's father: Allan Jeayes
   Lizarda, Manuela's maid: Mary Wimbush
   Serafin: Sam Wanamaker
   Trillo: George Hagan
   Bolo: Geoffrey Matthews
   Viceroy: John Ruddock
Also with Sulwen Morgan, Trevor Martin, T. St. John Barry, Michael O'Halloran, Alan Reid, Richard Waring
Repeated 1st March 1954
[The play was based upon an idea in a play "Die Seerauber" by Ludwig Fulda (1862-1939) ]


28th February 1954
17.00-18.00:
Radio Theatre: Unhurrying Chase by Margaret Gore-Browne and Val Gielgud
Produced by Val Gielgud
   Henry Hathaway: Richard Bebb
   George, a barman: Michael Shepley
   Jacqueline Ferrers: Jeannette Sterke
   Madame Rachelle: Gladys Spencer
   A croupier: Jeffrey Segal
   Admiral the Earl of Bedford: Hamilton Dyce
   Monsieur Teletel: Cyril Shaps
   A warder: Paul Whitsun-Jones
   Voices: Catherine Fleming, Elizabeth London
Also with Geoffrey Mathews, Rupert Davies
[Not related to the book by H F M Prescott]

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2nd March 1954
20.00-20.30:
Laurence Olivier Presents: The Inspector General (1836) by Nicolai Gogol (1809-1852), adapted by Derek Patmore
Music directed by Sidney Torch
Produced by Harry Alan Towers
(A Towers of London Production)
   Ivan Alexandrovitch Hlestakov: Laurence Olivier
   The Mayor: Alexander Gauge
   His wife: Daphne Maddox
   His daughter: Jeannette Sterke
   The Judge/Bobchinsky: Roger Delgado
   The Postmaster/Waiter: Stephen Jack
   Osip, Hlestakov's servant/Soldier: Keith Pyott
   Bobchinsky/The Doctor/Shopkeeper: Jackson Frazer
Broadcast on NBC (USA) 20th February 1954 [Theater Royal]
[Note- this play also exists in collections in a heavily edited version]
[The original work is also known as The Government Inspector]


3rd March 1954:
20.30-22.00
The Chiltern Hundreds (1947) by William Douglas Home (1912-1992), adapted by Peggy Wells
Produced by Norman Wright
   Countess of Lister: Ella Milne
   Earl of Lister: A E Matthews
   June Farrell: Helen Horton
   Bessie: Avril Wheatley
   Beecham: Clifford Mollison
   Lord Pym: Peter Coke
   Mr Cleghorn: Rupert Davies
   Lady Caroline Smith: Mary Williams
Repeated 8th March 1984.
[An appointment to the Chiltern Hundreds is one of the ways an English elected MP can "resign".]
[William Douglas Home's brother Alec was the last Prime Minister to be a Lord while PM, and the first to disclaim his title after the Peerage Act of 1963- and was then a life peer from 1974.]


7th March 1954
17.00-18.00:
Radio Theatre: The Nantucket Legend by George Lefferts adapted by Charles Hatton
Produced by David H. Godfrey
Nantucket. He just wants to rest with his wife.
   Miz Minnie Clem: Helen Horton
   Jeremy Throgg: MacDonald Parke
   Yerian Hepney: George Margo
   Banker Burrill: Alan Keith
   Miz Heep: Gwen Day Burroughs
   Doc Bloggs: Philip Vickers
   Cindy Abbott: Lois McLean
   Mildred Abbott: Mavis Villiers
   Sheriff: Charles Irwin
   Newsreader: Stan Thomason
   Reporter: Jon Farrell
   Parson Snickett: Stuart Nichol


9th March 1954
20.00-20.30:
Laurence Olivier Presents: Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), adapted by Derek Patmore
Music directed by Sidney Torch
Produced by Harry Alan Towers
(A Towers of London Production)
   Dr Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde: Laurence Olivier
   Mr Utterson: William Mervyn
   Father: Russell Napier
   Inspector Newcomen/Butler (Poole): Campbell Singer
   Dr Lanyon: John Fraser
Broadcast on NBC (USA)[Theater Royal] 30th January 1954
[Note- this play also exists in collections in a heavily edited version]


10th March 1954
20.30-22.00:
Dear Brutus by J. M. Barrie
Produced by Val Gielgud
   Mrs Alice Dearth: Christine Bocca
   Joanna: Belle Chrystall
   Mabel Purdie: Griselda Hervey
   Lady Caroline: Jacqueline Lacey
   Mrs Coade: Mabel Terry-Lewis
   Matey: Godfrey Kenton
   Mr Pundiie: William Fox
   Mr Coade: Martin Lewis
   Lob: Richard Goolden
   Mr Dearth: Leo Genn
   Margaret: Elizabeth Henson
   Storyteller: John Grant
   Repeated 15th March 1954
[This is a different production to the 1937 one by Val Gielgud]
[Also produced by Martyn C Webster in 1951 for BBC Home
[Also produced by David Davis in 1969 for R4]
[Also produced by Stuart Owen for R4 in 1987, rptd 1988]


14th March 1954
17.00:
Radio Theatre: The Law And The Prophets by Donagh MacDonagh (1912-1968)
Melodeon played by Peter Kennedy
   Ballad singer: Seamus Ennis (1919-1982)
   Civic Guard: Robert Mooney
   Warder: Michael O'Halloran
   Myles Mongan: Liam Redmond
   Tom Geraghty, a warder: John Kelly
   Clerk: Liam Gaffney
   Seymour Moynihan, a barrister: Joseph Tomelty
   J F X Connors, a solicitor: Tony Quinn
   Mary Mongan: Maureen Pryor
   Luke Mongan: Harry Hutchinson
   Gallagher, a publican: Edward Lexy
   Mr Justice Brennan, at the High Court: T. St. John Barry
   Mr Newsome, a barrister: Diarmuid Kelly
   Judge, the President of the Court of Criminal Appeal.: Harry Hutchinson
   Bid Mongan: Sheila Shand Gibbs
Repeated 29th August 1954
[Donagh MacDonagh was a judge]


16th March 1954
20.00-20.30:
Laurence Olivier Presents: The Case of Bardell versus Pickwick, from Dickens Pickwick Papers, adapted by Derek Patmore
Music directed by Sidney Torch
Produced by Harry Alan Towers
(A Towers of London Production)
With Alexander Gauge, Stephen Jack, Joan Young, Thelma Ruby, Keith Pyott, William Mervyn.
Broadcast on NBC (USA)[Theater Royal] 6th February 1954
[Note- this broadcast now exists in a heavily edited version with 10 minutes removed.]


17th March 1954
20.30-22.00
The Skin Game (1920) by John Galsworthy (1867-1933), adapted by Howard Rose
1920- The newly rich and the Squire.
Produced by Mary Hope Allen
   Jill Hillcrist: Anne Leon
   John Hillcrist, her father: Leslie Perrins
   Fellows, a butler: Michael Collins
   Mr Jackman: Stanley Groome
   Mrs Jackman: Patience Collier
   Mrs Hillcrist: Peggy Thorpe-Bates
   Dawiker: John Gabriel
   Mr Hornblower: Edward Chapman
   Chloe Hornblower: Maxine Audley
   Charles Hornblower: William Fox
   Rolf Hornblower: John Humphry
   An auctioneer: Derek Birch
   A stranger: John Kidd
Repeated 22nd March 1954
[Other productions:
1949 Raymond Raikes
1963 Home Sunday Wilshin
1965 Home Audrey Cameron rptd 1968, 1969]


21st March 1954
17.00-18.00
Radio Theatre: The Domesday Story (1952) by Warwick Scott (aka Elleston Trevor 1920-1995), adapted by Elleston Trevor
The ultimate weapon may destroy the earth: who should decide if it should be tested?
Produced by Archie Campbell
   Bill Sandys, journalist: Derek Farr
   Fabian, a Club proprietor: Kenneth Hyde
   Tony Limewood, a physicist: Edward Brooks
   Philippa, his fiancee: Margaret Wedlake
   Mr Jago Editor-in-Chief: Edmund Willard
   Miss Parker, his secretary: Mary Williams
   Jimpson, a journaliist: Tommy Duggan
   Walter Pymm: Allan Jeayes
   Joe White: Alan Sadler
   Wally Jones: T St John Barry
   Jim Ringstone: Alan Reid
   Mike, an office-boy: Michael Slater
   Lord Vincent: Godfrey Kenton
   Prime Minister: Rupert Davies
   Commentator: John Bushelle
Repeated 22nd August 1954
[The author used a number of different pen names]


23rd March 1954
20.00-20.30:
Laurence Olivier Presents: The Tale (1917) by Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), adapted by Derek Patmore
A story told to a female companion during wartime.
Music directed by Sidney Torch
Produced by Harry Alan Towers
(A Towers of London Production)
   Commander: Ralph Richardson
   Woman: Elizabeth Kentish
   Lieutenant: Campbell Singer
   Officer: David Jacob
   Master: Eric Berry
   Engineer: Tony Carey
   Mate/Voice: Paul Whitsun Jones
Broadcast on NBC (USA)[Theater Royal] 18th October 1953
[Note- this play exists in many collections in an edited version.]


