Marigold [extracts]

Summary

BBC live studio presentation of extracts from a stage revival by Lance Lister at the London Theatre of the Scottish comedy Marigold by L. Allen Harker and F. R. Pryor. This was the first drama to be televised officially by the BBC after the opening of the television service from Alexandra Palace on 2 November 1936. Lance Lister contributed a short on-camera introduction to the first broadcast.

Theatre play

Marigold by L. Allen Harker (1863-1933) and F. R. Pryor [more information]

Play synopsis

Set in 1842, the play concerns a young girl who runs away from home to see Queen Victoria in Edinburgh.

Production history

Text published as a French’s Acting Edition (London: Samuel French, 1928). A film adaptation starring Sophie Stewart, directed by Thomas Bentley, was released in 1938.

Date of transmission

Friday 6 November 1936

Time

3.27pm (49 mins)

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Theatre company

[choose none of these]

Credits

Producer

George More O’Ferrall (1907-1982)

Stage Producer

Lance Lister

Playwright

L. Allen Harker (1863-1933)

Playwright

F. R. Pryor

Introduced by

Lance Lister

Cast

John Bailey	Archie Forsyth
Jean Clyde	Mrs Pringle
Iain Macdonald-Murray	The Piper
Wyndham Milligan	Nigel Lumsden
Katharine Page	Marigold (in the two 30 November 1936 repeat performances)
Graham Pockett	Mordaunt
Geoffrey Steele	Robert Townsend
Sophie Stewart (1908-1977)	Marigold (on 6 November 1936)

Additional details

Later transmissions

Two live repeats were given at 3.22pm (36 mins) and 9.31pm (34 mins) on 30 November 1936; the part played by Sophie Stewart in the first broadcast was taken in these two repeats by Katharine Page. The repeats are listed as from ‘The Royalty Theatre production’.

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

comedy; royalty; Scottish drama

Print sources

Title

Adventure in Vision: The First Twenty-Five Years of Television (Book)

Author/creator

John Swift (Author)

Reference

London: John Lehmann, 1950

Linking notes

Plate XI, with short description

Title

BBC Programme Records: 1936 (Book)

Reference

London: British Broadcasting Corporation

Linking notes

listings on pp. 283, 286

Title

In the beginning: Marigold (BBC, 1936) (Blog article)

Author/creator

John Wyver (Author)

Reference

http://screenplaystv.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/in-the-beginning-marigold-bbc-1936, published 18 September 2011

Title

In the beginning: The Tiger (BBC, 1936) (Blog article)

Author/creator

John Wyver (Author)

Reference

http://screenplaystv.wordpress.com/2011/09/17/in-the-beginning-the-tiger-bbc-1936, published 17 September 2011

Title

Marigold (Archive file)

Archive

BBC Written Archives Centre (WAC) [more information]

Address

Peppard Road
Caversham Park
Reading
Berkshire
RG4 8TZ
UK

Telephone

+44 (0)118 948 6281

Email

heritage@bbc.co.uk

Website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/research/wac

Access

The WAC is open from 9.30am to 5.00pm on Wednesdays to Fridays throughout the year to academics, postgraduate students and writers by appointment.

Reference

T5/316