Knock, or The Triumph of Medicine

Summary: 1954 live BBC studio production of Dr Knock by Jules Romains, with the setting transferred to a small town in Scotland in 1924.
Theatre play: Dr Knock, or the Triumph of Medicine [Knock ou le Triomphe de la médecin] by Jules Romains (1885-1972) [more information]
Play synopsis: A dark comedy about the quack Dr Knock who agrees to buy a provincial medical practice in quarterly instalments. Realising that he has been conned because the local people rarely consult a doctor, and as a consequence rarely pay any bills, he decides to rebuild the practice with a confidence trick of his own. Initially offering free consultations, he convinces the townsfolk that they are suffering from multiple diseases and turns the practice into a thriving business. By the end, he has even persuaded the doctor from whom he bought the practice that he too needs treatment.
Production history: The play was written in France as Knock ou le Triomphe de la médecine, and was first performed in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on 15 December 1923. The British playwright Harley Granville-Barker translated the play into English in 1925 and it was staged at the Royalty Theatre in 1926. Granville Barker’s version was published in London in 1925 by Ernest Benn.
Date of transmission: Tuesday 6 July 1954
Time: 8.25-9.40pm
Channel: BBC Television
Production company: BBC

Director

James Crampsey

Producer

Campbell Logan

Playwright

Jules Romains (1885-1972)

Translator

Robert Kemp (1908-1967)

Designer

Stewart Marshall

Cast

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British Universities Film & Video Council