His Excellency

Summary

BBC production of His Excellency by Dorothy Christie and Campbell Christie in the Sunday-Night Theatre slot.

Theatre play

His Excellency by Dorothy Christie and Campbell Christie (1893-1963) [more information]

Play synopsis

The new Governor of the Island of Salva, a British colony in the Mediterranean, is a former trade unionist who has risen through the ranks and been appointed by the new Labour Government in 1948. Governor Harrison’s first problem is a dock strike: as a tough, former dock worker himself he tries to find a way to resolve the matter without resorting to lock-outs and sending troops in.

Production history

Dated to 1950.

Date of transmission

Sunday 21 April 1957

Time

8.00pm

Series

Sunday-Night Theatre

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Alan Bromly

Playwright

Campbell Christie (1893-1963)

Playwright

Dorothy Christie

Designer

Richard Wilmot

Cast

Glen Alyn	Lady Kirkman
Shirley Eaton	Peggy Harrison
John Foster	Co-Pilot
Nigel Hawthorne	Captain the Contino Sevastien Jacono de Piero
John Horsley	Vice-Admiral Sir Oliver Pain-Bartley, K.B.E., C.B.
Mervyn Johns	His Excellency, the Governor
Harold Kasket	Emil Zamario
Philip Leaver	Colonel Paul Dobrieda
Donald Pickering	Major Charles Hugonin, M.C.
Michael Segal	Fernando
Hugh Sinclair	Sir James Kirkman, C.M.G.
Patrick Waddington	Major-General Alan Copeland

Additional details

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

British Empire and colonies; class issues / differences; strikes / industrial action; trades unions

Print sources

Title

Play Remained Stagebound: His Excellency (Newspaper review)

Reference

The Manchester Guardian, 22 April 1957, p. 3

Title

Radio Times, 19 April 1957 (Magazine)

Linking notes

pp. 4, 10 (articles) and 11 (listing)