Please note that some of the additional information provided here by the journalist named below may not be accurate, so it should be treated with caution.

---

Thursday, 5^th February, 1970

Peter Wyngarde was chosen Britain’s Best Dressed Male Personality last month. Looks like he could win himself another title of Britain’s most missed TV star. It’s the women fans that have missed him most since his Department S series came off the earlier this year. “I get letters from them every week asking when he’s coming back in another series,” says Lew Grade, boss of ATV. “We’re finalising a new deal now”.

This would be good news indeed for Mr Wyngarde’s female admirers. The new series will be made by Monty Berman, who also produced Department S. Wyngarde will again play the character of Jason King and filming starts next month.

The first of the 26 programmes in the series will be ready for screening next year. Meanwhile, Mr Wyngarde is manfully shouldering his responsibilities as Britain’s Best Dressed Male Personality. When he talked to my colleague the other day. he had on a snazzy pair of greening and yellow striped trousers that went well with a fluffy shirt, bare feet and a gold bracelet.

“My trousers were made from deck chair ticking,” he said. “I had them run up in Spain I think”.

“Show her the Valentino coat”, Peter, said a friend in blue velvet. “For God’s sake, tell everyone! It’s gone into cold storage.” he pleaded, “or someone will break in and pinch it for sure!”

The coat, ankle length, black sealskin, mink-trimmed and with a squirrel collar belonged to movie idol Rudolph Valentino in the 20s. ! “I just love the colour”, said Wyngarde, trying the coat on over the deck shirt pants and bare feet. “It’s very Zhivago-ish, isn’t it?”

Peter’s dress style influenced designs for all the clothes worn as Jason King. I’ve got some material, raised embroidered black silk, for an evening suit,” he confided. With a lovely frilly shirt? Miss Griffiths inquired. “No,” he replied thoughtfully. “Perhaps not too frilly.”

It’s details like that which can make or break you as Britain’s Best Dressed Man!

Please note that some of the additional information provided here by the journalist named below may not be accurate, so it should be treated with caution.

June 1994

Few actors have become a strongly connected with the series as Peter Wyngarde is with Department S and Jason King. The two series were part of the explosion of TV spy series in the 60s and 70s, but are remembered primarily because of Wyngarde’s engaging performance as the foppish author, Jason King.

Peter was originally offered a minor role in the series as an old Oxford professor. He was initially unsure about taking the job because he was involved in a play. It was only when the reviews came in after the first night that he was persuaded to do it.

“We all had a big dinner party and I was at one end of the table and the producer who asked me to do the series was at the other end. I said to them, ‘I never read the notices… If the notices come in I shall go away somewhere and when I come back you won’t breathe a word of what happened because I don’t want to know’. So the papers came and I went away to another room and came back about half an hour later and I could tell by the looks on their faces that it was the disaster of the year! Funnily enough, it wasn’t actually and we played it for six months so it was alright. I think they were trying not to look anything, and when actors try not to look anything, they always look constipated! So I thought, ‘Oh God, this is not going to work’ so I got a napkin and wrote, ‘I will be delighted to do your series, signed Peter Wyngarde’ and that’s how I got it”.

The role accepted that night was the old university Don; the role that made it to the screen was Jason King. His portrayal of the ‘crime writer adventurer and lover’ is a million miles away from the cranky old professor as it was originally conceived.

“I didn’t like the idea of playing two characters in a day because you get a bit schizophrenic,” Peter explains. “I said I don’t want to be too many people because I’ll go raving mad. So [I said] ‘why don’t I do the thing I’ve always wanted to do on film which is be an extension of myself?’ because I think all the really great film actors have always been an extension of themselves”.

This allowed Peter to do the play at the same time and bring out the humour Jason King. “If you’ve got humour in yourself then you’ve got to bring it out”, he says. “That was a lovely thing about playing Jason because he was a romantic extension – and I emphasise the word romantic – of yourself. You could do things like James Bond”.

Peter took acting like James Bond perfectly literally in both Department S and its follow up Jason King by throwing himself all heartedly into the stunts.

“There is one episode when you can see it actually happening, when I did my back in. You can hear the crack. I’ll leap from some stairs, not terribly high, but enough when you do a swallow dive onto the villains. I said ‘oh it must be me, so you must take it from underneath so you can see it me’. I’m not a stuntman, but you want to do those things yourself because they look so real if you do them. I’ve never really recovered from it”.

This experience clearly didn’t put him off as he continued doing the stunts even though his contract explicitly forbade it.

In one episode he had another accident when he jumped out of an aeroplane.

I think I had four days off and I went and did a parachute course. The idea was that the cameraman came with me and we both did this course outside Cambridge and we jumped and I did the junk with him and he photographed me so you know it’s mehfil stop unfortunately a very large tree got in the way, and so did the shoot, and I arrived upside down!

