Murrain in The TV Times

 Nigel Kneale's episode of the series Against The Crowd was covered in the ITV listings magazine for the week of broadcast on 27th July, 1975. 

The listing for the episode gave a vague synopsis. This was also accompanied by a box out which had star Bernard Lee interviewed and revealing a fairly bland anecdote about the filming of the episode. "Playing a pig farmer put Bernard Lee off pork - but only temporarily."

The magazine also featured an interview with Kneale, The Funny Side of Being Scared Stiff, written by Alix Coleman for the regular Inside TV column. I'm particularly fond of the photograph of Kneale with two of his pet cats...

Spotlight - Nicholas Palmer (producer Murrain and Beasts)

 Nicholas Palmer was born on October 19^th, 1937 in London and gained experience as a theatre manager before successfully applying to become an assistant floor manager at Associated Television (ATV). In this role he learnt the technical side of television play production which he would use to inform his later scriptwriting. Palmer was only twenty one when he adapted the Noel Coward play ‘Private Lives’ for ITV Television Playhouse (16^th January 1959). It was, and still is, quite an achievement to have your name on a popular, prime time TV production as a writer at such a young age. ATV deemed the play enough of a success to give Palmer another project and the result was the ITV Play of the Week – ‘A Man Involved’ (8^th December 1959), adapted from the novel by Edward Grierson. Further script credits during this period include ‘The Jason Group’ (3^rd January 1961), a business drama for the ITV Play of the Week strand. This was later adapted by Palmer for a stage version which was produced by Farnham Repertory Company in September 1962.

On strength of these commissions Palmer acquired an agent, H M Tennent, and was given a two year contract. His first role with an agent was as script editor and script doctor for the crime drama Ghost Squad. The series, partially inspired by the book of the same name by John Gosling[1], detailed the squad’s work on cases that normally fell outside the normal scope of work. The series, a co-production between ATV, ITC Entertainment and the Rank Organisation, ran for three seasons between September 1961 and May 1964. The production of the series set a template for future ITC programmes; it was the first programme the company made that would fit a sixty minute slot, featured an American actor in the cast to encourage international sales and was the first series shot on 35mm film. In between work on Ghost Squad Palmer also supplied scripts to other series including an episode for the police drama No Hiding Place – ‘Date For Deception’ (4^th December 1962).

After the final season of Ghost Squad Palmer elected to go freelance and submitted a script to the drama series The Sullavan Brothers – ‘A Plea For Provocation’ (31^st October 1964) which featured future ‘During Barty’s Party’ actor Anthony Bate in the cast. Palmer also supplied the first of three scripts to the drama anthology Love Story starting with ‘The Rainbow Man’ (5^th May 1964) which featured Jane Asher, later to star in Nigel Kneale’s seminal The Stone Tape, in an early lead role. His second submission to the series was the episode ‘Pinkie’ (19^th September 1966). His final script was ‘Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind’ (10^th August 1967), the story of a holiday romance.

During 1965 Palmer also had a script for the BBC Sherlock Holmes series starring Douglas Wilmer as Holmes and Nigel Stock as Doctor Watson. Palmer had adapted the story ‘The Beryl Coronet’ (10^th April 1965), the first time the story had been filmed since the silent cinema era, and this version is considered a highlight of the Wilmer TV series. Palmer’s script was later adapted for a six episode West German TV iteration of Sherlock Holmes. His script, ‘Das Beryll-Diadem’ (11^th February 1968), was produced by the German company Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) and featured Eric Schellow as Sherlock Holmes and Paul Edwin Roth as Doctor Watson. The series was technically a remake of the 1964 BBC series with scripts for this series by Palmer and a group of other British TV scriptwriters including Giles Cooper, Vincent Tilsey and Anthony Read. The scripts were translated and adapted by a group of German writers before filming commenced.

Back at ATV Palmer was heavily involved with the production of the new Ted Willis creation Virgin of the Secret Service, starring Clinton Greyn as Captain Robert Virgin, an Edwardian version of James Bond for the small screen. Virgin travelled the globe fighting enemies of The British Empire with his loyal batman Fred Doublett played by John Cater. All heroes need a nemesis and Virgin’s was the evil Von Brauner and his equally dastardly aide Strieback. Palmer was given the task of not only launching the series with his script ‘Dark Deeds of the North West Frontier’ (28^th March 1968) but also undertaking the role of script editor in an official capacity for the first time. He also wrote a second script, ‘The Professor Goes West’ (13^th June 1968), before the series ended for good a week later.

Palmer’s next script was an episode of the offbeat ITC action adventure series Strange Report which starred Anthony Quayle as Adam Strange, a retired Scotland Yard criminologist who investigates bizarre occurrences and mysteries in the midst of Swinging Sixties London. Strange is aided by two young sidekicks; Hamlyn Gynt portrayed by Kaz Garas and Evelyn McLean played by a post-Doctor Who Anneke Wills. Palmer wrote the episode ‘Report 7931: Sniper – When Is Your Cousin Not?’ (14^th December 1969). Palmer had recently been promoted by ATV to the role of producer and was engaged to oversee the production of the first season of the police procedural drama Fraud Squad. Created by Ivor Jay, script editor for Coronation Street, the series followed the work of Detective Inspector Gamble (Patrick O’Connell) and Detective Sergeant Vicky Hicks (Joanna Van Gyseghem) who investigated tricksters and fraudsters in all levels of society. The series is historically notable for being one of the earliest TV dramas to have a female police officer in a lead capacity. The first season ran for thirteen episodes and was transmitted between 20^th May 1969 and 12^th August 1969. A second season, with Palmer again on script editing duties, was broadcast 19^th September 1970 to 12^th December 1970.

