Village Green - BBC Saturday Night Theatre - John Montgomery

Saturday Night Theatre was a long-running radio drama strand on BBC Radio 4.

The strand showcased feature-length, middle-brow single plays on Saturday evenings for more than 50 years, having been launched in April 1943. The plays featured in the strand included stage plays, book adaptations and original dramatisations. For most of its history, programmes ran for 90 minutes and were largely entertainment-centred, such as thrillers, comedies and mysteries.

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[dianejablonski]

Adore, these old pieces of a different time! Thank you for continuing to entertain us with life from a simpler, kinder era. 🇺🇸

[TheCrouchingMonkey]

Nice to hear this old stuff, with the accents my grandparents had. Don’t hear that in the Beeb anymore☹️

[jordsupp]

Well that was a play for the times, in these days of growth, growth, growth at any cost and bugger the consequences. A great treat, thanks.

[clivefuller-hale]

Author: John Montgomery
Dramatised by: Lance Sieveking
Producer: Betty Davies
Mary White: Eva Haddon
Mrs. Crabbe: Mary O'Farrell
Mrs. Bangs: Vi Stevens
Michael White: Denys Hawthorne
Lady Edmonds: Barbara Couper
The Vicar: Rolf Lefebvre
Ivo Cockett, Minister of Development: Eric Anderson
Alec Bellman: Derek Blomfield
Hugo Spoon: Preston Lockwood
Mr. Gale: Peter Claughton
Landlord: Peter Pratt
Harold Blain: Leigh Crutchley
Young Jenner: Andrew Irvine
Blessinglon-Smythe: Anthony Hall
Lord Fleet: Arthur Gomez

[roseogrady]

The B B C at it's best before it's decline,

[camelia]

Lovely accents. Good story, thanks for upload

[donwardell]

In England during the 50's there was a brand of film called "Ealing Comodies" always a wonderful cast of characters stop the closure of a steam railway line etc etc. This is an audio version of those "let's make the village a hip spot" movies. In a lull after the exhaustion of the War nothing happened and in the late 50s and early sixties the Country woke up. I thought this play was a delight - old Vicars and shopkeepers looking for the bacon - where I lived was exactly like that. This is also pre-sexual revolution so there's not even a stolen kiss in the bakery. Thank you, this was a delight and gave me a warm feeling- it's an audio cartoon of course but this life style actually existed .

[suewhitburn]

Loved this. Transports you back in time.

[IlonaEDavey]

Outstanding thank you very much had a great laugh x

[valeriejohnson]

😂😂 What a nice twist at the end, that was one smart old lady!😊

[robertennis]

Thank you I really enjoyed this play very good

[wendy]

Superb kept me company on train home Thank You

[christrinder]

Thank you so much for posting Cheston, Radio !
!i, see Arch has been again had his channel cancelled for the 3rd time so please take care to keep yours alive!!!”

[lorenzbroll]

The whole of the BBC is going to go the same way as these plays too!

[clivejones]

A British comedy about developing a new town and the villagers fight against it. Gentle with lots of archetypes. Set post world war 2.

[shanellekay]

Sounds wonderful when people had respect for others

[EBSJones]

Oh, very good. I didn't see that ending coming. So nice to hear such old-fashioned voices again.

[buntyjoy]

Corrupt politicians and complicit media...well who knew

[JoanKentBible]

Thank you poThank you for posting this gem

[Angela-cchd]

Really enjoyed this, sadly this sort of thing happening everywhere these days, its all about greed and profit? Ruining the countryside!