Post by oj-wake on Oct 1, 2014 19:48:04 GMT
Apologies if this is a bit tenuous for this forum, but with one of this play’s two performances lost, and interest in the production previously expressed here, I thought I might get away with it. Obviously mods are free to delete. Anyway…
With this production’s 60th anniversary and DVD release coming up, I thought it was high time some of the more unlikely (and some of the likely) stories about the production, particularly around its reception, were scrutinised.
After much research, including a fascinating few days rummaging around at the BBC Written Archive Centre, I’ve learned that much of the ‘received wisdom’ about the play is either wholly inaccurate, incomplete or distorted. Perhaps not surprising when much of it comes from anecdotes told 40+ years after the event – I don’t expect my memory to be pin sharp if someone in 2054 asks me about my working life of 2014.
There’s also some interesting new information about the possibility of a portion of the first performance having been telerecorded, which I don’t think has previously been published.
I’ve put together a frankly overlong article about it, in case anyone’s interested. It’s here:
British Television Drama - Nineteen Eighty-Four
Don’t be put off by the vast number of footnotes – it’s just me showing my working, as it were, rather than stating things that it seems I can’t back up.
Needless to say, if anyone has any new evidence on any of the questions raised in the piece, please do get in touch. It can always be updated.
With this production’s 60th anniversary and DVD release coming up, I thought it was high time some of the more unlikely (and some of the likely) stories about the production, particularly around its reception, were scrutinised.
After much research, including a fascinating few days rummaging around at the BBC Written Archive Centre, I’ve learned that much of the ‘received wisdom’ about the play is either wholly inaccurate, incomplete or distorted. Perhaps not surprising when much of it comes from anecdotes told 40+ years after the event – I don’t expect my memory to be pin sharp if someone in 2054 asks me about my working life of 2014.
There’s also some interesting new information about the possibility of a portion of the first performance having been telerecorded, which I don’t think has previously been published.
I’ve put together a frankly overlong article about it, in case anyone’s interested. It’s here:
British Television Drama - Nineteen Eighty-Four
Don’t be put off by the vast number of footnotes – it’s just me showing my working, as it were, rather than stating things that it seems I can’t back up.
Needless to say, if anyone has any new evidence on any of the questions raised in the piece, please do get in touch. It can always be updated.