Palmer’s next producer role was Suspicion, an umbrella title for themed anthology drama, which ran for nine episodes between 23^rd November 1971 and 25^th January 1972. ‘Murrain’ actor Marjorie Yates would feature in the first episode, ‘Plain Jane’ (23^rd November 1971) whilst Bernard Horsfall, later to feature in the Beasts episode ‘The Dummy’, appeared in the second episode, ‘Off Season’ (30^th November 1971). Episode three, ‘I’ll Go Along With That’ (7^th December 1971), had Anthony Bate. With so many actors later to feature in Beasts featuring in Palmer’s work it was evident that he was making notes for any future projects requiring his casting input.

Palmer penned ‘Reunion’ (8^th July 1972) and ‘Crossfire’ (21^st July 1973), episodes of the popular police drama New Scotland Yard, before entering one of his busiest work periods as he juggled producer assignments with script editing duties on several productions. As a producer Palmer was charged with overseeing an instalment of Late Night Theatre – ‘We’re Strangers Here’ (1^st August 1973), written by Eric Chappell who would later create the sitcom Rising Damp. He then produced a further season of the drama anthology Love Story with notable episodes including ‘Walter’ (20^th November 1973) directed by Richard Bramall who would later direct the technically challenging Beasts episode ‘Special Offer’. ‘As You Were’ (18^th December 1973) was directed by Piers Haggard who had directed the British folk horror film Blood On Satan’s Claw (1971) and later the final Quatermass (1979) TV series.

At the same time as being the producer to the above shows Palmer was also employed as the script editor of a new ATV police drama, Hunter’s Walk. During this period Palmer forged working relationships with several people who would go on to work on ‘Murrain’ and Beasts including actor David Simeon and director / producer John Cooper. The first season of Hunter’s Walk ran for thirteen episodes transmitted between June and August 1973. A second season of another thirteen episodes was broadcast April to July 1974. Palmer would also script two episodes of the first season; ‘Outcast’ (18^th June 1973) and ‘Vanishing Trick’ (1^st July 1973).

During 1973 Palmer was appointed the Single Plays Producer for ATV and in this role he would commission writers and oversee the production of many stand-alone productions and instalments of anthology strands such as Beasts. His next credit as a producer was for an episode of The ITV Play – ‘Mary, Mary’ (8^th April 1974) featuring an early role for the actor Nigel Havers. Written by Susan Pleat the play attempted to offer a sympathetic look at a woman who snatches babies. A further producer credit was for the one-off production They Disappear When They Lie Down (11^th June 1974) which featured future Professionals star Lewis Collins in an early TV role. More single play producer credits followed including ITV Sunday Night Theatre – ‘Willy’ (3^rd June 1973) which provided roles for Paul Copley and Anna Massey, ITV Sunday Night Theatre – ‘Hopcraft into Europe’ (23^rd September 1973) which cast Arthur Lowe and Clive Revill and ITV Sunday Night Drama – ‘Harry Lifters’ (17^th November 1974) amongst others. One of the notable single plays Palmer produced during this period was Comets Among The Stars (10^th December 1974) about Professor J J R Macleod and Frederick Grant Banting who won the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1923 for their work on insulin. Ralph Richardson and Nigel Havers starred.

Piano Smashers of the Golden Sun (2^nd July 1974) was a one-off feature length drama produced by Palmer and scripted by Willis Hall. The Golden Sun of the title was a pub situated between a modern high rise block and a slum area which ran an annual piano smashing competition. One of Palmer’s most high profile and notable projects for 1975 was to serve as producer on all seven episodes of Against the Crowd, an umbrella title for a themed series of individual plays. The series would provide a varied output around the theme of the one against the many, of which ‘Murrain’ was one, from an eclectic mix of writers and directors. Palmer himself penned the opening episode, ‘Tell It to the Chancellor’ (13^th July 1975), whilst other writers included Fay Wheldon with ‘Poor Baby’ (20^th July 1975) and Kinglsey Amis with ‘We Are Guilty’ (17^th August 1975).  Palmer’s most notable producer credit for 1975 has to be the play Jenny Can’t Work Any Faster (8^th December 1975) which starred Pauline Quirke as a young autistic girl. This role would directly lead to Quirke being cast in the Beasts episode ‘Special Offer’. Palmer also had a play he had written produced for the theatre during the year. The farce How It Can Ruin Your Health was staged the Westcliffe Palace theatre during February 1975.

