Radio 3 Drama, 1972

Compiled by Ian Johns

Main source of information is the BBC Genome scanned pages of Radio Times with entries edited, added to and amended for clarity and context. Also listed separately are a selection of dramatised documentaries, drama-related features, readings and short stories.

I.J.

2 January 1972:
Don Juan
By Moliere, translated by Christopher Hampton. Moliere's 1665 comedy features the infamous serial womaniser who risks eternal damnation. Don Juan: Kenneth Haigh. Sganarelle, Don Juan's valet: Bill Fraser. Elvira, Don Juan's wife: Sheila Grant. Guzman, Elvira's squire: Patrick Tull. Elvira's brothers - Don Carlos: David Bailie. Don Alonso: John Rye. Don Louis, Don Juan's father: Rolf Lefebvre. Peasants - Charlotte: Kate Binchy. Mathurine: Penelope Lee. Pierrot: Brian Hewlett. The Statue of the Commander: Geoffrey Wincott. La Violette, Don Juan's servant: David Timson. M. Dimanche, a tradesman: James Thomason. La Ramee, a swordsman: Patrick Tull. Beggar: Leslie Heritage. Ghost: Penelope Lee. Director: John Tydeman. (Repeated on 2 April 1972)

9 January 1972:
Bajazet
By Jean Racine, translated by John Edmunds. Racine's 1642 tragedy, set in Byzantium in a harem deep in the Sultan's palace, depicts the machinations at court while Ottoman sultan Murad lays siege to Babylon in 1635. (Also produced for Radio 3 by Jane Morgan on 22 June 2008 with Michael Pennington, Victoria Hamilton and Bertie Carvel.) Achmet, Grand Vizir: John Moffatt. Osmin, confidant to Achmet: Rodney Diak. Roxana, Sultaness, favourite of Murad: Barbara Jefford. Atahda, daughter of the Blood Royal of the Ottomans: Prunella Scales. Zaara, slave and confidante to Atalida: Eva Stuart. Bajazet, brother of the Sultan Murad: Martin Jarvis. Zatima, slave and confidante to Roxana: Katherine Parr. Director: Christopher Venning. (Repeated on 30 April 1972)

16 January 1972:
You Are Not Alone in the House
By Frederick Bradnum. "Poor Charlotte, by yourself, alone in the house, nobody to love you, nobody to care... they are trying to get in... they will force an entry and nobody will stop them because nobody cares to stop them, because nobody understands." Charlotte: Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies. Nolan: Simon Lack. Bolan: Felix Felton. With Rolf Lefebvre, Elizabeth Proud, Patricia Gallimore, Edward Kelsey, Ronald Herdman, Patrick Tull, Jane Knowles and Sheila Grant. Director: John Tydeman. (Repeated on 16 April 1972 and Radio 4's Afternoon Play on 15 June 1986)

21 January 1972:
Londinium
By Colin MacInnes (1914-1976). Best known as the novelist of his London trilogy (Absolute Beginners, City of Spades and Mr Love and Justice), which depicted the vibrant multicultural youth of 1950s London, MacInnes had previously worked as a scriptwriter for BBC Radio in the 1940s. Set in AD45, two years after the conquest of Britain by the Emperor Claudius, this play is described as "a fable of life in Britain under the early Roman occupation". Balbus, a Centurion: Geoffrey Beevers. Terentius, a reluctant Centurion: Robin Bailey. Orami, an African auxiliary: Frank Duncan. Apollon, a Greek auxiliary: Trader Faulkner. Sidi, a Syrian auxiliary: Brian Hewlett. Ia, an Irish princess: Rosalind Shanks. Bleddyn, a Welsh Druid: Aubrey Richards. Varca, a Cornish witch: Katherine Parr. Coolihan, a Scottish badger-hunter: Henry Stamper. Director: Douglas Cleverdon. (Repeat from 22 October 1971)

23 January 1972:
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
By William Shakespeare. This production is particularly remembered for its thoughtful use of electronic effects from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. (A restored recording by Keith Wickham at the Radio Circle was broadcast on Radio 3 on 2 March 2025.) Barnardo, an officer: Patrick Tull. Francisco, a soldier: Nigel Graham. Horatio, friend of Hamlet: Martin Jarvis. Marcellus, an officer: Michael Kilgarriff. Claudius, King of Denmark: Robert Lang. Ghost of Hamlet's father: Rolf Lefebvre. Voltimand: David Valla. Cornelius: Ronald Herdman. Laertes, Polonius's son: David Spenser. Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain: William Squire. Hamlet, son of the late King and nephew to the present King: Ronald Pickup. Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, Hamlet's mother: Maxine Audley. Ophelia, Polonius's daughter: Angela Pleasence. Rosencrantz: Michael Spice. Guildenstern: Leslie Heritage. Reynaldo, Polonius's servant: Gil Sutherland. First Player (Player King): Aubrey Woods. Prologue (A Player): Gil Sutherland. Player Queen: David Valla. Lucianus (A Player): Ronald Herdman. Fortinbras, Prince of Norway: Sean Barrett. A Captain: Nigel Graham. A Gentleman: Gil Sutherland. A Servant: Ronald Herdman. A Sailor: David Valla. First Gravedigger: Aubrey Woods. Second Gravedigger: Ronald Herdman. A Priest: Rolf Lefebvre. Osric a courtier: John Rye. A Lord: Nigel Graham. An Ambassador from England: Patrick Tull. Sound score: Malcolm Clarke of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Director: John Tydeman. (Repeat from 31 October 1971)

28 January 1972:
Ballad with Women and Snail Children
By Titel Constantinescu (1927-1999), translated from the Romanian by RD Smith. A play by the Romanian novelist, dramatist and screenwriter who also worked as a drama producer for almost 30 years at the Romanian Broadcasting Company. Old Woman: Nan Marriott-Watson. Young Woman: Deborah Anthony. Skinny: Lynn Carson. Mother I: Hilda Kriseman. Mother II: Katherine Parr. Mother III: Diana Olsson. Mother IV: Diana Robson. Speaker: Marjorie Westbury. Boy: Philip Da Costa. Flirt: Billie Hammerberg. Girl: Saba Sarol. Snail: Nigel Anthony. Caged Girl: Pauline Wynn. Travelling Man: Peter Howell. Folk and Fairy Tale characters, Trees and Squirrels: Geoffrey Beevers, Katherine Fahy, Olwen Griffiths, Edward Kelsey, Godfrey Kenton and David Valla. Special music and effects by courtesy of the Romanian Broadcasting Service. Technical production: JV Johnson, Janet Mitchell, Carol McShane and Mary Kirby. Producer: R.D. Smith. (Repeated on 26 May 1972)

30 January 1972:
Operation Cerberus
By Michael Kittermaster (1918-2008). "I can assure you that there are some very intensive operations taking place within this complex. If that were not so, it would hardly be necessary to maintain a security post on the premises." A comedy by Kittermaster, who had worked for the BBC before the Second World War and later became Director of Broadcasting in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), Nyasaland (now Malawi) and Cyprus. He drew on his decades as a civil servant in the Colonial Service to often explore and satirise bureaucracy and authority in novels and some 50 radio and TV plays, as well as adapting Thomas Hardy and Doris Lessing. (This play was also staged at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, and Questors Theatre in London in 1976.) Staff Sergeant Pincombe: David March. Major Glover: Colin Gordon. Captain Spicer: Nigel Anthony. Mr Endicott: Gerald Cross. Producer: Richard Imison. (Repeated on 14 May 1972)

4 February 1972:
The Deal
By Gunter Herburger (1932-2018), translated by Anthony Vivis. This drama by the German Socialist novelist, poet and playwright is described as "a secular tract on the total corruptive consequence of greed". The original German production was broadcast on ARD on 14 January 1970. Anna: Valerie Kirkbright. Peter: Leonard Fenton. Snow: Patrick Tull. Lichtentaeler: Harold Kasket. Maxwell: Geoffrey Wincott. Other parts played by Stephanie Turner and Antony Higginson. Producer: Norman Wright. (Repeat from 26 November 1971).

