Leonard Rossiter.com |
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The Life & Career of Leonard Rossiter
Television Performances: 1950s/1960s
A
complete guide to the television performances of Leonard Rossiter in
the 1950s & 1960s.
All
dates are original broadcast/Leonard's first appearance dates.
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Story
Conference
March
1956
Written
by Norman Holland, adapted by Donald Wilson
Produced
by Victor Menzies
Broadcast
on BBC
Leonard played the role of Leo Borowitz
The
Constable's Move
4th
February 1959, 7.30pm
Written
by W. Jacobs, adapted by Donal Giltinan
Directed
by Terence Dudley
Produced
by Peter Dews
Broadcast
on BBC
Part of the series 'The Nightwatchman's Stories'. Co-starred Leslie Dwyer, Esma Cannon
Leonard played the role of Joe Stocks
The
One That Got Away
12th
October 1961
Written
by Berkely Mather
Produced
by Alan Bridges
Broadcast
on BBC
George Lander is determined to keep his prison record secret. When this proves more difficult than he anticipated, his stay outside seems likely to be a great deal shorter than his two years inside.
Leonard played the role of Fenny
Notes: Berkely Mather was co-writer of the screenplay for the James Bond film Dr. No. Co-starred Frank Finlay, Humphrey Heathcote, Glyn owen.
The Intrigue
Monday 12th February
1962, 9.25pm
Written
by Jacques Natanson, trans.. by Mona Andrade, dramatised by Roger
Smith
Produced
by Alan Bridges
Broadcast
on BBC
A womaniser is hired to make love to a rich industrialist's wife, but it all ends in ironic tragedy.
Leonard played the role of Gerard Moustier, the cynical friend of the womaniser, played by Anthony Bate.
Notes:
This was part of a BBC series of plays called 'Studio 4'. The tapes
no longer exist. Also known as 'The Farquhar Connection'. Co-starred
Pauline Yates, 14 years before she starred with Leonard in Reginald
Perrin.
The
Morning After
Friday
16th November 1962
Written
by G. C. Brown
Directed
by John Hale
Broadcast
on ATV
Leonard played the role of Harry.
Z Cars
January to March 1963
Written by John
Hopkins
Directed
by Saun Sutton
Produced
by David Rose
Broadcast
on BBC
A long-running and very popular series about a Merseyside police force and their never-ending battle against crime. The show also let us into the lives of the 'bobbies', and thus became a rare insight into the lives of ordinary working-class families. The series starred Brian Blessed, Stratford Johns and Frank Windsor. The Z Cars of the title were Ford Zephyrs.
Leonard played the sharp, cynical, fast-talking and intimidating Detective Inspector Bamber in eight episodes.
Notes:
The show also starred
Joseph Brady as PC Jock Weir. He was later to star with Leonard again
as Reggie Perrin's filthy, sweaty, unintelligible chef Kenny McBlane
in The
Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin in
1978.
Saun
Sutton later directed Leonard in his very last performance for TV,
The
Life And Death Of King John,
in 1984.
Leonard's Role
Remembered:
"...Like
everyone who worked with him, I was immediately aware of his devotion
to his performance, and his great skill in building it...They soon
noticed how good he was in 'sneaky' parts, and D.I. Bamber became a
very sneaky fellow indeed...He was very different in real life - a
straightforward, no-nonsense man who knew his craft, and expected
others to do the same." - Saun Sutton.
Links:
View
the title sequence
The Buried
Man
Tuesday
12th February 1963
Written
by David Mercer, adapted by G. C. Brown
Directed
by Graham Evans
Broadcast
by Rediffusion
Middle-aged Yorkshire miner Robert Bailey (Rossiter) realises there must be more to life and sets out to find it. His attempts to better himself result in him being treated as a madman. His stresses and frustration build up until, eventually, he suffers a breakdown.
Leonard played the lead role of Robert Bailey.
Notes: This was Leonard's first starring role on television, but it only came about because the original choice fell ill, and the part had to be quickly re-cast. The tapes no longer exist.
Leonard's Role
Remembered:
"...I
recall the time when those of us recording television plays regarded
him as a 'straight' actor, capable of giving extremely good
performances in dramatic roles...We regarded him so highly that it
was felt he would bring something exciting to the part - and he
did..." - Cecil Clarke
Walk
In Fear
6th
May 1963, 9.25pm
Written
by John Wilkie
Produced
by Patrick Dromgoole
Broadcast
by BBC, part of the 'Suspense' TV series
Office clerk Alan Treece (Rossiter) is acquitted of a murder, but the victim's family and colleagues still believe him to be guilty. He finally cracks under the strain of running from them every day.
