Today is another day of much sport – cricket, and horse racing at Royal Ascot. Elsewhere, Bob Monkhouse introduces Garrison Theatre from H.M.S. Collingwood at Fareham where his guests include Georgia Brown, Bill Maynard and Pat Coombs. Duncan Wood is the producer.
The evening’s play is an adaptation of Terence Rattigan‘s The Browing Version, produced by Campbell Logan. Peter Cushing plays Andrew ‘Crock’ Crocker-Harris, a teacher at an English boys’ school who has reached his final day before he moves on to another school. Joyce Heron plays his wife, Millie, Michael Gwynn her lover Frank Hunter, and Andrew Ray a boy who gives Crock a going-away gift.
The Guardian‘s un-named ‘Radio Critic’ passes judgement on last night’s Buried Treasure and is concerned that although “[t]he handling, the photography, and the live interest of this programme produced by Paul Johnstone were excellent… it might have given the viewer rather more general information about the neolithic people and their general mode of life.” He or she looks forward to the possible opening of the barrow in a year or two but fears that television memories may be short and everyone will have forgotten about it by then. I’d have thought any opening would be a great excuse for another programme.
The independent television contract situation is in something of a turmoil because the ITA has announced that Lord Kemsley, a partner – with Maurice Winnick – in the company which had been awarded the weekend contract for the midlands and the north, has withdrawn. Kemsley wishes not to comment at the moment, but it’s clear that whatever has happened has affected Maurice Winnick‘s standing because the ITA has re-advertised the contract.
Asked to clarify Maurice Winnick’s position, an ITA spokesman is quoted in The Manchester Guardian as saying, “If he wants to, he may apply for the new contract.” Will he? And if not he, then who?