24th March 1954
20.30-22.00:
The Heiress (1947) Ruth Goetz (1912-2001) and Augustus Goetz, Based on the novel Washington Square (1880) by Henry James (1843-1916)
Directed by Frederick Bradnum
   Maria, the maid: Monica Grey
   Doctor Sloper: Cecil Trouncer
   Lavinia Penniman: Thea Wells
   Catherine Sloper: Celia Johnson
   Mrs Almond: Idina Scott-Gatty
   Manian Almond: Elizabeth London
   Arthur Townsend: T St John Barry
   Morris Townsend: William Fox
   Mrs Montgomery: Beatrix MacKey
[Originally listed for 16th December 1953 but not broadcast on that date]
Repeated from 21st December 1953 (? if not cancelled?)
Repeated on 29th March 1954 and 30th June 1956
[The 1947 Goetz play has a modified ending to the original James book]
[Originally inspired by a related incident in the life of the brother of actress Fanny Kemble]


28th March 1954
17.00-18.00
Suspense: Jungle Green (1953) by Arthur Campbell,
Produced By: Alan Burgess
   Major Campbell: Leo Genn
   C S M Tilley: Russell Napier
   C O: Eric Phillips
   Mike: Garard Green
   Johnny: Derek Hart
   Jock: Duncan McIntyre
   Private Raikes: Roger Snowdon
   Private Churchman: Brian Roper
   Private Jewson: John Charlesworth
   Corporal Robinson: Barry MacGregor
   Chen Yun: Ian Catford
   Chinese woman: Myrtle Rowe
[A dramatisation of a book about the Suffolk Regiment in Malaya in the 1950s]


29th March 1954:
20.30-21.00
Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case by Francis Durbridge (1912-1998)
Part 1 of 8
Produced By: Martyn C. Webster
   Paul Temple: Peter Coke
   Steve: Marjorie Westbury
   Charlie: James Beattie
   Wilfrid Stirling: Charles Leno
   Sir Graham Forbes: Lester Mudditt
   Detective Inspector Kingston: Duncan McIntyre
   Betty Wayne: Grizelda Hervey
   Lance Reynolds: Richard Williams
   Dick Metcalf: Cyril Shaps
Additional actors in later parts:
Alec Ross, Anne Cullen, Arthur Lawrence, David Peel, Elizabeth London, Geoffrey Bond, Olaf Olsen, Peggy Hassard, Robert Rietty
The dates below are for the Light programme.
Pt2:5/4/54 Pt3:12/4/54 Pt4:19/4/54 Pt5:26/4/54 Pt6:3/5/54 Pt7:10/5/54 Pt8:17/5/54
Each episode was repeated after four days on BBC Home.
[There was a later production by Martyn C Webster in 1959-1960, with Simon Lack as Lance and Eva Stuart as Betty, repeated many times on R7 and R4X]
[Durbridge wrote 20 Paul Temple radio serials (excluding new productions of previously aired plays) broadcast from 1938. This was the 16th serial. The last new play was broadcast in 1965.]


30th March 1954
20.00-20.30:
Laurence Olivier Presents: The Outcasts of Poker Flat (1869) by Bret Harte (1836-1902), adapted by Derek Patmore
A tragedy in California.
Music directed by Sidney Torch
Produced by Harry Alan Towers
(A Towers of London Production)
   Narrator: Laurence Olivier
   Mr John Oakhurst: Laurence Olivier
   Sheriff: Lionel Murton
   Vigilante: Jon Farrell
   The Duchess: Margot Stevenson
   Uncle Billy: MacDonald Parke
   Mother Shipton: Bessie Love
   Tom Simson: Arthur Hill
   Piney Woods: Louis McClean
Broadcast on NBC 6th March 1954 (USA)[Theater Royal]
[Note- this play exists in many collections in an edited version.]


31st March 1954
21.00-22.00
Curtain Up! :- The Ship that Died of Shame by Nicholas Monsarrat (1910-1979) dramatised by Captain (E) Kenneth Langmaid
After the war the Captain buys his old ship and uses it in dubious ways.
Produced by: Raymond Raikes
   Lt Comm Randall (Bill): Norman Wooland
   Lt Hoskins (George): Trevor Howard
Also with Ian Sadler, Rupert Davies and Geoffrey Matthews
Repeated 5th April 1954
[Montsarrat captained corvettes and frigates]

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4th April 1954
17.00-18.00:
Suspense: Three Can Live by Alan Burgess (1915-1998)
The story of Wing-Commander Yeo Thomas
Produced by Alan Burgess
World War 2.
   Wing-Commander Yeo Thomas: Edward Chapman
   Professor Balachowski: Valentine Dyall
   Kapo Dietsch: Ralph Truman
   Sturmbannfuhrer Ding Schuler: John Chandos
   Oberfuhrer Pister: Felix Felton
   Albaret: Bernard Rebel
   Jean Dulac: Richard Williams
   Rehmsdorf Commandant: Heron Carvic
   Mueller: Andrew Churchman
   Hessel: Guy Kingsley Poynter
   Kogen: William Cooley
   N C O: Rolf Richards
   MacAlister: Nicholas Stewart
   Kane: Tom Clarkson
   Hubble: David Ward
   Orderly: Felix Kent
Repeated from 26th March 1953
[The play is partly based upon information from 'The White Rabbit'(1952) by Bruce Marshall. Yeo Thomas was known as The White Rabbit. ]
[Alan Burgess was an RAF pilot. ]


6th April 1954
20.00-20.30:
Laurence Olivier Presents: The Suicide Club by Robert Louis Stevenson, adapted by Derek Patmore
Music directed by Sidney Torch
Produced by Harry Alan Towers
(A Towers of London Production)
   Florizel: Laurence Olivier
   Colonel: Milton Rosmer
   Young Man with the Cream Tarts: Robert Rietty.
   Commissionaire Cabby: Eric Berry
   President of the Club/Mate/ Voice: Paul Whitsun-Jones
   Mr Bartholomew Malthus: Keith Pyott
Broadcast on NBC (USA)[Theater Royal] 27th February 1954.
[Note- this play exists in many collections in an edited version.]


7th April 1954
20.30-22.00
Curtain Up! :- A Street in Soho by C E Webber (1909-1969) adapted from "For the Love of Doc"(1951) by Simon Kent (Max Catto, 1907-1992)
Produced by David H. Godfrey
   Mrs Myers, the storyteller: Elsa Palmer
   Doc Saunders: Deryck Guyler
   Mary: Ella Milne
   Ed Griffiths: Roddy Hughes
   Alex: Cyril Shaps
   Johnny Paterson: Roger Snowdon
   Ma Paterson: Eileen Thorndike
   Danny Paterson: Bunny May
   Puccini: Ian Sadler
   Mickey Ryan: George Hagan
   Sammy: Peter Claughton
   Janey Baxter: Elizabeth Digby-Smith
   Anna: Sulwen Morgan
   Lew Lambert: Alan Reid
   Det-Inspector Evans: Malcolm Graeme
Repeated 12th April 1954
[Also produced by Audrey Cameron in 1956 with the same cast according to BBC Program Database]


11th April 1954
17.00-18.00
Suspense: Listen Comrades by El Campesino (Valentin Gonzalez Gonzalez 1904-1983) adapted by Felix Felton (1911-1972)
Behind the Iron Curtain.
Produced By: Alan Burgess
   Narrator: Trevor Howard
   El Campesino: Ralph Truman
   El Campesino as a boy: Barry MacGregor
   La Pasionaria: Jill Balcon
   Ehrenburg: Howieson Culff
   Colonel Popov: Ewen Solon
   Zhukov: Dennis Castle
   Karl: Clifford Buckton
   Gregor: Shaw Taylor
   Amedo: Guy Demonceau
   British Captain: Donald Bisset
   Persian Station Master: Frank Sieman
   Cordon: George Herbert
   Old Missa: Ernest Sefton
   Armenian: Geoffrey Matthews
[El Campesino = "the peasant"]


13th April 1954
20.00-20.30:
Laurence Olivier Presents: The Overcoat (1840) by Nicolai Gogol (1809-1852), adapted by Derek Patmore (per Radio Times), dramatised by G G Bryson (per NBC Broadcast announcement)
Music directed by Sidney Torch
Produced by Harry Alan Towers
(A Towers of London Production)
   Host: Laurence Olivier
   Akaky Akakyevitch Bashmatchkin: Michael Redgrave
   The Director/ The Voice: Keith Pyott
   Peter Vasilevitch/ A Secretary: Ferdy Mayne
   Grigory Petrovitch/ A Porter: Carl Bernard
   Nikolai / A Clerk: Seymour Green
   Vassily Ilarionovitch/ A Servant: Robert Rietty
   The Marauder/ The Soldier: Jackson Frazer
   The Landlady: Joan Young
   The Superintendent: Felix Felton
   His Excellency: Alexander Gauge
Broadcast on NBC (USA)[Theater Royal] 11th October 1953.
[Note- this play exists in many collections in an edited version.]
[Original title "Shinel", sometimes translated as The Cloak]
[Also produced by Charles Lefeaux in 1961 for R3]
[Adapted by Jim Poyser and produced by Susan Roberts in 2002, rptd 2004, R4X 2009-2017]


14th April 1954
20.30-22.00
Curtain Up!: The Net (1952) by John Pudney (1909-1977), edited by Peggy Wells.
The strains of secrecy.
Produced by Martyn C Webster
Major Seagram: Arthur Hill
   Colonel Bord: Tony Quinn
   Use Leon: Olive Gregg
   Brian Jackson: Lewis Stringer
   Lydia Heathley: Lucille Lisle
   Mem, her mother: Gladys Spencer
   Prof. Arthur Heathley: William Fox
   Dr Alex Leon: Denis Goacher
   Sir Charles Cruddock: Norman Claridge
   Dr McArthur: Andrew Crawford
   George Jackson: Malcolm Hayes
   Minister of Research: John Ruddock
   Duty Controller: Desmond Carrington
   Sentry: Kenneth Cope


18th April 1954
17.00-18.00:
Suspense They Have Their Exits by Airey Neave (1916-1979), adapted by Fred Lawing
Produced by Alan Burgess
Colditz.
   Airey Neave: Marius Goring
   Father: Bernard Rebel
   Tall woman: Bettine Dickson
   Polish woman: Ina de la Haye
   Boy: Alaric Cotter
   Forbes: Donovan Winter
   Private Duggan: Tommy Duggan
   Dutch officer: Gerik Schjelderup
   First officer: David Poulson
   Second officer: Reginald Hearne
   Brigadier: Ian Sadler
   German N C O: Rudolph Offenbach
   Priem: Carl Duering
   Private Smith: Michael Collins
   Private Jones: Max Brimmell
[Airey Neave was assassinated in 1979]


20th April 1954
20.00::
Laurence Olivier Presents: Mr. Micawber's Difficulties, adaptation of sequences from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.
Adapted by Derek Patmore
Music under the direction of Sidney Torch
Produced by Harry Alan Towers
(A Towers of London production)
   David Copperfield / Mr Micawber: Laurence Olivier
   David Copperfield as a boy: Patricia Fryer
   Mrs Micawber: Susan Richards
   Mr Murdstone/ Creditor: Jack Fraser
   Mr Quinion/ Captain Hopkins: Keith Pyott
   Mick Walker: Anthony Green
   Mealy Potatoes/ Clickett: Gabrielle Blunt
Broadcast on NBC (USA)[Theater Royal] 13th March 1954
[Note- this play exists in an edited version missing 4 minutes]