Palmer’s first transmitted credit for 1976, although it was filmed way back in December 1974, was an ITV Sunday Night Drama instalment – ‘Afternoon Dancing’ (28^th March 1976) telling the story of two old ladies who go dancing each week and what happens after one of them dies. This was followed by a couple on one-off dramas; ‘Barney’s Last Battle’ (2^nd May 1976) written by Ted Willis and ‘Chicken’ (29^th August 1976) starring the superlative Ian Bannen as Keith Morse, a business man known as “the butcher” after making 5000 men redundant. However, his major work for the year was Beasts with all six episodes filled with actors and technicians Palmer previously worked with and trusted. Post-Beasts Nicholas had a producer credit on ‘Two Stars for Comfort’ (6^th June 1977) written by Rumpole of the Bailey creator John Mortimer to mark the Queen’s silver jubilee. Kenneth More and Judy Parfitt starred. Nicholas was also the producer on two episodes of The Sunday Drama strand. ‘Why Here?’[2] (7^th August 1977) was the story of group of people with learning difficulties who set up home in a suburban street and how this impacts on the neighbours. The other Sunday Drama episode was ‘Blue Skies from Now On’ (20^th November 1977).

 The following year Palmer returned to script writing and wrote a single episode of the anthology series Scorpio Tales, ‘Crimes of Persuasion’ (27^th May 1978), directed by Shaun O’Riordan and starring Anthony Bate as a MP who intends to reintroduce the death penalty in a dark tale of revenge. This was followed by Heartland, a series of single plays around the theme of romance, which ran for two seasons during 1979 and 1980. Palmer also produced the intriguing sounding ‘Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind’ (19^th May 1981) for the ITV Playhouse drama anthology. The play, written by Brian Phelan, featured a production assistant returning from having worked on a documentary about Sowetto. When the editing begins the production assistant finds it has a strange effect on her.  

For the remainder of his career Palmer tended to concentrate on one-off dramas rather than instalments of umbrella titled anthologies of plays. His credits include The Balance of Nature (14^th August 1983), On the Shelf (1984) and the ill-conceived bizarre science fiction themed musical, Facelift (8^th April 1984), starring Martin Shaw. One of the more fondly recalled productions of Palmer’s later career is Connie made by Central Independent Television. Palmer produced the Stephanie Beacham starring series set in the world of the Midlands clothing industry which ran for thirteen episodes during the summer of 1985. The programme was a satire on the excesses of the 1980s created by Ron Hutchinson. The theme song, written by the playwright Willy Russell (yes he really did!), was sung by Rebecca Storm and reached the giddy heights of number twenty two in the UK charts. The anti-Thatcherite tone of the series reflected Palmer’s own political beliefs.

His final transmitted work as a script writer was an episode of the thriller anthology Unnatural Causes. Palmer was reunited with his ‘Murrain’ and Beasts colleague John Cooper who directed the episode ‘Partner’s (13^th December 1986). As the series producer Palmer also commissioned Nigel Kneale for ‘Ladies Night’ (6^th December 1986), an intriguing play which sees a traditional gentleman’s men club thrown into chaos when women are allowed in during “ladies night.” One member of the club is so incensed by the incursion that he results to murder…

The following year Palmer was again working with Nigel Kneale once more on a one-off drama called Gentry (1987) which starred Roger Daltrey as part of a gang of crooks searching an empty house for the money they hid there years before. His final producer credit was for the one-off drama Made in Spain (20^th June 1989) which told the events of five women arriving in Spain after their husbands are arrested. He was made redundant in 1989 from Central Television though in his final years he was offered a residency at the BBC as a script supervisor for their flagship drama Casualty and acted as an executive producer on the series Chandler and Co (1994 – 1995).

Palmer knew quality writing and was able to help bring to the screen not only some of Nigel Kneale’s greatest work in the field of horror but also commissions which reflected Kneale’s lesser known, earlier social realism work. Palmer was always aware of the viewing public and considered himself as one of the viewer’s when commissioning plays or productions. He was able to often commission without the modern committee style ways of making drama we see in modern television and so was able to take creative risks – “he was own executive, assistant, associate and producer, as well as story editor, and could keep the time short between commission and production.”[3]

Palmer died on 6^th May 1995 at the relative young age of only fifty seven, possibly from the impact of diabetes on his general health and well-being. He was married twice and was the father of two daughters.

---

[1] Gosling was a retired police officer and ex-member of the real life squad

[2] ITV’s entry for the 1978 Prague Television Festival

[3] Independent Obituary by Roy Battersby, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-nicholas-palmer-1620710.html (accessed 22nd January 2017).

Spotlight - Director John Cooper (Murrain)

 Having looked at the careers of the cast of Murrain we now turn our attention to the production crew who helped to make the episode. First off we look at the career of director and producer John Cooper (sometimes credited as John K Cooper). This is not a definitive list of his credits but instead gives a flavour of the variety of work he had over forty plus years within the industry.

John Cooper was born during 1927 in Edale, Derbyshire and attended New Mills Grammar School. Aged seventeen Cooper joined the BBC working in the sound engineering department in Glasgow before transferring to Manchester and eventually Broadcasting House in London. However, his career was put on hold whilst he completed his National Service with The Royal Air Force. He was demobbed in 1949 and returned to work at the BBC, stationed at Alexandra Palace with the fledgling television services that had been relaunched after being in stasis during the war. Cooper gravitated towards the new medium and ended up as a qualified cameraman.