“What was so marvellous about it was they showed the rushes the next day… And this bloody director said, ‘my God, it’s amazing! Paul (who was my stunt double) is looking more like Peter every time I see him!’ He never found out, but everyone else was laughing”.

Although he enjoyed going out to film on location on Jason King, such extravagance was out of the reach of the budget for the Department S. Many of the stories were set in faraway countries, which was achieved by using the much cheaper technique of back-projection.

“You used to sit in these stupid cars and have that terrible thing behind you rolling away and you’re trying to be real. It was ridiculous. I used to get the giggles, I said, ‘Are you sure we have to do this?’ They said, ‘All right, we’ll make it one morning where you do them all in a bunch’. I had forgotten I kept changing clothes all the time, so I spent the whole morning changing clothes. I think I change suits 400 times!”

and what happened was our writers had to solve them. And that’s how they became a bit fantastic, but they were based on true stories, most of them”. The idea was that Jason King was really Flemming writing about James Bond, but in the early days of Department S he was part of a threesome with actors Joel Fabiani and Rosemary Nicols.

“I got on marvellously with him”, says Peter. “We didn’t hit it off with ‘Knickers’ as I called her, because she decided she was going to become a star and I think actors don’t like that”.

When Department S finished, Peter Wyngarde took a year off before returning to start in Jason King. “I didn’t really want to do another series because it was very tiring”, he says. “I thought that was jolly nice, I enjoyed that immensely now let’s have a little rest. So I took a little sabbatical away and went around the world. As a result of working so hard I got amnesia. I don’t remember that trip – waste of money! A whole year away and I don’t remember anything about it. People come up to me in the street and say, ‘What were what we got up to in Bangkok, really Peter!’ And I say, ‘What are you talking about?’ Apparently I behaved appallingly in Bangkok, but there we are”.

When he came back he was called in by TV Executive Lew Grade to talk about returning as Jason King.

“He said, ‘Well listen, I’ve got to tell you something, Peter. My idea of a hero is somebody who’s blond, blue eyed and has a lovely smile. I can’t understand how people can stand somebody like you with this long black hair, these funny clothes you’re wearing and this funny English you speak… but I’ve got to tell you this, my wife likes you so we’re going to do another series!’”

Having been away for a year, he took little persuading to do the series, but he was surprised to find out Jason King was being based solely around his character. This, he feels, weaken the show.

“He’s a person you just want to see bits of, but if you’re going to go with him all the time you’ve got to go in another direction, a little more serious. And that’s what we had to do and he became vulnerable. I don’t know if you remember, we did one with that lovely girl, Felicity Kendal [Toki]. I fell madly in love with her of course, as me, not as Jason, or both of us fell in love with her. It shows, you see, and I don’t think Jason should ever have been vulnerable”.

Watching a video of Jason King 30 years later, it’s obviously a product of the 70s, if only in terms of the fashions. “The people in the streets were doing it which was marvellous, it was like at Mardi Gras”, says Peter. “But if you look at some of the episodes, my clothes are not exaggerated, there’re only exaggerated if I was playing a character within a character.

“I’ve never wore a medallion outside my shirt, for example, except for one character that goes to a discotheque. Of course they accused me of wearing a medallion and I became a medallion man, which I never was”.

One of the fashions Jason King is famous for are turn-back shirt cuffs. Peter only adopted the style when he lost his cufflinks on location in Venice.

“I was running from somebody or chasing somebody, I can’t remember which. I had to jump into this gondola. They [the cufflinks] were platinum, they were given to me as a present and one of them fell off into the drink. So I took off the other one and pull my cuffs back. It started a fashion, especially in Germany funnily enough. I remember going to Germany shortly afterwards and I went into a discotheque and every man in there had his cuffs back”.

The actor obviously has good memories of his time as Jason King because he talks of the show with great enthusiasm.

“It’s real danger which happens to a lot of actors – and it happened to me as well towards the end – is you get so embroiled with the character that you think nobody else can write for him and you are the only person who can write it and say the lines, which is probably 75% true. But then suddenly you’re only going in one direction. You must allow other people to come in on it otherwise you get a one-sided view of it. I think that the second series, the Jason King one, through no fault of mine, became too much of Jason King.

Peter Wyngarde still pops up now and again on TV, most recently in The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes. “I was just asked to do it and I said yes”, says Peter. “I thought, that’s a lovely idea. The character was marvellously interesting, but there wasn’t enough of him. I don’t think”.

There were suggestions that his character would appear in every episode of the new Sherlock Holmes series, and may have taken off in his own series. Those plans appear to have fallen through.

“The idea was at one time to carry him on, not a Sherlock Holmes, but as an individual characters so that he could be the link mount between different stories,” explains Peter. “But I thought it was rather limiting because he wouldn’t be in a period. “If he could be like Quantum Leap, then I could be different people, I think that could be fun. Or go into different periods, then it could be more interesting, but to say in that period and use classic stories, Kipling and all those kind of things, I think was rather limiting. [It’s] very much what I call English television, a bit dull”.

