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The Rattigan VersionThe Newsletter of

The Terence Rattigan Society

April 2020 Issue No. 32

I reckon that, of all the initiatives the society has founded,the French Award supporting student productions is themost worthwhile. Not just in encouraging productions ofTerry’s plays but also in offering opportunities for lesserknown work to have an outing.

I hope I’m not doing the LAMDA students a disservicewhen I say that, although they might have heard ofTerence Rattigan and, say, Browning or Winslow beforethis February, I bet it’s a certainty that French WithoutTears would be unknown to them. My own sole exposureto a performance is the, for me underwhelming, BBC BoxSet version so I went along as much out of a sense of dutyas anything else.

I came away dazzled by this farcical romp as much astheatre goers in the thirties must have done - even morebuoyed-up perhaps by the contrast with the iron greychilly day outside. I needed cheering up and I wascheered, indeed energised, both by the play and the joiede vivre of the cast.

Truth is, of course, that young people knowing no fearand untainted by preconceptions simply take the script atface value - as new and fresh to them as it was to RolandCulver in 1936. Another simple reinforcement of thetruth of Eric Morecambe’s memorable quote that ‘we [theperformers] get older but the audience stays the same age.(That’s a remark that should be taken to heart by morethan a few artistic directors who think that new work,simply because it is new, will win them new audiences.)

Even more heartening is that once again during a Q&Ait was clear that the students had been immediatelyimpressed with the sterling qualities of the well madeplay, the superbly playable language, and the moral andethical questions that Rattigan deals with even in this bitof frippery. The question ‘surely things have changedfor your generation?’ gained the response ‘only up to apoint’. Terry's treatment of late adolescent fear andconfusion speaks down the years apparently. Rattiganhimself saw it as a more serious play than it might beviewed, all the characters he stressed had a point of viewabout the times in which it was written.

I do hope as the years pass, and the award continues,that recipients will take notice of what other awardeeshave mounted together with the two or three playsperformed regularly by amateurs and professionals, andlook for lesser-known work. Michael Darlow reckons,rightly, that Heart to Heart is Terry’s best work from hislater period and it would work excellently as a stage play.

Adventure Story, too, has the kind of large cast and meatyroles that make it an ideal student piece. I was thinking -though - what fun such casts could have with Follow myLeader and whether the best way to give that another runout would to pay a group of students to take it on withthe simple instruction - do your worst!

All three of the productions so far have made mereassess things in quite a profound way - yes even FlarePath - because they have the shock of the new for theplayers who pass it on to us in the way only the youngcan. Delight in a new discovery.

Long may that continue.

The Terence Rattigan SocietyPresident: David Suchet CBE

Vice-Presidents: Michael Darlow, Lord FellowesDr Holly Hill, Greta Scacchi, Geoffrey Wansell

Founder Barbara LongfordChairman Denis MoriartyMembership SecretaryTreasurer Alison Du CaneEditor Giles ColeMedia Liaison Roger MillsEvents Secretary Susan Cooper

Theatre Liaison Michael Wheatley-WardDrama School Liaison Professor Michael GauntUS Representative: Dr Holly HillSecretary Martin Amherst LockTerence Rattigan TrustRepresentative Lee Penhaligan ex officio

committee@theterencerattigansociety.co.ukwww.theterencerattigansociety.co.uk

© 2020 The Terence Rattigan Society and/or individual contributors.

Naturally at the moment all Societyevents are in limbo. We hope to runthe postponed Birthday Dinner in the

autumn. Meanwhile we will becirculating ideas of online and

broadcast sources which we hope willhelp members while away the time inas entertaining a fashion as possible.

