Extracts from J. B. Fagan’s historical stage comedy about the domestic life of the famous diarist Samuel Pepys.
This early broadcast presented scenes from the popular West End play, focusing on the household of Samuel Pepys (Fred O’Donovan). The story examines the diarist’s relationship with his long-suffering wife, Mrs. Pepys (Yvonne Arnaud), and his interactions with notable figures of the era, including King Charles II (Alan Jeayes). The production captures the witty, turbulent atmosphere of Pepys’s London as recorded in his celebrated private journal.
This broadcast was a prime example of the fledgling television service’s reliance on the West End stage for both content and star power. Rather than being a full-length adaptation, the programme offered excerpts designed as a vehicle for the celebrated French actress Yvonne Arnaud. She was reprising her signature role as Mrs. Pepys, a part she had created on the London stage in 1926 to great acclaim. The presentation, by pioneering producer George More O’Ferrall, was a method of bringing the glamour and proven success of a theatrical hit to the tiny but growing pre-war television audience.
Broadcast: BBC, 2 Episodes, Thursday, 8 April 1937
Written by: J. B. Fagan
Producer: George More O’Ferrall
Main Cast: Fred O’Donovan (Mr Pepys), Yvonne Arnaud (Mrs Pepys), Alan Jeayes (King Charles II), Mary Grey (Mrs Knight), Renée Blakelock (Julia), Geoffrey Clarke (Prodgers)