In the mid-60s he made a couple of appearances in The Avengers with John Steed and Emma Peel. “I did two Avengers: A Touch Of Brimstone and Epic”, he says. “One got me an Emmy nomination while I was out in Greece doing and I Spy. I remember Bill Cosby was in I Spy and we flew to Hollywood for the Emmy Awards and he got it and I was terribly upset as he’s become a millionaire 25,000 times over and I haven’t. I suppose he may have been the right choice, I don’t know”.

He was in a famous scene where he got to fight with Diana Rigg while she was dressed in black leather. “I whipped her and she had a snake around her neck. I think I was mad for the snake, that’s probably what it was, I wanted the snake”.

The scene caused a bit of a stir at the time. “Yes, it did,” says Peter. “The clothes she was wearing and a man whipping her, I suppose. She’s a neighbour, so I’ve stopped whipping her now!”

He also had a major role in one of the better Peter Davidson Doctor Who’s. He played Timanov, a religious leader on the volcanic Planet of Fire.

“We went to Lanzarote which was lovely,” he recalls. “I had a lot of fun there. They were a super company to work for, really great fun.

“It is an interesting story, it was like a kind of prehistoric thing in it away, and I thought the location was absolutely appropriate; marvellous those volcanoes, the colours were fantastic. A lady directed that [Fiona Cumming] she was good. I don’t know why she hasn’t done more because she was really good, very helpful”.

He still get fan mail – at least that’s what he tells you when he’s asked about the female admirers he used to get in the 60s and 70s.

“I still get them! We’ve got a wonderful fan club… because of this Sherlock Holmes thing, they thought I was going to be a in every episode, letters have been piling in. It’s quite extraordinary. I don’t understand it at all, thank God, because I think if I did understand it, it would stop”.

Interview by Jane Killick.

---

© Copyright The Hellfire Club: The OFFICIAL PETER WYNGARDE Appreciation Society: https://www.facebook.com/groups/813997125389790/

Please note that some of the additional information provided here by the journalist named below may not be accurate, so it should be treated with caution.

---

September 1973

Tea and honey…

with the King of Siam

It was not the sultry, ultra-sophisticated Jason King I’d love women the world over all the stern, anti-feminists, oriental King and I Peter Wyngarde that I met for afternoon tea on a sunny Yorkshire hotel terrace last week. No dark glasses. No dramatics in dress. No champagne with oysters. The man himself – in casual, rolled up jeans and open floral shirt with unfreaked hair combed soft just as it grows is more devastating than all the images we have of him on stage and screen rolled into one.

Eyes incredibly blue, smile with a disarming friendliness, this is a man happy in the sun, and at peace with the world. It’s communicating peace too; a shared contemplation of blue skies, green gardens and the grey stonework of the fine mediaeval building behind us. “I like to find somewhere like this, quiet and away from it all.

“This part is 13th Century common and from that line though this side was added in 1845 – quite well I thought,” he explained with a sweep of his arm. The art of the actor is put aside – for the moment he is content to forget all matters theatrical and recount some of the history of the Hall. This is only a second stay here yet already he is familiar with pedigree and past, characteristics of the care and attention to detail prevalent in all his work.

Obviously Peter Wyngarde (king of small screen, stage and fashion), has a great feeling for all buildings and the great outdoors. He squirms bare feet into sparse sandals and squares up to a tiny table to do homage to another great love… tea! Lid carefully lifted; pot softly stirred (“I think it will be alright”) and a hitherto quite indifferent liquid poured to perfection.

He waits patiently – and a girl brings honey. That the Wyngarde way to take tea, I mentally kicked myself for having plonked white cube sugar in my (which I hate) and resolve to make with the honey for a second cup – which I did – and it’s delicious!

When the girl returns (ostensibly for the tray, but really to request a handful of autographs), books are duly signed but the pot is not relinquished until it yields up a third cup. “Don’t take it just yet. Tea is a firm favourite of mine and, as you know, I drink it by the bucketful,” he reminds her. Despite attentive pouring, the final offering comes with a floating leaf or two. The now empty teapot is carefully observed. “Oh, I see what is the matter. You’ve used quick brew tea and the strainer isn’t right for that kind of tea,” he tells her gently.

New Theatre, Hull (September 17th – 29^th) then on to the Palace Theatre, Manchester, from October 1st before opening in London.

It played to packed-solid houses at Leeds Grand Theatre for two weeks in July, and before that with phenomenal success for a full four-week season in the Forum Theatre Billingham.