After serving his time with the BBC Cooper applied to the new independent television broadcasters and by 1955 he was under the employment of ABC as a cameraman. He swiftly made his way up the ranks and became a senior cameraman in 1956 and the following year he was appointed Head of the Camera Department. He became a director in 1958 and worked on a variety of productions including science documentaries, advertising magazines and consumer affairs programmes before he worked on his first drama, Emergency Ward Ten. Cooper would direct around fifty episodes of the twice weekly medical soap opera from 1960 onwards, but also spent three years as the programme’s producer from 1961 until 1963 overseeing over 190 episodes. Following this Cooper would spend a couple of years as a director on some of ATV’s prestige productions starting with four episodes of the second season of the boardroom and business drama The Plane Makers during 1963.

These episodes were followed by three instalments of the Victorian police drama Sergeant Cork and a single episode to the long-running drama anthology series Love Story with ‘I Love, You Love, We Love’ (22^nd September 1964). This saw Patrick Macnee play a lothario who suddenly starts to get visits from the mysterious Umberman (Peter Barkworth) who drops in uninvited at the most inconvenient times to offer his advice on Macnee’s present relationship. Following this Cooper was entrusted with launching a new drama anthology series called Knock on Any Door based on a premise that behind every door there is a story. Creator Ted Willis introduced each episode to the public. The first episode, ‘Dream of the Summer Night’ (2^nd October 1965), gave early roles to Jane Asher and David Collings. Cooper also oversaw the fourth episode, ‘A Paragraph for Mr Blake’ (23^rd October 1965) written by Tom Stoppard.

Knock on Any Door was granted a second season and Cooper returned the direct the first episode and another two episodes of the run. The second season began with ‘Sunday in Prospective’ (7^th May 1966) and Cooper also directed the episode ‘The Ballad of Queenie Swann’ (28^th May 1966) which told in rhyming verse the story of widowed pub landlady Queenie (Billie Whitelaw) and her three suitors Tom (Ewan Hooper), Dick (Donald Morley) and Harry (Denys Graham). The play was written by the veteran Ted Willis who had previously created Dixon of Dock Green. Cooper’s final contribution to the anthology series was the episode ‘A Laugh at the Dark Question’ (11^th June 1966) written by Bruce Stewart who Cooper would later work with on the classic children’s science fiction series Timeslip.

Cooper attained only a single directing credit during 1967. This was an episode of the drama anthology Half Hour Story titled ‘The 45^th Unmarried Mother’ (9^th August 1967), an early script by Fay Weldon. Having successfully completed a run as a producer on Emergency Ward Ten a few years previously Cooper was asked by ATV to take on more work in this area. Honey Lane was a soap opera created by Louis Marks which can be seen as something as a fore runner to Eastenders. Broadcast between 1967 and 1969 the soap was set in an East End market place and followed the everyday lives of a group of Cockney market traders – sounds familiar! The programme was something of a first for ATV as it marked the first use of Elstree Studios’ backlot for filming of the market scenes. This is a strange coincidence as the same backlot is now used as the set for Eastenders! The programme was devised by Louis Marks who was also the series editor and contributed early scripts. The exterior market was designed by Tony Waller (another future Beasts crew member). Cooper was drafted in as a relief producer and therefore only dealt with a handful of episodes. These included the first episode of the second season, ‘The Initiation’ (28^th December 1967), and two later episodes of the same season; ‘The Matchmakers’ (1^st February 1968) and ‘Some of My Best Friends Are…’ (29^th February 1968). He would return as a producer for the soap for a single episode later in the run transmitted on 25^th March 1969. The episode does not have a title.

His next directing assignment was a return to the anthology programme Love Story. Cooper directed the respected actor Andre Morell as Reverend Roderick Ordway in the eighth series episode ‘Ensign to the Cannon Proud’ (9^th April 1969). His next job for ATV was to serve as the producer on the drama anthology series Happy Ever After which ran for two seasons during 1969 and 1970. Cooper oversaw the entire first season, transmitted between November 1969 and January 1970 as well as the second season transmitted between November and December 1970. The show was the first production to be made in colour at ATV’s Elstree Studios and Cooper was given the role due to his technical expertise with cameras.

His next project is the one that Cooper is most renowned for. Timeslip has left an enduring impression on the young viewers who first saw the twenty six episodes of the science fiction series during its initial run between September 1970 and March 1971. Cooper was the producer on the entire run and also directed the first story, ‘The Wrong End of Time’, which was broadcast in six episodes between 28^th September 1970 and 2^nd November 1970. His next producer credit was for the ‘The Crib’ (26^th December 1971), a contribution to the ITV Sunday Night Drama anthology which was directed by Richard Bramall who would later work in the same capacity on the Beasts episode ‘Special Offer’. The play was set in a hospital maternity ward during the Christmas period.

