The Old Ladies - Hugh Walpole - BBC Saturday Night Theatre

[@albie7581]

Couldn't stop Listening to this One . Thanks six stars.

[@tonithouvenel-avenas7202]

Delightful old story, thank you.

[@kimberlyhendrick8803]

This was a perfect drama for a rainy day. The story line kept you wondering what Ms. Agatha was up to next. Scary old lady...bye bye lol

[@buenavista312]

LOVED this audiobook... these roles were so, so very real... A very grateful thank you...!!!😊✌️✨✨✨

[@jwsuicides8095]

I recommend this. It's one of my favourites! I envy anyone listening for the first time. Lol.

[@PinkyPuff69]

Ooh....I love the way you describe your love for this story! I’ll listen.

[@chicagogyrl4846]

Well, that would be me! 😆😂

[@jwsuicides8095]

@@chicagogyrl4846 I hope you weren't disappointed!

[@chicagogyrl4846]

@@jwsuicides8095 I didn’t like the abrupt ending, but the rest is very good!

[@sueturner1629]

Totally immersed, the sudden stop at end left you wondering was that a ending or cut short?

[@marilyntruscott6395]

Brilliant...Really enjoyed

[@MrBazzabee]

Marvellous Uncle Chesterton....The Beef Tea @ 1:00:54 made me wince over with merriment.Thank You.

[@anitaarmstrong-tunc1675]

Really enjoyable. I had to stop what I was doing, close my eyes, and listen. It reminded me of the British TV sitcom, Rising Damp.

[@marymary5494]

What a treat, thank you. 👌💕

[@Lakeslover1]

Another brilliant play📻

[@rubytuesday5412]

My second listen to this one. BIG thanks Chester, you're the best!

[@TedaR]

Love Walpole. Excellent info..thank you! 😘 🇺🇸

[@dianal.clausen8118]

Scary but riveting. Good acting, great script.

[@hanneshuette]

This is the plot of the novel on which the play is based: “Three elderly ladies (all are in their seventies) who have fallen on hard times find themselves living in a shabby rooming house in the cathedral town of Polchester (imaginary setting of many of Hugh Walpole’s tales) presided over by a mostly benevolent landlady. One, the sweet-natured and mild-tempered Mrs. Amorest, is the widow of a poet, who died quite suddenly (in the best tradition of his kind) leaving behind nothing but manuscripts and debts. The next, also-widowed Mrs. Payne, slovenly and indolent, regrets nothing of her slightly sordid past. She thinks back seldom of her weakly abusive husband and her deserting lover and her long-dead child, concentrating her energies instead upon the comforts of the now, indulging herself with sweets and rich food and dashes of brilliant colour - a ribbon, an ornament, an illustration - which she hoards like an obese dragon in her over-filled lair. Joining the modest ménage is spinster Miss Beringer, who creeps into the refuge of the old house with her shivering little dog. Miss Beringer has been cheated out of her modest investment capital; her small savings are running out; her future is beyond bleak. She owns one item of beauty and value, an amber carving given to her by her one friend as a remembrance upon the friend’s marriage and subsequent removal to India. Gentle Mrs. Amorest takes slightly-lower-class Miss Beringer under her wing, not letting on that her own prospects are also desperately declining. Mrs. Payne scorns both of the other residents of the house, despising their meekness and their willingness to run errands for her as evidence of their mental inferiority. She uses them both to the utmost of her cunning ability, and when an ailing cousin of Mrs. Amorest promises a fortune in his will, and Miss Beringer’s amber ornament catches Mrs. Payne’s eye, she begins turn her mental energies to the question of how she can obtain these treasures from her housemates. Walpole paints a sharply detailed picture of the come-down-in-the-world existences of his three characters. Their thoughts and feelings, their many small economies and occasional overwhelming temptations, their midnight worries and daytime attempts at hiding those fears from the world around them are all sympathetically portrayed. Small daily drama turns to smouldering melodrama when Mrs. Amorest’s cousin dies and the will is read. Balked of her bad intentions towards one of her neighbours, Mrs. Payne turns her malignant focus upon the other, with devastating results. Only one of the old ladies will walk away from the house with her sanity intact and her future provided for, even if it takes an authorial intervention to bring this about…”

[@stevec2993]

Needed a spoiler alert.

[@sparklemotion8377]

Mrs Amorest is the worst!

[@roderickfernandez5382]

Why I never would have thought of that I want that Amber myself

[@helenferullo5706]

Thank you for your well written description of this play. I had difficulty understanding Mrs Bates diction and could only listen in partial segments.

[@hanneshuette]

@@helenferullo5706 That is very kind of you but I copied and pasted the summary from somewhere! I always find it helpful to sort of know what I am going to be listening to…

[@andrewkowel3547]

Yes , my fave too ! Love the creaky atmosphere and menace of Mrs Paine ! We're lucky to be able to listen - thanks for uploading ! It's not radio , but you may like 'The Whisperers' , a 1960s film starring Edith Evans ( Agatha Paine ) . Very atmospheric , set in Manchester I think ?

[@jonsmum5552]

andrew kowel Loved the whisperers! Right up my street.

[@jonsmum5552]

Love this play!

[@lydiamarks8577]

👍 Hank you for sharing this amazing play 👍

[@jwsuicides8095]

I didn't know Walpole had an appearance in David Copperfield! Will have to watch again. Thank you for sharing so much information along with the video. You're an absolute treat!

[@TedaR]

👋

[@stephaniecorr6095]

Love 💕 this play 💕

[@parapoliticos52]

Hugh Walpole is fast becoming my favorite Horror stories author from the interwar era.

[@roo5757]

Brilliant thanks for upload.

[@sparklemotion8377]

Reading the comments, I wonder if I'm the only one who was creeped out by the story..