“I like touring, especially in provincial theatres. They’re not really having a very good time of it. It’s a good thing when one can use the name one has made on television to draw an audience. For instance, we filled a theatre at Billingham every night for four weeks and still people were turned away. We could have stayed there much longer. It is wonderful. But I understand that since we left, they had to close a show midweek. I don’t know what the answer is. You see last nights (this was in Leeds) we had a house full of young people. They loved it. The show is new to them! They went overboard for the songs shouted for uncles comment cheered, just like a pop concert. It’s marvellous”.

He ponders some more on the difficulties surrounding live theatre day today. “A lot of the traditions have gone. When a country loses its traditions, its lost”.

He counters my suggestion that perhaps the pull of so many other leisure entertainment lures “people away from the theatre with the reply, “I believe in competition. It’s healthy. But you see, television can be rather like a two-headed monster. It can strip away the mystery – bear the technicalities. When I go to the theatre, although I’ve been in it myself for so many centuries, I still want to believe that it’s true. It’s magic. One has to retain that. If you’re going to show the cameras, and the way this and that is achieved of course, the magic is lost”.

He takes a cigarette (one of the ten he’s allowed each day – doctor’s orders) and shows me the nicotine deposit in his cigarette holder. “Look at that. That’s from just, how many I had today – three/four cigarettes. I know it’s very bad for me. But I get so cross and irritable if I don’t smoke. Unbearable”.

The thought that he has to look after his voice now that he’s a singer, makes him laugh out loud. “Well, it’s not really a singing part. Mine are speaking-out songs, if one can call it that. The ‘Puzzlement’ piece is a tongue twisting one at that. Does it come over alright?” he asks.

Has he been in a musical before? “Yes, I played in Brecht’s The Good Woman Of Setzuan. I took the part of Yang Sun, a Chinese pilot. It’s strange, I hadn’t thought of it ‘til now, that in the two musical plays I’ve been in, I should play an oriental”.

What about clothes? One of the several awards he has gained with Jason King is ‘The Best Dressed Man In Britain’.

“Yes, clothes are very important to me. I think see things mostly in shapes, through the eye not the ear. Perhaps that means I have no right to be in musicals! I draw a shape. I see characters as shapes and before I know it, I’m designing clothes”. His interpretation in The King and I is powerful and moving. He has given a barbaric splendour to the two full-length caftans, heavily encrusted with embroidery, and ablaze with colour. “You should read the original book, it’s remarkable,” he advises.

– most stories have to be to some degree, but you have to put forward as much of the truth as you can.

“I don’t play the role romantically – he was a very hard man – he didn’t understand the meaning of love; didn’t acknowledge such a thing existed. He’s perplexed by his feelings. The whole thing is of great puzzlement to him. There’s the scene in the library, where he says, ‘But why should I be called upon to discuss matters of importance with… a woman!’ The beginning is there then, it’s definitely there, and he’s greatly puzzled by it. And when he dies her love for him is there too”.

Herein lies is sensitive rendering of the role – he understands the man and the media with which he works himself.

Early this year, in Leeds, we saw him do the same sort of thing in Charles Dyer’s Mother Adam, a part which he says he very much wanted to do, and one that he recalls took a lot longer to get to grips with. He firmly believes that an actor should be a Vagabond (“like the travelling players of longer go”). And says that in the past four years, he’s travelled more than anyone else he knows. Where does this very much travelled man feel most at home? “That’s an interesting question,” he parries. “Well as I said, I love the sun. I love doing nothing in the sun, and I adore Fiji. Went there for a week instead seven! But I should say that it is here in England that I feel most at home. That’s funny because I get very cross sometimes at the way things get done”.

A plane flies over at that moment and ‘at-home’ Peter Wyngarde points a finger skywards, shades his eyes with one hand, and becomes a small boy again. “I take great delight in watching planes go by and recognising what they are. I used to make models when I was a small boy. I know them all,” he says with a grin.

Earlier he’d said, “I think when you’re working in the theatre at night, you shouldn’t do anything at all during the day”. But this busy-doing-nothing time was now drawing to a close. “I’m afraid I shall have to go now. This is sort of a ritual hour,” he said. Tea and honey time, was over.

And the King went away to prepare for the tasks ahead for a new he would be called upon to do many things.

Interview by Joy Jones.

Please note that some of the additional information provided here by the journalist named below may not be accurate, so it should be treated with caution.

---

Saturday, 10^th August, 1985

Return Of The King

35,000 Australian women once voted him the man they would most like to be seduced by. In the early 70s he was the hottest property on ITV, and responsible for a generation of tots being christened ‘Jason’. Even today, when he phoned TV Times, the blasé switchboard girl paused and asked, “Are you THE Peter Wyngarde?”

He was, of course, the super with-it star of the series Department S and Jason King, all languid elegance, snappy suits, curly hair and drooping moustache. And then he more or less disappeared.