Timeslip star Spencer Banks reunited with Cooper for the children’s espionage adventure series Tightrope (19^th January 1972 to 12^th April 1972). Whilst this was transmitting Cooper also had two directing projects for the offbeat spy series Spyder’s Webb with the episodes ‘Red Admiral’ (3^rd March 1972) and ‘Nobody’s Strawberry Fool’ (31^st March 1972). Cooper’s next assignment was to help bring a clutch of some of the popular ITV sitcoms to the big screen. The trio of sitcoms adapted included For the Love of Ada (1972), Never Mind the Quality: Feel the Width (1973) and Father Dear Father (1973) with Cooper, credited as John K Cooper, on board as a second unit director / assistant director for all three productions.

As a producer for television Cooper launched the ATV police drama Hunter’s Walk. This would also see Cooper’s first professional engagement with the actor David Simeon who he would later cast as the beleaguered veterinarian in ‘Murrain’. Cooper produced and directed the series’ first action packed episode ‘Disturbance’ (4^th June 1973) which featured a story involving a police manhunt for a disturbed and potentially dangerous man. Cooper would produce the rest of the first season, which ran for thirteen episodes, finishing transmission on 26^th August 1973 as well as being in the director’s chair once more for the fifth episode ‘Vanishing Trick’ (1^st July 1973) which was written by Nicholas Palmer who would act as producer on ‘Murrain’ and the entire umbrella series Against The Crowd. 

Cooper was also involved with the Brian Clemens created anthology series Thriller as director on the episode, ‘Possession’ (25^th January 1974). This episode touches on some of the motifs and plot elements often used in Nigel Kneale’s work with a couple renovating their cottage discovering the skeleton of the former owner buried on the cellar. A séance staged to discover how the remains came to be in the cellar uncovers a disturbing answer. Cooper then returned to Hunter’s Walk to produce the second batch of thirteen episodes which ran from 22^nd April 1974 until 22^nd July 1974. He was also the director for the third episode ‘Villain’ (6^th May 1974). A return to Thriller was next with Cooper acting as a line producer on the fourth season from November 1974 to January 1975. Cooper would also direct the episode ‘Murder on the Midnight Express’ (7^th January 1975). Cooper was then assigned to direct ‘Murrain’ by his old colleague Nicholas Palmer. Hunter’s Walk returned for a third and final series during 1976 with another set of thirteen episodes transmitted from 1^st June 1976 to 24^th August 1976. Again Cooper would serve as the producer and also occasionally in a dual producer / director role, this time on the final episode ‘Kicking and Screaming’ (24^th August 1976).

Cottage To Let was a six episode drama produced by Copper who also doubled up as a director / producer on the episode ‘Saving It For Albie’ (2^nd August 1977). The series was anthology series which featured a new set of characters and circumstances but taking place in the same setting of the eponymous cottage. Between 1977 and 1978 Cooper produced and directed on both seasons of the business drama The Foundation. Also in 1977 Cooper was the producer for the first season of the children’s drama series The Paper Lads. Sounding Brass was an ATV comedy drama which featured Brian Glover in the cast with Cooper directing three episodes; ‘H G and the Whit Marches’ (2^nd July 1980), ‘H G and the Hundred Years’ (9^th July 1980) and ‘H G and the Exploding Orange’ (6^th August 1980). Cooper also acted as a producer for the entire series.

On the 1^st January 1982 the ITV network was restructured and ATV, who had faced a constant stream of criticism for its lack of regional output, lost the franchise. Another difficulty the company faced was that both its central office and studio facilities were not based in the Midlands area, but in London. This was a hangover from when the broadcaster had also provided output for the London area in previous decades. To try and head off these issues ATV committed to increasing regional news output as well as outlining plans for a new dedicated production facility based in the Midlands area. The company would also be rebranded as ATV Midlands Ltd to reflect the more regional approach. The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) noted and welcomed these changes and granted ATV the contract on the condition that further changes should be undertaken including the parent company Associated Communications shedding its 49% shareholding in ATV. This would open the door for more local investors to take a shareholding in the broadcasting company. Another recommendation was that the central office for the company should be based in the Midlands area. To demonstrate this change of structure and fresh approach the IBA also insisted that the company should change its name and so Central Television came into being. The new station began transmitting on Friday, 1^st January 1982 and Cooper was on board to help ring the changes.

The first Central presentation[1] Cooper worked on was the drama Diamonds which starred John Stride as Frank Coleman who takes over his father’s diamond business after his death. His business practices soon bring him to conflict with both family and work colleagues. Cooper produced all thirteen episodes of the programme, as well directing nine episodes, which ran for a single season between 9^th September 1981 and 2^nd December 1981.

In 1983 he was employed by ITV broadcast franchise TVS where he produced and directed the UK segments of the short supernatural story anthology Strange But True, a British / Canadian co-production between TVS and the regional Canadian television company Global Network based in Ontario. Each episode was hosted by Barry Morse and contained two stories with one being filmed and set in North America with the other being produced and set in the UK. The series was scripted by Douglas Watkinson from stories sent in by viewers.

