form y separately published work icon The Trial and Torture of Sir John Rampayne single work   film/TV   satire   crime  
Issue Details: First known date: 1965... 1965 The Trial and Torture of Sir John Rampayne
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

A Tory statesman is kidnapped by a young pop-music millionaire and shown his arrogance and guilt in scenes from his earlier life (Alan Seymour's description in a letter to Alrene Sykes, published in Australian Literary Studies 6.3, 1974, p. 286).

A contemporary review in the Times notes:

'Rampayne, aristocrat, soldier, diplomat, empire-builder, and now university eminence, is kidnapped and put on trial as a vicious bully by a young man who, as an uneducated, unsubmissive manager of pop groups, and a manipulator of public taste, represents the new world as effectively as Rampayne represents the past that is, only partially. The blacks on both sides are very black–Rampayne is a politically myopic bigot–but, as the case is put for our judgement, we feel that we ourselves could present both prosecution and defence with something closer to justice.'

Source: 'Blacker than Black', The Times, 11 November 1965, p.18.

Notes

  • Television play.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) ,
      1965 .
      Extent: 75 min.p.
      Description: Black and white
      Series: form y separately published work icon The Wednesday Play BBC TV (publisher), London : BBC TV , 1964-1970 Z1649155 1964 series - publisher film/TV

      A British television series of one-off plays made by the BBC. The series gave breaks to a wide range of writers and directors in the late 1960s, including Dennis Potter, Ken Loach, David Mercer, and John Hopkins. Australia's Alan Seymour also had two of his plays produced in 1965 - The Trial and Torture of Sir John Rampayne and Auto-Stop. Some of the more famous productions include Up the Junction; Cathy Come Home; Stand Up Nigel Barton; Vote, Vote, Vote For Nigel Barton; On the Eve of Publication; and Son of Man. The series often addressed controversial issues such as homelessness and abortion.

      Number in series: 37
Last amended 27 Nov 2014 11:17:54
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