Co-starred Ann Firbank, June Barrie, Kathleen Michael
Leonard played the lead role of Alan Treece.
The
Story Of A Farm Girl
1st
August 1963
Written
by Guy de Mauppasant, dramatised by Doris Lessing
Directed by Silvio
Narizzano
Produced
by Philip Mackie
Broadcast
by Granada Television
The farm girl of the title finds love, and then loses it. For consolation, she turns to a sullen farmer (Rossiter)
Leonard played Emile Vallin, a farmer.
Notes: Part of a series
of plays by Guy de Mauppasant.
The
Fruit At The Bottom Of The Bowl
Thursday
8th August 1963
Written
by Ray Bradbury, adapted by Ilona Ference
Directed
by John Hale
Broadcast
by ATV
A careless murderer (Rossiter) contemplates his crime.
Leonard played the lead role of William Acton
It's
All Lovely
22nd
December 1963, 9pm
Written
by David Proudfoot
Directed
by Peter Graham Scott
Produced
by John Elliott
Broadcast
by BBC
Shown in the series 'First Night'. Starred Tony Tanner, Sally Smith, Dilys Laye and Duncan MacRae.
Leonard played the role of Sammy Love
The Avengers
(episode:
Dressed To Kill)
Saturday 28th December
1963
Written
by Brian Clemens
Directed
by Bill Bain
Produced
by John Bryce
Broadcast
by ITV
Steed (Patrick MacNee) bids to buy a plot of land near a national defence radar station. During a New Year's Eve fancy dress party on a train, on which other prospective buyers are aboard, the train is halted at an abandoned station and murders commence. Fellow party-goers are played by John Junkin, Alexander Davion, Richard Leech, Anneke Wills and Anthea Windham.
Leonard played the
role of Robin Hood (in the credits). His character is businessman
Billy Cavendish.
Watch
a clip or buy the DVD
Links:
The
Avengers Forever
Steptoe And
Son (episode:
The Lead Man Cometh)
Tuesday
21st January 1964, 8pm
Written
by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson
Produced
by Duncan Wood
Broadcast
by BBC
A pious Welshman (Rossiter) offers the two scrap dealers a ton of lead at a knock-down price. Harold jumps at the chance, although his father Albert is more wary. And with good reason, as it transpires the lead has come off their own roof.
Leonard played the
seller of the lead, Welsh Hughie.
Watch
a clip or buy the DVD
Notes:
This was the first of
Leonard's two appearances in this classic BBC comedy. He later
appeared in the episode The
Desperate Hours in
April 1972. This episode was later re-recorded for radio
broadcast.
This episode, when
repeated on Thursday October 15th 1964, was broadcast later than
scheduled. Steptoe & Son was enjoying viewing figures of 10m+ at
the time, and as it was General Election day, the episode was thought
to be too strong a reason for the voting public to stop in rather
than go to the polls, so it was delayed until after the polls had
closed.
Leonard's Role
Remembered:
"Leonard
was a great audience. There is nothing more endearing to a comedy
writer than an actor who laughs with great relish at the first
read-through." - Ray Galton & Alan Simpson
"He wished he
could have worked more with Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, the writers
of Steptoe and Son, and Hancock. You can almost envisage Leonard in a
Hancock-type role." - Mark Lewisohn, author RadioTimes Guide To
TV Comedy.
Links:
Internet
Movie Database
Albert
& Harold
Flight
From Reality
Monday
13th April 1964
Written
by Leo Lehman
Directed
by John Hale
Broadcast
by ATV
Part of th 'Play of the Week' strand. Co-starred Annette Crosbie, William Lucas, Richard Leech
Leonard played the role of Patrick
Justin
Thyme
Wednesday
15th April 1964, 9.45pm
Written
by John Bluthal, Robert Fuest and Joe McGrath
Directed
by Joe McGrath
Produced
by Peter Luke
Broadcast
by BBC
Leonard played the role of Daudet
Notes:
Joe McGrath was to direct
Leonard again in The
Losers in
1978, and in the Rising
Damp movie in
1980.
Broadcast
as part of the 'Festival' series of plays. Only a small extract
remains on tape.
