Doctor Knock, Part 2

Summary: 1961 BBC production of Doctor Knock, Jules Romain’s French comedy about the medical profession, presented in three parts for schools.
Theatre play: Dr Knock, or the Triumph of Medicine [Knock ou le Triomphe de la médecin] by Jules Romains (1885-1972) [more information]
Play synopsis: A dark comedy about the quack Dr Knock who agrees to buy a provincial medical practice in quarterly instalments. Realising that he has been conned because the local people rarely consult a doctor, and as a consequence rarely pay any bills, he decides to rebuild the practice with a confidence trick of his own. Initially offering free consultations, he convinces the townsfolk that they are suffering from multiple diseases and turns the practice into a thriving business. By the end, he has even persuaded the doctor from whom he bought the practice that he too needs treatment.
Production history: The play was written in France as Knock ou le Triomphe de la médecine, and was first performed in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on 15 December 1923. The British playwright Harley Granville-Barker translated the play into English in 1925 and it was staged at the Royalty Theatre in 1926. Granville Barker’s version was published in London in 1925 by Ernest Benn.
Date of transmission: Tuesday 14 February 1961
Time: 2.05-2.35pm
Series: Schools
Channel: BBC Television

Producer

Ronald Eyre

Playwright

Jules Romains (1885-1972)

Translator

Harley Granville-Barker (1877-1946)

Composer

Reg Hogarth

Composer

Dennis Neale

Designer

Austin Spriggs

Cast

Later transmissions: Repeated on Wednesday 15 February 1961 at 11.05am and again on 21 and 22 February 1961.
Extant status: No archival copy is known to exist.
Play tags: comedy; French drama; medical drama
Programme context tags: schools television programming