Julius Caesar

Summary

1951 live BBC studio production of Shakespeare’s Roman history play Julius Caesar.

Theatre play

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare [more information]

Play synopsis

Julius Caesar is a political thriller which tells the story of the conspiracy against Caesar on his return to Rome following the triumphant war against Pompey, his assassination by Caius Cassius, Marcus Brutus and others, and the defeat of his conspirators. Mark Antony speaks next and turns the mob against the conspirators, who are forced to flee from Rome. Mark Antony and Caesar’s nephew Octavius take command of Rome and lead an army against the conspirators: Brutus and Cassius are defeated at Philippi where they kill themselves rather than be captured.

Production history

A performance is recorded in September 1599; the play was published in the First Folio in 1623.

Date of transmission

Sunday 25 February 1951

Time

8.15-10.25pm

Channel

BBC Television

Credits

Producer

Stephen Harrison

Playwright

William Shakespeare

Sets / Settings

Barry Learoyd

Assistant Producer

Leonard Brett

Cast

John Arnold	Strato / Servant to Octavius
Patrick Barr	Marcus Brutus
Peter Bathurst	Trebonius / Volumnius
Richard Bebb	Octavius Caesar
Eric Berry	Lepidus / Marullus
Michael Brennan	Casca
Tom Colmer	Cinna / Lucilius
Margaret Diamond	Portia
John Dunbar	Popilius Lena / Third Plebian
John Fabian	Servant to Antony
John Gatrell	Decius Brutus / Clitus
Joe Goodman	Sixth Plebian
Terence Greenidge	Cinna, a poet / Dardanius
Anthony Hawtrey	Marcus Antonius
Reginald Hearne	Fifth Plebian
Mary Hinton	Calpurnia
Walter Hudd	Julius Caesar
Harold Kasket	Fourth Plebian
Cavan Malone	Lucius
Clement McCallin	Cassius
Anthony Oliver	Messala / Servant to Caesar
Edmund Purdom	Metellus Cimber / Titinius
Michael Raghan	First Plebian
Alan Reid	Artemidorus / Pindarus
John Vere	Soothsayer / Another Poet
Adrian Waller	Second Plebian

Additional details

Origination

Live from studio

Vision original

Monochrome

Later transmissions

Presented again at 7.30pm on Thursday 1 March 1951.

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

ancient Rome and colonies; tragedy

Print sources

Title

BUFVC Shakespeare database: Julius Caesar (Website: database)

Reference

http://bufvc.ac.uk/shakespeare/index.php/title/av36930 (accessed 14 June 2014)

Notes

A record on the BUFVC’s Shakespeare database.

Title

Radio Times, 23 February 1951 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing p. 48 and article by Lionel Hale, ‘Is Julius Caesar Under-rated?', p. 47