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The Terence Rattigan Society wasfounded on Friday 15th July 2011 (thecentenary year) at a small meeting ofinterested people. Diana, or ‘Di’ as sheprefers to be called, attended that firstmeeting and had already agreed to takeon the role of Membership Secretary.At the time Di was living inHertfordshire so it was relatively easyfor her to travel to London forCommittee meetings and events.However, she and John moved to avillage in Devon several years ago,which entailed much travelling up toLondon. Nevertheless, she hascontinued to be our MembershipSecretary for almost nine years. Di is myclosest friend, so always stays with mewhen she is in London and we haveturned each of her visits into fun socialoccasions taking in so many of the joys of the capital.

Di quickly set up a membership database, designedforms for enrolment and the provision of banking detailsand was the vital link between bank and Treasurer. Shealso helped to promote the society and encourage newmembers. Twice yearly she has contacted all themembers asking them to renew for a further year andprocessing their cheques or other forms of payment. Hertotal efficiency in this regard was probably down to thefact that for many years she worked for the BBC, wherepre-planning and production paperwork had to beimmaculate. She has carried out this vital administrative

role with great success and being such a people person,she has been popular and well-liked by the membersthroughout the time.

But as with everyone else on the Committee, Di hasperformed many other roles over and above the one shehas had in accordance with our Constitution. Forexample, we were fortunate to be allowed to hold twoparties at Rattigan’s former chambers in Albany. Thiswas courtesy of the kind owner of the “set” known as K5– the late Antony Fletcher. The first party was theoccasion when we formally presented Geoffrey Wansellwith his scroll marking his Vice Presidency, the secondwas a Christmas party in 2014. On both occasions, inorder to keep the price members had to pay down to aminimum, Di and I arranged with Antony that we wouldprovide the food in his kitchen. We bought in bubblyfrom a supermarket and hired glasses and Antony paidfor Albany porters to help us serve the drinks. Di and Iworked together to make the open sandwiches. Di helpedalso at three parties which we gave at Rattigan’sbirthplace in Cornwall Gardens, courtesy of the owner,Junko Tarrant. We had a terrific launch there on 11th

September, 2011, when Giles Cole presented the latePrincess George Galitzine MBE (Jean) with her scrollmarking her Presidency of the Society. We also gave aparty there to mark Jean’s 90th birthday in 2015 and athird party for all the members who had read scripts forThe Terence Rattigan Society Award for a best play forthe theatre. At all three events Di worked tirelessly onthe catering aspects so that the attendance price to themembers was at a minimum. Of course the volunteerreaders were treated to their party from our hard savedSociety funds.

Diana ScotneyBarbara Longford Recalls Nine Years Voluntary Service to the Society

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Winslow RestoredRoger Mills on a new release of the classic 1948 film

I wonder - does the sun ever set on The Winslow Boy?What’s the betting at this very minute in some far flungamateur productionRonnie is beingdiscovered wetthrough in the gardenand the dread letter isproduced and off wego. Why should sucha period piece stillspeak down theyears?

Well I think oneexplanation comes inthe Doomwatch boxset I had forChristmas. If thename doesn’t ring abell I’ll bet TVmemories of all theplastic melting in anaeroplane while thepilot tried to make anemergency landingwill - for viewers ofa certain ageanyway.

Well one of the plots centres on a boy expelled fromschool on the say so of a psychiatrist with no explanationat all - and his father’s fight for both an explanation andreinstatement. (Here we are shown the boy is ‘plainlyinnocent’.) Incidentally this series was incrediblypercipient at pointing up environmental issues that arenow headline news - which makes it maybe astonishing

that pretty well all the characters smoke like chimneysthroughout! Anybody who has been to school will be

familiar with thiskind of instantrough justice. AsChurchill onces a i dH e a d m a s t e r shave powers attheir disposalwith whichPrime Ministershave never yetbeen invested.

