The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus

Summary

1958 BBC Television production of Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.

Theatre play

The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe [more information]

Play synopsis

Based on the German story Faust, the play tells of a man who sells his soul to the devil for knowledge and power. When Lucifer’s emissary Mephistophilis comes to collect his soul, Faustus appears to repent but is nevertheless taken off to Hell.

Production history

The Admiral’s Men performed Doctor Faustus twenty-five times in the three years between October 1594 and October 1597. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Faustus_%28play%29.

Date of transmission

Friday 21 February 1958

Time

2.05-2.35pm

Series

Schools

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Ronald Eyre

Playwright

Christopher Marlowe

Adapted for Television by

Ronald Eyre

Cast

Richard Bebb	Chorus
John Breslin	Second Scholar
Emrys Leyshon	Third Scholar
James Maxwell	Mephistophilis
Alan Rowe	First Scholar
Alex Scott	Lucifer
William Squire	Doctor Faustus
Felicity Young	Helen of Troy

Additional details

Later transmissions

Transmitted again on 13 January 1959.

Play tags

17th-century setting

Programme context tags

schools television programming

Audiovisual sources

Title

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (BBC, 1958)

Archive

BBC Information and Archives [more information]

Address

White City
London
UK

Telephone

+44 (0)20 8008 2288

Website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/informationandarchives/

Access

BBC Information and Archives is not open to the public.

Print sources

Title

Radio Times, 14 February 1958 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing, p. 18

Title

T16/396 TV Policy file. Education: Schools Television - Report, 1959 (Archive file)

Linking notes

extracts from a discussion on the broadcast in a Secondary Modern Girls’ class in Appendix E of the Report held in this file