I Killed the Count

Summary

1948 BBC live studio production of Alec Coppel’s comedy-thriller I Killed the Count.

Theatre play

I Killed the Count! by Alec Coppel [more information]

Play synopsis

Intricately-plotted comedy-thriller in which Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Davidson tries to determine who murdered the much-hated Count Mattoni. The dilemma isn’t that the Detective is suffering from a lack of suspects. In fact, four different people come forth to confess to the killing - each of them with plenty of motive and opportunity. The play uses flashbacks to illustrate how each of the suspects claims to have committed the murder.

Production history

First produced in London in 1937 and then on Broadway in 1942.

Date of transmission

Sunday 14 March 1948

Time

8.30-10.00pm

Channel

BBC Television

Credits

Producer

Ian Atkins

Playwright

Alec Coppel

Cast

Freda Bamford	Polly
Bruce Belfrage	Viscount Sorrington
Frederick Bradshaw	Detective Sergeant Raines
Erik Chitty (1907-1977)	Martin
Howard Douglas	Johnson
Olga Edwardes	Louise Rogers
Frank Foster	Detective Inspector Davidson
Arthur Goulett	Mullet
Diarmuid Kelly	P. C. Clifton
Philip Leaver	Count Victor Mattoni
Val Norton	Samuel Diamond
Guy Kingsley Poynter	Bernard K. Froy
Mildred Shay	Renée la Lune

Additional details

Origination

Live from studio

Vision original

Monochrome

Later transmissions

Presented again at 3.00pm on Tuesday 16 March 1948.

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

comedy; murder; thriller

Print sources

Title

Radio Times, 12 March 1948 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing, p. 26; article, p. 24

Title

Radio Times, 2 April 1948 (Magazine)

Linking notes

short article titled ‘No It Wasn’t Filmed’ about reactions to the play, p. 24