Beggars
And Choosers
Tuesday
7th July 1964
Written
by Douglas Livingstone
Directed
by Eric Price
Produced
by Stella Richman
Broadcast
by ATV
A long-time bachelor Sergeant (Rossiter) falls in love with a NAAFI girl (Avril Elgar).
Leonard played the role of Sergeant 'Tubby' Watson.
Notes: This was a play in ATV's Love Story series. The tapes no longer exist.
Not
So Much A Programme, More A Way Of Life
November
1964
Written
by various contributors
Produced
by Ned Sherrin
Broadcast
by BBC
A topical, satirical sketch show in the vein of the classic That Was The Week That Was, broadcast from 13th November 1964 to 11th April 1965
Leonard played various roles in a number of sketches in the first series.
The
House Of Glass
1964
(not broadcast)
Written
by Mike Watts
Directed
by Michael Currer-Briggs
(Planned)
Broadcast by Rediffusion
A play set in an Army detention centre, highlighting the prejudices and stresses of the Army. Co-starred Douglas Livingstone, Bill Owen and Bryan Marshall.
Leonard played the role of Sgt. Golto, a tough, senior prison officer who had a particular hatred for conscientious objectors.
Notes: This play was never broadcast. This was rumoured to be because it showed the Army in a bad light and, at the time, the Army were actively advertising on Rediffusion's channel.
Leonard's Role
Remembered:
"Len
had a very good ability to switch on and off very quickly...Somewhere
on a spool of tape there's a wonderful and very different performance
of Len's that has never been seen." - Douglas Livingstone
(pictured).
Celebration
Thursday 4th March
1965, 9.15pm, BBC2
Written
by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall
Directed
by Mary Ridge
Produced
by Bernard Hepton
Broadcast
by BBC
A television adaptaton of Waterhouse and Hall's successful stage play about a family attending a wedding and, six months later, a funeral. Co-starred Trevor Bannister, Angela Crowe, Bert Palmer.
Leonard played the role of Frank Broadbent.
Notes:
Waterhouse and Hall also
wrote the screenplay for Leonard's films A
Kind Of Loving and
Billy
Liar
Broadcast
as part of the 'Thursday Theatre' series of plays. The tapes no
longer exist.
Cluff
(episode:
The Fire Raiser)
Saturday
19th June 1965, 9.05pm, BBC1
Written
by Gil North
Directed
and Produced by Terence Dudley
Broadcast
by BBC
One of six 50-minute stories of a rural Yorkshire policeman on his beat. Co-starred Jack Smethurst, Michael Bates, John Rolfe
Leonard played the role of Wilkie in this episode.
Notes: The lead role of Cluff was played by Leslie Sands, who starred with Leonard again in 1978 as Thruxton Appleby, one of Reggie Perrin's guests at his community in the third series of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.
Between
The Two Of Us
Monday
19th July 1965
Written
by Rhys Adrian
Directed
by Graham Evans
Produced
by Cecil Clarke
Broadcast
by ATV
A play abot two lonely people (Rossiter and Angela Crowe, pictured) who cannot meet without bickering and arguing.
Leonard played the role of The Man - a dull, colourless person who longs for friendship but is incapable of it.
Leonard's Role
Remembered:
"He
brought an eccentricity to the role - the sort of eccentricity you
find in ordinary people - and did it so well that he didn't seem to
be acting at all." - Rhys Adrian
Critical Review:
"...What the play
certainly did
provide was the
opportunity for some brilliant acting by Leonard Rossiter as the man
whose embarrassment was transferred from him to us with painful
accuracy." - Gerald Lamer, The
Guardian.
BBC-3
Saturdays 2nd October
1965 - 16th April 1966, 10.25pm
Written
by various writers
Directed
by Ned Sherrin and Darrol Blake
Produced
by Ned Sherrin
Broadcast
by BBC
A series of sketches, songs, stand-up routines and live discussion, featuring such luminaries as John Bird, John Fortune, Bill Oddie, Dennis Norden and Alan Bennett. It ran to 24 episodes.
Leonard played various characters in episodes on October 16th and 30th 1965. In the latter episode, Leonard played Groucho Marx in a sketch about Groucho's papers going to the Library Of Congress (Bill Oddie played Chico and David Battley played Harpo). Also in this episode, Leonard played the 'Grand Wizard of the East Midlands branch of the Ku Klux Klan'.