He returned to Central and directed three episodes of the children’s drama series Them and Us including the series opener ‘Neighbours’ (26^th September 1985), episode three ‘Firebug’ (10^th October 1985) and episode four ‘Caesar’s Snarl’ (17^th October 1985). He also produced the entire series. Staying with children’s drama Cooper was then assigned to oversee two episodes (9^th and 12^th December 1985) of Murphy’s Mob for the fourth season of the popular football themed children’s drama. He returned to the world of adult drama by directing ‘Partners’ (13^th December 1986), an episode of the themed anthology production Unnatural Causes which was a series of seven stories concerning death by unnatural means. The production would see Cooper once more reunited with producer Nicholas Palmer who had also written the script for the episode. It was then back to children’s drama the following year as Cooper contributed towards two episodes of Y.E.S. This was a drama centred around an information service, Youth Enquiry Service, which was run by teenagers for teenagers. Cooper’s episodes were ‘Bad Luck Man’ (4^th March 1987) and ‘Hook Line and Sinker’ (11^th March 1987).

After nearly forty years in the business Cooper’s final piece of direction was after he had retired from Central Television. Worlds Beyond was a half hour supernatural anthology series produced by the independent production company Brent Walker with an eye on both the American and European TV markets. The series was shot in the UK, with American backing, and actually attracted a very high quality mixture of both British and American stars. The stories, culled from the files of the Society for Psychical Research, were also better than usual coming from such veteran writers as Brian Clemens and Tony Williamson. Sadly the series was delegated to a late night TV broadcast in England which became increasingly sporadic as the run progressed. Cooper’s episode, ‘The Eye of Yemanja’, was written by Brian Clemens and featured Tenniel Evans and Julia Deakin in the cast. Cooper passed away in 2017 aged a respectable 90 years old.

---

[1] Diamonds was transmitted under the new franchise but produced under the old ATV regime

Actor Spotlight - Raymond Platt (Tom Start in Murrain)

 

Amongst Platt’s earliest credits is a role as a schoolboy in the ITV Play of the Week instalment ‘A Touch of the Sun’ (26^th May 1959) which featured esteemed actors Michael Redgrave and Roger Livesey in lead roles. It must have given him a taste for acting as Platt went on to study at RADA, graduating in 1965. Like his fellow ‘Murrain’ co-star, David Neal, Platt was in the 1965 BBC production of Hereward the Wake broadcast from 12^th September to 26^th December 1965. Platt’s character, Arnoul, would feature in three episodes. His next small screen engagement was a return to ITV Play of the Week with the episode ‘Come Laughing Home’ (20^th December 1966), a comedy scripted by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall, which featured Platt in the much more substantial role of Terry Fawcett.

Bernard Lee had appeared in an episode of the anthology series The Gamblers and Platt also appeared in the series in the episode ‘The Bridge’ (21^st December 1967). Platt was credited as a German character called Dieter alongside Brian Cox as an allied soldier called Mickey in a story set during the 1944 Normandy Landings. For the next few years Platt would appear in episodes of comedy series such as Doctor in the House and The Fenn Street Gang with his next notable dramatic role coming in 1973 with The Roses of Eyam (12^th June 1973). Written and directed by Don Taylor (who oversaw the Beasts episodes ‘During Barty’s Party’ and ‘Buddyboy’) this was a BBC play that told the story of Eyam, a Derbyshire village which voluntary quarantined itself during the time of the Black Death. This wasn’t to prevent the plague spreading to the village as it was already infected. They quarantined themselves to stop the plague spreading to nearby settlements and thus sentenced themselves to death with over half of the village succumbing.

Platt’s only appearance in visual media for 1974 was one which has gathered a cult following. The role was Irwin Ingham in the film Little Malcolm and His Struggle against the Eunuchs (1974) which also provided an early role for John Hurt and was based on the play by David Halliwell. After decades of being forgotten the film was resurrected and presented to a new audience thanks to the British Film Institute’s series of Flipside DVD and bluray releases. Platt’s appearance as Tom Start in ‘Murrain’ was his next TV role. Post-‘Murrain’ Platt appeared in an episode of the police drama Hunter’s Walk - ‘Missing’ (3^rd August 1976) which was directed by Richard Bramall (who oversaw the production of the Beasts episode ‘Special Offer’). Platt was reunited with his ‘Murrain’ co-star David Simeon who was also a regular cast member in Hunter’s Walk and appeared in the episode as Detective Constable Mickey Finn.

The Children of the Green Forest, which was transmitted between 13^th November 1977 and 11^th December 1977, was a rare recurring role with Platt seen as the character Daniel in the first four of five episodes. He had no TV or film appearances during 1978 but returned to the small screen portraying Davy, the servant to Shallow in a BBC production of the Royal Shakespeare performance of Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part Two (16^th December 1979). His ‘Murrain’ co-star, David Neal, also featured in the cast as the Archbishop of York.

Roles really began to become very rare for Pratt over the next few years and he made only a few more more appearances on the small screen. The first of these was in episode two of the BBC period drama The Barchester Chronicles (17^th November 1982) in a small role as a clerk. Platt could later be seen in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Measure for Measure which toured between 1983 and 1984 and versions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night during 1985. His next role was in the Pauline Collins / John Alderton starring drama series Forever Green. It was a small role as a photographer in the fifth episode of the first season (25^th March 1989). The final role I have found for Platt is playing an osteopath in ‘William the Great Actor’ (27^th November 1994) an episode of the 1990s BBC television adaptation of Richmal Crompton’s Just William.