6 February 1972:
The Fishing Party
By Peter Terson (1932-2021). Three Derbyshire miners escape for a weekend's fishing in Whitby. This gentle, affectionate comedy won the 1972 Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best New Radio Script. (Also produced for the World Service on 1 September 1974 with a new cast and adapted for TV as a BBC One Play for Today on 1 June 1972.) Art: Wilfred Pickles. Abe: Harry Markham. Ern: Geoffrey Banks. Audrey: Stephanie Turner. Brian: Ray Mort. Fisherman: James Garbutt. Waitress: Cleone Rive. Producer: Alfred Bradley. (Repeat from 3 October 1971. Also repeated on Radio 4 on 1 May 1972 and 27 October 1979)

11 February 1972:
Like Achilles
By Eric Chappell (1933-2022). Best known as the writer of such sitcoms as Rising Damp and Duty Free, this is a rare radio play by Chappell. Set in 1947, it asks how much a death matters as boys play in the park of a provincial town where a girl has been murdered. Cass: David Timson. Alan: Malcolm McFee. Archie: Clive Merrison. Snell: John Hollis. Producer: John Tydeman. (Repeated on 29 August 1972)

13 February 1972:
The Marquis of Keith
By Frank Wedekind (1846-1918), translated from the German by Anthony Vivis. In Wedekind's 1899 tragi-comedy, a single-minded impresario destroys his marriage and wife in pursuit of sexual and financial obsessions. (Ian McKellen played the title role on stage for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1974.) Marquis of Keith: Alan Howard. Ernst Schols: Robert Eddison. Molly Griesinger: Rosalind Shanks. Anna, Countess Werdenfels: Margaret Wolfit. Consul Casimir: John Sharp. Hermann Casimir: Geoffrey Beevers. Raspe: David Timson. Sascha, a page boy: Dorit Welles. Simba, alias Katie: Kate Binchy. Saranieff: Lewis Stringer. Zamrjaki: David Valla. Ostermeier: Alan Haines. Krenzi: John Samson. Grandauer: Martin Friend. Other parts played by Katherine Parr and Stephanie Turner. Producer: Martin Esslin. (Repeated on 25 June 1972)

18 February 1972:
Simcocks Abound across the Earth
By Don Haworth (1931-2020). A young man moves to the home of a late uncle to sort out the estate and becomes increasingly obsessed with the couple who look after the house and their family. Hunter: John Shrapnel. Mona: Penelope Lee. Simcock: Freddie Jones. Mrs Simcock: Rosalie Crutchley. Doctor: Geoffrey Banks. Producer: Tony Cliff. (Repeat from 8 October 1971)

20 February 1972:
House and Home
By Jurgen Becker (1932-2024), translated by Christopher Holme. This "play of voices" was written in 1969 by the German poet, essayist and radio dramatist, who was also director of audio drama at the public broadcasting station Deutschlandfunk from 1974-1993. This imagines the voices of city inhabitants and how their daily lives and concerns related to their homes define their environment. With Nigel Anthony, Betty Baskcomb, Douglas Blackwell, Cecile Chevreau, Frank Duncan, Patricia England, Sheila Grant, Denys Hawthorne, Michael Kilgarriff and Miriam Margolyes. Producer: Christopher Holme.

27 February 1972:
Arms and Legs
By Jennifer Phillips. Sunbathing is a tricky science; painting nudes a tricky art... Milly: Julia Foster. Sarah: Barbara Mitchell. Rob: Nigel Lambert. Jimmy: John Rye. Producer: Charles Lefeaux. (Repeated on 11 June 1972)

3 March 1972:
The Days of the Commune
By Bertolt Brecht, translated from the German by Richard Beckley. This was the first professional English production of Brecht's 1947 play, which dramatises the rise and fall of the Paris Commune in 1871. The play itself was an adaptation of Nordahl Grieg's 1938 Norwegian drama The Defeat. Jean Cabet: Barry Foster. Madame Cabet: Mary Wimbush. Genevieve: Kate Binchy. Papa: John Hollis. Babette: Elizabeth Proud. Philippe: Anthony Jackson. Coco/Chairman: Martin Friend. Francois: Geoffrey Beevers. Narrator: Stephen Thorne. The Portly Gentleman/Delescluze: Ronald Herdman. Jules Favre/Tax Collector: Rolf Lefebvre. Langevin: Haydn Jones. Thiers: David March. Varlin: John Rye. Woman Delegate: Sheila Grant. Waiter/Officer: Brian Hewlett. Dying Woman: Diana Bishop. Aristocratic Lady: Eva Stuart. Mayor/Ranvier: Edward Kelsey. De Ploeuc: William Fox. Beslay: James Thomason. Rigault: Malcolm Terris. Guy: Robin Browne. Women and children: Jean England. Woman: Stephanie Turner. Songs and incidental music composed and conducted by Hans Heimler, played by Judith Pearce, Bram Gay, Terry Emery, Henry Krein. Producer: Richard Wortley. (Repeat from 14 November 1971)

5 March 1972:
The So-What Club
By Peter Tegel. "'What is important? Your friendship with Colin? You know my opinion. Such relationships go against nature." Interpersonal dynamics are examined in a club setting in Tegel's play, which was staged at the Royal Court in London in 1978. Colin: David Timson. Thomas: Geoffrey Beevers. Colin's mother: Lala Lloyd. Thomas's mother: Irene Prador. Thomas's stepfather: Leonard Fenton. Hamburger: Lewis Stringer. Mrs Hamburger: Olwen Griffiths. Novotny: Martin Friend. Mrs Novotny: Lala Lloyd. Klein: Patrick Godfrey. Producer: Guy Vaesen. (Repeated on 12 September 1972)

10 March 1972:
Drama Now: Herman with Millie and Mick
By Howard Barker. In what has been described as "a parable of the work ethic", Herman intends to look for work but can't manage it and starts to lose his grip on reality. Herman: Richard O'Callaghan. Millie: Jane Knowles. Mick: Geoffrey Collins. Employment Officer: Ronald Herdman. Producer: Gerry Jones. (Repeated on 7 August 1973)

12 March 1972:
The Old Wives' Tale
By George Peele (c.1556-1596), adapted by Terence Tiller. This is an early satire of popular 16th-century romantic dramas, first published in 1595. To entertain three young men who had become lost in the woods, a blacksmith's wife tells them a fairy tale that comes to life before her eyes. Tales unfold involving three brothers, their kidnapped sister and a magician disguised as a dragon. Antic Corebus: Michael Deacon. Frolic, First Head: John Samson. Fantastic, Friar, Second Head: Leslie Heritage. Chinch, Sacrapant, Voice: William Fox. Madge, Second Fury: Betty Baskcomb. First Brother, Sexton: Basil Jones. Second Brother, Wiggen: John Craig. Erestus, Churchwarden, Jack's Ghost: William Eedle. Lampriseus, Eumenides: Gerald Cross. Huanebango: Peter Williams. Delia Celanta: Jane Knowles. Venelia, First Fury, Zantippa, Hostess: Elizabeth Proud. Music arranged by Michael Morrow and performed under his direction by members of Musica Reservata. Producer: Terence Tiller. (Repeated on 3 September 1972)

17 March 1972:
Sinclair
By John McGahern (1934-2006), adapted from his short story Why We're Here. In this first radio drama by the acclaimed Irish writer, two catholic neighbours in a rural parish recall the decline of a local Anglo-Irish Protestant landowner. Boles: Cyril Cusack. Gillespie: Norman Rodway. Producer: Ronald Mason.