Notes: On November 13th 1965, BBC-3 became the first programme to use the F-word on British television, during an interview with theatre critic Kenneth Tynan. Despite a 10.30pm slot, it still caused a huge outrage at the time.
Links:
Internet
Movie Database
Redcap
(episode: Epitaph For A
Sweat)
31st October 1965
Written by Richard
Harris
Directed
by Peter Graham Scott
Produced
by John Bryce
A crime drama series starring Diana Rigg and John Thaw (pictured, pre-The Sweeney and Inspector Morse) as Royal Military Police officer Sgt. John Mann, working in the Special Investigations Branch.
Leonard played the role of Sergeant Rolfe
Notes: This episode also featured John Horsley, 12 years before he played Reggie Perrin's Doc Morrissey. It also starred Ian McShane and future Blue Peter presenter John Noakes.
Links:
Internet
Movie Database
|
Mr. Fowlds
Monday 15th November
1965
Written
by John Bowen
Directed
by Vivian Matalon
Produced
by Cecil Clarke
Broadcast
by ATV
A man (Rossiter) visits a young lad (David Cook, pictured) in prison in an effort to help him back onto the straight and narrow, but ends up in prison himself after blackmailing and robbing the supermarket where he works. He uses the alter ego 'Mr. Fowlds'.
Leonard played the Mr. Fowlds of the title.
Leonard's Role
Remembered:
"It
was a part tailor-made for Len, inasmuch as he could bring to such a
fantasising and fantastic character an absolute conviction and
truthfulness of playing...Later, his comedy technique was always
based on consistency and conviction." - John Bowen
Dr. Knock
4th September 1966,
BBC2, 7.25pm
Written
by Jules Romains, transl. by Harley Granville Barker
Directed by Herbert
Wise
Produced
by Cedric Messina
Broadcast
by BBC
Part of the 'Theatre 625' strand
A TV adaptation of the classic French play by Jules Romains, this was a tale of mass hypochondria as a Doctor (Rossiter) uses pseudo-medical knowledge to persuade a whole community that they are suffering from all sorts of illnesses. The Radio Times from the week of its broadcast writes: "The hero, Dr. Knock (Rossiter), is nothing less than a medical revolutionary, and he has a remarkable effect on his patients. When he comes to take over the rather unprofitable country practice of Dr. Parpalaid (John Le Mesurier, pictured), he looks just like another, albeit slightly mysterious, doctor. But he holds the shattering belief that every patient has a right to illness; that no one, not a single human being, is totally healthy. In no time at all Dr. Knock has an epidemic of hypochondria on his very willing hands; his number of patients doubles, then quadruples as the abnormally healthy rustics discover the delights of medical jargon, complex treatments, learned prognoses and the immense - and so far unrealised - possibilities for interesting disease in their own bodies." It co-starred Mavis Villiers, Jimmy Gardner, James Grout, Robert Gillespie, Pat Nye and Dilys Watling.
Notes: All copies of this performance were thought lost until September 2010 when a researcher in the Washington DC Library of Congress found it amongst many other plays which had been broadcast by PBS in the USA. The tapes are now with the BFI in London. News story.
Leonard played the role of Dr. Knock.
Critical Review:
"He expounded Dr.
Knock's theories of medicine in a voice as bland and soothing
as glycerine and honey, and made his diagnoses with superb
self-confidence." - Sylvia Clayton, Daily
Telegraph.
"Leonard
Rossiter... creates a magnetic portrait of the scheming quack."
- Radio
Times.
Links:
Internet
Movie Database
Semi-Detached
Sunday 1st May 1966,
9.05pm, BBC2
Written
by David Turner
Directed
by Gilchrist Calder
Produced
by Cedric Messina
Broadcast
by BBC
One of Leonard's great theatre performances brought to television, Semi-Detached has a special section on this web site.
Death
Is A Good Living
Sundays
22nd May - 12th June 1966, 7.25pm, BBC2
Written
by Philip Jones (novel), adapted by Brian Degas and Tudor Gates
Directed by Gerald
Blake
Produced
by Alan Bromly
Broadcast
by BBC
A thriller in four parts, concerning an assassin for hire. Co-starred Henry Gilbert, Michael Godfrey, Jack May.
Leonard played the assassin, Norman Lynch
Leonard's Role
Remembered:
"He
was a joy to work with...he kept the whole unit laughing with his
off-the-set jokes and pranks...As an actor he was utterly meticulous.