[@waynemoore1708]

Heard many years ago Brilliant & disturbing .

[@Winnie-the-Pooh-jk3bt]

It was great to hear the legendary Edith Evans.

[@deniseshepherd5748]

Loved this drama way better than these modern dramas .

[@kimberlykasimoff1447]

I heard this before and really enjoyed it.

[@susanotway7875]

A very creepy story. Gave me the chills. Sad too.

[@janisg7409]

Agatha voice reminds me of Throw Momma from the Train!

[@stevehammett2008]

Mrs Payne remind me a little bit of Violet Crawley, Maggie Smith's character on Downton Abbey

[@Helen-xy9qj]

Edith Evans' character is frightening in this tale of genteel poverty. Don't listen to it before bed.

[@roderickfernandez5382]

I listen to it in bed around 1:00 a.m. and I'm still okay so far.

[@kerryh3833]

Sooo I should not fall asleep listening? 🤔

[@lauralaladarling3775]

Gosh, what a dark and terrible story. Agatha was an incredibly evil and sinister character; thank the lord she will be haunted and destroyed for the rest of her miserable, viscious life. Thank heaven Lucy's son rescued her at the last moment but so sad for poor Mrs Berringer was driven to a diabolical illness and then finally murdered by mad Agatha. The Amber stone will bring her great and horrific misfortune. Good! Thank you for uploading. Xxx

[@nicholasforrester8587]

Does anyone know exactly when this was recorded? ❤🎉😊

[@gladyssmith9084]

Hi it was recorded in 1968, for Saturday Night Theatre BBC 😊

[@jacksonburnette762]

Well developed characters create a tension.

[@alisonaustin7299]

Can anyone explain the ending to me

[@jeanniesponza1546]

What happens at the end, did some one get shot?

[@islandgirl581]

Did Paine kill the son? If so why didn't mum cry out? Good story, rubbish ending 😔

[@daftirishmarej1827]

Mrs Payne sounds half cut!

[@susankelly5585]

What happened, did Agatha shoot herself, not s very clear ending!

[@louise7552]

I thought she shot the son ? But I don't know if it was the front door slamming or something 🤔. Damn I'm confused by the last 2 seconds 😐

[@northernlights6459]

🌟

[@louise7552]

The last 2 seconds has me lost, did she shoot the son, ? Did the door slam, there was no mention of her having a gun. HELP PLEASE 🙏 im going as crazy as she was. 😮😮😮

[@pamelamyers9613]

Nothing like a psychotic old woman! 😂😂

[@helenferullo5706]

I would have really enjoyed this play were it not for the irritating voice of Mrs Bates (Agatha.). I was unable to understand hardly a word she said and could only listen to this play in small segments. The storyline was interesting and I did manage to finish listening.

[@vivienneandersson6019]

You mean Dame Edith Evans? That is how she spoke and you can hear every word clearly.

[@Angela-cc1hd]

I agree very irritating voice😮

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Grotesque but gripping. The horror......the horror..

[@bertspeggly4428]

I gave up on this one. Couldn't handle the voices.

[@blackbean4509]

Agatha is the type of person that you should avoid. She's full of Alteria motives and desire the jealous nature is dangerous

[@talmadge1926]

Absolutely dreadful. When was this recorded. Edith Evans was either suffering from a stroke or doing a parody of herself. I saw this play in the late 60s. "The Amber". I forget which theatre but it was near the St Ermins Hotel because we had supper there afterrwards) Flora Robson played Mrs Paine. Crisp, sharp and domineering. A wonderful and chilling performance.I believe Athene Seyler was one of the others but not sure. These three just dont cut it. All that dither dither sweet old lady effect. Their voices become indistinguishable after a while. Turned it off.

[@bobwebb1348]

Are you having a stroke? I ask only for information, you understand?

[@roderickfernandez5382]

I think you're the one who's dithering how could you say anything Wicked about Edith Evans what a wonderful old lady she was. I worked on a show with her in the early sixties. I didn't work directly with her but I did get to know her a bit and she was just lovely and I just would watch her every night. You know I'm so damn old I can't even remember the name of the play. Maybe it wasn't even Edith Evans maybe it was Dale Evans oh dear!!

[@helenferullo5706]

After reading the the many positive comments I was relieved to read to see you that you too had difficulty understanding the dialogue. For me I could not understand Mrs Bates at all. Otherwise, I’m sure it was a good play.

[@roderickfernandez5382]

Perhaps the way you receive the audio was pitched a little too high I know that sometimes happens with me.. personally I had no trouble understanding

[@suzp2265]

It's quite obvious from the description of the character that she isn't 'crisp' in any way. Edith Evans perfectly captures the slovenly, sinister, devious personality. All three are perfect for their characters but EE has the pivotal role and gives a perfect performance.

[@Angela-cc1hd]

Agatha's voice is hard to listen to 😮 the whole thing is painful listening especially Miss Beringer😮

[@lynn5050]

Frightening!

[@willowwobble]

It's good in some ways but two of the women are so very very annoying that I couldn't finish listening to the play.

[@anitaarmstrong-tunc1675]

I've just watched the first episode of Rising Damp and was shocked at the racism. Apologies to anyone who followed it up.

[@TheSuperHarrygeorge]

Stop being so sensitive. The black guy always had the upper hand and intellect, is that racist ?

[@jonsmum5552]

Anita Tunc Jesus wept! The sitcoms of the seventies and eighties were real entertainment, people of all colours laughed at themselves. Sadly lacking in today’s beige boring society, too many people looking in corners for offence. Get a life

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Better avoid Love Thy Neighbour !! ( Probably bring on a heart attack ? )

[@theoldone485]

Please go hide in your safe place and let us enjoy things.