21st April 1954
20.30-22.00
Curtain Up! : Stop Press Murder (1953) by Guy Ramsey, adapted by Rex Rienits.
Produced by Audrey Cameron.
   Celandine Power: Janet Burnell
   Joan Ware, a reporter: Elizabeth London
   Geoffrey Clewes. Editor: George Hagan
   Wullie Duff: Arthur Lawrence
   Dina Weston, a reporter: Grizelda Hervey
   Joe Forbes a reporter: Richard Bebb
   Geo Garland, news editor: Godfrey Kenton
   A. B. Carruthers: Norman Shelley
   Copy messenger: Gawn Grainger
   Cecil Loveday, sub-editor: Richard Waring
   Reginald Walters, asst editor: Derek Birch
   Amy Musgrove: Betty Hardy
   Derek Mounton, M.P: Jack Allen
   Mrs. Mounton: Molly Rankin
   Mrs. Bloom, a charwoman: Eileen Thorndike
   Det. Insp. John Pritchard: Patrick Barr
   Sergeant Didcot: Geoffrey Matthews
   Det. Insp. Trevor Llewellyn: Hugh David
   Mavis Garland, Geo's wife: Mary Wimbush
   Robert Shean, a financier: Raymond Rollett
   Arnold, his manservant: Geoffrey Wincott
Repeated 26th April 1954


25th April 1954
17.00-18.00:
Suspense: Sailing To Freedom (1952) by Voldemar Veedam (1912-1983) and Carl B. Wall adapted by Paul Darke
Produced by Alan Burgess
Sixteen Estonian refugees seek to cross the Atlantic in a thirty-seven feet long boat.
   Harry Paalberg: Valentine Dyall
   Ellen Paalberg: Liselotte Kristian
   Grandma: Vivienne Chatterton
   Val: Robert Eddison
   Maia Andre: Mary Ward
   Aunt Juliana: Ella Milne
   Arvid: To Be Announced
   Nora: Brenda Dunrich
   Paul Reiniholm: Russell Napier
   Lembrt Reinholm: Harry Towb
   Heino: Richard Hurndall
   Ronnie: Robert Rietty
   Norwegian: Gerik Schjelderup
   Immigration Officer: James Cairncross
   Bill: Andrew Faulds
   Paddy Shortall: Robert Mooney
   Officer: John G Heller
   

27th April 1954
20.00-20.30:
Laurence Olivier Presents: When Greek Meets Greek(1941) by Graham Greene (1904-1991), adapted by Derek Patmore
Music directed by Sidney Torch
Produced by Harry Alan Towers
(A Towers of London Production)
   Narrator: Laurence Olivier
   Nicholas Fennick, B A: Laurence Olivier
   Elisabeth Cross: Cecile Chevreau
   Mr Priskett: Keith Pyott
   Lord Driver: Paul Whitsun-Jones
   Landlady: Susan Richards
   Fred Driver: David Jacobs
Broadcast on NBC (USA)[Theater Royal] 11th April 1954.
[Note- this play exists in many collections in an edited version.]


28th April 1954
20.30-22.00:
Curtain Up! The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham adapted by John Keir Cross
Produced by Peter Watts
   Michael Watson: Robert Beatty
   Phyllis Watson: Griselda Hervey
   Ship's Captain: T St John Barry
   Captain Winters, R N: Edward Jewesbury
   Lieutenant Commander: Michael Turner
   Wiseman: John Pett
   Trant: George Hagan
   A seaman: Peter Henchie
   Doctor Alastair Bocker: Arthur Lawrence
   Freddy Whittier: Hugh Falkus
   Doctor Matet: Cyril Shaps
   A man: Stephen Jack
Repeated 3rd May 1954
[Also produced 1998 by Susan Roberts rptd 2014 on R4X with Jonathan Cake as Mike ]
[Also produced in two parts x58 mins, in 2016, rptd 2018 by Justine Potter with Paul Higgins as Mike]

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2nd May 1954
17.00-18.00
Suspense: Ordeal: Based upon the book Touching the Adventures... of Merchantmen in the Second World War (1953), edited by J Lennox Kerr (1899-1963), adapted by Martin Chisholm
Produced by Alan Burgess
What happened after his ship was torpedoed.
   Angus Macdonald: James McKechnie
   Captain Rogarson: Richard George
   Ironside: Duncan McIntyre
   Bill: John Baker
   Tindal: Peter Claughton
   Seaman: Roger Snowdon
   Woman: Thea Wells
   Britt: Howard Lang
   Tiny: John Ruddock
   Diana: Olive Gregg
   Doctor: Lane Meddick
   Serang: B Prem
   Lascar: R Bhartiya
   German Captain: David Jacobs
   Jack: Sam Kydd
   U-boat Captain: Olaf Olsen
[Kerr served on merchant shipping before WW2, and on minesweepers in WW2. Kerr wrote under three names]


4th May 1954
20.00-20.30:
Laurence Olivier Presents: The Luck of Roaring Camp (1868) by Bret Harte (1836-1902)
The miners have a baby to raise.
Adapted by Derek Patmore
Music directed by Sidney Torch
Produced by Harry Alan Towers
(A Towers of London Production)
   Narrator /Oakhurst: Laurence Olivier
   Sandy Tipton: Lionel Murton
   Kentuck: Stuart Nichol
   Stumpy: Charles Irwin
   Tom Ryder: Jack Ralph
   Expressman/ Relief-Boat: Arthur Hill
[Roaring Camp was a real place in California. Bret Harte personally witnessed the Great Flood of 1862]
Broadcast on NBC (USA)[Theater Royal] 20th March 1954.
[Note- this play exists in many collections in an edited version.]


5th May 1954
20.30:
Curtain Up! :- Group Flashing Two (1952) by David Howarth (1912-1991), Script edited by Morven Cameron
Produced by David H. Godfrey
   Sir John Manson: Roderick Lovell
   Mrs Evans: Tonie MacMillan
   Judith Evans: Patricia Brent
   Davey Cameron: John Rae
   Chief Constable: John Turnbull
   Gibble Ciark: Hugh Munro
   Mr Burton: Hugh David
   Andrew Shearer: Manning Wilson
   The Tinker: Arthur Lawrence
   Moss: John Gabriel
   Michael: John Howlett
Repeated 10th May 1954


9th May 1954
17.00-18.00
Suspense: The Story Of Oloff De Wet, by H. Oloff de Wet (1912-1975) dramatised by Paul Darke and Alan Burgess
Produced by Alan Burgess
1939 Vienna.
   Oloff de Wet: Stephen Murray
   Inner Voice: Felix Felton
   Alia Fryodonovna: Cecile Chevreau
   Nell: Harry Towb
   Buchalter: Ian Sadler
   Federmann: Heron Carvic
   Stenographer: Ann Padwrick
   Gustav: John Stockbridge
   Hans: George Hagan
   Dr Berse: Phillip Cunningham
   President: Ewan Solon
   Prosecutor: Edgar Norfolk
   Baver: Stanley Groome
   Warder: Tony van Den Bergh
[In 1949 there was a production by Alan Burgess on BBC Home, with Stephen Murray- no further details.]
[Alan Burgess also produced the story in 1976 for R4 with John Rowe as "inner voice".]


11th May 1954
20.00-20.30:
Laurence Olivier Presents: The Sire de Maletroit's Door (1878) by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
Set in 1429 France.
Adapted by Derek Patmore
Music directed by Sidney Torch
Produced by Harry Alan Towers
(A Towers of London production)
   Host: Laurence Olivier
   Denis de Beaulieu: Robert Donat
   Friend: Robert Rietty
   The Sire de Maletroit: Milton Rosmer
   Blanche de Maletroit: Renee Asherson
   Priest: Keith Pyatt
Broadcast on NBC (USA)[Theater Royal] 1st November 1953.
[Note- this play exists in many collections in an edited version.]


12th May 1954
Curtain Up! :- In Search of her Youth by Julien Duvivier (1896-1967) translated and adapted by Lance Sieveking
With the choir of Hampstead Parish Church, under the direction of Martindale Sidwell.
Where are the men she danced with twenty years ago?
Produced by Martyn C. Webster
   Christine de Guerande: Mary Wimbush
   Raymond, her solicitor: Richard Bebb
   Madame Audier: Barbara Couper
   Rose, her maid: Catherine Salkeld
   Jo: John Ruddock
   Henri, one of Jo's associates: Geoffrey Matthews
   A waiter: Richard Waring
   Miss Barbara: Denise Bryer
   The Baron de Brochel: Cyril Shaps
   Bo-Bo, another associate: Alan Reid
   Police Inspector: T. St. John Barry
   Pere Dominique: John Wyse
   Paul, a little boy: John Prowse
   His mother: Janet Burnell
   Philippe a choirboy: Sebastian Forbes
   First Clerk: Bryan Powlev
   Second Clerk: Noel Iliff
   Francois Patusset, the Mayor: Norman Shelley
   Cecile, his bride: Vida Hope
   Thierry: Richard Williams
   Gaby his wife: Ena Moon
   A postcard woman: Ruth Cracknell
   Fabien: Richard Hurndall
   His little daughter: Ursula Hirst
   A lovely young girl: Sulwen Morgan
   Alexandre: George Hagan
   Raymond, Christine's solicitor: Richard Bebb
   Jacques: Gawn Grainger
   Youths in Christine's memory: Kenneth Cope, Brian Smith and Myles Rudge
Repeated 17th May 1954
[The original 1937 film "Un carnet de bal", has six names associated with the writing: Duvivier, Jeanson, Mirande, Sarment, Wolff and Zimmer.]


18th May 1954
20.00-20.30:
Laurence Olivier Presents: The Snow Goose (1940) by Paul Gallico (1897-1976)
Adapted by Derek Patmore
Music under the direction of Sidney Torch
"A story of Dunkirk".
Produced by Harry Alan Towers
(A Towers of London production)
   Narrator / Philip Rhayader: Laurence Olivier
   Fritha: Ann Gudrun
   Postman/ Officer: Stephen Jack
   Potton: Campbell Singer
   Lofty/ Mate: Paul Whitsun-Jones
   Captain: Russell Napier
Broadcast on NBC (USA)[Theater Royal] 18th April 1954.
[Note- this play exists in many collections in an edited version.]