19 March 1972:
Curtains
By Tom Mallin (1927-1977). The toxic marriage of a man and his common-law wife is complicated further by the woman he has picked up. This was Mallin's first play to be staged and this production features the original cast of Michael Rudman's Traverse Theatre production seen at the 1970 Edinburgh Festival. Mildred: Antonia Pemberton. Niall: Nigel Hawthorne. Gladys: Ursula Smith. Producer: Guy Vasen. (Repeat from 28 November 1971)

21 March 1972:
Who Thought It?
By Colin Bennett. A 15-minute monologue about a foreman fitter looking for a job. George Pottersby: Edward Petherbridge. Producer: Charles Lefeaux.(Repeated on 25 March 1973)

26 March 1972:
Once Round Lill, Twice Round the Gasworks
By Jeremy Seabrook (1939-2024) and Michael O'Neill (b. 1938). The gossiping women of Apollo House, London, SE15, are delighted when Lill wins ś100 at bingo. But Lill doesn't welcome their attention while also being troubled by her son, Gary. 'Bingo Lill': Diana Olsson. Kath: Anne Jameson. Joyce: Miriam Margolyes. Mavis: Diana Bishop. Madge: Sheila Grant. Rose: Jane Knowles. Maureen and Janice: Maggie Don. Gary: David Howe. Tom: John Hollis. Lynn: Jean Rogers. Bingo Caller and Bus Conductor: David Valla. Psychiatric Social Worker and Tina: Eva Stuart. First Boy: Anthony Barnett. Second Boy: Tony Lawson. Third Boy, Barry and Sandra: Judy Bennett. Producer: Richard Wortley. (Repeated on 26 September 1972 and 24 July 1973)

31 March 1972:
Lizard in the Grass
By Susan Hill. Orphan Jane Pace, living in a clifftop convent and persecuted by one of the nuns, escapes into fantasies about the sea and the legendary drowned city that lies below. (Also staged at the Festival Club, Edinburgh, in 1988.) Jane: Helen Worth. John Though: Martin Jarvis. Sister Superior: Fay Compton. Sister Patrick: Fabia Drake. Sister Imelda: Aimee Delamain. Aunt Berenice: Colette O'Neil. Her friend: Doreen Andrew. Jane's father: Denys Hawthorne. Clare: Linette McMurrough. Megan: Jean Rogers. Schoolgirls: Olwen Griffiths, Jane Knowles, Elizabeth Proud and Jo Manning Wilson. Music: Geoffrey Burgon, played by John Marson, sung by Jonathan Cooke. Producer: Guy Vaesen. (Repeat from 7 November 1971. Also on Radio 4 on 23 September 1991)

8 April 1972:
The Bully
By Horace James (1927-2000), based on The Bear by Anton Chekhov. James was a RADA-trained actor, playwright and later drama producer for Trinidad & Tobago Television. Chekhov's one-act comedy, about a reclusive young widow and a debt to be settled, is here transplanted to the West Indies. Helen: Carmen Munroe. Gregory: Horace James. Sammy: Charles Hyatt. Producer: John Tydeman. (Repeated on 20 August 1972)

9 April 1972:
Radiance and Death of Joaquin Murieta
By Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), translated by Willis Barnstone. This was the first performance in English of a rare dramatic work by the Chilean poet. Using chorus, verse, song and dramatic scenes, it tells the story of a Chilean who becomes a bandit during the California gold rush of 1849 after seeing his fellow Chileans treated cruelly by the Americans. Voice of the Poet: Patrick Magee. A Yankee Villain: Michael Kilgarriff. Three-fingered Jack: Manning Wilson. Rayes, a clerk: Martin Friend. Rosentio Juares: Ronald Herdman. With the voices of Betty Baskcomb, Isabelle Lucas, Olwen Griffiths, Jane Manning, Mark Murphy, David Timson, David Valla, Peter Marinker, Douglas Blackwell and David Gooderson. Music: Michael Dress. Performed by Rainer Schuelein (flute and recorder), Thea King (clarinet), Roland Harker (guitar), Heather Corbett and Anne Collis (percussion), conducted by Michael Dress. Producer: Martin Esslin. (Repeated on 17 September 1972)

14 April 1972:
The Illumination of Mr Shannon
By Don Haworth. "When I see'd you waiting outside, young fellow with a fine bearing and wearing a tie, I said, 'That man is his uncle's nephew.' You're a credit to your family, Mr Shannon , and with God's help, you'll go far." (Also staged at the Soho Poly, London, in 1973 with Colin Blakely and Frank Grimes.) Blakey: Milo O'Shea. Mr Shannon: Shane Connaughton. Producer: Tony Cliff. (Repeat from 27 April 1971)

23 April 1972:
The Land Where the King Is a Child
By Henri de Montherlant (1895-1972), translated from the French by Henry Reed. Set between the two World Wars, this 1951 play finds the Abbot of a Paris Catholic boarding school trying to undermine the growing friendship of a bright philosophy student and a more rebellious pupil. (Archie Campbell directed an earlier production (10 March 1959) with Denholm Elliott as the Abbot.) Narrator: Peter Bartlett. The Abbe de Pradis: Hugh Burden. Andre Sevrais: Sean Bury. Serge Souplier: Carlo Cura. M Habert, an assistant: Brian Hewlett. Henriet: Gareth Johnson. Abbe Pradeau de la Halle: Gerald Cross. Producer: John Tydeman. (Repeated on 22 October 1972, 21 February 1977 and 6 December 1988)

28 April 1972:
Circle of Loneliness
A play created by students of a writing group at Morley College, London, under the supervision of Chirstopher Williams and Jonathan Hales, co-directors of the college's Theatre School. Readers: Judy Bennett, Jean England, Sheila Grant, Kathleen Helme, Leslie Heritage, Brian Hewlett, Anthony Jackson, Jane Knowles, Alex Marshall, Geoffrey Matthews, Peter Pacey, Katherine Parr, Hilda Schroder and Julia Vldler. Producer: Richard Wortley. (Repeat from 6 August 1971)

5 May 1972:
The Death of Anton Webern
By James Schevill. A sequence of poems by the American poet, playwright and critic (1920-2009) retells the story of Austrian composer Anton Webern's accidental death in 1945 through the voices of those involved. Humphrey Searle, a former pupil of Webern, uses selections from Webern as well as his own additional music. Anton Webern: John Gabriel. The Poet: Sara Coward. The Daughter: Jane Knowles. The Son-in-Law: Sean Barrett. The Cook: Edward Kelsey. The Sergeant: Kerry Francis. The Wife: Margot Boyd. The Cook's Wife: Betty Baskcomb. The Conductor: Trevor Martin. Music played by members of the Sinfonia of London. Singer: Jane Manning. Pianist: Susan Bradshaw. Producer: Martin Esslin. (Repeat from 18 April 1971. Also on 3 October 1971)

7 May 1972:
World Drama: Twelfth Night
By William Shakespeare. In this production of Shakespeare's comedy, Dorothy Tutin plays Viola, a role that earned her a London Evening Standard award for Best Actress in 1960 while with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Orsino, Duke of Illyrla: William Squire. Curio: Brian Hewlett. Valentine: Michael Kilgarriff. Viola (later known as Cesario): Dorothy Tutin. A Sea Captain, friend to Viola: William Eedle. Sir Toby Belch, kinsman to Olivia: Maurice Denham. Maria, Olivia's woman: Sheila Grant. Sir Andrew Aguecheek: John Moffatt. Feste, a Clown: Haydn Jones. Olivia: Geraldine McEwan. Malvolio, steward to Olivia: Stephen Murray. Antonio, a sea captain, friend to Sebastian: Edward Kelsey. Sebastian, brother to Viola: John Pullen. Fabian, in the service of Olivia: Ronald Herdman. Music selected and arranged by Alan Boustead. Singer: Alan Jones. Lute: Desmond Dupre. Viol: Elizabeth Baines. Recorder: Francis Baines. Producer: Charles Lefeaux. (Repeated on 14 January 1973)

12 May 1972:
Negatives
By Philip Martin (1938-2020). "I saw the dark pool in which she was lying, saw the knife and the blood running. She was still alive. I bent to her. 'Gerroff!' Janet said." Best known for such screen work as the 1970s BBC series Gangsters, Martin was also a radio drama producer for the BBC at Pebble Mill in the 1980s and a stage and radio dramatist. Peter Pinder: Peter Jeffrey. Sarah Pinder: Pauline Yates. Denny Crowther: Ronald Forfar. Janet Crowther: Kate Binchy. Da Crowther: Sammy Sharples. Chris: John Rowe. Producer: Gerry Jones. (Repeated on 19 November 1972)

21 May 1972:
Exiles
By James Joyce. Set in Merlion and Ranelagh, two suburbs of Dublin, Joyce's only surviving play is drawn from The Dead, the final short story in his collection Dubliners. It explores the tensions and relationships of two couples with intertwined pasts. This production brought together the cast of Harold Pinter 's 1970 Mermaid Theatre production. Richard Rowan: John Wood. Beatrice Justice: Lynn Farleigh. Robert Hand: Timothy West. Brigid: Marjorie Wilde. Archie: J Bennett. Bertha: Vivien Merchant. Producer: Guy Vaesen. (Repeated on 6 August 1972)

