Bird in Hand

Summary

1938 BBC studio production of the comedy Bird in Hand by John Drinkwater.

Theatre play

Bird in Hand by John Drinkwater (1882-1937) [more information]

Play synopsis

A ‘comedy of character’, peopled by ‘a group of entirely disparate travellers’ who are staying in a Gloucestershire country pub called Bird in Hand. The central character is Thomas Greenleaf, played by Herbert Lomas who took the role in the stage premiere in 1928. The traditionalism of this old countryman, a tyrannical father, is the focus of the plot. (Source: Radio Times, 23 December 1955, p. 17.)

Production history

Produced at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1927 and at the Royalty Theatre, London in 1928. Published London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1927.

Date of transmission

Sunday 31 July 1938

Time

9.05-10.05pm (60 mins)

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Fred O’Donovan (1889-1952)

Playwright

John Drinkwater (1882-1937)

Cast

Dennis Arundell (1898-1988)	Ambrose Godolphin
Ivor Barnard	Mr Blanquet
Kathleen Boutall	Alice Greenleaf
Desmond Keith	Cyril Beverley
George Merritt	Thomas Greenleaf
Rosemary Scott	Joan Greenleaf
Lewis Stringer	Gerald Arnwood
J. Fisher White	Sir Robert Arnwood

Additional details

Origination

Live from studio

Vision original

Monochrome

Later transmissions

Presented again at 3.00pm on Wednesday 3 August 1938.

Notes

Ivor Barnard, who took the role of Mr Blanquet, was in the cast of the original stage production. ('The Scanner’, ‘For Amateur Detectives’, Radio Times, 29 July 1938, p. 15)

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

class issues / differences; comedy

Print sources

Title

Broadcasting: Music, Variety and a Play (Newspaper listing)

Reference

The Times, 30 July 1938, p. 21

Title

Radio Times, 29 July 1938 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing, p. 16

Title

Television (Newspaper review)

Author/creator

Anonymous (Reviewer)

Reference

The Observer, 7 August 1938, p. 3