19th May 1954
20.30-22.00:
Curtain Up! :- Crispin's Day (1952) by Leigh Howard adapted by Stephen Grenfell
Produced by Ayton Whitaker
   Mess Waiter: Alan Reid
   Candy: Peter Coke
   Janet: Mary Wimbush
   Wing-Cdr Wilson: Peter Williams
   Pom Pom: Humphrey Morton
   Dyke: Gerald Case
   Mike: Brian Hayes
   Jim: Brian Wilde
   Station Commander: John Ruddock
   Controller: James Raglan
   Group Captain Henrey: Norman Claridge
   Chancey: Stuart Nichol
   Corporal: Richard Bebb
   Hallows: Richard Waring
   Stanley: Philip Bray
   Storyteller: Lewis Stringer
Also with Sulwen Morgan, Cyril Shaps, Ian Sadler, Stephen Grenfell and Rupert Davies
Repeated 24th May 1954


23rd May 1954
17.00-17.45:
Suspense: Southward Lies Freedom (1946) by T. C. F. Prittie and Captain W. Barle Edwards adapted by Felix Felton.
From the book "Escape to Freedom" [original book title: "South to Freedom"]
Produced by Alan Burgess
   Narrator: Norman Shelley
   Captain Earle Edwards: Hugh Burden
   Major Neil Rattray: Russell Napier
   Major Bill Mercier: Felix Felton
   Captain Wooding: Tommy Duggan
   Gestapo Officer: Hugo Schuster
   Old Woman: Miriam Lehmann
   Girl Clerk: Gina Bower
   Van Dem Berg: Ian Sadler
   Seybold: Richard Waring
   Waitress: Mary Robertson
   Ticket Girl: Mary Ward
   Kommissar: Gordon Morrison
   Civilian Clerk: Richard Grant


24th May 1954
20.30-21.00:
Pussy Cat. Pussy Cat by Barbara S. Harper (1912-1974)
Produced by David H. Godfrey
   Miss Adams: Mary Wimbush
   Dr Halliday: Michael Hordern
   Hani Gretler: Gina Bower
Also with Virginia Winter and Garard Green


25th May 1954
21.30-22.00:
The Lewistone Case by Eynon Evans (1904-1989)
1 of 6: Death Opens the Case
Produced by Dafydd Gruffydd
RuraJ Wales
   The Rev Mathias Thomas: Charles E. Stidwill
   Megan, his housekeeper: Dilys Davies
   Dorothy Lewistone: Patricia Mort
   Leonard Lewistone: John Powell
   D.I. Robins: Richard Williams
   Wyn Roberts: David Close-Thomas
   Josh Hopkins: Moses Jones
   Henry Morgan: Norman Wynne
Additional actors in later parts:
   Police Sgt Tom Williams: Sidney Evans(2)
   P C Harry Penry: Owen Llewelyn (3)
   Det Sgt Wade: Donald Wells(4)
   Gareth Watkins: John Darran(4)
   Myra Hopkins: Margaret Turner(5)
Pt2:1/6/54 Pt3:8/6/54 Pt4:15/6/54 Pt5:22/6/54 Pt6:29/6/54
Series also broadcast on BBC Home Service Welsh commencing 18th August 1952.


26th May 1954
19.30-19.45
These Quickening Years by Stella Margetson (1912-1992)
1 of 8: Edwardian Day: Captain Guy Hammond comes to Cresset Park
Production by Audrey Cameron
   Lady Cresset: Gladys Young
   Captain Guy Hammond: Laidman Browne
Further parts Daily, Monday-Friday 26th May to 2nd June 1954.
A re-edited version was broadcast 16.30-17.30 on 27th December 1954.


26th May 1954
Curtain Up! : Boys in Brown (1947) by Reginald Beckwith (1908-1965).
Produced by Archie Campbell
   Variety Act 1: Reginald Beckwith
   Variety Act 1/Harry: Richard Waring
   Matron: Dorothy Holmes Gore
   Bill Foster: Bryan Forbes
   Fatty Matthews: John Stockbridge
   Alfie Rawlings: James Kenney
   Sparrow Thompson: Michael Harding
   Bossy Phillips: Peter Lindsay
   Jackie Knowles: Donald Hindle
   Gormy Evans: Hugh David
   Johnson, a Borstal Officer: Derek Birch
   Jimmy: Malcolm Knight
   Plato Cartwright: Alec McCowen
   Richard Blatchley, the Governor: Patrick Barr
   Tigson, a Housemaster: Peter Arne
   Casey: Roger Snowdon
   John Knight, laundry instructor: Edgar Norfolk
   Spud Barker: Ross Wilson
   Basher Walker: Brian Weske
   Bobby: Peter Bartlett
[The setting is a "Borstal", a form of imprisonment for younger offenders, abolished 1982.]
Repeated 31st May 1954


30th May 1954
15.00-15.30:
Beware Of The Trains (1949) by Edmund Crispin (Robert Bruce Montgomery 1921-1978)
Produced by Charles Lefeaux
   Mr Horridge: Philip Stainton
   Gervase Fen: John Wyse
   Guard: John Ruddock
   Maycock: Stanley Groome
   Wally: Timothy Bateson
   Fred: Cyril Shaps
   Police Constable Jones: John Boxer
   Detective Inspector Humbleby: Anthony Nicholls
   Woman: Irene Sabini
Repeated 19th March 1957
[A play with this title in 2004, rptd 2006, was unrelated]


30th May 1954
17.00-18.00:
Suspense: The Fight Through The Jungle by Russell Braddon (1921-1995) (from the book The Naked Island (1952) ) adapted by C. A. Richardson
Produced by Alan Burgess
The Malayan retreat by the Australian 65th Artillery Regiment.
   Russell Braddon: John McCallum
   Narrator: Wilfrid Thomas
   Digger: John Bushelle
   Hugh: Russell Napier
   Officer: Lloyd Lamble
   Johnny: John Cazabon
   Aussie: Allan Cuthbertson
   British Officer: Alan Reid
   C O: Deryck Barnes
   Woman: Veronica Wells
[Russell Braddon served in Malaya and was a Prisoner of War at Changi and Burma.]
[The Naked Island was later produced by Alan Burgess in 1976 on R4]

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6th June 1954
15.00-15.30:
In The Black-Out by Mary Fitt (Kathleen Freeman, 1897-1959)
Was it mishap or murder ... ?
Produced by David H. Godfrey
   Dr Fitzbrown: Preston Lockwood
   Nurse Callum: Molly Rankin
   Nurse Appleby: Susan Richards
   Wilcox: Pat Connor
   Topsy Scott-Wallker: Ruth Trouncer
   Colonel Dall: Wensley Pithey
   Mrs Dall: Megan Latimer
   Police Sergeant Collis: Michael Turner
   Jenkins: Alan Reid
   Dick Scott-Walker: Hugh David
   Dr Jones: Owen Fellowes
   Superintendent Mallett: Ian Sadler
   Mrs Barnes: Ella Milne


7th June 1954
17.00-17.45
Lucky Me - adapted from the 1954 film soundtrack, adapted by Gordon Gow.
Story by James O'Hanlon.
Produced by Thurstan Holland.
Narrator: Arthur Hill
[The film ran for 100 mins]


9th June 1954
Curtain Up! :- It's an Ill Wind by Winston Clewes (1906-1957).
A family with a manager - and a shop steward.
Produced by Frederick Bradnum
   Bert Taylor: Leslie Dwyer
   Nellie Taylor: Audrey Mendes
   Rose Taylor: Judy Tatham
   Jim Taylor: Leslie Phillips
   Gloria Taylor: Betty Baskcomb
   Ronald Dukes: Brian Haines
   Mr Simpson: Max Brimmell
   Doctor Jones: Bryan Powley
   Tom Hanrahan: T. St. John Barry
   A Journalist: Manning Wilson
   Another journalist: Michael Woolley
Repeated 14th June 1954


13th June 1954
17.00:
Suspense: The Edge Of The Sword by Captain Anthony Farrar-Hockley (1924-2006),
Produced by Alan Burgess
A captive in Korea.
   Narrator: Edward Chapman
   Captain Farrar-Hockley: Anthony Jacobs
   Officer: Richard Bebb
   Corporal: John Gabriel
   Private: Hugh David
   Captain: Geoffrey Matthews
   Sergeant: Douglas Hayes
   Colonel: Campbell Copelin
[The author was a prisoner of war for two years in Korea]


14th June 1954
20.30-21.00
Catherine Carter by Pamela Hansford Johnson (1912-1981) dramatised by Max Kester
1 of 7—' A Recitation' 1881. A first audition.
Produced by Archie Campbell
   Narrator/ Cabby/ Judge/ Bartlett: John Ruddock
   Henry Peverel/ Sir Henry: Reginald Tate
   Willy Palliser: Kim Peacock
   Peel, stage-door keeper: John Gabriel
   Walter Mostyn, Catherine's uncle: Martin Lewis
   Catherine Carter: Victoria Hopper
   Mrs Carter, her mother: Ann Codrington
   Bessie: Karen Glaser
   Lily: Mary Manson
   Bateson a stage-hand: Alan Reid
   Mr Hollis / Dr Pickard: Edgar Norfolk
   Parker/ Barry Dormer: Hugh David
   Henderson: John Gabriel
   Belle Tressall: Ruth Cracknell
Actors in later parts:
   'Guard': George Hagan
   'Philo' / Counsel: Godfrey Kenton
   Callboy/ Didsbury: Cyril Shaps
   Customs Officer: Richard Waring
   Dennis Lane-Bel four: Rolf Lefebvre
   Hetty / Pauline Bird: Janet Burnell
   Jessie Morel: Mary Wimbush
   Jeweller: George Hagan
   Lady Norraway: Dorothy Black
   Lady Rivers: Fabia Drake
   Lord Norraway: James Dale
   Miss Adela Bird/ Charmian/ Nurse: Catherine Salkeld
   Mr Hardisty: Bryan Powley
   Mr Puttock an Impresario: George Merritt
   Sarah: Dorothy Holmes Gore
   Sir Randal, his father: Richard Williams
   Solicitor's clerk: Manning Wilson
Pt2:21/6/54 Pt3:28/6/54 Pt4:5/7/54 Pt5:12/7/54 Pt6:19/7/54 Pt7:26/7/54
Repeated on Home,commencing 3rd June 1955


16th June 1954
20.45-22.00:
Curtain Up!:- Someone At The Door (1935) by Dorothy and Campbell Christie (1893-1963)
Produced by Charles Lefeaux
   Sally Martin: Avice Landone
   Ronnie Martin: Henry Kendall
   Bill Reid: Richard Williams
   Jim Price: John Ruddock
   P C O'Brien: T St John Barry
   Harry Kapel, J P: George Merritt
   Sergeant Spedding: George Hagan
Repeated 21st June 1954
[The radio play has the same actor playing Ronnie Martin as the 1935 stage production ]


23rd June 1954
20.45:
Curtain Up!:- The Middle Watch (1929) by Ian Hay (John Hay Beith 1876-1952) and Stephen King-Hall (1893-1966), Arranged by Gilbert Hackforth Jones
Produced by Archie Campbell
   Marine Ogg: Charles Leno
   Corporal Duckett: Geoffrey Bond
   Captain Randall, Royal Marines: Richard Waring
   Fay Eaton: Marcia Ashton
   Ah Fong, the Captain's Chinese servant: Cyril Shaps
   Nancy Hewitt: Jill Raymond
   Commander Baddeley: Michael O'Halloran
   Charlotte Hopkinson: Molly Lumley
   Admiral Sir Hercules Hewitt, K C B: Gordon MacLeod
   Mary Carlton: Ann Murray
   Lady Hewitt: Courtney Hope
   Captain Maitland: Jack Hulbert
   Sailor: Brian Hayes
Repeated from BBC Home of 1st August 1953
Repeated 28th June 1954
Also repeated on BBC Home 17th March 1956
["Told in the Middle Watch" by Stephen King-Hall was broadcast on 5XX and 2LO on 20th September 1927]


