An early BBC anthology series of 15-minute single plays, produced by a young Tony Richardson.
This short-lived anthology strand presented a series of 15-minute single dramas. Productions included The Rivals, adapted from a Martin Armstrong story, which featured Rupert Davies (Mr Harraby) and Leonard Sachs (Mr Crowther). Another presentation was The Birthday Present, an original play written by theatre director Peter Brook, starring Yvonne Mitchell (Celia) and Michael Gwynn (Michael). Two other plays were transmitted under this banner: Absence of Mind and The Apollo of Bellac.
Produced by Tony Richardson, Appointment with Drama stands as an intriguing footnote in the history of British television drama. Arriving just a year before Richardson co-founded the English Stage Company and ignited the Royal Court revolution, this brief series of plays served as a small-scale laboratory for his emerging theatrical instincts. The 15-minute format demanded concise storytelling, and the involvement of figures like writer-director Peter Brook indicates Richardson’s commitment to recruiting formidable talent from the stage.
Broadcast: BBC, 4 Episodes, Fridays, 15 July – 12 August 1955
Producer: Tony Richardson
Writers: Ian Dallas, Peter Brook, John Keir Cross, Jean Giraudoux
Directors: Tony Richardson, John Knight
Main Cast: Rupert Davies (Mr Harraby), Leonard Sachs (Mr Crowther), Yvonne Mitchell (Celia), Michael Gwynn (Michael), Nora Nicholson (Mrs Maud Carpenter), Denholm Elliott (M. De Bellac), Natasha Parry (Agnes)