He planned out every minute detail of his performance...that was
Len's style of work - making his acting look ad lib and impromptu
whereas he had put in a tremendous amount of care and effort and
intellectuality." - Gerald Blake.
The
Devil's Eggshell
Tuesday
28th June 1966, 8pm, BBC1
Written
by David Weir, idea by Alex Comfort
Directed
by Gareth Davies
Produced
by Cedric Messina
Broadcast
by BBC
A group of scientists decide to fool the government into thinking that a collection of strange eggs found at the scene of various disasters are actually of extra-terrestrial origin. One of the BBC's 'Play Of The Month' series, it also starred Keith Barron, Michael Culver and Burt Kwouk, who later appeared with Leonard in The Pink Panther Strikes Again.
Leonard played the role of the Prime Minister.
Links:
Internet
Movie Database
Taste
Wednesday
4th January 1967, 8.35pm - BBC2
Written
by Roald Dahl
Directed
by John Glenister
Produced
by Graeme McDonald
Broadcast
by BBC
Adaptation of the short story by Roald Dahl in which a wealthy stockbroker (Rossiter) wagers with an annoying dinner companion (Donald Pleasance, pictured) that he could never guess the precise origin of a bottle of his wine. He reluctantly agrees to offer his daughter's hand in marriage as a prize. The man does place the French vineyard from which the wine came, but is revealed to have cheated.
Leonard played the wealthy stockbroker Mike Schofield.
Notes: Shown as part of the 'Thirty Minute Theatre' series of plays. The tapes no longer exist.
Links:
Roald
Dahl web site
Saturday
28th
January 1967, 9.05pm –
BBC2
An Entertainment programme about why people go to the theatre in England today as seen through the eyes of Frank Hauser and the Oxford Playhouse Company.
Leonard was an interviewed guest, along with Ken Dodd, Judi Dench, Lindsay Kemp, James Grout, Leo McKern and Alan Dobie.
The Revenue
Men (episode:
The Benefactor)
Tuesday
9th May 1967, 8.05pm - BBC2
Written
by John Pennington
Directed
by Richard Argent
Produced
by Gerard Glaister
Broadcast
by BBC
A BBC2 crime drama series following the work of a team of Customs & Excise men. It starred Ewan Solon and James Grant.
This
episode: Easy
money is the usual lure In smuggling. But there can be other motives;
as Smith and McInnes discover when they dig into the past of a man
who seems to have everything money can buy.
The tapes no
longer exist.
Leonard played a character called Ormerod in this episode.
Drums
Along The Avon
Wednesday
24th May 1967, 9.05pm - BBC1
Written
by Charles Wood
Directed
by James MacTaggart
Produced
by Tony Garnett
Broadcast
by BBC
A play about race relations in Bristol. Filmed in a documentary- style, with characters talking straight-to-camera, it is often regarded as one of the key television productions of the 1960s.
Leonard played Mr. Marcus, a white liberal crank, promoting racial harmony by 'becoming' a Sikh and a Muslim. Co-starred June Barrie, Norman Beaton, Anita Mall.
Critical Review:
"Leonard
Rossiter, in the role of the black-faced coon who becomes a Sikh only
to find that integration is not just a matter of sentiment and vague
benevolence, gave a briliantly-sustained performance." - Stuart
Hood, The
Spectator.
Notes:
Broadcast as part of 'The Wednesday Play' series of dramas.
Goodbye,
That's All
Saturday
30th September, 1967, 11pm - BBC1
Written
by Dennis Woolf
Directed
and Produced by John Robins
Broadcast
by BBC
Leonard played the role of 'Man'.
Part of the series 'Out Of Town Theatre'. Co-starred Amy Dalby, Frank Swann, Ann Coates.
Day
Of The Tortoise
18th
December 1967
Written
by H. E. Bates, adapted by Julian Blond
Directed
by Michael Currer-Briggs
Produced
by Antony Kearey
Broadcast
by Rediffusion
An adaptation of a story from the author of The Darling Buds Of May
Leonard played the role of Fred Tomlinson
At
The Eleventh Hour
January
1968
Written
by various writers
Directed
by Peter Chafer
Produced
by Anthony Smith
Broadcast
by BBC
A late-night Saturday variety show on BBC1 combining a satirical review of the week's news with comedy, poetry by Roger McGough and music by The Scaffold. Miriam Margolyes and Richard Neville were also regulars.
Leonard took part in some of the show's sketches, playing various parts.