27th June 1954
17.00-18.00:
Suspense: You'll Be Shot Tomorrow
Adapted by Paul Darke
A prisoner of war escapes from the train taking him to the camp.
Produced by Alan Burgess
   Anthony Spencer: Frank Duncan
Other Actors: Francis de Wolff, Ewan Solon, Guy du Monceau, Felix Felton, Edgar Norfolk, Richard Waring, Rolf Lefebvre, Jeffrey Segal, Tommy Duggan, Molly Lawson, Dafydd Havard and Rolf Richards
Repeated 18th March 1956


30th June 1954
20.30-21.00
The Enchanted April (1922) by Elizabeth von Arnim (1866-1941) adapted by Thea Holme.
Part 1 of 5: The Agony Column of the Times
Produced By: Mary Hope Allen
   Lotty Wilkins: Celia Johnson
   Rose Arbuthnot: Thea Holme
   Mr Briggs: Richard Waring
   Lady Caroline Dester: Harriette Johns
   Mrs Fisher: Gladys Young
   Mellersh Wilkins: Hugh Manning
Also with Janet Burnell, Dorothy Holmes Gore, Gladys Spencer, Mary Wimbush
Additional actors in later parts:
   Hugh David, Noel Iliff, Geoffrey Matthews, Annabel Maule, Jeffrey Segal,
Pt2:7/7/54 Pt3:14/7/54 Pt4:21/7/54 Pt5:28/7/54
[Also repeated on BBC Home commencing 8th August 1955.]

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4th July 1954
17.00-18.00:
Suspense: Escape From Yugoslavia by Roy S. Neill, adapted by Fred Lawing
World War 2.
Produced by Alan Burgess
Actors: Terence Morgan and Laurence Payne
[From the book 'Once Only' (1947)]


11th July 1954
17.00-18.00:
Suspense: The Years Of Trial by Alan Burgess (1915-1998) and Paul Darke
Production by Alan Burgess
Gladys Aylward suddenly decided she must go to China as a missionary.
   Gladys Aylward: Celia Johnson
   Dr Allen: MacDonald Parke
   Mandarin: Harry Lockwood West
   Mrs Brown: Thea Wells
   Soldier: Peter Claughton
   Old Chinaman: Harry Hutchinson
   Russian girl: Cecile Chevreau
   Muleteer: Bernard Rebel
   Japanese Captain: Ian Catford
   Mrs Lawson: Ella Milne
   Sui-Lan: Denise Bryer
   Gladys Aylward's mother: Patience Collier
   John: Donald Gray
[First broadcast on BBC Home 11th October 1949, repeated 10th January 1950, 14th July 1950, 26th May 1952]


25th July 1954
14.30-15.30:
Radio Theatre: The Disagreeable Man by Henry Cecil (1902-1976), Adapted by C. E. Webber
Why should a man be so disagreeable?
Produced by Martyn C. Webster
   Basil Meridew: Malcolm Graeme
   Nicholas Drewe: Derek Hart
   The Rev Maitland Temperley: James Thomason
   Mrs Temperley: Sarah Leigh
   Major-General Sir Bragge Purbrick: Hamilton Dyce
   Isabel Stroud: Isabel Dean
   His Honour Judge Strachan: Allan Jeayes
   Dr Sainsbury: Alan Reid
   The old man: Kenneth Connor
   Mrs Thwaites: Sophie Ellis
   Mr Buckram: Tony Quinn
   Mrs Gaspard: Courtney Hope
   The Colonel: Richard Waring
   Adam Twigg, QC: Geoffrey Wincott
Repeated from 4th October 1953
Repeated 18th March 1956
[Also produced by Archie Campbell in 1960, rptd 1961, for BBC Home, with Valentine Dyall as Basil]
[Also produced by Martyn C Webster in 1967 (on both Light and Home), rptd 1972 (R4), with Norman Shelley as Basil]
[A portion of the novel "Ways and Means" (1952)]

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1st August 1954
14.30-15.30:
Radio Theatre: The Little World Of Don Camillo by Giovanni Guareschi (1908-1968)
English version by Nina Burch and Harvey Unna is based upon a French radio version by Armand Lanoux (1913-1983).
A priest and a communist mayor in a small North Italian village.
Produced by Mary Hope Allen (1898-2001)
   Narrator: Richard Hurndall
   Don Camillo: Carleton Hobbs
   Maria Peppone: Audrey Mendes
   A Voice: Godfrey Kenton
   Peppone: Francis de Wolff
   Old Filloti: Kenneth Connor
   Gina: Sulwen Morgan
   A Gamekeeper: Derek Birch
   Mariolino: Nigel Stock
   Signora Christina: Gladys Spencer
   Spiccio: Brian Hayes
   Scartazzani: Alan Reid
   Giulio: Ronald Sidney
   Ciro Bruciata: Frank Atkinson
Repeated from 27th December 1953
[The 1952 film of the title, based upon the Italian short stories, was an Italian/French production; the English book version was 1950 and contained many unauthorised cuts, restored 2013 in a new translation.]
[There were also five BBC Radio series made starting 2001]


4th August 1954
20.30:
The Exploits Of Brigadier Gerard (1895): The Castle of Gloom by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) adapted by Norman Edwards
Poland, 1807.
Produced by R. D. Smith
   Narrator: Martin Lewis
   Lieutenant Gerard: James McKechnie
   Major Legendre: Derek Birch
   Landlord: George Merritt
   Sub-Lieutenant Duroc: Peter Howell
   Servant: Brian Wilde
   Carabin: John Dearth
   Lady: Jacqueline Thompson
Later tales from the collection followed and will be listed below under the broadcast date.


11th August 1954
20.30-21.00:
The Exploits Of Brigadier Gerard (1895): How the Brigadier Lost his Ear (1902) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) adapted by Norman Edwards
Venice about 1805.
Produced by R. D. Smith
   Narrator: Martin Lewis
   Gerard: James McKechnie
   General Suchet: Jack Alien
   Major Bouvet: Noel Dryden
   A waiter: Derek Prouse
   Matteo: Douglas Seale
   The Judge: George Merritt
   Captain Auret: T St John Barry
   Gondolier: Robin Bailey
   First guard: John Phillips
   Lorenzo: David March
   Second guard: Glyn Davies
   Lucia: Tita Dane
[The overall title is misleading for this story: this tale comes from the collection "The Adventures of Gerard"]
Later tales from the collections followed and will be listed on the broadcast date.


18th August 1954
20.30-21.00:
The Exploits Of Brigadier Gerard (1895): How the King held the Brigadier by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) adapted by Norman Edwards
1810- England.
Produced by R. D. Smith
   Narrator: Martin Lewis
   Gerard: James McKechnie
   Officer: Noel Dryden
   Warder: Jack Allen
   The Governor of Dartmoor Prison: George Merrltt
   Major Beaumont: David March
   Lady Meredith: Doreen Aris
   Postboy: T St John Barry
   The Bustler: Douglas Seale
   Jim Hunter: Brian Wilde
[There was an earlier tale "How the Brigadier Held the King" set a month before this tale. It was not dramatised.]
Later tales from the collection followed and will be listed below under the broadcast date.


24th August 1954
20.00-20.30
The Nine Tailors (1934) by Dorothy L. Sayers (1893-1957) adapted by Giles Cooper
1 of 4: The Bells in their Courses
Bell-ringing under the direction of H. N. Pitstow, M.B.E., Conductor of the Westminster Abbey Bell-ringers
Produced by Norman Wright
   Hilary Thorpe: Marjorie Westbury
   Lord Peter Wimsey: Alan Wheatley
   Bunter: Charles Leno
   Rev Theodore Venables: James Thomason
   Will Thoday: Ernest Jay
   Mrs Venables: Sylvia Coleridge
   Edward Thorpe: Geoffrey Matthews
   Mary Thoday: Sarah Leigh
   Donnington: Arthur Ridley
   Hezekiah Lavender: Allan Jeayes
   Emily: Janet Morrison
   Cranton: Lewis Stringer
   Harry Gotobed: Bryan Powley
   Wally Pratt: Peter Claughton
   Hinkins: Cyril Shaps
   Clerk: Mairhl Russell
   Ezra Wilderspin: Ian Sadler
Additional actors in later parts:
   Superintendent Blundell: Stephen Jack (2)
   Coroner: Manning Wilson(2)
   Doctor Baines: George Merritt(2)
   Sluice-keeper: Frank Tickle(3)
   Rozier: Geoffrey Wincott(3)
   Marie: Ursula Hirst(3)
   Suzanne: Daphne Maddox(3)
   Mrs Ashton: Mary Wimbush(4)
   James Thoday: Cyril Shaps(4)
Pt2:31/8/54 Pt3:7/9/54 Pt4:14/9/84
Series repeated commencing 4th September 1957


25th August 1954
20.30-21.00:
The Exploits Of Brigadier Gerard (1895): How the Brigadier Triumphed in England (1903) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) adapted by [no indication in Radio Times]
England, 1810.
Produced by R. D. Smith
   Narrator: Martin Lewis
   Rudd: Douglas Seale
   Lord Rufton: Emerton Court
   Gerard: James McKechnie
   Jack Lupton: David March
   Johnny Miller: Derek Prouse
   Colonel Addison: Jack Allen
   Lord Sadler: Gavin Doyle
   Mr Baldock: T St John Barry
   Lady Jane Dacre: Nicolette Bernard
   Lord George Dacre: Ian Lubbock
   Servant: Molly Lawson
   Colonel Berkley: George Merritt
[The overall title is misleading for this story: this tale comes from the collection "The Adventures of Gerard"]
Later tales from the collections followed and will be listed below under the broadcast date.

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1st September 1954
20.30-21.00:
The Exploits Of Brigadier Gerard (1895): How the Brigadier took the Field against the Marshal Millefleurs by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) adapted by Norman Edwards
Spain. 1811.
Produced by R. D. Smith
   Narrator: Martin Lewis
   Marshal Massena: John le Mesurier
   Gerard: James McKechnie
   Innkeeper: George Merritt
   Bart: Richard Waring
   The Abbot: Douglas Seale
   Sergeant Papilette: Peter Claughton
   Sergeant Smith: Brian Wilde
   Brigand: David March
   The Countess of la Ronda: Mary Morell
Later tales from the collection followed and will be listed below under the broadcast date.


