Six Men Of Dorset by Miles Malleson and H. Brooks

SATURDAY-NIGHT THEATRE

Sat 26th Aug 1961, 20:30 on BBC Home Service Basic

The recorded broadcast of April 24.

Haydn Jones, Avril Elgar and Miles Malleson in Six Men of Dorset by Miles Malleson and H. Brooks

A play about the Tolpuddle Martyrs, celebrating the brave working class men who were exiled to Australia for forming a trade union.

The action takes place in Dorset, London, and Australia in the 1830s, and Canada in the 1850s.
Produced by Charles Lefeaux

Main characters in order of speaking:

Nellie, as a child: Susan Bown

Georgie: David Lott

Jinnie: Heather Kyd

Betsy Loveless, their mother: Avril Elgar

George Loveless, their father, and one of the Six Men: Haydn Jones

James Loveless, one of the Six Men: Tom Watson

Two of the Six Men: James Brine: Nigel Anthony

Two of the Six Men: James Hammett:

William Eedle

Edward Legg: Kenneth Dight

The Squire: Eric Anderson

Dr Warren: Derek Blomfield

Farmer Bryant: Julian Somers

Farmer Case: Wilfred Babbage

Farmer Duffelt: Philip Morant

Two of the Six Men: Thomas Standfield:

Frederick Treves

John Standfleld: Andrew Irvine

William Cobb: Godfrey Kenton

Mr Wollaston, JP: Peter Claughton

James Frampton, JP: John, Bryning

Mr Gambier, Counsel for the Prosecution:

Derek Birch

Mr Butt, Counsel for the Defence: Miles Malleson

Judge Baron Williams: Keith Williams

The Rev Dr Wade: Willoughby Goddard

Robin Nealy: Andrew Irvine

Nellie Loveless: Penelope Lee

Other parts played by members of the BBC Drama Repertory Company

Tolpuddle is a village near Dorchester in Dorset, where in the years 1833 and 1834 a great wave of trade union activity took place and a lodge of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers was established.

George Loveless and five fellow workers – his brother James, James Hammett, James Brine, Thomas Standfield and Thomas's son John – were charged with having taken an illegal oath. But their real crime in the eyes of the establishment was to have formed a trade union to protest about their meagre pay of six shillings a week – the equivalent of 30p in today's money and the third wage cut in as many years.

Do you enjoy the variety on Oldtuberadio?
Like, Share and Subscribe to be notified of our new shows
#radio #crime #thriller #drama
To Support this channel please visit
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/oldtuberadio
https://ko-fi.com/oldtuberadio98
https://www.patreon.com/oldtuberadio
https://locals.com/Oldtuberadio