Condemned To Be Shot
Encyclopedia
Condemned To Be Shot was an early BBC television drama
, broadcast by the BBC Television Service
in the United Kingdom
on the evening of Saturday March 4, 1939. It is particularly notable for two reasons – firstly, it was one of the very first plays to be written especially for television
, rather than adapted from the theatre
or from radio drama
. Secondly, it was the first television production where the camera was made into one of the 'characters' of the piece – the play revolves around the first-person perspective of the character whose viewpoint the camera represents, and who is not otherwise seen, his voice heard only in voiceover
. The play ends with the main character faced with a firing squad.
The cast consisted of Reginald Brooke, Zoe Davies, Olga Edwardes, Wilfred Fletcher, Neil Porter, Hilary Pritchard
, Henry Belling and Ben Soutten.
Twenty minutes in length, the play was written by R.E.J. Brooke (presumably the actor Reginald Brooke, who also appeared in the production). It was produced by Jan Bussell and broadcast live
from the BBC's studios at Alexandra Palace
. As there was no professional method of recording television programmes at the time, no record survives of the production aside from still photographs.
BBC television drama
BBC television dramas have been produced and broadcast since even before the public service company had an officially established television broadcasting network in the United Kingdom...
, broadcast by the BBC Television Service
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on the evening of Saturday March 4, 1939. It is particularly notable for two reasons – firstly, it was one of the very first plays to be written especially for television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, rather than adapted from the theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
or from radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
. Secondly, it was the first television production where the camera was made into one of the 'characters' of the piece – the play revolves around the first-person perspective of the character whose viewpoint the camera represents, and who is not otherwise seen, his voice heard only in voiceover
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a screen reader built into Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X, iOS and iPod operating systems. By using VoiceOver, the user can access their Macintosh or iOS device based on spoken descriptions and, in the case of the Mac, the keyboard. The feature is designed to increase accessibility for blind...
. The play ends with the main character faced with a firing squad.
The cast consisted of Reginald Brooke, Zoe Davies, Olga Edwardes, Wilfred Fletcher, Neil Porter, Hilary Pritchard
Hilary Pritchard
-Selected filmography:* Futtock's End * She'll Follow You Anywhere * The Optimists * Just One More Time * Under the Doctor * Adventures of a Private Eye * A Touch of the Sun...
, Henry Belling and Ben Soutten.
Twenty minutes in length, the play was written by R.E.J. Brooke (presumably the actor Reginald Brooke, who also appeared in the production). It was produced by Jan Bussell and broadcast live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
from the BBC's studios at Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
. As there was no professional method of recording television programmes at the time, no record survives of the production aside from still photographs.