The Happiest Days of Your Life

Summary

1947 BBC Television production of the farce The Happiest Days of Your Life.

Theatre play

The Happiest Days of Your Life by John Dighton [more information]

Play synopsis

'Set after World War II, this delightful farce is about what happens when a boys’ school receives the news that they are to billet another school which is all female. Events are complicated by the arrival of the parents. Each headmaster/mistress tries to conceal the fact that his/her school is now co-ed. Eventually, the parents learn the truth and are about to remove their children when news arrives that a third school is to be amalgamated into theirs. They all join together to keep out these intruders.' (Source: http://www.samuelfrench-london.co.uk/p/5488/happiest-days-of-your-life-the.)

Production history

This was written for television and first produced there on 4 February 1947. It was performed on stage at least as early as November 1947, and frequently aftwards.

Date of transmission

Tuesday 4 February 1947

Time

8.30-10.00pm

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Stephen Harrison

Playwright

John Dighton

Cast

Hilda Davies	Mrs Perk
Deidre Doone	Barbara Marchbanks
Graveley Edwards	The Rev. Edward Park
Richard Goolden	Pond
Marjorie Gresley	Miss Gossage
Jane Henderson	Miss Whitchurch
Ray Jackson	Hopcroft Minor
Edward Lexy	Edgar Sowter
Hilary Liddell	Joyce HArper
Brian Oulton	Billings
Nigel Stock	Dick Tassell
Richard Turner	Rainbow
Una Venning	Mrs Sowter

Additional details

Origination

Live from studio

Vision original

Monochrome

Later transmissions

Second performance on 6 February 1947 at 3pm.

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

farce; schools, as theme or setting; wartime, as theme or setting

Print sources

Title

Radio Times, 31 January 1947 (Magazine)

Linking notes

articles, picture and listings, pp. 33, 34, 35 and 36