The Hidden Face - Victor Canning - BBC Saturday Night Theatre

Victor Canning was a prolific British writer of novels and thrillers who flourished in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He was personally reticent, writing no memoirs and giving relatively few newspaper interviews.
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[@deborahrobertson8606]

Pure joy. This is the BBC that I remember as a child. Wonderful plays, articulate, expressive enunciation from theatrically trained actors. I can no longer bear to listen to today's BBC. Thank you so much for making these available!!

[@GLK-London]

👍

[@janetbarkwith]

Long time since your post, but I've just listened to this. I do so wholeheartedly agree with your comment about the cast's diction. Not just the BBC, but everywhere, actors (with some honourable exceptions) seem to be so sloppy of late, mumbling and muttering - in the name of "reality" I suppose.

[@deborahrobertson8606]

It is! I trained 40 years ago and we were taught rigorous breath training so that we could deliver long tracts of Shakespearean verse etc. We also learned RP- received pronunciation so that our voices could serve the beauty of the verse. Actors need to be athletes! Our voices needed to be expressive, mellifluous and telling. When I listen to young actors now they sound flat and without any colour or expression to their voices. The voices of older actors would leave me spellbound They think it's more "inclusive" I s'pose. It's really dumbing down. All the best!@@janetbarkwith

[@barbarabarclay6769]

Thank you for these wonderful plays.

[@stringlarson1247]

You're fortunate to have had this growing up. I'm from the States and born in the early 60s. We didn't have anything close. I'm happy to hear these now. I can only imagine how many there are stored away somewhere in the archives.

[@cajsheen2594]

This was the 1st adult book I read as a 12 Yr old. The word ' seduce ' appeared and I had to ask my brother-in-law what it meant and he said he'd tell me when I was grown-up. That was 60+ yrs ago! Thankyou for posting it. ❤ XXX

[@nigeloakes1948]

I do hope all is clear now. 😊

[@josephineboyd1753]

Thank you for this Utterly Charming Drama ! It was a delight to listen to Received English!

[@cajsheen2594]

Received pronunciation, ❤ XXX

[@kat71580]

I remember this as a film? Possible 50/60's... So enjoy listening to Radio Plays... Especially thru the night..thank you.

[@josephineboyd14]

This was Wonderful ! Thank you so much !

[@rodpettet2819]

Excellent piece of drama. Most enjoyable.

[@ericfry5759]

This is radio at its best. Good story, good characters, good acting, clear voices, combined with “very good sound effects”. Thanks from a regular listener in Perth, Wester Australia.

[@elmarievallun6884]

Same. Also from Perth and loving these radio plays.

[@lindapreater840]

Very enjoyable 👍 thanks

[@shantibel]

Wonderful old-fashioned melodrama. Thank you for posting.

[@rogerterry5013]

Excellent!

[@camelia9802]

Loads of twists and turns in this play. Thanks for sharing.

[@21anusha]

Action packed !!! Cheers ✌🏽

[@mrbazzabee4013]

Oh ! Deary-Deary Me, Uncle Chesterton ! ..That truly was Marvellous-...Gloriously OTT and tongue in cheek-at times but ALL the Better for it ! -and as for the sporadic ditsy 60's type theme music ( a la' Antonioni's 'Blow-Up' @ 1:03:48 ) -that took me right back. Thank You SO VERY MUCH !. It has definitely brightened up my day after losing that old library hardback book I had on how to peel early season Banana's. Thanks Uncle 'Chessie'.

[@mikewellwood1412]

Just listened to this again. I'd forgotten enough to make it well worth re-listening. Had all the right elements. A John Buchan style fugitive. Love interest that wasn't too silly (and nice to hear Andree Melly - who I see, sadly died last year. She was Tony Hancock's love interest in the very early radio Hancock's Half Hour; and George Melly's mother. Also a regular on "Just a Minute" at one time, ISTR). Escapes by sea, and suitably nasty villains, one of them played by....Edward Kelsey (Joe Grundy, although not too much like JG this time). 1971 .... just close enough to WW2, such that people who had been active in it would still be around and still active themselves, and an interesting Hungarian connection - I guess the girl's mother / parents would be refugees from the Hungarian uprising of 1956. Many thanks for uploading. And highly recommended. I have to admit I've never actually read any Victor Canning. Must try to correct that.

[@bayadere8308]

Not his mother, George Melly's sister.