2nd September 1954
21.00-21.30:
Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore dramatised by Ronald Gow
1 of 7—The War-Path of the Doones
Produced by Owen Reed
   John Ridd: Paul Rogers
   John Ridd as a boy: Colin Campbell
   John Fry: Paul Whitsun-Jones
   Mrs Ridd: Ruby Luscombe
   Sir Ensor Doone: Carleton Hobbs
   Counsellor Doone: Baliol Holloway
   Annie Ridd: June Barrie
   Lizzie Ridd: Ann Harley
   Lorna Doone: Barbara Jefford
   Betty Muxworthy: Ethel Coleridge
Additional actors in later episodes:
Billy Poeton, Charles Marford, Dudley Rolph, George Holloway, Hedley Goodall, John Turnbull, Lewis Gedge, Norman Kendall, Raf de la Torre, Ruth Porcher, Wensley Pithey
Pt2:9/9/54 Pt3:16/9/54 Pt4:23/9/54 Pt5:30/9/54 Pt6:7/10/54 Pt7:14/10/54
[1954 Light Program episodes were repeated the following day on BBC Home]
[also Repeated on BBC Home: commencing 3/10/58 (Children's Hour); 3/2/59; and 1/7/60 (Children's Hour) ]


5th September 1954
14.30-15.30
Passport To Yesterday by Enid Hollins
She does not know who she is or how she came there, and for some reason she is afraid of going to the police for help.....
Produced by Charles Lefeaux (1909-1979)
   The Girl: Rachel Gurney
   Smoky: Raymond Young
   Ruth: Catherine Salkeld
   Veronica: Violet Loxley
   Madame Renaud: Joan Clement Scott
   Hotel Manager: John Cazabon
Also with Hester Paton Brown. Catherine Fleming, Michael Mellinger, Sulwen Morgan, Alan Reid
[Produced in 1953 by Hugh Stewart, with an identical cast]
[Also produced for BBC Home in 1960 by Archie Campbell with Wendy Craig as the Girl.]
[Also produced for ABC Australia in 1954 by John Cairns]


6th September 1954
19.30-20.00:
Journey Into Space: The Red Planet by Charles Chilton (1917-2013)
Ep 1 of 20 It is 1971.
Music composed and conducted by Van Phillips
Produced by Charles Chilton
   Jet Morgan: Andrew Faulds
   Lemmy Barnet: David Kossoff
   Doc Matthews: Guy Kingsley Poynter
   Stephen Mitchell ("Mitch"): Bruce Beeby
Also with David Jacobs and Anthony Marriott
Additional cast in later episodes:
   James Edward Whitaker: Anthony Marriott
   Mrs Barnet: Miriam Karlin
   Various Australians: John Cazabon,
   Martha Bodie: Madi Hedd (aka Madi Beeby)
   Sam: Don Sharp
There were twenty weekly parts which concluded with Part 20 on 17th January 1955.
[This series was retransmitted on Radio 2 in 1990, from discovered transcription disks]
[This was the second serialised story in this popular long running (73 parts) program (1953-1981)


6th September 1954
21.30-22.00:
Thirty-Minute Theatre: Peaceful Departure by S. G. Bett
Production by Raymond Raikes
   Mary Prescott, an old lady: Gladys Young
   Jane Travers: Susan Richards
   A nurse: Sheila Raynor
   The Rev William Black: Noel Iliff
   Dr Hargraft: John Turnbull
Repeated from BBC Home of 3/6/51
[Also produced on BBC Home in 1948 with Gladys Young and Susan Richards, but with Gladys Spencer as A Nurse.]


8th September 1954:
20.30-21.00
The Exploits Of Brigadier Gerard (1895): * How The Brigadier Played For A Kingdom, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) adapted by Norman Edwards
Germany, 1813
Produced by R. D. Smith
   Narrator: Martin Lewis
   Officer: Howard Lang
   Gerard: James McKechnie
   Sergeant: Gerald Lennan
   Profiteer: Brian Wilde
   Marquis Chateau St Armand: Noel Dryden
   Countess Palotta: Miriam Lehmann
   Innkeeper: Douglas Seale
   The Prince of Saxe-Felstein: Godfrey Kenton
   Korner: Dudley Jones
   Night-Riders of Lutzow: David March; Derek Prouse; Richard Waring; Alan Rowe; Glyn Davys
[* BBC Genome did not give the title of the play, this has been deduced from the character list]
Later tales from the collection followed and will be listed below under the broadcast date.


12th September 1954
14.30-15.30
Radio Theatre: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery adapted by Jon Farrell
Incidental music by James Bernard
Production by Martyn C. Webster
With Monica Grey, Hester Paton Brown, Sulwen Morgan, Marjorie Westbury, Mary Williams, Mary Wimbush, Gabrielle Blunt, John Cazabon, Hamilton Dyce, Deryck Guyler, Hugh Manning, Cyril Shaps and Richard Waring
Repeated 20th December 1953 and 12th September 1954.
[Also produced in 1974 for R4 by Stewart Conn]
[The author once landed his plane in the Sahara Desert]


13th September 1954
21.30-22.00:
The Treasure by Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), adapted by H. Oldfield Box
Produced by Wilfrid Grantham
   Narrator: Denys Blakelock
   Richard Harenger: Peter Bathurst
   Woman Superintendent: Janet Burnell
   Jukes: Cyril Shaps
   Mrs Jeddy: Dorothy Holmes-Gore
   Pritchard: Joan Matheson
   Nicholson: Allan Jeayes
   Page boy: Virginia Winter
   Taxi driver: Ian Sadler
   Waiter: John Howlett
[Also produced for R2 and R4 in 1969, rptd on R4 in 1973 by Keith Williams]


15th September 1954
20.30-21.00:
The Exploits Of Brigadier Gerard: The Brothers of Ajaccio (1895) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), adapted by Norman Edwards
Paris, 1807.
Produced by R. D. Smith
   Two Members of the Society of the Brothers of Ajaccio: Malcolm Hayes and David March
   Narrator: Martin Lewis
   Sub-Lieutenant Morat: Michael Ingham
   Gerard: James McKechnie
   Colonel Lasalle: John Ruddock
   Talleyrand: Harold Lang
   De Meneval: Glyn Davys
   Secretary: Brian Wilde
   The Emperor Napoleon: Anthony Jacobs
[Full title: How the Brigadier Slew the Brothers of Ajaccio]
Another tale from the collection followed and will be listed below under the broadcast date.


20th September 1954
21.30-22.00:
Thirty-Minute Theatre: Command Performance by Jules Claretie (1840-1913) adapted by Richard Baldwyn
[Original title: "Boum Boum" ]
The sick child wants Boum-Boum.
Produced by Audrey Cameron
   Madeleine Legrand: Cecile Chevreau
   Jacques Legrand: Deryck Guyler
   A doctor: Keith Pyott
   Frangois, the Legrands' son: Nicky Edmett
   Monsieur Dubois: John Turnbull
   A circus attendant: Bryan Powley
   A clown: Geoffrey Matthews
   Pierre, valet to Monsieur Morens: Manning Wilson
   Monsieur Morens (Boum-Boum): Norman Shelley
[The story appeared in English in the NY Times of 1888 as Boum Boum]


22nd September 1954
20.30-21.00:
The Exploits Of Brigadier Gerard: How The Brigadier Bore Himself At Waterloo (1903) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), adapted by Norman Edwards
Belgium 1815.
Produced by R. D. Smith
Narrator: Martin Lewis
   The Emperor Napoleon: Anthony Jacobs
   Marshal Soult: Richard Williams
   Marshal Ncy: Allan Cuthbertson
   Colonel Gerard: James McKechnie
   Landlord of the Forest Inn: Geoffrey Matthews
   Marie, his wife: Nan Marriott-Watson
   A surgeon: Carl Duering
   Marshal Prince Blucher: Ian Sadler
   General Gneisenau: Oliver Burt
   Aide-de-Camp to the Duke of Wellington: Brian Haines
   Count Stein: Nicholas Bruce
   General Bertrand: Peter Neil
[The overall title is misleading as this tale came from "The Adventures of Gerard" (1903) ]
[Other tales about the Bridagier appeared in the prior seven weeks- see above.]


29th September 1954
20.30-22.00
Curtain Up!: From Information Received by Leslie Harcourt (1894-1955)
Production by Audrey Cameron
   Sergeant Harris: Raymond Rollett
   A Police Constable: Manning Wilson
   Mrs Freeman: Elsa Palmer
   Detective Inspector Palgrave, C I D: Hugh Burden
   Inspector Fowler: Jack Allen
   Mr Beezley: John Cazabon
   Ernie Bartlett/ Police Constable James: Billy Thatcher
   Detective Constable Browne: Brian Haines
   Mrs Hobbs: Molly Lumley
   Miss Andrews: Annabel Maule
   A Police Messenger/ A Porter: Geoffrey Wincott
Repeated 4th October 1954

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5th October 1954
21.00-21.30
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: Dr. Watson meets Mr. Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), dramatised by John Keir Cross.
Directed by Martyn C Webster
A Harry Alan Towers Production (Towers of London)
   Sherlock Holmes: John Gielgud
   Dr. Watson: Ralph Richardson
   Stamford: Norman Claridge
   Charles Augustus Milverton: Philip Leaver
   Unknown Woman: Monica Grey
   Lestrade: John Cazabon
Subsequent weekly 11 programs in the series appear under the broadcast date
[This independantly produced program was broadcast on the BBC first and then in 1955 on WCRA-NBC]
[This episode has been listed under several names: The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, The Blackmailer, The First Case]


6th October 1954
20.40-22.00
Curtain Up! : Holiday in Berlin by James Parish and Tom Fallon
Produced by Charles Lefeaux
   Mrs Murton: Dorothy Holmes-Gore
   Dr Kurt Berkman: Theodore Bikel
   Shelagh Millar: Pamela Alan
   Professor Andrew Thompson: Andrew Cruickshank
   Hans Schroeder: Hugo Schuster
   Poruik Myshkin: Hugh David
   Commissar: Alec Mango
   Hedda: Marjorie Westbury
   Vikki: Denise Bryer
   Sir Basil Ransome: Eric Anderson
   Sir Charles Halgrave: Richard Williams
   General Riley: John Gabriel
   Ernst Weber: Cyril Shaps
   Frau Bartsch: Lilly Kann
   Smith: Peter Claughton
   Mrs Rowdlon: Janet Burnell
   Trevor: Howieson Culff
   Mrs Trevor: Annabel Maule
   Reynolds: Francis de Wolff
Also with George Hagan, Edward Kelsey, Jeffrey Segal, and Richard Waring
Repeated 11th October 1954


