Berkeley Square

Summary

1948 BBC live studio production of Berkeley Square by John L. Balderston in collaboration with J. C. Squire, based on Henry James’ story The Sense of the Past.

Theatre play

Berkeley Square by John L. Balderston and J. C. Squire [more information]

Play synopsis

The play tells the story of an American resident of Berkeley Square who is transported back to the 18th century. The plot was suggested by Henry James’ fragment The Sense of the Past.

Production history

'Balderston achieved success as a playwright in 1926 with the London production of his play Berkeley Square which he had written with Jack Squire, the editor of The London Mercury.' Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_L._Balderston.

Date of transmission

Sunday 13 June 1948

Time

8.30-10.00pm

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Joel O’Brien

Playwright

John L. Balderston

Playwright

J. C. Squire

Original Story by

Henry James

Cast

Pamela Alan	Marjorie Frant
Maxine Audley	Miss Pettigrew
Iris Baker	The Lady Anne Pettigrew
Gina Bevan	Maid
Isabel Dean	Helen Pettigrew
Hugh Falkus	Tom Pettigrew
Maurice Jones	Lord Stanley
Howard Marion-Crawford	H. R. H. The Duke of Cumberland
Hugh Miller	The Ambassador
Victor Platt	Mr Throstle
Campbell Singer	Major Clinton
Barbara Trevor	Mrs Barwick
Netta Westcott	The Duchess of Devonshire
Manning Wilson	Peter Standish

Additional details

Origination

Live from studio

Vision original

Monochrome

Later transmissions

Presented again at 8.30pm on 17 June 1948.

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

18th-century setting; America, as theme or setting

Print sources

Title

Radio Times, 11 June 1948 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing, p. 26; article by John Swift, ‘The Present Meets the Past’, p. 25