The Wayward Saint

Summary

BBC Television production of Paul Vincent Carroll’s farce The Wayward Saint.

Theatre play

The Wayward Saint by Paul Vincent Carroll (1900-1968) [more information]

Play synopsis

The action takes place in Canon Daniel McCooey’s Presbytery in a little village near the Irish border. Canon McCooey has been exiled to a small village because his former parishioners believed him to be a saint: the Canon indeed is a very good man, but this means that the Devil himself must covet his soul (Radio Times, 26 October 1956, p. 39.

Production history

The play was produced on Broadway, and then in Dublin in October 1956.

Date of transmission

Thursday 1 November 1956

Time

8.30pm (90 mins)

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

John Jacobs

Playwright

Paul Vincent Carroll (1900-1968)

Composer

Tom McCall ('incidental music’)

Designer

James Bould

Dances Arranged by

Michael de Lutry

Cast

Larry Burns	Martyn McDara
Domini Callaghan	Sabena
Gerald Cross	Salambo
Helena Hughes	Maura
Micheál MacLiammóir (1899-1978)	Baron Nicholas de Balbus
Peggy Marshall	Miss Killicat
Sheila Nelson	Serena
Noel Purcell	Peadar the Puck
Liam Redmond	Canon Daniel McCooey
William Sherwood	His Lordship, the Bishop of Oriel
Don Tasker	Joe

Additional details

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

farce; Irish drama; miracles

Print sources

Title

Quasi-War News (Newspaper review)

Author/creator

Maurice Richardson (Author)

Reference

The Observer, 4 November 1956, p. 11

Title

Radio Times, 26 October 1956 (Magazine)

Linking notes

pp. 38 and 39, listing and article