The Little Minister

Summary: 1950 BBC live studio production of J. M. Barrie’s drama The Little Minister.
Theatre play: The Little Minister by J. M. Barrie (1860-1937) [more information]
Play synopsis: Set in rural 1840s Scotland, the plot focuses on labor and class issues while telling the story of Gavin Dishart, a staid cleric newly assigned to Thrums’ Auld Licht church, and Babbie, a member of the nobility who disguises herself as a gypsy girl in order to interact freely with the local villagers and protect them from her guardian, Lord Rintoul, who wants to keep them under his control. Initially the conservative Dishart is appalled by the feisty girl, but he soon comes to appreciate her inner goodness. Their romantic liaison scandalizes the townspeople, and the minister’s position is jeopardized until Babbie’s true identity is revealed. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Minister; accessed 19 November 2014)
Production history: J. M. Barrie adapted his own 1891 novel as a play in 1897.
Date of transmission: Sunday 5 November 1950
Time: 8.15-10.35pm
Channel: BBC Television
Production company: BBC

Producer

Douglas Allen

Playwright

J. M. Barrie (1860-1937)

Sets / Settings

Barry Learoyd

Cast

Origination: Live from studio
Vision original: Monochrome
Later transmissions: Presented again at 7.30pm on Thursday 9 November 1950.
Extant status: No archival copy is known to exist.
Play tags: 19th-century setting; class issues / differences; religion, as theme or subject; Scottish drama

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British Universities Film & Video Council