Actor Spotlight - John Golightly (Coker in Murrain)

 

Slim in stature and stern faced character actor John Golighty was born in Resolven, a small village in Glamorgan, Wales on 18^th May 1936. After a grammar school education he enrolled at RADA to study acting before graduating in 1964. Whilst at RADA he was involved in semi-professional theatre productions such as a staging of Love for Love, which also featured fellow RADA students Angela Pleasance and David Ryall, and a version of The Restless Heart which also featured Jaqueline Pearce in the cast. 

Also among his peers at RADA was Ian Ogilvy who recalls in his memoir, Once A Saint, that “John Golightly had a strange talent. John had a double-jointed back and could bend himself backwards disconcertingly further than seemed possible. With that in mind, (we) devised a horribly violent scuffle in the jail where John Golightly and I were both prisoners. This entire superfluous-to-the-plot fight ending with me bending John slowly and sadistically over me knee. With him screaming in agony – and when it looked like his back could take no more stress without breaking – John would suddenly let everything go, flopping into an impossibly tight upside-down U shape – and at the same moment a stage manager in the wings snapped a piece of wood with a horrible cracking sound. There were screams from the audience and there was a rumour that somebody had even fainted.”[1]

After graduating Golightly spent time with the Birmingham repertory theatre, working on such productions as Bill Naughton’s All in Good Time staged August 1964, and provincial material such as Sir Thomas More staged at the Nottingham Playhouse during June 1964. He broke into television work with the 1964 BBC tea-time adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel Martin Chuzzlewhit transmitted in thirteen episodes between 19^th January and 12^th April. Golightly played the sick patient character, Mr Lewsome, in five episodes. This was followed with an appearance in the fourth season of the hugely popular BBC police drama Z Cars. Golightly played the character Nob in the episode ‘The Hunch’ (28^th October 1964).

Golightly’s most prestigious role to date was as the character Freddy in the British war film The Heroes of Telemark (1965) starring Kirk Douglas and the last movie directed by the legendary Anthony Mann. The production was based on the true story of Norwegian resistance fighters’ sabotage of a hydro plant which was being used by the Nazis to produce material to manufacture a potential atom bomb. Golightly then undertook the role of Doctor McKeller in the popular medical soap opera Emergency Ward Ten. The character first appeared in the episode transmitted 8^th February 1966 and would appear intermittently throughout the next two years. Golightly then popped up playing Harry Point in the first two episodes of the BBC drama series Lord Raingo – ‘The Offer’ (26^th April 1966) and ‘Power’ (3^rd May 1966). Theatre work for the year included a run of The Rainmaker at the Leicester Phoenix Theatre during June 1966.

Dennis Potter was the writer of ‘Message for Posterity’ (3^rd May 1967), an instalment of the BBC’s prestigious The Wednesday Play. Golightly appears briefly as Karl alongside quality actors as Patrick Magee, Joseph O’Connor and Geoffrey Chater in the lead roles. Six days later Golightly made his final appearance as Doctor McKeller in Emergency Ward Ten when he appeared in the episode ‘Heaven Is A Little Farther’ (9^th May 1967). John also continued with a variety of theatre work during this period with the comedy The Wind in the Sassafras Trees staged at the Belgrade theatre in Coventry during February 1968. With a script by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson the cast also included Frankie Howerd and future Beasts cohort Simon Oates.

John had a key guest role as the French businessman Meitran in ‘A Knife in Your Back’ (25^th April 1968), an episode of the BBC boardroom and business drama Champion House which The Stage described as a “very chilly performance”[2]. ‘Home Sweet Honeycombe’ (13^th May 1968) was an edition of the single drama strand Theatre 625 adapted from the play by Bernard Kops. Golightly had a small supporting role as Bob in a cast that included two young up and coming actors called Michael Crawford and Francesca Annis. Cinema appearance wise Golightly had a small and uncredited role as a ship’s helmsman in the Anglo American co-produced World War Two action picture Attack on the Iron Coast (1968). The film was released in the UK as in a bizarre double bill pairing with The Beatles animated film The Yellow Submarine.

Golightly’s next TV role was in a BBC Two production of Cold Comfort Farm (22^nd June 1968 to 6^th July 1968) based on the novel by Stella Gibson. He featured as the character Charles Fairford in a cast headlined by Fay Compton and Alastair Sim. The production, still preserved in the BBC archives, was produced in colour as part of the launch of colour television transmission on BBC Two. It was considered of enough merit to launch the broadcast of BBC period dramas and literary adaptations on PBS in America. Cold Comfort Farm was therefore transmitted in the USA under the banner title of Masterpiece Theatre on 26^th December 1971. His final role for the year was as Detective Sergeant Milhouse in ‘Obstruction’ (12^th December 1968), an episode of the police series Softly Softly. Stage wise Golightly spent some time in America appearing in the Broadway production of the play Rockefeller and the Red Indians during October 1968.

