Off the Record

Summary

1950 BBC live studio production of the naval farce Off the Record by Ian Hay and Stephen King-Hall. The play was produced in 1949 at the Piccadilly Theatre, London, with Hugh Wakefield and Philippa Hiatt in the cast, who reprise their roles here.

Theatre play

Off the Record by Ian Hay (1876-1952) and Stephen King-Hall [more information]

Play synopsis

The scene is Portsmouth; and a rising M. P. (for one of those reasons known only to farce) changes places with the young Lieutenant-Commander in command of a destroyer. This, as you can imagine, gives rise to a complicated series of Misunderstandings in the Wardroom and a good many antics in Admiralty House. Source: Lionel Hale, ‘Murder to Farce’, Radio Times, 6 January 1950, p. 41.

Production history

Presented at the Piccadilly Theatre, London in 1949.

Date of transmission

Tuesday 10 January 1950

Time

8.30-10.15pm

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Campbell Logan

Playwright

Ian Hay (1876-1952)

Playwright

Stephen King-Hall

Sets / Settings

James Bould

Cast

Jack Allen	Tom D’Arcy, M. P.
Peter Assinder	Sub-Lieut. Dobson, R.N.
Alban Blakelock	Chief Steward at Admiralty House
Gordon Collyer	Wardroom Steward
Bill Gates	Lieut-Commander Peter Fraser
Tom Gill	Lieut. The Hon. Willy Aughton Formby, R.N.
Philippa Hiatt	Susan Lashwood
Anthony Holmes	Lieut. Lashwood, R.N.
Beryl MacMillan	Chambermaid
Anthony Shaw	Sir Henry Tompkinson, M. P.
Joy Shelton	Jane Godfrey
Hugh Wakefield	Admiral Sir Maximilian Godfrey

Additional details

Origination

Live from studio

Vision original

Monochrome

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

farce; military / army / navy / air-force

Print sources

Title

Radio Times, 6 January 1950 (Magazine)

Linking notes

brief article, p. 40; article by Lionel Hale, ‘Murder to Farce’, p. 41; listing, p. 42