During the last 10 years he has popped up only occasionally; a film role here, a stage play there, between stretches out of work. But a couple of months ago he suddenly sizzled back to ITV screens as the devil himself in a Hammer House Of Horror Mystery And Suspense story. And on Wednesday he plays an almost equally nasty piece of work in Bulman, also on ITV.

“I’m Gallio, a crook,” says Wyngarde. “I play him with a terribly phoney American accent – like a very old George Raft. In fact, I took the moustache off for the role because Raft never had a moustache. And I really get to sock someone.

“It’s nice playing villains. People don’t expect it of me, but they forget that before Jason King I had done 110 television plays; that’s 110 different characters. But even today Jason King follows me around. I can take my moustache off, cut my hair, but people still recognise me as him.

Both Department S and Jason King keep cropping up on late night television all over the world. There is even talk, says Wyngarde, that Channel 4 may rerun them. “A lot of people would like to bring them back, and it would be lovely money for me”.

At the age of 52, Wyngarde is fed up just sitting around in London. “In fact, I’m thinking of going to America unless more work comes along here. And the sort of work I like is being done in America.

When in August, he asks, is his Bulman episode being shown? “The 14th? That’s just after my mother’s birthday. She will be pleased to see me again”.

Interview by Adrian Furness.

1954 Variety Playhouse

Peter and Zena Marshall perform an excerpt from ‘The Rose Without a Thorn’ by Clifford Bax

Broadcast: 25th December, 1954 at 13.10

1958 Toast Of The Town

Toastmaster, Eamonn Andrews, spotlights ‘Duel of Angels’, and features the performance of a scene from the Jean Giraudoux play. Peter played Count Marcellus.

Broadcast: BBC Home Service – 7^th June, 1958 at 20.15

1960 Movie-Go-Round

Soundtrack from: The Siege of Sidney Street

Broadcast: 6th November, 1960 at 14.45

1960 Guest Spot

Interview with Peter by Anne Holden

Peter talked about his role as Count Marcellus in ‘Duel of Angels’

Broadcast: Saturday, 13th August, 1960 on Radio KFAX (New York)

1960 Guest Spot

Interview with Peter by Al Covaia

Peter talked about his role as Count Marcellus in ‘Duel of Angels’

Broadcast: Wednesday, 10th August, 1960 on Radio K00 (New York)

1960 Movie-Go-Round

Peter recalls his favourite movie themes

Broadcast: BBC Radio – 6th November, 1960 14.45

Repeated on BBC Radio 2 – 23^rd February, 1974 as Star Sound and on BBC Radio 2 – 7th January, 1975 at 20.02 

1970 Department S Special

Interview with Peter

Broadcast: Radio Luxembourg – January 14th, 1970

1971 BBC Radio Manchester

Interview

6th November, 1971

1973 Women’s Hour

Interview

Broadcast: BBC Radio 2 – January 26th, 1973

1973 Weekend Women’s Hour

Interview

Broadcast: BBC Radio 4 – March 31^st, 1973 at 15.00

1974 Star Sound

Peter recalls his favourite movie themes

Broadcast: BBC Radio 2 – 23 February, 1974 at 18.03

1974 John Dunn’s Late Night Special

Interview

Broadcast: BBC Radio 2 – 19^th November, 1974 at 22.02

1974 The Rias Parade

Variety Show

Broadcast: (West) Germany – 29th November, 1974

1975 Star Sound

Peter helped review the film releases of 1974 

Broadcast: 7th January, 1975 on BBC Radio 2

1983 The Showman

Peter is interviewed by Harry Martin

Broadcast: Australia 1983

1993 A Game Of Two Halves

Peter discusses his favourite year

Broadcast: BBC Radio 5 – 29^th March, 1993 at 14.30

1996 The Afternoon Shift

Interview

Broadcast: BBC Radio 2 – June 4th, 1996

1994 The Judy Spier’s Show

Interview

Broadcast: BBC Radio 4 – August 1994

2011 Vanessa Feltz Show

Interview

Broadcast: 30th June, 2011 on BBC Radio 2

2013 Nightwaves: The Innocents Special

Peter and other guests talk about the classic film, ‘The Innocents’. Broadcast live from The British Film Institute (BFI).

Broadcast: BBC Radio 4 – 2nd December, 2013

Peter (far left) at the BFI live broadcast

2015 Freak Zone Playlist

A retrospective of Peter’s 1970 album

Broadcast: 19th April, 2015

2018 The Arts Show

Marie-Louise looks back on the life of Peter Wyngarde

Broadcast: BBC Radio Ulster – 18th January, 2018

2018 Last Word

First broadcast: 19th January, 2018 on BBC Radio 4. Rebroadcast, 21st January, 2018 on BBC Radio 4.

