The Mark Two Wife (BBC Drama, Faith Brook)

In drama The Mark Two Wife Anna Mackintosh’s (Faith Brook) uninvited arrival at a swanky party turns the evening on its head. Anna begins acting strangely and soon draws in elderly couple General (David Hutcheson) and Mrs Ritchie (Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies) who feel somewhat out of place at the party. As tales of Anna’s personal tragedy’s grow the rest of the guests start to wonder whether her stories are true or if she is simply hysterical. A young Joanna Lumley was also in the cast as one of the guests.

Reviewing the drama in The Newcastle Journal (Sat 18 Oct 1969) Harry Thompson was unimpressed saying “it was, after the manner of too much TV drama, incoherent, lacking in dramatic form, so that without the introductory moment of explanation from the author and the short period of lucidity at the end one would have been completely at a loss.” Although he did say that Brook’s performance was one of “intense and neurotic distinction.”

One of the BBC’s last Wednesday Plays, broadcast in its final season before it became Play For Today. Repeat broadcast on 16 September 1970.

Cast: Faith Brook as Anna Mackintosh; Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies as Mrs Ritchie; Lillias Walker as Mrs Badanski; Roland Curram as Toby Oath; Maggie McGrath as Mrs Engelfield; Joanna Lumley as Elsie Engelfield; Henry Gilbert as Mr Engelfield; Philip Madoc as Badanski; David Hutcheson as General Ritchie; Alathea Charlton as Dolorea Sweeting; Roger Hammond as Brian Sweeting; David Toohey as The Japanese Waiter

Writer: William Trevor / Director: Philip Saville

UK / BBC-1 (The Wednesday Play) / 1×70 minutes / Broadcast 15 October 1969 at 9.15pm