Festival was a BBC anthology of single plays offering up adaptations of either of prominent stage plays or novels. The first production was Noel Coward’s Fallen Angels, there was Chekov, Samuel Beckett, Ibsen, James Joyce and Shakespeare.
Casts were also high profile with appearances from Peter Vaughan, Alfred Marks, Donald Sinden, Janet Suzman, Michael Hordern, Billie Whitelaw, Thora Hird, Sheila Hancock, Donald Churchill, Cyril Cusack, Kenneth Griffith, Nigel Stock and Rupert Davies.
In 1980 there was a short 5 play revival of the title and theme for BBC One.
production details
UK / BBC / 32 episodes of varying lengths / Broadcast 9 October 1963 – 10 June 1964
Drama supervisor: Sydney Newman
THE EPISODES
1. FALLEN ANGELS (9 Oct 1963)
2. THE DUEL (16 Oct 1963)
3. I WANT TO GO HOME (23 Oct 1963)
4. STEPHEN D (30 Oct 1963)
5. THE HUMAN VOICE (6 Nov 1963)
6. KRAPP’S LAST TAPE (13 Nov 1963)
7. THE BALD PRIMA DONNA (27 Nov 1963)
8. STALINGRAD (4 Dec 1963)
9. THE FIRE RAISERS (11 Dec 1963)
10. LITTLE EYOLF (18 Dec 1963)
11. THE COMEDY OF ERRORS (1 Jan 1964)
12. THE RESPECTFUL PROSTITUTE (8 Jan 1964)
13. LYSISTRATA (15 Jan 1964)
14. AUGUST FOR THE PEOPLE (22 Jan 1964)
15. TREVOR (5 Feb 1964)
16. THE LADY OF THE CAMELLIAS (12 Feb 1964)
17. SAY NOTHING (19 Feb 1964)
18. THE MASTER OF SANTIAGO (26 Feb 1964)
19. UNDER MILK WOOD (4 Mar 1964)
20. A FLORENTINE TRAGEDY (11 Mar 1964)
21. THE OLD LADY SAYS NO! (18 Mar 1964)
22. MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL (25 Mar 1964)
23. THE INNER WORLD OF MISS VAUGHAN (1 Apr 1964)
24. RING ROUND THE MOON (8 Apr 1964)
25. JUSTIN THYME (15 Apr 1964)
26. JOHN BULL’S OTHER ISLAND (22 Apr 1964)
27. THE LIFE OF GALILEO (29 Apr 1964)
28. THE KEEP (6 May 1964)
29. EVERYMAN (20 May 1964)
30. POLICE (27 May 1964)
31. SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR (3 Jun 1964)
32. BLOOMSDAY (10 Jun 1964)