And thatprogramme wasmade all of nineyears beforeLord Denning’squite disgracefulsumming up inthe appeals ofthe BirminghamSix’s civil claimagainst thepolice. You mayrecall that,

dismissing the case, he said: “If the six men failed itwould mean that much time and money and worry wouldhave been expended by many people to no good purpose.If they won, it would mean that the police were guilty ofperjury; that they were guilty of violence and threats; thatthe confessions were involuntary and improperlyadmitted in evidence; and that the convictions were

In 2013, when Di was still living in Hertfordshire, shearranged a wonderful lunch at Little Italy in Soho, tohonour our member, the late Elena Salvoni MBE. Thisrestaurant was formerly Bianchi’s, where Elena haspresided for 30 years. Terence Rattigan had his favouritetable in the restaurant and Elena, then aged 92, regaledus with stories of his visits there.

One of the highlights of the past nine years was theconference ‘In the Footsteps of Rattigan’ which thesociety arranged at Trinity College, Oxford. Both in theplanning stage and also during the conference weekendDi’s contribution proved invaluable. Di acted as a ‘Host’at the event and greeted people on arrival and made sureeveryone was guided to the right areas. She also designedand arranged the place cards for the formal dinner on theSaturday evening. At each of the Annual BirthdayDinners, Di has arrived at the club (Garrick, RAF orOxford & Cambridge) early to ensure that the placings

were accurate and that everyone was greeted and caredfor.

Di’s role in the success of the society had beenimmense. She gave me moral and practical support fromthe outset and I should never have had the courage to tryto get the TRS up and running without Di’s help.

After nine years and living so far away, Di has nowdecided to step down from her role on the Committee.But she will continue to attend events and take a keeninterest in all our activities. After its meeting onWednesday 5th February this year, the Committee gaveDi a farewell lunch at a family run Italian restaurant nearSmithfield. It was a splendid occasion. Giles Colepresented her with some gardening tokens and an orchidplant from us all.

I feel sure that members will wish to join me in sayingthank you to Di for this invaluable and remarkable serviceto The Terence Rattigan Society.

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erroneous… That was such an appalling vista that everysensible person would say, ‘It cannot be right that theseactions should go any further’.” You could imaginesimilar views in the Winslow case.

As I write this there is new coverage of attempts tolock away for years files on the Guildford Pub Bombings.

Plus ca change plus c’est la meme chose. And just tryto get any gen at all out of the NHS if there is an issue.

So for thiswriter whileW i n s l o wmight not beT e r r y ’ sgreatest play itis arguably inpolitical termshis mostimportant. Asgood a reasonas any why itshould be onGCSE Englishsyllabi. Aheadof? Well, AnInspector Calls to give one on a present syllabus. (Whenthey say Specification that’s what they really mean!)

What’s brought all this on I hear you cry. Actually anewly remastered DVD of the Robert Donat film versionof Winslow, with a number of interesting extras, releasedin February by Studio Canal and available at around £12from the usual on-line suppliers.

I suspect for many of us this film is where we camein as far as Rattigan is concerned - it certainly was forme. I seem to remember a pretty dreary Sunday afternooncirca 1967 whenit spoke directlyto me from the 15inch black andwhite GEC set inthe corner of theliving room.

First off, isthis a worthwhilepurchase? Yes Ithink it is. Thetransfer isstunningly good -the only criticismis a bit of fairlytatty reverbs e e m i n g l yapplied to the first music hall scene maybe to give theimpression of being in a large theatre. It is a brilliantrestoration. Also as you’d expect with a DVD there arebonus features. Sadly no blooper reel has survived butwhat is here is a valuable addition. We have an interviewwith the senior archivist at the Postal Museum on theArcher-Shee case and the Post Office’s own file on thatcase. Matthew Sweet gives a cultural insight into the work

and the period while our own vice president GeoffreyWansell sets Winslow in the context of Terry’s own work- while also mounting a convincing argument for the filmto be seen both as, in essence, a different work from theplay and also one of which Rattigan was rightly proud.

On that subject what's striking in seeing the film againis just how much we are shown the establishment andhow it strove-strives?-to maintain the status quo.