[@stevebuckley2429]

Try" Mr Finchley finds his England... delicious

[@stewartlancaster6155]

Really dig the 70s music used, very with it and groovy !

[@waltermull9598]

Very nice thank you KZbin for posting it I fish nights and it's a real treat listening to these old shows thanks agdin

[@ChestertonRadio]

Thanks for listening

[@FiFi-wt9zj]

Thank you ..love the bbc theatre ones

[@miked3679]

Great story and great acting! Loved it!

[@juliekeys1880]

Great enjoyed it. 👍👍💕

[@kathryn1050]

Brilliant play! Thank you.

[@jacksonburnette762]

First rate drama about espionage ...and double cross. Highly entertaining and even more highly recommended.

[@simonmcgrath4112]

Heard this year's ago and it's very good and very nice old English i.e. no bad language no sex etc but doesn't detract from it being a rip roaring yarn and most enjoyable!

[@stewartmcardle8149]

The synopsis has already been laid out by the wonderfully succinct Tottie Mae but and this is simply for the "anoraks", according to source Genome, this is a Saturday Night Theatre drama production from Saturday 23rd January, 1971 and features Kerry Francis as prisoner escapee Peter Barlow alongside (Hancock's Half Hour's) Andree Melly as Catherine with the late Edward Kelsey (Joe Grundy)....this updates a previous radio drama from 14th May, 1960 with Simon Lack (Paul Temple) and Irene Sutcliffe as the same characters.

[@janethayes5941]

Once again, thank you.😊

[@susanotway7875]

Very enjoyable!

[@Teapot333]

Thank you. Most enjoyable.

[@daftirishmarej1827]

Beautiful birdsong!

[@jamesmatthews4151]

What an adventure! The musical accompaniment was spot on.

[@washington9347]

It was a good production

[@petermunro6317]

Brilliant. What a shame the BBC dropped these plays and their standards.

[@lynn5050]

Brilliant!

[@AngelApprentice]

Thankyou

[@Gillby47]

Some good acting and the sound effects fitted well which isn't always the case with these old plays.Very entertaining if a bit far fetched.Shame I was constantly reminded of Coronation street.

[@Patzgtr]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[@joniallen6880]

This was a fun one!

[@angelsone-five7912]

Very good play, enjoyed that.

[@jeanetteflynn2713]

Fab play pure joy to listen too best I have so far and I have listened to so many can't count them❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉

[@mikewellwood1412]

A nice old-fashioned drama; and none the worse for that. :-)

[@deborahfitzpatrick1110]

I'm not saying we should go back to talking like the 1940s but at least articulate so it's understandable.

[@shelleymcafee8197]

I enjoyed the unexpected Love-story woven through this story and the performances were excellent, but one-thing I dislike about BBC radio-theatre is the guaranteed over-dramatization - usually at the end. I wish that BBC would simply broadcast great-stories, WITHOUT that aspect, they’d be much-more enjoyable. Thank-You for uploading!!

[@Happyheart146]

Thoroughly enjoyed this, thank you.

[@clivejones1152]

Very good drama. And I guessed the twist early on.

[@muiresuilgorm3452]

So, no nasty shocks then. Restful.

[@TedaR]

🙋Clive, I believe we have enjoyed so many 📻 🎭 that we've lost the fun of being fooled, yet gained many hours of pleasure. (altho most are quite predictable & don't require a rocket surgeon 🚀🔭🔍 nor brain scientist 🔬📋 🔎) 😁😉 ha-ha! Cheers & Blessings fr Nashville yall!

[@clivejones1152]

@@TedaR Well I'm no Arthur Einstein but you get so sometimes you can spot it. Did you know that Francis Durbridge only gave the scripts out weekly for the Paul Temple series so the actors wouldn't give the plot away. You can often spot actors acting guilty on tv or film. Method actors.

[@tedar3986]

@@clivejones1152 Very good, I did not know that. Btw you & dear tottie make a nice & much appreciated team 👍🏼

[@crochetedlace2838]

LOL. What an amazing coincidence that the very first person the escapee meets is a topping girl who happens to speak the exact foreign language necessary to solve the crime. It was Easy to figure out who the villain really is, but entertaining anyway.

[@jacquelineloveselvis]

Thanks for the spoiler. 😠

[@johnweaver66]

Very enjoyable, made in the day's when the BBC made decent programs before they started wasting money paying exorbitant wages to so called celebrities.