12th October 1954
21.00-21.30:
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia (1891) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930).
Music by Sidney Torch.
Directed by Val Gielgud
A Harry Alan Towers Production (Towers of London)
   Sherlock Holmes: John Gielgud
   Dr Watson: Ralph Richardson
   Irene Adler: Margaret Ward
   King of Bohemia: Olaf Pooley
Subsequent weekly 10 programs in the series appear under the broadcast date
[This independantly produced program was broadcast on the BBC first and then in 1955 on WCRA-NBC]


13th October 1954
20.30-22.00
Curtain Up! - Lover Come Back by Lester Powell (1912-1993).
Pianist: Cicely Hoyle
Producer: Archie Campbell
   Johnny (Narrator): Derek Farr
   Charles, a barman: John Ruddock
   Washington Cash: Godfrey Kenton
   Paul Emmett, his lawyer: Derek Birch
   Secretary: Janet Burnell
   Flight Controller: George Hagan
   Husskinson, an airline pilot: Richard Bebb
   Timberley, an hotel porter: George Merritt
   Adrian Goldini: John Carol
   Joe Bradninch CID: T St John Barry
   Mac: Ian Sadler
   Police Officer: Michael Turner
   Belling, another pilot: Richard Waring
   Zug: Ian Sadler
Repeated 18th October 1954


19th October 1954
21.00-21.30:
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: The Red-Headed League (1891) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). Dramatised by John Keir Cross.
Music by Sidney Torch.
Director: Martyn C. Webster
A Harry Alan Towers Production (Towers of London)
   Sherlock Holmes: John Gielgud
   Dr Watson: Ralph Richardson
   Mr Jabez Wilson: Stanley Groome
   Vincent Spaulding: Denis Goacher
   Duncan Ross: Duncan McIntyre
   Athelney Jones: Lewis Stringer
   Mr Merryweather: Ivan Samson
Subsequent weekly 9 programs in the series appear under the broadcast date
[This independantly produced program was broadcast on the BBC first and then in 1955 on WCRA-NBC]


20th October 1954
Curtain Up!: The Brothers by Rex Rienits (1909-1971)
The brother returns.
Produced by John Gibson
   Stella Wayne: Sheila Burrell
   Katie: Mollie Maureen
   Stephen Wayne: Hamilton Dyce
   Larry Wayne: Richard Bebb
   Major Atherwood: Eric Anderson
   Robert Carson: Rolf Lefebvre
   Sergeant Mackie: Michael Turner
Repeated 25th October 1954


26th October 1954
21.00-21.30:
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: The Bruce-Partington Plans(1908) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). Dramatised by John Keir Cross.
Music by Sidney Torch.
Director: Martyn C. Webster
A Harry Alan Towers Production (Towers of London)
   Sherlock Holmes: John Gielgud
   Dr Watson: Ralph Richardson
   Mycroft Holmes: Val Gielgud
   Lestrade: John Cazabon
   Col Valentine Walter: William Fox
Subsequent weekly 8 programs in the series appear under the broadcast date
[This independantly produced program was broadcast on the BBC first and then in 1955 on WCRA-NBC]


27th October 1954
20.30-22.00:
Curtain Up! :- The Business At Blanche Capel by Bryan Morgan, adapted by Max Kester
Blanche Capel Virus Research Station.
Produced by Audrey Cameron
   Dr John Hanwell: Sebastian Shaw
   Charles Neasden: Jack Allen
   Mole: Manning Wilson
   Scottie (Mrs Campbell): Jean Taylor-Smith
   Hopkinson: Godfrey Kenton
   Weavil/Village Constable: Peter Claughton
   Jimmy Longdon: Bruce Beeby
   Alma Schwartz: Cecile Chevreau
   Martineau: Brian Haines
   Sir John Saunders: Edgar Norfolk
   Secretary/ First air hostess/Maid: Aline Waites
   Professor Anders/ German man: Bryan Powley
   Eileen Longdon/Second air hostess: Mairhi Russell
   German landlady/Sister: Ine Cameron
   Antonio/ Sergeant: Jeffrey Segal
   The President/Nurse: Janet Burnell
   Airport Policeman/ Corporal: Geoffrey Matthews
   Lieutenant: Manning Wilson
Repeated 1st November 1954


31st October 1954
16.00-16.30
The Back of Beyond (1931) by W Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) dramatised by Howard Agg
Malaya.
Produced by Audrey Cameron
   Douglas, a club member: Edward Jewesbury
   Tom Saffary: Jack Allen
   Billiard marker: Geoffrey Matthews
   Second club member: Richard Waring
   Third club member: Rolf Lefebvre
   Violet Saffary: Googie Withers
   A servant: Hugh David
   Enid Clarke: Rosemary Lomax
   Knobby Clarke: Godfrey Kenton
   The Resident: Ronald Simpson
[Also produced by Audrey Cameron again in 1960 - also with Geoffrey Matthews but with Mary Wimbush as Violet]
[Original publication as The Right Thing is the Kind Thing]

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2nd November 1954
21.00-21.30:
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: A Case of Identity (1891) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). Dramatised by John Keir Cross.
Music by Sidney Torch.
Directed by Val Gielgud
A Harry Alan Towers Production (Towers of London)
   Sherlock Holmes: John Gielgud
   Dr Watson: Ralph Richardson
   Mary Sutherland: Monica Grey
   Hosmer Angel/ James Windibank: Geoffrey Wincott
Subsequent weekly 7 programs in the series appear under the broadcast date
[This independantly produced program was broadcast on the BBC first and then in 1955 on WCRA-NBC]


3rd November 1954
20.30-22.00
Curtain Up! :- Lady Frederick (1907) by Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) adapted by Lance Sieveking (1896-1972)
Monte Carlo : 1885
   Paradine Foulds: Anthony Ireland
   Lady Frederick Berolles: Rachel Gurney
   The Marquis of Mereston: Kenneth Fortescue
   Admiral Carlisle: Richard Williams
   Rose, his daughter: Patricia Field
   Sir Gerald O'Mara: T. St. John Barry
   Captain Montgomerie: Seymour Green
   Angelique: Annabel Maule
Repeated 8th November 1954


7th November 1954
16.00-16.30
The Three Fat Women Of Antibes (1933) by Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), Dramatised by Howard Agg
Dieting.
Produced by John Gibson
   Beatrice Richman: Avice Landone
   Frances Hickson: Sybil Arundale
   Arrow Sutcliffe: Tucker McGuire
   Lena Finch: Catherine Salkeld
   Doctor/Waiter: Richard Williams
Repeated on BBC Home 10th May 1955.
[Also produced by Norman Wright in 1960]
[A reading of the story by Maugham exists, released in 1953, recorded on Columbia Records, it was broadcast on BBC Home in 1964]


9th November 1954
20.00-20.30:
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: The Dying Detective (1913) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). Dramatised by John Keir Cross.
Music by Sidney Torch.
Directed by Martyn C. Webster
A Harry Alan Towers Production (Towers of London)
   Sherlock Holmes: John Gielgud
   Dr Watson: Ralph Richardson
   Culverton Smith: Anthony Jacobs
   Mrs Hudson: Elizabeth Maude
   Cabby: Frank Atkinson
   Inspector Morton: Hugh Manning
Subsequent weekly 6 programs in the series appear under the broadcast date
[This independantly produced program was broadcast on the BBC first and then in 1955 on WCRA-NBC]


10th November 1954
20.30-22.00
Curtain Up! :- The Circle (1921) by Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), adapted by Peggy Wells.
Produced by Donald McWhinnie
   Arnold Champion-Cheney, M.P.: Alan Wheatley
   George, a butler: Edward Kelsey
   Anna Shenstone: Catherine Salkeld
   Elizabeth, Arnold's wife: Annabel Maule
   Edward Luton (Teddie): Geoffrey Matthews
   Clive Champion-Cheney: Leon Quartermaine
   Lady Catherine Champion-Cheney: Betty Hardy
   Lord Porteous: Ronald Squire
   Repeated 15th November 1954
[Also produced by Val Gielgud for BBC Home in 1962 with Brian Oulton as Arnold. Val Gielgud also produced the play in 1970 with Alan Wheatley as Arnold and Peter Tuddenham as George.]
[Val Gielgud also produced the play several times earlier. There were also other pre-1950 producctions]


14th November 1954
16.00-16.30
The Vessel of Wrath (1931) by Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), Dramatised by Howard Agg
Produced by David H. Godfrey
   Mr Gruyter: Richard Williams
   Servant: Hugh David
   The Rev Owen Jones: Hamilton Dyce
   Ginger Ted: Christopher Rhodes
   Prisoner: Hugh David
   Warder/ First mechanic: Peter Claughton
   Martha Jones: Mary Wimbush
   Second mechanic: Rolf Lefebvre
   Clerk: Alan Reid
[Also produced by Graham Gauld in 1969 rptd 1974, for R4]
[Also produced by Janet Whitaker in 1996 rptd 1997, for R4]
[The title is from the KJ Bible, Romans 9:22]


16th November 1954
20.00-20.30:
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: The Second Stain(1904) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). Dramatised by John Keir Cross.
Music by Sidney Torch.
Directed by Martyn C. Webster
A Harry Alan Towers Production (Towers of London)
   Sherlock Holmes: John Glelgud
   Dr Watson: Ralph Richardson
   Mrs Hudson: Elizabeth Maude
   Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope: Marjorie Mars
   Lestrade: John Cazabon
   Lord Bellinger: Raf de La Torre
   The Rt Hon Trelawney Hope: Guy Verney
   Constable MacPherson: Michael Finlayson
Subsequent weekly 5 programs in the series appear under the broadcast date
[This independantly produced program was broadcast on the BBC first and then in 1955 on WCRA-NBC]


17th November 1954
Curtain Up! :- For Services Rendered (1932) by W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), adapted by Cynthia Pughe
Produced by Val Gielgud
   Sydney Ardsley: Cedric Hardwicke
   Leonard Ardsley: Norman Shelley
   Charlotte Ardsley: Dorothy Holmes-Gore
   Eva: Ursula Howells
   Lois: Monica Grey
   Ethel Bartlett: Belle Chrystall
   Howard Bartlett: James Raglan
   Collie Stratton: Jack Allen
   Wilfred Cedar: Ronald Simpson
   Gwen Cedar: Janet Burnell
   Dr Prentice: John Ruddock
   Gertrude: Audrey Blezard
Repeated 22nd November 1954
[Val Gielgud also produced this play in 1948 for BBC Third, with Anthony Hawtrey as Sydney.]
[There was a production by Lu Kemp for R4 in 2013, rptd R4X]


