The Telescope

Summary

1957 BBC Television production of R. C. Sherriff’s play The Telescope by the Guildford Theatre Company.

Theatre play

The Telescope by R. C. Sherriff (1896-1975) [more information]

Play synopsis

Set in Canbury, a fictitious district of the London’s West End, this play tells of the struggles of a young vicar, John Mayfield, who seeks to help the young of his parish.

Production history

First produced on radio in 1956, this play was transformed into a stage work for production at the Guildford Theatre in May 1957.

Date of transmission

Tuesday 5 November 1957

Time

8.02pm (73 mins)

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Theatre company

Guildford Theatre Company

Credits

Producer

Bryan Bailey

Television Presentation by

Ayton Whitaker

Playwright

R. C. Sherriff (1896-1975)

Designer

Fanny Taylor

Cast

Patsy Byrne	Mrs Palmer
Frank Finlay	Mr Pinnock
Melvyn Hayes	Joe Palmer
Hilary Liddell	Miss Mayfield
Lala Lloyd	Miss Brown
Raymond Mason	Ben Brooks
Colin Rix	Sergeant Wallis
Edward Woodward	John Mayfield

Additional details

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

Christianity

Print sources

Title

BBC Personality (Newspaper review)

Author/creator

Maurice Richardson (Reviewer)

Reference

The Observer, 10 November 1957, p. 18

Title

Guildford Theatre: The Telescope (Newspaper review)

Reference

The Times, 14 May 1957, p. 3

Linking notes

n.b. this is a review of the stage production, not the televised excerpt.

Title

Mr R. C. Sherriff’s New Play (Newspaper article)

Reference

The Times, 6 September 1956, p. 5

Linking notes

on the original radio production

Title

Radio Times, 1 November 1957 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing, image and article on p. 19