The River Line

Summary

1955 BBC production of the First World War play The River Line by Charles Morgan, televised to mark the 10th anniversary of VE Day.

Theatre play

The River Line by Charles Morgan [more information]

Play synopsis

Set in France during the First World War when the country lay under a totalitarian dictatorship.

Production history

First conceived of as a play, but first published as a novel in 1949. It was first performed as a play at the Edinburgh Festival in 1952, afterwards in London, and across Europe.

Date of transmission

Sunday 8 May 1955

Time

8.50-10.20pm

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Stephen Harrison

Playwright

Charles Morgan

Designer

Barry Learoyd

Cast

Jacques Brunius	Pierre Chassaigne
John Charlesworth	Dick Frewer
Rosalie Crutchley	Mrs Wyburton (Marie Chassaigne)
James Donald	Philip Sturgess
Robert Harris	Cmdr Julian Wyburton, RN (retd.)
Sarah Lawson	Valerie Barton
Una Venning	Mrs Muriven
John Westbrook	Major John Lang (called Heron)

Additional details

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

First World War, as theme or setting; France, as theme or setting; wartime, as theme or setting

Print sources

Title

Radio Times, 6 May 1955 (Magazine)

Linking notes

article by the playwright Charles Morgan on p. 4; listing, p. 14, with image