Thirty minute thetre query

[John S Miller]

The plays 'a distant chill', 'the waiting room' and 'swamp music' for the BBC were all I believe broadcast under the banner 'thirty minute thetre as late entries to the series.

Does anyone have any further information, or whether these exist?

[John S Miller]

johnsmiller said:

The plays 'a distant chill', 'the waiting room' and 'swamp music' for the BBC were all I believe broadcast under the banner 'thirty minute thetre as late entries to the series.

Does anyone have any further information, or whether these exist?

Thirty minute theatre of course - ignore typo error.

[Andrew Martin]

None of these exist unfortunately.

[John S Miller]

Just to add; from what I recall.

Whilst researching 'Menace' I came across the first two titles in 'Radio times (Oct - Nov 1970); in 1982 - 83.

'A distant chill' was the story of a middle aged couple who install a baby alarm. I believe the synopsis said the alarm began going off inexplicably at unexpected times as a prediction to disasters.

'The waiting room' I believe starred and was written by David Cook. I wondered if this was the same as the presenter for the first series of 'Rainbow'.

This was a character play / human drama about a lonely young man who meets a kindred spirited woman in the waiting room of a train station; the two finding through conversation they share many common experiences.

'Swamp music' ran after a gap, and was not billed on screen as a 'Thirty minute theatre'. I believe it ran after 'In concert ' (Steeleye span) in April 1973.

The play was written by a new writer to TV, a young hippy type lady Snoo Wilson. Billed in 'The Daily Mirror' as featuring some of the musicians normally seen in ITVs 'Rainbow' series, they were seen in a much more serious role as part of 'The Act'; a seven piece progressive rock outfit. The play had 'a series nof events which led to a horrifying ending not for the squeamish'.

I believe it featured Australian actor Ed Devereux, who featured in the film 'Walkabout'. I think he may also have played 'Sonny's Dad in 'Skippy'?

Devereux portrayed the jaded, tired and bored boss of a record company studio auditioning new bands. The character as I recall was slightly obnoxious, bloated, wearing a suit, sweating and continually mopping his brow. I thought the accent adopted was a Yorkshire one.

At the plays opening he was seen dismissing and rejecting yet another run of the mill hopeful musical act. Much of the play showed him sweating mumbling to himself, dashing down corridors. During one such scene he began coughing into a handkerchief, worried, then examining it announcing 'clean as a whistle'. I didn't get it, but the plot apparently outlined him as suffering from a condition, an ulcer or such like.

When 'the Act' arrive and begin to unpack, he suddenly sits up announcing 'Oh, these are really something'. I recall the female vocalist (in a song reminiscent of 'white rabbit' Jefferson airplane); dressed in a flying Nun costume. The rest of the group, like early Genesis, were seated. The lights dipped and swirled around them as the song appeared to become a prediction of fate, with the lyrics running along the bottom of the screen. this was done as a prody of 'Music time', with a dot jumping above the doom laden / sophisticated words. Unseen to the group the Manager suddenly gasps breathless, appearing to suffer a heart attack saying 'Oh no!!' and falling on his back, hidden by the studio console desk, behind which he viewed the group.

BBC visual effects then appeared to have attached a pump to the hidden side of his head, through which a gunge resembling condensed tomato soup was pumped, as if throwing up. This freeze framed into slow (jerky) motion.

The group then left, nonchalent and unreacting. I think after this the next morning the cheerful cleaner enters, talking to the manger before seeing the body hidden fallen on the floor, then screams It was a real oddity. I now view it as the ex musician writers exorcism of anger against the pretension and cynicism of music industry, from her personal experience.

I believe the NFA may have published it on 'wants' at one point.

[John S Miller]

And just to add, I clearly recall, a sort of 'frame advance' effect was used on the gruesome sequence.

The 'music time' dot refers to the singalong white dot that would appear on the old BBC schools programme when words of a song appeared at the bottom of the screen.