28 May 1972:
The Brother of the Bride
By Neville Smith, adapted by Ernst Brunn Olsen, translated by David Hohnen. The original stage play by actor and playwright Neville Smith was adapted for Danish radio as its Prix Italia entry, then translated and produced for Radio 3. Brian: Neville Smith. Jean: Fiona Walker. Father: David Jackson. Mother: Jean Boht. The Bride: June Barry. The Groom: John Linstrum. The Trio: Trevor Holroyd, Denis Langfield and Brian Chippendale. Producer: Alfred Bradley. (Repeated on 17 October 1972)

2 June 1972:
Bleats from a Brighouse Pleasureground
By David Halliwell (1936-2006). Interviews for the job of assistant manager at a park's recreational area reveal the very different perspectives of the applicants. Arnold Rawlinson: Colin Douglas. William Dean: Bryan Pringle. Roy Sunderland: Leslie Sands. Producer: John Tydeman. (Repeated on 31 October 1972)

4 June 1972:
All That Fall
By Samuel Beckett (1906-1989). The playwright said of this 1957 BBC radio play that "it is a text written to come out of the dark". It follows the various encounters the elderly Maddy has in rural Ireland as she heads to the railway station to meet her blind husband. Mrs Rooney (Maddy), an old lady: Marie Kean. Christy, a carter: James Greene. Mr Tyler, a retired bill-broker: Kevin Flood. Mr Slocum, Clerk of the Racecourse: Allan McClelland. Mr Barrell, a station-master: Derry Power. Tommy, a porter: Ron Flanagan. Miss Fitt, a lady: Kate Binchy. Female voice: Brenda Gogan. Mr Rooney (Dan), husband of Mrs Rooney: J.G. Devlin. Jerry, a small boy: Judy Bennett. Programme realised at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop by Desmond Briscoe. Director: Donald McWhinnie. (Repeated on 3 December 1972 and 12 February 1980)

18 June 1972:
A Journey to London
By John Vanbrugh (1664-1726). This unfinished Restoration comedy (reworked by Colley Cibber as The Provok'd Husband) finds a rustic MP taking his family to London where his wife is pursued by a lecherous colonel. Uncle Richard: Gerald Cross. James, his servant: Martin Friend. John Moody: Lewis Stringer. Deborah: Helen Worth. Lady Headpiece: Hilda Kriseman. Sir Francis Headpiece: John Rowe. Squire Humphry: Robin Browne. Miss Betty: Denise Bryer. Mrs Motherly: Betty Baskcomb. Mrs Handy: Katherine Parr. Doll Tripe: Sheila Grant. Heavy George: Michael Kilgarriff. Fat Tom: Michael Harbour. Colonel Courtly: Kerry Francis. Martilla: Margaret Robertson. Lady Arabella: Barbara Jefford. Lord Loverule: Charles Gray. Clarinda: Susan Edmonstone. Sir Charles: Robert Eddison. Mrs Trusty: Sheila Grant. Mr Moneybag: Martin Friend. Mr Shortyard: Lewis Stringer. Captain Toupee: Michael Harbour. A Constable: Michael Kilgarriff. (Repeated on 5 November 1972)

30 June 1972:
A Game of Tombola
By Jonathan Raban (1942-2023). The minutiae of the annual garden fete and their possibly wider significance are observed with clinical detachment by a Hampshire vicar's 16-year-old son in 1956. Nicholas: Christopher Good. His father: John Rowe. His mother: Janet Burnell. Peggy Willis, a good soul: Doris Gilmore. Ronno, a teddy boy: Kenneth Cranham. Tom Dobrey a TV personality: Lewis Stringer. Terence, his friend: David Valla. Mr Veale, an ancient: John Ruddock. Mrs Burton-Smith: Eva Stuart. Margaret, her daughter: Sheila Grant. Dominic, her son: Robin Browne. Viva Wisden, a spinster: Betty Baskcomb. Fatso, another teddy boy: Ronald Herdman. Girl: Jane Knowles. Tony Barrow, a bandleader: Michael Harbour. Penny: Helen Worth. Rural character: Edward Kelsey. MC: Douglas Blackwell. Assorted villagers, bandsmen, gentlefolk, dancers, teddy boys, other uninvited guests: members of the cast. Music arranged and conducted by Arthur Tatler. Producer: Archie Campbell. (Repeated on 28 January 1973)

2 July 1972:
Downpour
By Tom Mallin (1927-1977). "I see the pond has dried up. The frogs will welcome the rain. They'll enjoy flopping into puddles and ridding themselves of a coating of dust. But I wish it would rain soon." With Maurice Denham and Sylvia Coleridge. Producer: Guy Vaesen. (Repeated on 25 February 1973)

5 July 1972:
Drama Now: A Chance Encounter
By Rhys Adrian (1928-1990). To intrude upon a traffic warden's privacy is dangerous, especially in a seaside pub in winter. The play was also adapted for BBC2 television (31 January 1973) with Alfred Marks reprising his role as Arthur. Arthur: Alfred Marks. Ronald: Bryan Pringle. Frank: Fraser Kerr. Landlord: Ronald Herdman. Pianist: Jimmy Hardwick. Producer: John Tydeman. (Repeated on 23 January 1973)

9 July 1972:
Brand
By Henrik Ibsen, translated by Michael Meyer. In this 1865 play, a Lutheran pastor with a fierce hatred of compromise sacrifices his loved ones in pursuit of his vocational calling. Is he hero or villain? Visionary prophet or fanatic fundamentalist? Brand: Brian Cox, Agnes: Anna Calder-Marshall. The Mayor: Hector Ross. The Provost: Michael Aldridge. Ejnar: Martin Jarvis. Gerd: Alethea Charlton. Brand's Mother: Pauline Letts. A Villager: Trevor Martin. Guide: Martin Friend. Guide's Son: Nigel Anthony. Villager: Douglas Blackwell. Woman from the Headland: Kate Binchy. Woman Villager: Jane Knowles. Doctor: Geoffrey Beevers. Gypsy Woman: Stephanie Turner. Sexton: John Wyse. Schoolmaster: Martin Friend. Director: Martin Jenkins. (Repeat from 12 December 1971. Also on 14 December 1978 and on Radio 4 on 6 May 1974)

11 July 1972:
Drama Now: Enigmatic Conversations with Eminent Sociologists
By Frederick Bradnum (1922-2001). Plasher's Park, an ancestral country seat of the Uppwater family, is now the home of a Foundation for Social Studies and haunted by the past. Professor Nathan Naismith/Osbert Uppwater: David March. Dr Lorna Naismith/Lady Elsie Uppwater: Sheila Grant. Dr Veronica Hood (Ronnie)/Miss Josephine Uppwater (Jo): Margaret Robertson. Skinner, the butler: Rolf Lefebvre. Wainwright, a butler/Inspector Rough: Edward Kelsey. Cherry: Jane Knowles. Producer: John Tydeman. (Repeated on 6 February 1973)

16 July 1972:
The Love of Lady Margaret
By Bill Morrison (1940-2011). Often alone in her country house while her husband only comes home at weekends, middle-aged Lady Margaret stews in her own thoughts and daydreams about a teacher in the nearby town. (Also staged on the London fringe with a different cast in 1973.) Lady Margaret Lane: Sian Phillips. Sir Tom Lane: Nigel Stock. Malcolm Jones: Malcolm Terris. Deirdre Wells: Helen Worth. Charity Dunne: Sandra Clark. Producer: Richard Wortley. (Repeated on 22 August 1972)

