OTD in early British television: 28 May 1939
John Wyver writes: The idea of a Sunday evening play from Alexandra Palace was well-established by 28 May 1939 when the schedule was given over to Nicholas Phipps‘ crime drama First Stop North. Charles Hickman’s production, with the author in a key role, had been playing for a week at the King’s Theatre, Hammersmith, and what was clearly a relatively elaborate set, designed by Roger Furse, was de-rigged and re-assembled in less than 24 hours.
Set in a garage north of London that specialises in re-purposing stolen cars, the drama sounds as if it might have been a rare slice of pre-war televisual social realism. ‘E.H.R.’ in the Observer praised it as ‘good entertainment’. The author was celebrated for his contributions to revues, including for television, and in the late 1940s and 1950s, he scripted a run of British film comedies including Doctor in the House (1954), together with three sequels, and The Captain’s Table (1959).
The drama is notable for being one of series played by a repertory company run by Wilson Barrett and Esmond Knight, who also had a role in First Stop North. Presenting 24 plays on a weekly basis between January and July 1939, the venture appears to be been a moderate artistic success, although not an especially profitable one.
[OTD post no. 162; part of a long-running series leading up to the publication of my book Magic Rays of Light: The Early Years of Television in Britain in January 2026.]
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