Dear Octopus

Summary

1960 BBC production of Dear Octopus by Dodie Smith, from the BBC’s Midland studio.

Theatre play

Dear Octopus by Dodie [Dorothy Gladys] Smith (1896-1990) [more information]

Play synopsis

A drawing-room comedy which ‘takes place in the Randolph’s country house on the occasion of Dora and Charles Randolph’s Golden Wedding anniversary, for the celebration of which the entire Randolph family - sons, daughters, wives, husbands, grandchildren - has assembled. Over the course of three days we get to know something of the lives of these people - their marriages, love affairs, ambitions, regrets. The central thread of the action concerns the unrequited love of the companion, Fenny for the grown-up son, Nicholas.' Source: http://bigreaders.myfastforum.org/archive/dear-octopus-1938-by-dodie-smith__o_t__t_2051.html.

Production history

Opened at the Queen’s Theatre, London on 15 September 1938.

Date of transmission

Sunday 10 January 1960

Time

8.00-9.30pm

Series

Twentieth Century Theatre

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Producer

Chloe Gibson

Playwright

Dodie [Dorothy Gladys] Smith (1896-1990)

Designer

Charles Carroll

Cast

Jean Anderson	Hilda Randolph
Diana Beaumont	MArgery Harvey
Alice Bowes	Nanny Patching
Diana Churchill	Cynthia Randolph
Barbara Couper	Belle Schlessinger
Michael Denison	Nicholas Randolph
Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies	Dora Randolph
Malcolm Keen	Charles Randolph
Gillian Maude	Edna Randolph
Sandra Michaels	'Flouncy’ Harvey
Hilda Campbell Russell	Gertrude
Michael Sands	Hugh Randolph
Colin Spaull	Bill Harvey
Kevin Stoney	Kenneth Harvey
Ingrid Sylvester	'Scrap’ Kenton
Hilary Tindall	Laurel Randolph
Margaret Tyzack	Fenny

Additional details

Extant status

No archival copy is known to exist.

Play tags

comedy

Print sources

Title

Radio Times, 1 January 1960 (Magazine)

Linking notes

brief mention in article, p. 2

Title

Radio Times, 8 January 1960 (Magazine)

Linking notes

illustrated listing, p. 9; illustrated article, p. 3