Stranger on the Shore

[Ian K McLachlan]

I have recently finished watching the programme on BBC2 about Jazz which was great. But what intrigued me the most was when the highlighted Acker Bilk's Stranger on the Shore. Now I well remember this serial...and its followup Stranger in the City. I had heard a rumour that episode two of Shore existed but I was told a number of years ago it didn't. However this JAzz programme showed an introduction to episode 2 plus a clip from what I presume was the series. Now can anyone tell me does this episode exist. Has it been in the archives since 1961 or has it been recently discovered? THanks.

[andrew martin]

Two episodes of "Stranger on the Shore", 2 and 4, exist - I think they probably always have been in the archive because they are unedited off-air recordings with an in-vision announcer on the front.

[H Hartley]

Andrew do you know if a trilogy of plays from the same era exist?
one was called ' Dancers in Mourning '
another one 'ghost story' ....or something like it

[dancers in mourning]

"Dancers in Mourning" was a 6-part serial in 1959, which no longer exists (I think it was the Albert Campion story, which was remade as part of the Peter Davison series in 1990).

I can't find a reference to "Ghost Story" - I assume you don't mean "Ghost Squad". There was "Ghost Sonata" in 1962 (by Strindberg), and also "Ghosts" (Ibsen) the same year - both single plays, the former in March, the latter in January.

[andrew martin]

Not sure how that happened - the above was me...

[H Hartley]

Thanks Andrew. I have since found a ref to it on the IMDB
it was actually ' Death of a Ghost '.
it appears to use the same cast a 'Dancers in mourning'.
So they maybe/ maybe not either the same thing or part of the series?

[andrew martin]

"Death of a Ghost" went out in 6 episodes from June to August 1960 - I assume "Dancers" was successful enough to merit a follow-up dramatisation. It was also remade for the Davison series, in 1989.