18 July 1972:
Money for Old Rope
By Plautus (c. 254-184 BCE), translated by Kenneth McLeish, adapted by Raymond Raikes. Written around 200 BCE, this Roman comedy is set on the coast of Cyrene in north Africa. It follows how Palaestra, stolen as a three-year-old by pirates 16 years earlier, is eventually reunited with her father, Daemones. Prologue/The Author: John Rowe. Arcturus, one of the heavenly host: Michael Kilgarriff. Boatswain: Geoffrey Beevers. Labrax, a pimp: Ronald Herdman. Charmides, his unsavoury friend: John Rowe. Plesidippus, in love with Palaestra: Leslie Heritage. Palaestra: Olwen Griffiths. Ampelisca, her friend: Betty Baskcomb. Sceparnio, a slave of Daetones: Brian Hewlett. Daemones, an Athenian: William Fox. Priestess at the Temple of Venus: Katherine Parr. Trachallo, slave of Plesidippus: Robin Browse. Gripus, a fisherman, another slave of Daemones: Edward Kelsey. Music: Christos Pittas. Producer: Raymond Raikes. (Repeated on 21 February 1973)

25 July 1972:
Schreber's Nervous Illness
By Caryl Churchill, based on Memoirs of My Nervous Illness by Daniel Paul Schreber, translated by Ida MacAlpine and Richard A Hunter. Set in asylums in Leipzig and Dresden between 1983 and 1902, this dramatises the memoirs of a 19th- century German judge who wrote extensively about his experiences with schizophrenia and his belief that God was trying to turn him into a woman. Judge Schreber: Kenneth Haigh. Narrator: Lewis Stringer. Weber, a psychiatrist: William Fox. The Judge: John Ruddock. Voices: Sheila Grant, Brian Haines, Michael Kilgarriff and John Samson. Special sound: Malcolm Clarke of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Producer: John Tydeman. (Repeated on 24 October 1972 and 20 March 1973)

30 July 1972:
Julius Caesar
By William Shakespeare. The Bard's drama of stolen power and a society in turmoil. Julius Caesar: Nigel Stock. Octavius Caesar: Martin Jarvis. Mark Antony: Julian Glover. Lepidus: John Rowe. Cicero: Lewis Stringer. Brutus: Anthony Bate. Cassius: Peter Jeffrey. Casca: Dudley Foster. Trebonius: Manning Wilson. Metellus Cimber: Henry Knowles. Cinna: Michael Harbour. Decius Brutus: Martin Jarvis. Caius Ligarius: Rolf Lefebvre. Lucius: David Howe. Portia: Jane Wenham. Calpurnia: Kate Binchy. Publius: Geoffrey Beevers. Popilius Lena: Douglas Blackwell. Flavius: William Fox. Marullus: Rolf Lefebvre. Artemidorus: Ronald Herdman. Soothsayer: Martin Friend. Cinna, poet: Geoffrey Beevers. First Plebeian & Cobbler: Douglas Blackwell. Second Plebeian & Carpenter: Ronald Herdman. Third Plebeian: Helen Worth. Fourth Plebeian: Martin Friend. Messala: Manning Wilson. Titinius: William Fox. Young Cato: Geoffrey Beevers. Lucilius: Michael Harbour. Claudius: William Sleigh. Clitus: William Sleigh. Pindarus: John Rowe. Dardanius: Douglas Blackwell. Volumnius: Martin Friend. Strato: Henry Knowles. Antony's servant: William Sleigh. Octavius' servant: Michael Harbour. Music: Derek Oldfield. Special effects: Harry Catlin. Producer: Martin Jenkins. (Repeated on 17 June 1973. Also on Radio 4 on 2 December 1974)

8 August 1972:
Something Rather Effective
By NF Simpson (1919-2011). A documentary-style programme about the making of a documentary-style programme, written by the celebrated absurdist playwright. Tom Haslett: Nigel Lambert. Sandra Williams: Sandra Payne. Steve Drury: Anthony Jackson. John Camberley: David March. Molly Bates: Sheila Grant. Jeremy Hutchins: Robin Browne. Vic Bainbridge: David Spenser. Many other parts played by William Eedle, David Gooderson, Michael Kilgarriff, Janet Lees Price, Katherine Parr, John Ruddock, John Samson, Eva Stuart and David Valla. Producer: Charles Lefeaux.

13 August 1972:
Spider
By Fay Weldon (1931-2023). In this first radio play by the novelist and dramatist, pregnant middle-class housewife Rowan's attempts to "reform" the liberated ways of her hippie cleaner Eileen causes conflict in her life and marriage. Winner of the 1973 Writers' Guild Award for Best British Radio Drama Script. Rowan: Miriam Margolyes. Sweeney: Henry Woolf. Dilys: Jane Knowles. Frank: Michael Kilgarriff. Eileen: Helen Worth. Mark: Brian Hewlett. Max/Doctor: Walter Hall. Producer: Richard Wortley. (Repeated on 11 March 1973)

5 September 1972:
The Way to a Cold Supper
By Istvan Csurka, translated by George Mikes. Istvan Csurka (1934-2012) was a leading Hungarian playwright, writer, journalist and politician, who would go on to establish the ultra-right-wing Hungarian Justice and Life Party in 1992.This two hander charts the ups and downs of a love affair between two people in their thirties. The Woman: Judi Dench. The Man: Alec McCowen. Producer: Martin Esslin. (Repeated on 1 May 1973)

10 September 1972:
This Jockey Drives Late Nights
By Henry Livings, a modern version of Leo Tolstoy's 1886 drama The Power of Darkness. The proprietor of a taxi-hire firm is murdered by his wife so she can marry a young man on the staff, only for him to seduce her daughter. Nick Mather: Jack Carr. Mrs Mather: Kathleen Helme. Annie Peters: Jane Lowe. Milton Peters: Wilfred Pickles. Driver: Henry Livings. Marion Peters: Rachel Davies. Marie Lees: Gillian Brown. Agnes Peters: Stephanie Turner. Michael: David Jackson. Mr Mather: John Franklyn-Robbins. Mr Whitehead: Graham Roberts. Music: Alex Glasgow. Producer: Alfred Bradley. (Repeated on 1 July 1973)

19 September 1972:
Paid on Both Sides
By WH Auden. This 1928 "charade" was the poet's first dramatic work and originally staged in New York in 1931 and at the Cambridge Festival Theatre in 1934. Drawing on Icelandic sagas and psychoanalysis, it depicts two powerful families in conflict at a wedding. John Nower: Malcolm Hayes. Dick: Stephen Thorne. Joan: Julia Lang. Trudy: Nan Marriott-Watson. Walter: Norman Claridge. George: William Fox. Kurt: Brian Haines. Culley: Manning Wilson. Stephen: Ian Lubbock. Zeppel: Ronald Herdman. No 6: John Molloy. Anne Shaw: Diana Robson. Seth: Fraser Kerr. Bernard: John Samson. Aaron: Duncan McIntyre. The Spy: Leo Maguire. Mother: Margaret Gordon. The Presenter: Tom Crowe. Father Christmas: Reg Lever. Dr Quack: John Ruddock. Chief Guest: Lynn Carson. Characters in Christmas play: John Hollis, Godfrey Kenton, Gerald Cross and Philip Da Costa. Music specially composed by Elisabeth Lutyens, conducted by Frederick Marshall. Played by Richard Adeney, Philip Jones, John Jenkins, Thomas Kelly and Arthur Wilson. Percussion effects: James Blades. Producer: R.D. Smith.