[@GLK-London]

👍

[@dodojack1045]

Just needed Tony & Syd for comic relief....!

[@tottiemae2258]

Synopsis: An escaped prisoner is on the run. As a condemned murderer he maintains his innocence and is searching for the real perpetrator. He must try to find the murderer before the police find him. And now, someone else is tracking him too.

[@FiFi-wt9zj]

Thank you again for another synopsis

[@tottiemae2258]

Certainly. It's my pleasure! 😊

[@zoyablake9538]

Thank you!

[@clivejones1152]

made solid work, my dear. I'm doing my bit too. Do you think we should do a precis when there's a very long (WIKI ?) one.

[@Ninaegina]

Thank you. Much appreciated

[@doriellesoler7502]

Enjoyable story, of the ilk of the 39 Steps if you know what I mean.

[@yvettenewton4879]

Good

[@electrictofumuffins6384]

This is one of those where they sound everything out and you have to listen to action sequences that could have been written in a more story friendly way.

[@NoosaHeads]

Loved it but I actually "pegged the villain" right at the beginning. Maybe I should have been a detective!

[@mrbazzabee4013]

The Best line in the entire play Uncle Chessie is @t 1:04:36 !...." Look- I've got a Gun ! Your Mother gave me one that used to belong to your Father ( like yer do )--- She's an Amazing Woman " !!! Ha' - Ha' ....She certainly IS....! I only wish that my Lottie was SO dependable @t times like that. Hee-Hee....!

[@Gillby47]

Bit of a naff ending but a good old fashioned play.

[@paulbennett772]

Plenty of clues, dodgy accents, unlikely coincidences, but a jolly good romp nonetheless.

[@crochetedlace2838]

LOL. What an amazing coincidence that the very first person the escapee meets is a topping girl who happens to speak the exact foreign language necessary to solve the crime.

[@Paxtonparsnip]

Happens to me with tedious regularity!

[@mrbazzabee4013]

@@Paxtonparsnip Ha' Ha'.....Brilliant.

[@mrbazzabee4013]

I could be mistaken-but.....I think this play.....is a smidgeon Tongue In Cheek.-and ALL the better for it.

[@thecrone7964]

The Hungarian connection

[@Garvhai]

Kya baat

[@jamesmason8052]

Dash it all! A what?

[@TheNemocharlie]

Thanks for this. As a radio play the story doesn't really work that well. It also has some of the least appropriate use of musical interludes I've heard - their sheer banality is irrating and adds nothing to the story. Although the premise of the action and characters involved has potential, the resolution of the piece doesn't work that well on radio, which must be largely the responsibility of the adapter of the original book. Still well worth a listen and we're lucky to have the chance of hearing it again.

[@tottiemae2258]

That was a great review!!! And yes....the music drove me nuts! But we're still very grateful!

[@muiresuilgorm3452]

@@tottiemae2258 Grateful here too. I enjoy the excellent voice work and the period charm. Especially at 4 o Clock in the morning.

[@louisbrugnoni1291]

We must always critique with kindness! Good review but a little too honest. That’s why do not lie was not in the 10 Commandments. 😊

[@elizabethman7313]

Bit harsh!! I thought the music just added to the ‘period ambiance’ !

[@Gillby47]

I disagree,I think it was perfect for radio as for the music,until I read this I was not Evan aware of the music so it must have fitted in.

[@michealburnett6]

😜 You knew where this was going because this is another version of the same story...

[@deegeraghty9426]

Vintage drama. Very predictable.

[@bernardmarsh4133]

To hard to follow. 2 mins in and so confused

[@Dawghome]

They don't escape it because Isle of white is 8 miles across, if memory serves me right?

[@muiresuilgorm3452]

I went there for a week last Summer; lovely island.

[@philipi1732]

Nice spoiler.

[@Dawghome]

@@philipi1732 you don't need an end to spoil a well told story...

[@TedaR]

Nor do they grant work release/trustee to a lifer..lol

[@alanhughs461]

😱 absolutely ridiculous how can someone acknowledge this as worth rubbish sorry for my uneducated comments but I like to enjoy a play

[@paulhunter123]

what does this comment mean

[@alanhughs461]

​@@paulhunter123hi actually I just read it and i don't know and I wrote it 🤔how very odd 🤷