21st November 1954
16.00-16.30
The Lotus Eater (1935) by W Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), dramatised by Howard Agg
Planning for an old age of uncertain length has its hazards.
Produced by Mary Hope Allen
   Norton: Richard Williams
   Ashenden: Ronald Simpson
   Wilson: Paul Rogers


23rd November 1954
21.00-21.30
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: The Norwood Builder (1903) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) dramatised by John Keir Cross (1914-1967).
Directed By: Val Gielgud (1900-1981)
[A Harry Alan Towers Production]
   Sherlock Holmes: John Gielgud (1904-2000)
   Dr Watson: Ralph Richardson (1902-1983)
   Lestrade: John Cazabon
   John Hector McFarlane: Arthur Lawrence
   Mrs McFarlane: Jean Stuart
   Jonas Oldacre: Arthur Ridley
Subsequent weekly 4 programs in the series appear under the broadcast date
[This independantly produced program was broadcast on the BBC first and then in 1955 on WCRA-NBC]


24th November 1954
Curtain Up! :- Sheppey (1933) by Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)
A gambling win.
Produced By: Peter Watts
   Albert: Malcolm Hayes
   A customer: Cyril Wentzel
   Miss Grange: Molly Lumley
   Mr Bolton: David Enders
   Sheppey: Charles Leno
   Bradley: George Hagan
   A reporter: Arthur Lawrence
   Bessie Legros: Sonia Dresdel
   Mrs Miller: Dorothy Holmes-Gore
   Florrie: Belle Chrystall
   Ernest Turner: Anthony Jacobs
   Cooper: Richard Waring
   Dr Jervis: Edward Jewesbury
Repeated 29th November 1954
[Peter Watts produced a different version for BBC Home of 2nd April 1949, with Charles Lefeaux as Bradley and Preston Lockwood as Cooper.]
[Also produced by Martyn C Webster for BBC Home on 3rd August 1963, repeated 1965, with Wilfrid Pickles as Sheppey and Malcolm Hayes as Bradley.]


28th November 1954
16.00-16.30
The Voice of the Turtle (1935) by W Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) dramatised by Howard Agg.
Produced by Frederick Bradnum.
   Grace Tilling: Ella Milne
   Ruth Bass: Catherine Salkeld
   Connie Astington: Beatrix MacKey
   Peter Melrose: Derek Hart
   Ashenden: Ronald Simpson
   Charles Winter: Richard Williams
   Maria Falterona: Phyllis Neilson-Terry
   Miss Glaser: Mairhi Russell
[Also produced by Martyn C Webster in 1962 with Hilda Kriseman as Ruth.]


30th November 1954
21.00-21.30
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: The Solitary Cyclist (1903) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) dramatised by John Keir Cross (1914-1967).
Directed By: Martyn C Webster
[A Harry Alan Towers Production]
   Sherlock Holmes: John Gielgud (1904-2000)
   Dr Watson: Ralph Richardson (1902-1983)
   Miss Violet Smith: Marjorie Westbury
   Carruthers: John Bushelle
   Woodley: John Carson
   Williamson: Malcolm Hayes
The following three programs in the weekly series appear under the broadcast date
[This independantly produced program was broadcast on the BBC first and then in 1955 on WCRA-NBC]


1st December 1954
20.30-22.00
The Moon and Sixpence(1925) by W Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) dramatised by Howard Agg and Mabel Constanduros
Produced by Wilfrid Grantham
   Storyteller: Denys Blakelock
   Charles Strickland: Andrew Cruickshank
   Amy Strickland: Barbara Lott
   Dirk Stroeve: Godfrey Kenton
   Blanche Stroeve: Mary Wimbush
   Colonel MacAndrew: Jack Allen
   Mrs MacAndrew: Mairhi Russell
   Rose Waterford: Catherine Salkeld
   Tiare Johnson: Vivienne Chatterton
   M Cohen: David Kossoff
   Madame Cohen: Dorothy Holmes-Gore
   Captain Brunot: Rolf Lefebvre
   Doctor Coutras: Lan Sadler
   Ata: Aline Waites
   Young man: Edward Kelsey
Repeated 6th December 1954
[Also produced in 1946 by Val Gielgud with Bernard Miles as Charles]
[Also produced by Cleland Finn in 1950]
[Also produced for R4 in 4 episodes in 1984 by John Cardy]


7th December 1954
21.00-21.30
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: The Six Napoleons (1904) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) dramatised by John Keir Cross (1914-1967).
Directed By: Martyn C Webster
[A Harry Alan Towers Production]
   Sherlock Holmes: John Gielgud (1904-2000)
   Dr Watson: Ralph Richardson (1902-1983)
   Lestrade: John Cazabon
Also with Robert Rietty and Denis Goacher
The next two programs in the weekly series appear under the broadcast date
[This independantly produced program was broadcast on the BBC first and then in 1955 on WCRA-NBC]


8th December 1954
Curtain Up! :- The Second Mrs. Tanquery (1893) by Arthur Wing Pinero (1855-1934), Adapted by Muriel Pratt and Archie Campbell
Pianist: Cicely Hoye
Producer: Archie Campbell
   Frank Misquith: Kim Peacock
   Gordon Vayne, MD: John Ruddock
   Morse: Edgar Norfolk
   Cayley Drummle: David King-Wood
   Paula Tanqueray: Gladys Cooper
   Ellean Tanqueray: Margaret Wedlake
   William: Brian Haines
   Mrs Cortelyon: Cicely Paget-Bowman
   Lady Orreyed: Marcia Ashton
   Sir George Orreyed Bt: Brian Oulton
   Captain Hugh Ardale: Richard Bebb
Repeated 13th December 1954 and 26th February 1962.
[Other productions:
1944 Home by Val Gielgud with Coral Browne as Paula and Richard Williams as Frank.
1951 Home by Archie Campbell with Bryan Powley as Morse, Arthur Ridley as Frank
1960 Home by ? with Coral Browne (repeat of 1944???)
1967 Home by H B Fortuin with Ronald Herdman as Morse and Alan Dudley as Frank.
1992 rptd 1993, R4 by Sue Wilson]


14th December 1954
21.00-21.30
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes:The Blue Carbuncle (1892) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) dramatised by John Keir Cross (1914-1967).
Directed By: Martyn C Webster
[A Harry Alan Towers Production]
   Sherlock Holmes: John Gielgud (1904-2000)
   Dr Watson: Ralph Richardson (1902-1983)
   Peterson: John Carson
   Henry Baker: James Thomason
   Breckinridge: Charles Leno
   Ryder: Alan Reid
The next program in the weekly series appears under the broadcast date
[This independantly produced program was broadcast on the BBC first and then in 1955 on WCRA-NBC]


15th December 1954
20.30-22.00:
Curtain Up! :- The Nutmeg Tree (1940) by Margery Sharp (1905-1991)
Producer: Martyn C Webster
   Griffin: Winifred Oughton
   Julia: Yvonne Arnaud
   Sir William Waring: Richard Williams
   Esme Bellingham: Diana Morrison
   Fred Genocchio: Michael Turner
   Ma Genocchio: Sophie Ellis
   Mary: May Carey
   Susan Packett: Barbara Lott
   Mrs Packett: Gladys Boot
   Bryan Relton: Richard Bebb
Also with Bryan Powley, Manning Wilson, T.St. John Barry and Peter Howell
Repeated 20th December 1954
[The book was adapted to a stage play "The Lady in Waiting" amd a film "Julia Misbehaves"]


21st December 1954
21.00-21.30
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: The Final Problem (1893) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) dramatised by John Keir Cross (1914-1967).
Directed By: Martyn C Webster
[A Harry Alan Towers Production]
   Sherlock Holmes: John Gielgud (1904-2000)
   Dr Watson: Ralph Richardson (1902-1983)
   Professor Moriarty: Orson Welles
[This independantly produced program was broadcast on the BBC first and then in 1955 on WCRA-NBC]


22nd December 1954
20.30-22.00
Curtain Up! :- Blithe Spirit (1941) by Noel Coward (1899-1973)
Produced by Ayton Whitaker
   Ruth: Thelma Scott
   Edith: Mairhi Russell
   Charles Condomine: Michael Denison
   Dr Bradman: T St John Barry
   Mrs Bradman: Catherine Salkeld
   Madame Arcati: Winifred Oughton
   Elvira: Dulcie Gray
Repeated 28th December 1954 and on BBC Home on 16th June 1956.
[Also produced by Norman Wright in 1972, rptd 1974 and 1980 for R4 with Michael Denison as Charles and Dulcie Gray as Elvira- but with Gudrun Ure as Ruth.]


25th December 1954
19.45-20.35
The Gorgon's Head (1932) by Ladbroke Black (1877-1940), adapted by Stephen Black
Producer: Martyn C Webster
   Charles Tempest: Richard Hurndall
   Darcy Pringle: Richard Bebb
   Chloe Heathcote: Belle Chrystall
   P C MacMunn: Lewis Stringer
   Mrs MacMunn: Elizabeth Maude
   Professor Crane: Manning Wilson
Other parts played by: Hugh David, Geoffrey Matthews, Julian Forbes and Charles Hodgson
Repeated 8th July 1956
[Ladbroke Black used several pseudonyms- Lionel Day, Lewis Jackson and Paul Urquhart. Stephen Black was his son.]
[This is the only program with a credit to Ladbroke Black in the BBC Programme Database]


29th December 1954
20.30-22.00
Curtain Up! Uncle Harry (1942) by Thomas Job (1901-1947), adapted by Mollie Greenhalgh
Produced by Peter Watts
   Harry Quincey: Carleton Hobbs
   Miss Phipps: Joan Lawson
   Mr Jenkins: Ronald Sidney
   D'Arcy: Manning Wilson
   Albert: John Garside
   Lettie Quincey: Marjorie Westbury
   Hester Quincey: Joyce Latham
   Beryl: Belle Chrystall
   Nona: Dorothy Holmes-Gore
   George Waddy: Geoffrey Matthews
   Mr Blake: Eric Anderson
   Ben: Stephen Jack
   The Prison Governor: Edward Jewesbury
   Mr Burton: John Ruddock
   Egan: T St John Barry
   Roberts: Ella Milne
Repeated 3rd January 1955.
[Also produced by Peter Watts in 1952 for BBC Home with Deryck Guyler as Harry and Neil Tuson as D'arcy]


===end====

Compiled by Stephen Shaw 2023


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