24 September 1972:
World Drama: The Silent Woman
By Ben Jonson, adapted by Raymond Raikes. In Jonson's 1609 comedy, an old man who hates noise is tricked into marrying an apparently silent woman who turns out to be a boy. Ned Clerimont: John Westbrook. His page: Barnaby Williams. Truewit, his friend: Marius Goring. Sir Dauphine Eugenie, nephew to Morose: Gabriel Woolf. Sir Amorous La-Foote: Ronald Herdman. Mute, servant to Morose: William Eedle. Morose, a gentleman that loves no noise: Heron Carvic. Cutbeard, a barber: John Ruddock. Sir John Daw: Michael Kilgarriff. Mistress Epicoene, the Silent Woman: Judy Bennett. Thomas Otter, a land and sea Captain: Norman Shelley. Mistress Otter, his wife: Peggy Mount. A Parson: Willlam Eedle. Lady Haughty: Kate Binchy. Lady Centaure: Betty Baskcomb. Music: Stephen Dodgson, performed by members of the English Chamber Orchestra, led by Jose-Luis Garcia, conducted by Rae Jenkins. Producer: Raymond Raikes. (Repeated on 16 September 1973)

1 October 1972:
L'Arlesienne (The Girl from Arles)
By Alphones Daudet (1040-1897), translated by Edward Sackville-West. A three-act drama by the French novelist, first staged in 1872 with music by Goerges Bizet, in which a peasant is driven mad after discovering his fianc‚e has been unfaithful. Narrator: Rolf Lefebvre. Francet Mamai a Provencal farmer: Peter Claughton. Balthazar, an old shepherd: Earle Grey. Jean, Francet's grandson: Anthony Hall. Rose Mamai, Francet's daughter-in-law: Vivienne Chatterton. Vivette Renaud: Barbara Mitchel. Frederi, elder brother of Jean: Michael Spice. Mark, brother of Rose: George Hagan. Mitifio a drover: William Eedle. Madame Renaud, grandmother of Vivette: June Tobin. Music: Georges Bizet, played by the London Symphony Orchestra and Bowman-Hyde Singers, conducted by Anthony Bernard. Producer: Raymond Raikes. (Repeat from 5 January 1969)

3 October 1972:
Drama Now: The Cold Country
By Susan Hill. Four explorers are snowed up near the South Pole with no hope of escape or rescue, As time passes, their situation and relationships deteriorate. Chip: Terry Scully. Ossie: Jon Rollason. Jo: Ian Richardson. Barney: Sean Barrett. Barney's Mother: Kate Binchy. Young Jo: Jane Knowles. Jo's Sister: Helen Worth. Music: Geoffrey Burgon, sung by Kevin Smith. Mouth organ played by Alfie Kahn. Producer: Guy Vaesen. (Repeated on 6 May 1973 and 31 March 1974)

13 October 1972:
The Enlightenment of the Strawberry Gardener
By Don Haworth (1924-2007). A merciless district official confronts the owner of a flooded cottage whose wife is threatening to run off with a fisherman. Bullfrog: Bill Fraser. Pike: Roy Kinnear. Producer: Tony Cliff. (Repeated on 18 May 1973)

15 October 1972:
The Power of Darkness
By John McGahern, based on the play by Leo Tolstoy. Set in the West of Ireland in the mid-20th century, a young farmhand is persuaded by his mother to try to seduce the young widow of a wealthy landowner. This was the only play by the acclaimed Irish novelist (1924-2006) and staged at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in 1991. Peter King, a farmer: Patrick Magee. Eileen, his wife: Pauline Delany. Nan, their daughter: Judy Bennett. Maggie, Peter's daughter by a previous marriage: Kate Binchy. Martha, Peter's sister: Heather Gibson. Paul, a workman on Peter's farm: Sean Barrett. Paul's parents - Oliver: PG Stephens, Baby: Marie Kean. Paddy, a farm-worker: Harry Webster. Rosy, a local girl: Patricia Leventon. Mrs Murphy: Olwen Griffiths. Mr O'Toole: Kevin Flood. Ritchie Coyne: Oliver Maguire. Kitty: Evin Crowley. Accordion played by Jim Hogan. Producer: Denys Hawthorne. (Repeated on 19 May 1973)

29 October 1972:
Local Anaesthetic
By Gunter Grass (1927-2015), adapted by Christopher Holme from Ralph Manheim's English version of Grass's novel and play. Eberhard Starusch, an idealistic high school teacher, reflects on unresolved emotions and societal failures as he sits in the dentist's chair. Doc, known as the Dentist: Nigel Anthony. Eberhard Starusch, known as Old Hardy: Frank Duncan. Irmgard Seifert, known as The Archangel: Joan Matheson. Sixth Formers - Philipp Scherbaum, known as Flip: Anthony Smee. Veronica Lewand, known as Ronnie: Elizabeth Dear. Producer: Christopher Holme. (Repeated on 3 June 1973)

12 November 1972:
World Drama: Othello
By William Shakespeare. A production of the uncut text. Roderigo, a Venetian gentleman: Peter Egan. lago, Othello's Ancient: Nicol Williamson. Brabantio, Desdemona's father: Francis de Wolff. Othello, a noble Moor: Paul Scofield. Cassio, Othello's Lieutenant: Martin Jarvis. Duke of Venice: Godfrey Kenton. First Senator: John Ruddock. Second Senator: Brian Haines. Desdemona: Rosalind Shanks. Montano, Governor of Cyprus: Malcolm Terris. Emilia, lago's wife: Hannah Gordon. Bianca, a courtesan: Rosalind Adams. Lodovico, kinsman of Brabantio: John Rye. Cratiano, brother of Brabantio: Martin Friend. Other parts played by Nigel Graham, Michael Kilgarriff, Jonathan Scott and Peter Tuddenham. Producer: John Tydeman. (Repeated on 11 February 1973. Also repeated on 27 May 1979 (Radio 4) and 23 September 1988)

14 November 1972:
Drama Now: Artist Descending a Staircase
By Tom Stoppard (1937-2025). In one of Stoppard's specially commissioned plays for radio, successive scenes flashback towards the 1920s, then progress back to 1972, as an elderly artist lies dead at the bottom of a staircase while his two friends argue over who is the murderer. (A new production with Geoffrey Whitehead, Derek Jacobi and Ian McDiarmid was broadcast on 10 January 2016.) Martello: Stephen Murray. Donner: Carleton Hobbs. Beauchamp: Rolf Lefebvre. The young Martello (Banjo): Michael Spice. The young Donner (Mouse): Dinsdale Landen. The young Beauchamp (Biscuit): Peter Egan. Sophie: Fiona Walker. Producer: John Tydeman. (Repeated on 29 April 1973 and 22 January 1980. Also on Radio 4 on 4 August 1990 and BBC7 on 31 July 2004)

15 November 1972:
The Foundling
By Peter Gurney. This play in verse won the 1965 Prix Italia Prize for Stereophony. (An earlier production by Raymond Raikes was broadcast on 24 Jan 1959.) An adult Stephen: Robert Eddison: A child Stephen: Danny Rambler. A Dolphin: Peter Bartlett. A Unicorn: Stephen Thorne. A Griffin: Ian Wallace. A Winged Horse: Michael Kilgarriff. A Pelican bearing the Bible: Mary Wimbush. The Rector: Noel Iliff. A Tramp: Norman Shelley. The Owl: Peter Marinker. The Swan-Necked Man: Michael McClain. The Old Man with Ass: Noel Howlett. The Miller: Alan Haines. The Foliate Head: Howieson Culff. A Dog-Toothed Pattern: Hamlyn Benson. A Gargoyle: Wilfrid Carter. Embossed Monster: John Boxer. Stephen's father: Patrick Barr. Stephen's mother: Joan Matheson. Women's voices: Eva Haddon, Eva Stuart and Jane Wenham. Music: Humphrey Searle. Performed by the Sinfonia of London and Ambrosian Singers, conducted by Marcus Dods. Technical Assistants - Erie Dougharty (Music). David Stripp (Stereophony). Harry Catlin (Panel Operator). Brian Farnham (Special Effects). Anne Stewart (Studio Effects). Richard Clark (Recording Editor). Producer: Raymond Raikes. (Also repeated on 24 December 1967)

21 November 1972:
Comus
By John Milton, adapted by RD Smith. Milton's masque is a courtly entertainment first performed at Ludlow Castle in 1634. It follows a lady, lost in a wood, who is kidnapped by Comus, a seductive sorcerer. Comus: Ronald Pickup. Lady: Barbara Jefford. Attendant Spirit (Thyrsis): Robert Harris. Singer: Jill Nott- Bower. Elder Brother: Godfrey Kenton. Second Brother: David March. Singer: Robert Spencer. Sabrina: Julia Lang. Original songs and music by Henry Lawes and William Lawes, arranged by Basil Lam and Robert Spencer. Musicians: Catherine MacKintosh, Oliver Brookes and Robert Spencer. Producer: R.D. Smith. (Repeated on 3 April 1973)