Surely it’sno accident wesee theWinslows atchurch singingthe now sweptunder the tableverse of Allthings Brightand Beautiful.You know, ormaybe youdon’t, versenumber threeabout the richman in his

castle the poor man at his gate. The ‘let right be done’ ofMorton comes face to face with the ‘it simply won’t doold boy’ embodied in Francis L Sullivan’s corpulentAttorney General.

Mind you, one is left wondering if Arthur Winslowcould live in quite that style on a bank manager’s pay -around £500 a year in 1912. With Dicky cut from verymuch the same cloth as Lupin Pooter maybe The LaurelsBrickfield Terrace might be more the mark. The briefinterview with his successor at the bank and removing

Dicky fromvarsity arethe limitsand maybehe mighthave hadthe capitalto fight thiscase, usingup all ofCatherine’sm a r r i a g esettlement -but surelyno one inhis positioncould quite

so airily ignore the question of costs.Seventy two years on though I think the film still

stands up very well. Although it’s well into the story thathe makes his entrance, Donat’s Morton dominates thefilm and remains with one for a long time afterwards,Cedric Hardwicke’s Arthur is dignified and tenacious,Margaret Leighton’s Catherine a little quiet triumph.

(Continued on page 7)

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This was a brilliant show,beautifully acted by freshyoung talent, and wonderfullydirected in a traditional yetinventive manner by PennyCherns.

French Without Tears isdeceptively light-weight andfrothy, hiding how well-written and well-crafted it is.Although it was a happyaccident that the play was firstput on in the West End in1936, it was no accident thatthe play ran for so long. Sothe cast and crew had a headstart in presenting such anentertaining play – but even agood play does not guaranteesuccess if it is not performed well, and LAMDAdid not disappoint.

Of course, French Without Tears is also an idealplay for young students to perform, since most ofthe characters are in their 20s, bursting with ardour,

ideas and feelings. And here, capturedbeautifully, were the highly strung passions andintense yet often ephemeral emotions of suchyoung people, along with a delight in having fun.The sexually alluring Diana (charmingly played

French Without TearsAlison du Cane reviews the latest French Award production at LAMDA.

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by Naomi Asaturyanas the almostirresistible vamp)moves among theyoung men like aHigh School promqueen, drawing boysinto her honey trap.One by one theysuccumb to hercharms, watched fromthe side-lines by theless flashy Jaqueline(acted with a feistygrace by the delightfulEugenie Bouda), asshe nurses a crush onthe oblivious Kit (anenthusiastic if slightly raw performance by OliverMaynard).

Surprisingly the splendidly carefree Brian seemsalmost alone in preferring the distractions of thelocal ladies of the night. But maybe he has alreadyenjoyed a skirmish with Diana before the playbegins, or he is too undiscriminating to attract her.

The more enigmatic and intelligent Alan appearsto be the only man who can see through Diana’swiles, while he agonises over choosing between acareer as a writer or a diplomat. Yet it is not longbefore the audience is led to suspect that Alan “dothprotest too much”, and that Diana regards him asher most exciting challenge. Although Ben Churchgave a sparkling performance as Alan, he did notabsolutely convince me that his character was reallyhiding feelings for Diana. But maybe the reasonfor that lies within the script. There is an elementof artificiality and artifice that is hard to overcomewhen aiming for a romantic conclusion. Perhapsin the end all that Rattigan wants is a farcical climaxwith the arrival of the schoolboy Lord Heybrookpropelling Diana to rush off to London in pursuitof Alan.

I was impressed with how well the young actorscaptured the whole relaxed but slightly superiormanner of upper middle-class English, especiallyBen Church as Alan and Adam Walker-Kavanaghas Brian; while Jonas Moore as Kenneth (Babe)conveyed very convincingly the slightly moregauche version of a young uptight Englishman.

This was also a production of great vivacity andmovement. The skirmishes between the actors,especially Kit and the commander, were well

orchestrated and Diana flew around the stage likea butterfly – or possibly a cat would be moreaccurate as she plunged her claws into her preyand the men were pinned down!

