''Love from a Stranger'' is the name of two

live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

plays directed by

George More O'Ferrall Edward George More O'Ferrall (4 July 1907 – 18 March 1982) was a pioneering British film and television producer and director, as well as an actor. Biography More O'Ferrall was born in Bristol, England, to an aristocratic Anglo-Irish family. ...

. The plays are based on the 1936 stage

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

of the same name by

Frank Vosper Frank Permain Vosper (15 December 1899, in London – 6 March 1937) was an English actor who appeared in both stage and film roles and a dramatist, playwright and screenwriter. Stage Vosper made his stage debut in 1919 and was best known for pl ...

. In turn, the play was based on the short story "Philomel Cottage", written by

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

. The plays were only broadcast in the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

area as this was the only part of the UK that could receive television transmissions at this time; recordings do not exist. The 1947 version of the Vosper's play was transmitted on Sunday, 25 May 1947, just as the first, live from

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...

, at 8.45pm in a 75-minute broadcast. The performers in this version were Joy Harington and

Henry Oscar Henry Wale (14 July 1891 – 28 December 1969), known professionally as Henry Oscar, was an English stage and film actor. He changed his name and began acting in 1911, having studied under Elsie Fogerty at the Central School of Speech and Drama ...

. The play was broadcast again two days later when the cast and crew repeated their Sunday performance at 3.00pm on Tuesday, 27 May. Three days later BBC Radio broadcast ''

Three Blind Mice "Three Blind Mice" is an English-language nursery rhyme and musical round.I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), p. 306. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number o ...

'' which was later turned into a short story and in 1952 opened as ''

The Mousetrap ''The Mousetrap'' is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. ''The Mousetrap'' opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until 16 March 2020, when the stage performances had to be temporarily discontinued during the COVID-1 ...

'', the longest-running play in stage history.

Main cast

Joy Harington Joy Harington (22 February 1914, London - 22 October 1991, Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the no ...

played Cecily Harrington *

played Bruce Lovell *

Arthur Wontner Arthur Wontner (21 January 1875 – 10 July 1960) was a British actor best known for playing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's master detective Sherlock Holmes in five films from 1931 to 1937. Career Wontner's acting career began on the stage where he ...

played Dr Gribble * Elizabeth Kirkby played Mavis Wilson * William Roderick played Nigel Lawrence * Edna Morris played Louise Garrard * Sam Lysons played Hodgson, the gardener

External links

BFI , Film & TV Database , LOVE FROM A STRANGER (1947)
British Film Institute entry for 1947 transmission * British plays 1947 plays BBC television dramas Plays based on other plays Plays based on short fiction Television shows based on works by Agatha Christie Television articles with incorrect naming style {{1940s-play-stub

Main cast

See also

External links