24 November 1972:
A Slight Ache
By Harold Pinter (1930-2008). The loveless marriage of a bickering couple is exposed after inviting an itinerant match-seller into their garden. This was Pinter's first play for radio, originally produced by Donald McWhinnie for the Third Programme (29 July 1959) with Maurice Denham and Vivien Merchant. This version was first broadcast on Radio 4 (20 May 1970). Pinter himself and Jill Johnson appeared in Ned Chaillet's 2000 production for Radio 4 on 13 October 2000. Flora: Vivien Merchant. Edward: Michael Hordern. Director: Guy Vaesen. (Repeated on 30 June 1979, 5 February 1980 and 14 April 1987. Also on Radio 4 on 14 November 1972 and 30 June 1979)

26 November 1972:
Drama Now: Oluwale
By Jeremy Sandford (1930-2003). Specially commissioned by BBC Radio Brighton in association with the 1972 Brighton Festival, this is a dramatisation of the story of David Oluwale, a Nigerian who came to Britain in 1949 full of hope, and who died tragically in 1968 in the river Aire in Leeds. Those taking part: Edward Chapman, Peter Cleal, David Collings, Rita Davies, Mona Hammond, Ram John Holder, Zara Jaber, Horace James, Desmond Newling, Bob Okenedo, Peter Pacey, Renu Setna, Madhav Sharma, Pamela Made, Eddie Tagoe and Lockwood West. Song written and sung by Ram John Holder. Producer: Keith Slade (BBC Radio Brighton). (Repeated on 29 May 1973)

28 November 1972:
Drama Now: Hopcraft into Europe
By Michael Sadler (1943-2022). A bored and frustrated salesmen leaves England and his fianc‚e for a toy fair in France where he is approached by a mysterious French woman and her Maoist revolutionary son. (This comedy was later adapted for TV in ITV's Sunday Night Theatre slot on 23 September 1973 with Clive Revill, Arthur Lowe, Diana Quick and Ian Charleson.) Stanley Hopcraft, a toy salesman: Charles Kay. Mason, another toy salesman: Norman Rodway. Madeleine Desmarest: Cecile Chevreau. Guillaume, her son: Gilles Dattas. Marie-Louise, his girlfriend: Lorna Philippe. Heidi, Hopcraft's girlfriend: Elizabeth Proud. H.M. Butter, an official: Rolf Lefebvre. Producer: John Tydeman. (Repeated on 31 December 1972. Also on Radio 4 on 15 October 1975)

5 December 1972:
Henry's Past
By Caryl Churchill. In the past, Henry attacked and maimed Geoffrey, who is now confined to a wheelchair and has married Henry's ex-wife. Paulina: Pauline Letts. Sylvy: Jane Knowles. Henry: Michael Bryant. Alice: Sheila Allen. Geoffrey: John Carson. Lydia: Helen Worth. Director: John Tydeman. (Repeated on 11 June 1974. Also heard as Radio 4's Afternoon Play on 22 June 1986)

10 December 1972:
Drama Now: The Disintegration of James Cherry
By Jeff Wanshel. This surreal black comedy, first seen on stage in 1970 at New York's Lincoln Center, was written by American writer Jeff Wanshel in his early twenties. The titular hero guides us through revealing, increasingly nightmarish episodes from his life that result in awful things happening to those around him, including grandparents eaten by crocodiles and a car-devouring truck. James Cherry: Sean Barrett. Voices: Douglas Blackwell, Robin Brown and Ronald Herdman. Mendacious Porpentine: David March. Elizabeth Cherry: Beth Porter. Ophelia Beans: Miriam Margolyes. Betsey Cherry: Elizabeth Proud. William Cherry: David Bauer. Tunbunny: Beth Porter. Charley Johnson: Geoffrey Matthews. Susquehanna B Hominy: Michael Kilgarriff. Grandmother Cherry: Olwen Griffiths. Dirty Gertie: Miriam Margolyes. Erasmus Pygmy: Haydn Jones. Nicotine Flightpath: Beth Porter. Producer Martin Esslin. (Repeated on 19 August 1973)

12 December 1972:
Drama Now: Landscape
By Harold Pinter (1930-2008). The original 1968 production of Pinter's play (25 April 1968) in which a married couple's memories are at odds with each other as she recalls idyllic times with a former lover and he counters with recollections of his infidelities and life as a cellarman. (Pinter himself played Duff in Peter Kavanagh's Radio 4 production in 2008.) Beth: Peggy Ashcroft. Duff: Eric Porter. Director: Guy Vaeson. (Also repeated on 12 May 1968 and 9 June 1989)

17 December 1972:
Drama Now: Fallout
By David Caute. Exploring notions of national identity, loyalty and the greater good, this drama by the British novelist, playwright and historian sees a New Year's Eve party in a high-security scientific establishment interrupted when a leading scientist is taken in for questioning. Dr Karl Fried: Stephen Murray. Sonia: Sheila Grant. Frank: Alaric Cotter. Arnold Hartshorn: Hugh Dickson. Mrs Green: Olwen Griffiths. Major Winters: Ronald Herdman. Inspector Lusk: Geoffrey Matthews. Mr Braithwaite: Laurence Harrington. Tape-recorded voice: Marvin Kane. Frank as a young boy: Judy Bennett. Colonel Peters: William Eedle. Mrs Peters: Betty Baskcomb. Louisa: Diana Olsson. Producer: Richard Wortley. (Repeated on 18 February 1973)

19 December 1972:
Drama Now: Memoirs of a Sly Pornographer
By Rhys Adrian (1928-1990). An account of the memories, dreams and fantasies of a middle-aged cinemagoer. Ronald: Freddie Jones. Ruby: Patricia Hayes. Carole: Amanda Reiss. Inga: Diana Olsson. Film Star: Anthony Hall. Producer John Tydeman. (Repeated on 26 June 1973)

24 December 1972:
Erik XIV
By August Strindberg, translated by Michael Meyer. In Strindberg's 1899 historical drama, which received its British premiere with this radio adaptation, the unstable king of Sweden is in bitter dispute with his nobles in 1566 while falling in love with the daughter of an ordinary soldier. Erik XIV: Alan Dobie. Goran Persson: Lee Montague. Svante Sture, High Steward of Sweden: Clive Morton, Nils his son: Nigel Anthony. Nils Guildenstern, a nobleman: Terry Scully. Karin Mansdotter, the King's mistress: Kate Binchy. Gustav her son: Sheila Grant. Sigrid, her daughter: Judy Bennett. Fru Persson, Goran's mother: Sheila Grant. Agda, a prostitute: Judy Bennett. Maria, her daughter: Kate Binchy. Duke Johan: John Rowe. Duke Charles: Sam Dastor. Katarina Stenbock, the Queen Mother: Katherine Parr. Peder Welamson, Goran's nephew: Basil Moss. Sergeant Max: Rod Beacham. Private Mans. Karin's father: Haydn Jones. A Bridgekeeper: John Corvin. A Courtier: William Sleigh. Stenbock, a nobleman: Lewis Stringer. Producer: Martin Jenkins. (Repeated on 1 April 1973)

26 December 1972:
Drama Now: Infancy and Childhood
By Thornton Wilder (1897-1975). Two 1962 short plays taken from his play cycle The Seven Ages of Man. The first is about babies' resentment of the way adults talk to them. The second deals with the privacy of children's games. Avonzino: Leonard Fenton. Millie: Toby Robins. Tommy: Peter Marinker: Mrs Baker: Carole Allen. Moe: Rick Le Parmentier. Caroline: Bridget Brice. Dodie: Emily Richards. Billee: Jean England. Mother: Elizabeth Lynne. Father: Paul Maxwell. Producer: Guy Vaesen. (Repeated on 14 April 1974)

DOCUMENTARIES

14 January 1972:
The Road to Astolat
By Terence Tiller. Examining the literary and psychological sources of Tennyson's Idyll Lancelot and Elaine. Narrator: John Rye. Alfred, Lord Tennyson: Valentine Dyall. With Olive Greg, Arthur Bush, Carleton Hobbs and Basil Jones. Producer: Terence Tiller. (Repeated on 23 July 1972)

24 March 1972:
The Road to Camelot
By Terence Tiller. A study in the origins and development of Arthurian mythology. Narrator: Gerald Cross. With Chrys Salt, Richard Bebb, William Fox, Basil Jones and Haydn Jones. (Repeated on 15 August 1972)