The open stage production style was veryimpressive the neat set was deceptively simple buteffective with its elegant series of bluey-greydoors plus one window. Technically the wholewas very accomplished and showed just howclassy and effective lighting can be achieved withvery basic resources.

Following the performance Michael Gauntchaired a fascinating Question and Answersession with the cast and crew of the production.The Director Penny Cherns spoke about herartistic vision for the play and the practicalitiesshe had tackled, such as the shape of the stage,and how she had tried to keep close to Rattigan’soriginal concepts. The cast gave a variety ofintriguing insights into how they had approachedtheir characters, the language and style of thetimes, and the interactions between the actors. Itwas interesting to hear that Naomi thought Dianawas a vulnerable victim as well as a sexualpredator, highlighting her speech to Jaquelineabout people being in love with her but not likingher. This is perhaps an early example ofRattigan’s skill at observing how human beingswear a shell that conceals their insecurities, andexploring the emotional webs in which people canfind themselves caught.

Photographs by Alex Brennercourtesy of LAMDA.

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The first mention of Winslow in the Radio Times comesin a 1947 magazine series Theatre Programme whichpresented scenes from the original Lyric Theatreproduction. Interestingly it was preceded by Round theHalls from the New Cross Empire introduced by BrianJohnston - just the sort of programme he did regularlybefore his cricket days. By November of that year we getthe first full Saturday Night Theatre production under thedirection of Peter Watts who also did the adaptation. Inthis Arthur is played by Frank Cellier from the Londonproduction and Violet by Kathleen Harrison but the restof the cast are new - Morton is played by Dennis Arundell.

The first TV interpretation - live of course - came inthe next year via an Outside Broadcast from the IntimateTheatre, Palmers Green. If you’ve never heard of thisplayhouse join the club. It was in fact a church hall, St.Monica's, built in 1931 and turned by John Clements intoa little theatre in 1935. It had a professional repertorycompany from 1937. This Winslow was one of a set of14 plays televised from the place by the beeb in the late1940s. The cast included Ernest Haines as Arthur,Marjorie Zeidler as Grace, Monica Stitland as Catherineand David Raven as Morton. The latter appears, I find, inthe Guinness Book of Records for playing Major Metcalfin 4,575 London performances of The Mousetrapbetween 1957 and 1968.

In December 1948 the Home Service (now calledRadio 4 which is sadly a mere shadow of what the ‘Home’used to be) broadcast an excerpt from the Donat film.And in the following January in a series titled From ASeat In the Circle David Southwood described “anexcerpt from the London Films production, The WinslowBoy starring Robert Donat, with Cedric Hardwicke,Kathleen Harrison, Francis L Sullivan, Marie Lohr, andStanley Holloway. From Deansgate Cinema.Manchester.” Quite what this programme might havebeen like to listen to I imagine you’d have to be 90 oddto recall but it seems a very strange sort of enterprise. In

June 1949 a Midland Region only listing From theMidland Reps indicates a production going on there withexcerpts or reviews isn’t clear.*

On December 8th 1949 comes the first BBC TVproduction produced by that pioneer of all sorts of TVRoyston Morley who produced the Festival of Britainplay The Final Test. And it's here we begin to think ofperformances we would like to be able to go back to -especially when you read that Morton was played by thewonderful Roger Livesey who is well worth watching inanything he did. Jack Watling is here as Dickie andWalter Fitzgerald as Arthur. Catherine is played byValerie White. The whole production was re-mounted onthe following Thursday, normal practice for the time. Forthe way in which live drama was produced and the pitfallsawaiting every origination I recommend John Swift’sAdventures in Vision (1950) and the Denis Norden editedComing to you Live! (1985).