Peter Wyngarde obituary 

2018 Ralph McLean – Rock and Roll Soul

First broadcast: 18th January, 2018 on BBC Radio Ulster BBC Radio Foyle

Ralph McLean reviews Peter’s 1970 album

Click below for…

1951 The Wonderful Year: 1851

Broadcast: Sunday, 4th February, 1951 and Friday, 2nd November, 1951

1953 The Nobel Spaniard

Character: The Duke of Hermances (a Spaniard)

The play takes place in the dining room of the Proudfoot family’s villa in Boulogne in 1950

Broadcast: 4th August, 1953

1954 Artists In Crime

Character: Nigel Bathgate

A serial in five episodes, dramatised by Giles Cooper from the novel by Ngaio Marsh

The action of the play takes place during the late 1920s.

Part 1: Broadcast: 11th August, 1953 at 20.30

Part 2: Broadcast: 18th August, 1953 at 20.30

Part 3: ‘Question and Answer’ – Broadcast: 24th August, 1953 at 20.30

Part 4: ‘The Man at the Table’ – Broadcast: 31st August, 1953 at 20.30

Part 5: ‘The Final Touches’ – Broadcast: 7th September, 1953 at 20.30

1954 Léocadia

Character: Prince Albert Troubiscoi

A comedy by Jean Anouilh Translated by Patricia Moyes Radio production by Raymond Raikes

Broadcast by the BBC Home Service – 1^st August, 1954 at 16.30

Story Synopsis: The story deals with a Prince (Peter Wyngarde) who mourns a dead opera singer Léocadia, and spends his time loitering in the park where his aunt, the Duchess (Gladys Young), has reconstructed the places linked with their brief romance. But now she employs Amanda (Dorothy Gordon), a little milliner from Paris, to impersonate the dead diva for three days.

1954 Rosalynde

Character: Rosander

Broadcast by the BBC Home Service – 8th August, 1954

1954 Variety Playhouse: A Rose Without A Thorn

Broadcast: BBC Radio – 27th December, 1954 at 20.40

Character: Francis Dernham

N.B.: A second performance of the play was broadcast on 31st December, 1954 at 19.30 

Story Synopsis: In what was billed as “One of the finest historical plays written in modern times”, Clifford Bax conducted a sympathetic and unerring dramatic enquiry into the love of King Henry VIII for Katherine Howard.

The King’s fourth marriage – to the pathetic and bewildered Anne of Cleves – has come to grief as the play opens, and Henry’s questing eye has already been taken by another lady of the Court when he asks the young Courtier, Thomas Culpeper: “Is her reputation as fair as her face?”

The unhappy Tom, who is himself enamoured by Katherine, acknowledges that is; and it is at that moment, perhaps, that the King is falsely persuaded that he’s found ‘the rose without a thorn’.

The play is thereafter concerned with a royal passion, foolishly idealised, and doomed to tragedy because it knows no compromise with jealousy.

Bax treats Katherine’s dilemma, of past feeling and present indiscretions, with a delicate understanding. He also allows the King as much dignity, sensitivity and charm as can be allowed to a man who avenged to wounds to his pride as a husband – as he rebuffed the challenges to his authority as a king – by a lavish recourse to the executioners block.

1955 The Ermine

Character: Frantz

A play in three acts by Jean Anouilh

Translated by Miriam John Radio adaptation and production by Raymond Raikes Broadcast: BBC Radio – 2^nd April, 1955 at 18.35

1956 The Golden Bowl

Character: The Prince

Part 1: ‘The Prince’

Part 2: ‘ The Princess’

The novel by Henry James dramatised by Mary Hope Allen The principal scenes take place in London and at Fawns House at the beginning of the century. 

Broadcast: BBC Home Service – 10th January, 1956 at 19.30

Above: Peter as the Prince and Irene Worth as Charlotte Stant reading ‘The Golden Bowl’ – adapted from Henry James’ novel, and recorded for transmission in the BBC’s Third Programme on October 2nd, 1955.

1956 Also Amongst the Prophets

Broadcast: BBC Home Service – 5th February, 1956 at 15.00

Character: David

Story Synopsis: The Old Testament story of Saul, the first king of Israel, is shot through with tragic irony. The corruption of power was thrust upon this innocent young man by a prophet who himself was bitterly opposed to kingship. ‘And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee,’ said Samuel, and thou… shalt be turned into another man.’ But Saul, after his early successes, was turned into another man in a tragic sense; ‘ for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.’ Abandoned by Samuel, Saul becomes gradually madder and unhappier, and his one consolation is in David – until jealousy makes him David’s enemy. He swings to and fro between love and hate, between sanity and madness, and, as he swings, is propelled towards disaster by his own actions and by circumstance.

