William and the Lost Tourist

Synopsis

Martin Jarvis reads the ‘William and the Lost Tourist’ from William the Conquerer written by Richmal Crompton. Learning a speech from Julius Caesar proves unexpectedly useful in coming to the assistance of a beautiful American visitor.

Series

Just William - Live!

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Radio

Transmission details

23 Dec 2003 at 11:30 (Channel: BBC Radio 4)

Duration

30 mins

Credits

Writer

Richmal Crompton

Cast

Martin Jarvis

Additional Details

Production type

Television and Radio Drama

Keywords

Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Stratford-upon-Avon; Heritage industry

Notes

Notes

Available on CD and audiotape as JUST WILLIAM:LIVE ON STAGE " (BBC Radio Collection). The story is also included in THE SHAKESPEARE REVUE by Christopher Luscombe and Malcolm McKee. See the catalogue entry for details of format and availability.

General

The event was recorded at the Everyman Theatre as part of the Cheltenham Festival of Literature. The story was written in 1926 and even then Shakespeare was perceived as being part of the heritage industry and William and the Lost Tourist is a satire on tourism. William encounters an American lady and says " She’s looking for "Stratford-upon-Avon, that Shakespeare guy’s place. If I don’t do it today I’ll never do it. Everyone I know’s done it, an’ to go back home an’ say that I’ve not seen Stratford - well I’d never hold my head up again - never." There are several other references to Shakespeare in the Just William books.

Production Company

Name

BBC

Notes

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Archive

Name

British Library Sound Archive

Email

listening@bl.uk

Web

http://www.bl.uk/nsa External site opens in new window

Phone

020 7412 7676

Fax

020 7412 7441

Address

96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB

Online Retailer

Name

bbcshop.com

Web

http://www.bbcshop.com/ External site opens in new window

Phone

0870 241 5490

Fax

01795 414 555