In one off scifi drama I Can Destroy The Sun a scientist discovers a means of destroying the sun, he uses this knowledge to blackmail the worlds powers into giving up nuclear weapons production.
Similar to the plot of 1950 movie Seven Days to Noon, I Can Destroy The Sun was an early entry in the Armchair Theatre strand and was written by Jimmy Sangster, best known for his horror scripts for Hammer studios.
The thriller element was well to the fore as the identity of the scientist wasn’t revealed until almost the end of the play. John Barron and Maurice Denham had the strongest roles as a foreign office offical and doctor at an observatory. Leslie Sands was Scotland Yard’s Superintendent Travers.
Speaking to the TV Times (12 Oct 1958) Ingram D’Abbes (who came up with the original idea) said that if the sun was destroyed ‘the temperature of Earth would drop to about 500 degrees below zero. Without the sun, Earth would nothing to orbit around, and would just go blinding off into deep space.”
Cast: JOHN BARRON as Henry Walpole; JENNIFER WRIGHT as Mary Harkness; JOHN ROBINSON as Lloyd Crichton; CARMEL McSHARRY as Bella; LESLIE SANDS as Supt Travers; MAURICE DENHAM as Dr Lunn
Writer: Jimmy Sangster / Design: Voytek / Producer: Sydney Newman / Director: Wilfred Eades
UK / ITV – ABC ‘Armchair Theatre’ / 1×65 minutes / 12 October 1958