In 1951 on 16th January scenes from the play arebroadcast for schools for Senior English II but in Maythat year we have another Saturday Night Theatreperformance again directed by Peter Watts but with someintriguing casting. Arthur was Ronald Simpson and GraceElena Palmer. But Catherine was played by AngelaBaddeley, Desmond by Clive Morton and Sir Robert byEmlyn Williams.

Two years later Clive Morton and Elena Palmerreturned in another production with Cecil Trouncer asArthur and Dennis Arundell once again as Morton.Arundell is an interesting bloke who, besides acting,composed for wireless, theatre, and film, setting many ofA P Herbert’s lyrics to music. He staged manyproductions for Sadler’s Wells and also directed operasin Australia and Finland, before taking charge of operaat the Royal College of Music from 1959-73. CecilTrouncer is best known to this writer as Lloyd Hartleythe about to retire very traditional housemaster in theBolting Brothers film of The Guinea Pig and one can

Winslow on the BeebA survey of what seems to have been a regular favourite - with some surprising casting.

(From page 4) The only jarring notes come in thecockney servant of Kathleen Harrison (it’s just too bigfor the screen) and Ernest Thesiger’s senile handwritingexpert. Still, as Geoffrey Wansell points out, the courtscenes are completely unrealistic - but they do a job. Asalways one wishes that Ronnie could be played bysomebody who actually looked thirteen. On re-viewingthe film though I was particularly struck by BasilRadford’s dignified Desmond Curry showing that maybethis personable actor shouldn’t have been so often ‘typed.’

Geoffrey in his analysis points out the usual Rattiganthemes and particular the relationship between father andson. True I suppose but on reflection I was left wonderingif in Catherine and Arthur the playwright pictures the kind

of relationship he might have desired with his own father.Then Geoffrey points out also the clear development ofthe relationship between Morton and Catherine that isonly hinted at in the stage play. He’s surely right in this- the film gives a real sense that Morton is starting tobecome part of the family - the casual eating of the plateof sandwiches and the fiddling with nick-nacks on themantelpiece. But is cinematic symbolism terms themutual smoking is the give away.

Sadly just has we have not, at least yet, been givenVivian and Edward Lewis Corporate Raiders we haven’thad the pleasure of Winslow and Morton Dispatch BoxDuo. No matter; we’ll just have to see it in our mind’seye.

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Published by The Terence Rattigan Society and Printed by Triographics Printers Ltd, 121 London Road, Knebworth, SG3 6EX

visualise him as a very determined Arthur Winslow. Thishad two outings one on the Home the other on the Lightagain on the Peter Watts adaptation directed by him.

In 1955 there was a BBC Terence Rattigan Festivalincluding a Winslow with the cream of radio actorsCarleton Hobbs giving Arthur and Betty Hardy Grace.Perhaps the most intriguing though was Michael Hordern- a supreme radio actor if ever there was one - as Morton.About Elizabeth London (Catherine) I can find littlethough Peter Halliday (Dickie) did have a lengthytelevision career as a supporting player. The director wasWilfred Grantham. Terry introduced the play himself.

Rudolph Cartier is something a legend in televisiondirection if for nothing else but his collaborations withNigel Kneale on the Quatermass serials and thegroundbreaking version of 1984. This offered scenes ofhorror which, Denis Norden reckoned, caused a crosssection of a certain generation to sleep with the landinglight on thereafter. My own mother was so spooked byQuatermass, which she watched on a neighbour’s set,she wouldn’t walk home alone - a distance ofapproximately 30 yards. In 1958 he produced a Winslowwith Peter Cushing as Morton and Gwen Watford asCatherine a pairing that one suspects must have workedextraordinarily well. Showing that there is indeed nothingnew under the sun 62 years ago this was preceded by GetAhead which offered a prize of £5,000 (sponsored by TheNews Chronicle) competed for by three contestants withentrepreneurial projects for a profitable business. One ofthe judges on this occasion was Mrs Gerald Legge, betterknown later as the stepmother of Princess Diana. Directfrom the Carlton Rooms.