His TV roles for the start of the 1970s would see Golightly appearing in more fantastical material. He was Mr Hardy in two episodes of the ITV children’s fantasy drama the Ace of Wands adventure ‘The Mind Robbers’ (26^th August 1970 and 9^th September 1970) and he followed this by playing Holden in ‘Sub Smash’ (11^th November 1970), a fan favourite episode of the Gerry Anderson live action series UFO. He made another uncredited film appearance in 1972 with a blink and you’ll miss him spot as a CID police photographer in the classic Alfred Hitchcock horror film Frenzy. Golightly also appeared in the debut episode of the BBC wartime drama Colditz, ‘The Undefeated’ (19^th October 1972), as Captain Ian Masters. Away from the screen he continued to be in demand for theatre productions such as Gymnasium presented at the Greenwich Theatre during August 1972.

1975 would be a busy year for Golightly on television starting with an appearance in an episode of the BBC period drama Churchill’s People entitled ‘The Coming of the Cross’ (13^th January 1975). Next was a small role in an episode of the sublime Public Eye – ‘How About It Frank’ (20^th January 1975). A few months later he could be seen in the BBC crime thriller You’re On Your Own as a character called Rivers in the episode ‘Value For Money’ (5^th March 1975).  His role as Coker in ‘Murrain’ would round off his television appearances for 1975.

Also worth noting is his appearance in the BBC drama anthology, Jubilee. The theme of this anthology strand was that the thirteen episodes would be different plays that reflected the British way of life between 1952 and 1977 to mark twenty-five years of the Queen’s reign. ‘Nanny’s Boy’ (17^th April 1977) saw Golightly featured as Fildes in a cast that also boasted fellow Beasts actor Anthony Bate. His credits for 1978 began with ‘Look after Annie’ (17^th March 1978) an episode of The Professionals which he had a small role as a police officer. He was next seen as Doctor Kenneth in the BBC adaptation of Wuthering Heights transmitted between 24^th September and 22^nd October 1978. His final appearance for the year was as a guest star in the fourth episode of the ITV series Fallen Hero (5^th December 1978). His next acting assignment was as the father who is kidnapped by the forces of time in the very first Sapphire and Steel adventure, unofficially titled ‘Escape through a Crack in Time’. Golightly appeared in episodes one, five and six (10^th July, 24^th July and 26^th July 1979).

John was credited simply as husband in ‘Plumstones’ (10^th September 1984), the very first episode of the cult Channel Four sitcom Chance in a Million, which starred Simon Callow and Brenda Blethyn. Mitch was a vehicle for John Thaw which featured the actor as a newspaper reporter with a conscious and the programme utilised Golightly’s talents three times during its run. In the first episode, ‘Something Private’ (31^st August 1984) he played a small supporting role as Jack. Episode three, ‘Business As Usual’ (14^th September 1984), Golightly supplied the voice of a policeman. Episode six, ‘Squealer’, featured Golightly as Detective Inspector Howlett. Cinema wise Golightly had a very small role as a patrolman in the film 1984 (1984) which adapted George Orwell’s dystopian classic with John Hurt in the role of Winston Smith. He had a guest role in an episode of the Channel Four soap opera Brookside transmitted 9^th April 1985 and followed this with a guest role in an episode of Shine on Harvey Moon called ‘Love Is Blind’ (26^th July 1985) portraying Sergeant Hutchinson.

Golightly can be seen as a colonel in the Tobe Hooper directed box office bomb (it basically bankrupted Cannon Films) Lifeforce (1985) which is highly influenced by the works of Nigel Kneale, especially his Quatermass productions. For the remainder of the decade Golightly became a popular and busy actor in a series of small and supporting roles in a variety of popular series including C.A.T.S. Eyes (‘Hit List’ – 19^th April 1986), The Bretts (‘Revenge Is Sweet’ – 20^th November 1987), The Fear (episode one – 17^th February 1988), Inspector Morse (‘The Sins of the Fathers’ – 10^th January 1990) and London’s Burning (season three, episode four – 21^st October 1990). A particular role of note during this period was when Golightly appeared in the anthology drama series Unnatural Causes episode written by Nigel Kneale. ‘Ladies Night’ (6^th December 1986) told the story of a traditional gentlemen’s club which is thrown into chaos when woman are allowed into the premises for one night. It provokes one member so much that he resorts to murder. The play starred Alfred Burke, Nigel Stock and Ronald Pickup with Golightly supporting the headline actors as the character Greenhow.

As Golightly entered the 1990s his screen roles became sparse after a career that had spanned nearly forty years. His later TV roles included an episode of the rebooted Van Der Valk (‘The Little Rascals’ – 6^th February 1991) as a porter, appearing as Eberhard Jaekal in the fifth episode of the mini-series Selling Hitler (9^th July 1991) and Lovejoy (‘The Highland Fling: Part Two’ – 5^th April 1992) as a hotel manager. He remained active in theatre with one of his more recent credits being in The Remarkable Piety of the Infamous, a play written by Peter Dunne and performed at Barons Court Theatre during May and June 2000. Golightly portrayed the Reaper, a figure that retrieves the souls of poets and playwrights. In 2007 he appeared in the Academy Award nominated short film The Tonto Woman (2007) as a priest.

---

[1] Once A Saint: An Actor’s Memoir by Ian Ogilvy, Hachette UK, 2016

[2] 'Things Happen But Nothing Moves on in This Soap Opera' by Ann Purser, The Stage, Thursday 2^nd May 1968, page 12