26 April 1972
A New Turgenev
Gary Watson reads newly discovered letters between Russian playwright Ivan Turgenev (1918-1883) and the singer Pauline Viardot. Translator April Fitzlyon believes they reveal unexpected information about his work and emotional life. Producer: Lorna Moore. (Repeated on 17 June 1972)

29 April 1972:
Lord Peter Wimsey
By Janet Hitchman. A portrait of Dorothy L Sayers' aristocratic detective drawn from the novel and stories in which he appears. Narrator: Dennis McCarthy. Lord Peter Wimsey: Hugh Burden. Bunter: Garard Green. Inspector Parker: John Bryning. Other parts played by Ann Murray, Janet Hitchman and David Brierley. Producer: Robert Cradock. (Repeat from 14 December 1967. Also on 15 April 1968)

4 May 1972:
The Birth of an Opera: Tannhauser, Wagner's Problem Child.
By Geoffrey Skelton. What was it about his opera Tannhauser that left Wagner to the end of his life so dissatisfied? Narrator: John Glen. Wagner: Anthony Jacobs. Minna Wagner: Olive Gregg. Liszt: John Westbrook. Baudelaire: John Westbrook. Producer: Laurie John. (Repeated on 26 Sept 1973)

19 May 1972
Flint and Fire
By Dorothy Baker. A portrait of Christina Rossetti. Narrator: Gabirel Woolf. Christina Rossetii: Anna Cropper. With the voices of William Eedle, Godfrey Kenton, Peter Marinker, Katherine Parr, John Ruddock, Manning Wilson and Helen Worth. Producer: Hallam Tennyson. (Repeated on 6 October 1972)

23 May 1972:
Goring at 60
On his 60th birthday, Marius Goring (1912-1998) reflected on his career and life in the theatre. Producer: Hallam Tennyson

2 July 1972:
A Life in the Theatre
A commemorative portrait of Sir Tyrone Guthrie (1900-1971) and his work. With his own recorded voice and contributions from Dame Flora Robson, Frank Hauser, Tanya Moiseiwitsch, Brian Friel, Douglas Campbell, Joseph Tomelty, Harold Goldblatt and Gary Watson. Producer: Maurice Leitch

30 July 1972:
Max Beerbohm on the Air
A celebration of the English essayist, drama critic and humorist (1872-1956), dubbed "the Incomparable Max" by George Bernard Shaw. Compiled from BBC recorded archives with commentary by Douglas Cleverdon. Includes his adaptations of such stories as The Happy Hypocrite (with Deborah Kerr as Jenny Mere) and Zuleika Dobson (with Michael Hordern as the Duke of Dorset). Producer: Douglas Cleverdon (Repeated on 30 August 1972)

20 August 1972:
The Castaway
By Keri Lewis. A portrait of the English poet and hymn writer William Cowper (1731-1800) compiled from his own writings. William Cowper: Ronald Pickup, Narrator: Mary Wimbush. Producer: Christopher Holme. (Repeated on 26 May 1974 and 25 April 1975)

27 August 1972:
Max Beerbohm Recollected
The second of two programmes (see Max Beerbohm on the Air, above) marking the centenary of his birth in 1872. With recollections from Enid Bagnold, Sir John Betjeman, Lord David Cecil, Lady Cory-Wright, Robert Graves, Iania and Selwyn Jepson, Osbert Lancaster, Sir Compton MacKenzie, Ivan Moffat, John Rothenstein, Frank Swinnerton, Christopher Sykes and Jermey Thorpe. Producer: Douglas Cleverdon

17 September 1972:
My Ben Jonson
By Peter Barnes (1931-2004). The playwright, best known for The Ruling Class and his Radio 3 monologues Barnes's People, was also a prolific adapter of Restoration and Jacobean drama. Here he offers a personal assessment of dramatist Ben Jonson (c.1572-1637). With the voices of Dilys Laye, Derek Godfrey, Anthony Jacobs and David Neal. Producer: Martin Esslin

7 November 1972:
The Short Campaign of RQMS Brown
By Keith Darvill. Jack Brown, a solicitor's clerk in Yorkshire, kept a diary of his first eight weeks in a raw and relatively untrained battalion serving in France at the start of the Second World War. Jack Brown: Freddie Jones, With the voices of Denis McCarthy, Henry Stamper, David Brierley, Nigel Anthony, Betty Baskcomb, William Eedle, Ronald Herdman and Rolf Lefebvre. Songs sung by John Hollis. Harmonica played by Alfie Kahn. Producer: Maurice Leitch. (Repeated on 14 January 1974. Also on Radio 4 on 18 July 1977)

READINGS & SHORT STORIES

1 June 1972:
The Right Hand by Alexander Solzhenitsyn (read by Martin Friend)
A short story by the Russian novelist, historian and political prisoner (1918- 2008), based on his own experiences as a cancer patient. Translated by Michael Glenny. (Repeated on 6 April 1976)

23 July 1972:
My German Suitor by George Eliot (read by Jill Balcon)
A fictional letter written by the 27-year-old Marianne Evans is now seen as George Elliot's first attempt at fiction.

27 July 1972:
My South African Policeman by David Lytton (read by the author)
A short story by the South African author, actor and dramatist (b. 1927).

14 October 1972:
One Word of Truth
By Alexander Solzhenitsyn (read by Paul Scofield) The author's address after being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971, translated by Nicholas Bethell. Producer: Robert Cradock

12 November 1972:
When All Roads Led to France
By Roger Frith. A monologue for Armistice Day adapted from poems and diaries of Edward Thomas, who was killed on Easter Monday 1917 at the Battle of Arras. Edward Thomas: Ronald Pickup, Helen Thomas: Mary Wimbush. Producer: Hallam Tennyson. (Repeated on 10 November 1974)

17 November 1972:
Four Quartets by TS Eliot (read by Alec Guinness)
Eliot's interconnected poems on time, faith and meaning has music specially composed by Peter Maxwell Davies, played by The Fires of London. Producer: Hallam Tennyson. (Repeated on 17 April 1973)

7 December 1972:
Into Solitary at Kaduna by Wole Soyinka (read by the author)
The Nigerian writer reads from his memoir The Man Died about his imprisonment by Nigeria's federal military government at the start of the country's civil war in 1967.

11,18, 25 December 1972 and 1 January 1973
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Yuletide medieval poem translated by Gwyn Jones. Music: Stephen Dodgson. Singers: The King's Singers (directed by Simon Carrington). Orchestra conducted by Rae Jenkins. Producer: Raymond Raikes

1 The Beheading Game The Gawain Poet: Deryck Guyler. The Green Knight: Norman Ley. King Arthur: Robert Eddison. Sir Gawain, his nephew: Henry Stamper. Other voices: Geoffrey Beevers, Robin Browne, David Gooderson, John Samson and David Timson. (Repeat from 13 December 1971)

2 Christmas at The Wirral - A Wager and Temptation The Gawain Poet: Deryck Guyler. Sir Gawain: Henry Stamper. A Porter: Robin Browne. The Host: Norman Shelley. His wife: Elizabeth Morgan. Other voices: Geoffrey Beevers, David Gooderson, John Samson and David Timson. (Repeat from 20 December 1971)

3 Christmas at the Wirral - The Exchange of Winnings The Gawain Poet: Deryck Guyler. Sir Gawain: Henry Stamper. The Host: Norman Shelley. His wife: Elizabeth Morgan. (Repeat from 27 December 1971)

4 The New Year at the Green Chapel The Gawain Poet: Deryck Guyler. Sir Gawain: Henry Stamper The Guide: David Timson. The Green Knight: Norman Ley. The Host: Norman Shelley. (Repeat from 3 January 1972)

20 December 1972:
On Looking Back
Sir Ralph Richardson reads from his autobiography. First heard on the BBC Home Service in 1960. (Repeated on 8 July 1973)

23 December 1972:
The Waste Land
By TS Eliot. The poet's modernist masterpiece, first published in 1922, "arranged for multi-vocal broadcasting". Readers: Sheila Grant, Olwen Griffiths, Jo Manning Wilson, Gerald Cross, Frank Duncan and Peter Williams. Producer: Terence Tiller. (Repeated on 21 August 1974)
===end===








Many thanks to Ian Johns for compiling the entries. (ND, Aug 2026)

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