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The Deep Blue Sea

Summary
The first television production of Terence Rattigan’s drama The Deep Blue Sea, presented as a live BBC studio production in 1954.
Theatre play
The Deep Blue Sea by Terence Rattigan (1911-1977) [more information]
Date of transmission
Sunday 17 January 1954
Time
8.40-10.35pm
Channel
BBC Television
Production company
BBC

Credits

Producer
Julian Amyes
Playwright
Terence Rattigan (1911-1977)
Sets / Settings
Richard Wilmot
Cast
David AylmerPhilip Welch
Raymond FrancisJackie Jackson
Robert HarrisSir William Collyer
Peter IllingMr Miller
Gillian LutyensAnn Welch
Kenneth MoreFreddie Page
Dandy NicholsMrs Elton
Googie WithersHester Collyer

Additional details

Origination
Live from studio
Vision original
Monochrome
Later transmissions
Presented again at 7.00pm on Thursday 21 January 1954.
Notes
Googie Withers, Kenneth More and a number of the rest of the cast reprised their roles from the Duchess Theatre premiere production of the play in 1952. Kenneth More also played the role of Freddie Page in the 1955 feature film adaptation directed by Anatole Litvak.
Extant status
No archival copy is known to exist.
Play tags
sexuality (and morality, politics etc); suicide

Print sources

Title
People and puppets (Magazine review)
Author/creator
Anthony Curtis (Author)
Reference
The Listener, 21 Janaury 1954, p. 153
Notes
Includes a production photograph of The Dashing White Sergeant
Title
Radio Times, 15 January 1954 (Magazine)
Linking notes
listing, photograph and article by Peter Forster, ‘The Best Post-war English Play’, p. 14

Record Stats

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