In this single play, a middle-aged lawyer’s quiet domestic life is disrupted by the infatuation of a young admirer.
David (Stephen Murray) is a middle-aged lawyer whose peaceful life is upended by the arrival of Susan (Silvia Herklots), a young woman who makes her admiration for him plain. David’s wife, Janet (Jane Barrett), is patient but naturally distressed by the intrusion. The situation is only resolved when Susan’s attention is captured by another, more suitable admirer, allowing the household to return to normal.
Not to be confused with Edith Wharton’s novel, this single play by Denis Constanduros is a relic of the era of live regional television. Its broadcast was reportedly marred by a camera breakdown, a technical mishap common to the period that highlighted the high-wire act of live studio drama. The production itself was met with a cool reception, with one contemporary critic dismissing its “tenuous” and “novelettish” plot. As the recording was not archived, the play is now considered lost, surviving only in fragments of reviews and its basic production credits.
Broadcast: BBC – BBC West, 1 Episode, 20 February 1958
Written by: Denis Constanduros
Director: Brandon Acton-Bond
Main Cast: Stephen Murray (David), Jane Barrett (Janet), Silvia Herklots (Susan)