1961 saw another TV production in the Sunday NightPlay spot, this time under the direction of Hal Burton withEmlyn Williams as Morton. For this writer though thechoice of Edward Chapman as Arthur and Gillian Lindas Grace is a combination one would have liked to haveseen. Chapman’s range was much wider than some of hisfilm roles, particularly Mr Grimsdale, might indicate.Though what Terry made of Chapman’s petition to getJohn Gielgud kicked out of Equity after his 1953 arrest Idon’t know.

It was back to radio in 1965 in what from the castingI think might well have been a Midland Regionproduction given that Lockwood West, father of Timothy,was Arthur against Mary Wimbush’s Catherine withMarius Goring as Morton. One imagines Wimbush as aquite strident suffragette and Harry Lockwood West afairly solid Arthur. Ronnie is Brian Hewlett, then I thinkin the Drama Rep Company, now Neil Carter in theArchers! This is the Peter Watts adaptation again alsorepeated in 1969. Sadly there is an error on one of thelistings and it’s impossible to find out whether Grace wasplayed by Molly Rankin (RT 1965) or Dorothy Holmes-Gore (RT 1969).

Now here we come to my personal surprise. I know Ifirst saw the Donat Winslow on TV and I know it wasbefore 1972 indeed before 1970. Donat had impressed

me both in The Thirty Nine Steps and Goodbye Mr Chipsand I chose the film out of the paper for the actor not thetitle. But it didn’t make an appearance on the Beeb untila British Film Night strand in August 1973 so I must havecaught it on ITV. But back them both channels showed alot of movies all the time. It reappeared on BBC 2 in 1977.

Also in 1977, repeated 1978, came a television Playof the Month produced by Cedric Messina and directedby David Giles with Eric Porter as Arthur, MicheleDotrice as Catherine, Diana Fairfax as Grace Winslowand Alan Badel as Sir Robert Morton. This is the versionin the BBC Box set and while enjoyable I didn’t findBadel entirely convincing as Morton.

Back on Radio in 1981 Ian Cotterell directed his ownadaptation again as part of a Rattigan season with MichaelAldridge as Arthur, Pauline Letts as Grace, Sarah Badelas Catherine and Aubrey Woods as Morton. As theadaptation also features Nicholas Courtney as theAttorney General and Patrick Barr as the First Sea Lordthis must be a sort of version of the Donat film script. Itwas repeated in 1986.

The final BBC television original I can find is theMichael Darlow-directed 1989 version with a perhapssurprising choice of Gordon Jackson as Arthur. However,the combination of a young Emma Thompson asCatherine and Ian Richardson as Morton must have beenstunning though as far as I can see it is not availableanywhere.

I asked Michael about this and he told me: “To behonest I can't remember if there were ever any repeats ofour production of The Winslow Boy. It was certainlytransmitted on PBS in America in a slot called GreatPerformances on 10th February 1990 and seems to havebeen well received. I have an old press cutting sent to meby American friends from the Seattle Times which carriesa full page headline "PBS 'Winslow Boy': They don'tmake 'em like this anymore'" - which is full of praise forthe play, the performances and the production. I am notaware of any DVD version of our production.”

From then until 2002 I can find no listings for the playand in the year the Beeb screened the David Mamet film,something they repeated four times over the next fiveyears.

*A note on BBC Radio. For most of the post warperiod up to 1969 there were three BBC radio

channels. The Light Programme - a mixture of easylistening music and speech. The Home Service, a

mixture of music and speech, was a national servicewith regional opt outs for locally originatedprogramming. The Third Programme was an

unashamedly highbrow mixture of speech and seriousmusic leavened maybe with a bit of jazz from time to

time. Following the report Broadcasting in theSeventies the present Radios 1,2,3&4 emerged. From

that time on radio drama was pretty well confined to R4with a little on R3. Like so many things this shows the

mischief that can be wrought by people with tidy minds.