George Bernard Shaw’s classic anti-romantic comedy is adapted in a live studio production.
In 1885, during the Serbo-Bulgarian War, the idealistic Raina Petkoff (Marcia Ashton) is shocked when a Swiss mercenary fighting for the Serbs, Captain Bluntschli (Laurence Payne), climbs into her bedroom seeking refuge. Her romantic notions of warfare, fuelled by the heroic reputation of her fiancé Major Sergius Saranoff (Peter Copley), are shattered by the professional soldier’s cynicism. Bluntschli prefers to carry chocolates rather than ammunition and openly mocks Saranoff’s vainglorious cavalry charge. Raina nicknames him her “chocolate cream soldier,” and his pragmatic worldview forces her to question the dramatic posturing of her fiancé and the social conventions that govern her life.
This live television broadcast is a typical example of the BBC’s dramatic output in the early 1950s. Relying on established theatrical texts, the production functions as a filmed stage play, bringing a celebrated work of the English stage directly into the nation’s living rooms. The direction by Tatiana Lieven would have been constrained by the technical limitations of live transmission, prioritising clarity of dialogue and performance over cinematic technique. For the post-war television audience, this presentation of Shaw’s intellectual comedy was a key part of the BBC’s public service remit, offering cultural enrichment through a still-new medium.
Broadcast: BBC, 1 Episode, Sunday, 27 July 1952
Written by: George Bernard Shaw
Producer: Ian Atkins
Director: Tatiana Lieven
Designer: Frederick Knapman
Main Cast: Marcia Ashton (Raina Petkoff), Laurence Payne (Captain Bluntschli), Peter Copley (Major Sergius Saranoff), William Mervyn (Major Petkoff), Selma Vaz Dias (Catherine), Eunice Gayson (Louka), Victor Platt (Nicola), Peter Williams (Russian Officer)