1956 Honesty Is The Best Policy

Character: Marchese Fabio Colli

A tragi-comedy by Luigi Pirandello translated by Frederick May Adapted by Helena Wood Produced by Mary Hope Allen

Broadcast: BBC Home Service – 25th March, 1956 at 21.25

Repeated on 31st March, 1956

1956 The Wood Demon

Introductions to the four acts spoken by Peter

Broadcast: BBC Home Service – 4^th November, 1956 at 15.00

1956 The Oresteia

Character: Orestes – son of Agamemnon

Part 1: ‘Agamemnon’ – Broadcast: 23rd November, 1956 at 21.45

Part 2: ‘The Choephori’ – Broadcast: 24th November, 1956 at 21.45

Part 3: ‘The Libation Bearers’ – Broadcast: 25th November, 1956 at 21.45

Part 4: ‘The Eumenides’ – Broadcast: 26th November, 1956 at 21.45

A new translation by Philip Vellacott with music by Antony Hopkins. Arranged for broadcasting and produced by Raymond Raikes

Broadcast by the BBC Home Service

1957 Uncle Vanya

Scenes from country life in four acts by Anton Chekhov Translated from the Russian by David Tutaev Radio adaptation and production by Raymond Raikes Other parts played by members of the BBC Drama Repertory Company Introductions to the four acts spoken by Peter.

Broadcast: BBC Home Service – 1^st February, 1957 at 20.50

Repeated: October 1972

1957 The Egotist

Character: Sir Willoughby Patterne

Broadcast: BBC Home Service – 30^th August, 1957 at 21.15pm

1957 Captain Of The Dragoons

Character: Captain Charles Carey

Part 1. Swords and Pistols For Two

Part 2. Secret Service

Part 3. A Pinch of Snuff

Part 4. The Traitor

Written by John Keir Cross from the novel by Ronald Welch 

Part 1: ‘Swords and Pistols For Two’ Broadcast: BBC Home Service – 2nd October, 1957

Story Synopsis: Captain of Dragoons is a stirring tale of adventure and intrigue set in the time of John Churchill , first Duke of Marlborough. The young Captain Charles Carey is called upon, against his will, to serve his country as a secret agent in French territory. He is entrusted with a perilous mission, calling for all his skill as a swordsman and his full reserves of courage and resource. “Perhaps my hand trembles a little from my wound in the duel. The pistol swings round towards me; and, suddenly, as I touch it …”

Part 2: ‘Secret Service’ Broadcast: BBC Home Service – 9th October, 1957 at 17.00

“Behind every great campaign, there is another campaign. Behind every Service, there is another and a hidden Service. I, by the Duke’s good grace, am the head of that Service; and you, Charles Carey, are its newest recruit!”

Part 3: ‘A Pinch of Snuff’ Broadcast: BBC Home Service – 16th October, 1957 at 17.00

“It is still snuff that I am in pursuit of, as I enter the little tobacconist’s shop of a certain Monsieur Henri Vallon, in a side-street: a rather special snuff, not quite to everyone’s taste, recommended to me by a certain Colonel Henshall, and known as the Nantes mixture….“  

Part 4: ‘The Traitor’ Broadcast: 23rd October, 1957 at 17.00 

“The one remaining thread to be tied was that of the mystery of the traitor-the man who had so nearly brought about my death long ago at Limburg. I longed more than ever to unmask him, and at last the opportunity came.”

1957 The Alabama

Character: Captain Raphael Semmes

The story of an ocean raider Written and produced by Kenneth Poolman

Broadcast: BBC Home Service – 20th November, 1957 at 20.00

1959 A Woman Killed With Kindness

Character: Master Wendoll

Broadcast: British Home Service – 25^th February, 1959 at 20.00

Repeated: Under the title ‘National Theatre of the Air’ by the BBC Home Service on 20^th August, 1961 at 20.30, and as ‘The Sunday Play’ by The BBC Home Service on 3^rd April, 1966 at 14.30

1964 The Balcony

Character: The Chief of Police

Written by Jean Genet translated by Bernard Frechtman ‘We’ve reached the point at which we can no longer be actuated by human feelings. Our function will be to support, establish, and justify metaphors.’ Produced and adapted for radio by John Tydeman

Broadcast: BBC Home Service – 6th December, 1964 at 20.55

1965 Time Remembered

Character: Prince Albert Troubiscoi

Produced by Charles Lefeaux The action takes place in the house and grounds of the Duchess of Pont-au-Bronc’s country estate in Brittany

Broadcast: BBC Home Service – 25th January, 1965  20.30

1970 The Sleeping Prince

Character: The Regent

Written by Terence Rattigan adapted for radio by Gerry Jones

The fairy story of a Gaiety Girl invited to supper by the Regent of Carpathia, in London for the Coronation of King George V. A casual encounter involves her not only in romance, but in the turmoil of Europe just before the First World War.

Broadcast: BBC Home Service 7^th January, 1967.

