Captain Banner

Summary

1954 live BBC studio production of George Preedy’s historical romance Captain Banner.

Theatre play

Captain Banner by George R. Preedy [more information]

Play synopsis

'The play is founded on the remarkable story of Caroline Matilda, sister of George III of England, and wife of the imbecile Christian VII, King of Denmark and Norway. Through the influence of Count Goldberg of Denmark she was arrested on a charge of adultery and treason and then taken and imprisoned in the lonely fortress of Kronenberg, while her lover was immediately beheaded. The Queen was twenty-two years of age. It was arranged that she should be secretly assassinated in some way that would pass for natural death. The development of this historical situation and several of the characters are purely fictional’ (Duncan Ross, ‘Captain Banner’, Radio Times, 6 August 1954, p. 12).

Production history

Presented at the Arts Theatre and then the Little Theatre in London in April 1929; published in 1930.

Date of transmission

Sunday 8 August 1954

Time

8.25-10.00pm

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Rudolph Cartier

Playwright

George R. Preedy

Adapted for Television by

Duncan Ross

Designer

Stephen Taylor

Cast

Michael Brennan	Sentry
Sydney [or Sidney] Bromley	First Prisoner
Faith Brook	Caroline Sophia
Mary Clare	Baroness von Bernstorf
George Coulouris	Pastor Andreas
Andrew Cruickshank	Katrine
David Farrar	Captain Banner
George Herbert	Third Prisoner
Harry Lane	Baron Molde
John Miller	Second Prisoner
Charles Price	Guard

Additional details

Origination

Live from studio

Vision original

Monochrome

Later transmissions

Presented again at 9.40pm on Thursday 12 August 1954.

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

18th-century setting; Denmark, as theme or setting; historical drama

Print sources

Title

Radio Times, 6 August 1954 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing and photograph, plus article by Duncan Ross, ‘Captain Banner’, p. 12