A brief comedy excerpt from a stage play by Nino Bartholomew.
This short televised play features the celebrated writer Oliver Goldsmith (Fred O’Donovan). He is in the company of his aristocratic patrons, Lord Northumberland (Harry Hutchinson) and Lady Northumberland (Cicely Paget-Bowman), alongside Lord Nugent (John Abbott) and a Butler (John Rudling).
A relic from the BBC’s pre-war television service, this production is an example of the era’s ephemeral output. Broadcast live from Alexandra Palace and never recorded, it represents the common practice of presenting short excerpts from theatrical works as part of a varied evening’s schedule. The production was staged by the influential Eric Crozier. A longer, 25-minute radio version was broadcast the following year, on 7 January 1938.
Broadcast: BBC, 2 Performances, 20 April 1937
Written by: Nino Bartholomew
Play Production by: Eric Crozier
Main Cast: Fred O’Donovan (Oliver Goldsmith), Cicely Paget-Bowman (Lady Northumberland), Harry Hutchinson (Lord Northumberland), John Abbott (Lord Nugent), John Rudling (Butler)