The
Unquiet Man
Wednesday
21st February 1968, 8.35pm - BBC2
Written
by Michael Keir
Directed
by Naomi K. Capon
Produced
by George Spenton-Foster
Broadcast
by BBC
A struggling ventriloquist (Rossiter) suspects his wife of infidelity and seeks solace in his dummy. The dummy becomes the voice of his subconscious and persuades him to murder his wife.
Leonard played Andrew, the ventriloquist.
Notes: Broadcast as
part of the 'Thirty Minute Theatre' series of dramas. The tapes no
longer exist.
A
View From The Obelisk
Wednesday
20th March 1968
Written
by Hugh Leonard
Directed
by Alastair Reid
Produced
by Stella Richman
Broadcast
by Rediffusion
An Irishman, Owen Brian (Rossiter), returns to his homeland with his new girlfriend and insists on showing her the view from a hilltop near Dublin. He is taken ill, and while his girlfriend goes to fetch the car, the man strikes up a conversation with an artist who is sketching the view.
Leonard played the lead role of Owen Brian.
Notes: Adapted from one of three one-act plays by Irish writer Hugh Leonard, collectively titled Pizzazz, comprising A View From The Obelisk, Roman Fever and Pizzazz. Broadcast as part of the 'Half Hour Story' series of plays.
Links:
Hugh
Leonard biography
The Fanatics
Monday 29th April
1968, 9.05pm - BBC2
Written
by Max Marquis, from 'L'Affaire Calas' by Stellio Lorenzi, Andre
Castelot and Alain Decaux
Directed
by Rudolph Cartier
Produced
by Michael Bakewell
Broadcast
by BBC
A true story of bigotry and intolerance in 17th Century France. The famous philosopher and author Voltaire (Rossiter) tries to clear the name of a tradesman, Jean Calas, who was wrongfully accused of murder and tortured to death, largely because he was a Protestant.
Co-starred Cyril Shaps, Bernard Hepton, Pamela Cundell, Richard Caldicot.
Leonard played the lead role of Voltaire.
Critical Review:
"A most
persuasive little sketch of Voltaire whose physical features (this is
one of Mr. Rossiter's special gifts) he somehow managed to capture."
- T. C. Worsley, Financial
Times
"Leonard
Rossiter as Voltaire demonstrated how it is possible to express the
spirit of the man through minute observation of physical mannerism."
- George Melly, The
Observer.
Notes:
Broadcast as part of the 'Theatre 625' series of plays. Although made
in colour, only black & white tapes exist.
The
Year Of The Sex Olympics
Monday 29th July 1968,
9.05pm - BBC2
Written
by Nigel Kneale
Directed
by Michael Elliott
Produced
by Ronald Travers
Broadcast
by BBC
A science fiction play. Set in an England of the future where the population either make TV programmes or do nothing but watch them, a family volunteer to be shipped off to a remote island and be filmed 24 hours a day. It also starred Suzanne Neve, Brian Cox and 'Basil Brush' man Derek Fowlds.
Leonard played
Co-ordinator Ugo Priest, the chief of the television station.
Watch
it in full or buy the DVD
Notes: Broadcast in the BBC2 series Theatre 625. Made in colour but tapes only exist in black and white.
Links:
Internet
Movie Database
The
Double Agent
Monday
12th May 1969
Written
by John Bingham (novel), adapted by Anthony Steven
Directed by John
Jacobs
Broadcast
by Anglia Television
Crime thriller based on John Bingham's novel. In London, a traitor is selling information. In Moscow, a Yorkshire cloth salesman is approached by the KGB, who believe he has more to sell than cloth. Starring Brian Blessed and Peter Dyneley (pictured).
Leonard played a Russian Secret Police officer who defects.
Notes:
Leonard had previously
starred with Brian Blessed in Z
Cars.
The Garbler
Strategy
2nd
August 1969
Written
by Maurice Flanagan
Directed
and Produced by Geoffrey Hughes
Broadcast
by ATV
A number of candidates
are interviewed for a management job. One man, known as 'X', amazes
the panel with a seemingly revolutionary strategy, but is later
revealed to be a mad man. A play produced from the winner of a
competition held by The
Observer newspaper
and ATV.* Co-starred Anne Cunningham, Michael Lees and Jeremy
Longhurst
*
Thanks to the playwright's daughter for this information).
Leonard played the role of 'X'.
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Text (c) Paul Fisher
Pictures (c) their
respective owners.