Repeated: 27^th September, 1970

Part of the Saturday Night Theatre series

1991 Mort

Character: Death

By Jon Pope (based on Terry Pratchett’s ‘Discworld’ books)

Story Synosis: Teenager, Mort has a personality and temperament that makes him unsuited to the family farming business, so his Lezek takes him to a local hiring fair hoping that he’ll get an apprenticeship for himself. Just before the last stroke of midnight that same day, Death arrives and takes Mort on as an apprentice, although his father believes that Mort is actually working for an undertaker.

Broadcast: BBC Radio 4 – 28th August, 1991

2007 The Pickerskill Detentions

Part 3 – ‘A Textbook Detention’

Character: Mr Mike Poulson-Jabby

By Andrew McGibbon.

Story Synopsis: Dr Henry Pickerskill, retired English Master of Haunchurst college for boys, looks back on his most memorable detentions.

Pickerskill’s doctoring of a hated school textbook amuses him greatly, and goes unnoticed until an unfortunate detention in the late fifties where the subversive book is mistakenly used by another teacher.

Broadcast: BBC Radio 4 – 28th February 2007 at 23.15

Listen to the play HERE

Click below for…

 

“Watch that young man. He is the best emerging actor in the country!“

Sir Tyrone Guthrie – Theatrical Director

1946 Quality Street

Character: Ensign Blades

Buxton Playhouse Theatre: June 1946

1946 When We Were Married

Character: Gerald Forbes

The Embassy Theatre, London. July 1946

1946 Pick-Up Girl

Character(s): Door Attendant/Policeman Owens/A Young Man.

Grand Theatre, Blackpool: 30th September – 7th October, 1946

Theatre Royal, Birmingham: 7th October – 14th October, 1946

The Grand Theatre, Leeds: 24th February – 10th March, 1947

The Hippodrome, Bristol: 24th March – 31st March, 1947

Theatre Royal, Norwich: 19th May – 26th May, 1947

N.B. In earlier performances of ‘The Pick-Up Girl’, Peter was billed in the role of “The Door Attendant”, but was later credited in the part of both ‘Policeman Owens’ and ‘A Young Man’.

1947 Present Laughter

Character: Morris Dixon

British Tour – Autumn 1947

The Theatre Royal, Birmingham: 4th August – 10th August, 1947

The Grand Theatre, Llandudno: 11th August – 18th August, 1947

The Hippodrome, Norwich: 26th August – 31st August, 1947

Theatre Royal, Brighton: 1st September – 8th September, 1947

The Wimbledon Theatre: 9th September – 16th September, 1947

The Art’s Theatre, Cambridge: 6th October – 11th October, 1947

The Opera House, Cheltenham: 13th October – 19th October, 1947

The Prince of Wales Theatre, Cardiff: 20th October – 28th October, 1947

The Theatre Royal, Bath: 29th October – 5th November, 1947

The Progress Theatre, Reading: 7th November – 13th November, 1947

The Grand Theatre, Derby: 22nd November – 27th November, 1947

Devonshire Park Theatre, Bournmouth: 28th November – 4th December, 1947

The Royal Opera House, Leicester: 8th December – 15th December, 1947

1948 Macbeth

Character(s): A Messenger/A Murderer

Colchester Repertory Theatre. February 1948

1948 Deep Are The Roots

Character: Chuck Warren

Colchester Repertory Theatre. March 1948

1948 The Winslow Boy

Character: Sir Robert Morton, KC

Colchester Repertory Theatre: March 1948

1948 The Government Inspector

Character: Osip

Theatre Royal, York. May 1948

1948 Julius Caesar

Character: Julius Caesar

Theatre Royal, York. May 1948

1948 Residents Only

Character: Mr. Maydigger

Theatre Royal, York. June 1948

1948 The Devil’s Disciple

Character: Chaplain Brundenell

Theatre Royal, York. June 1948

1949 Fly Away Peter

Character: Pan

Colchester Reparatory Theatre: January 1949

1949 The Importance Of Being Ernest

Character: Algernon Moncrieff

Colchester Reparatory Theatre: 14^th – 19^th February 1949

1949 Rope

Character: Kenneth Raglan

Colchester Reparatory Theatre: 21^st – 26^th February 1949

1949 Othello

Character: Sylvius

The Embassy Theatre. June 1949

N.B. Part of the Repertory Theatre Festival, held at the Embassy Theatre, Swiss Cottage, London between 31st May and 24th June, 1949. Companies from Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester and Nottingham took part. At the time, Peter was with the Nottingham Theatre Trust, based at the Nottingham Playhouse.

1949 Fresh Fields

Character: The Chinese Servant

The Playhouse, Nottingham. January 1949

1949 The Paragon

Character: The Unknown Man

Colchester Reparatory Theatre: January/February, 1949

1949 Truant in Park Lane

Character: Riggs

Colchester Reparatory Theatre: February, 1949

1949 As You Like It

Character: Oliver

Theatre Royal, Windsor. March, 1949

1949 Tobias and the Angel

Character: Raguel

The Playhouse, Nottingham. April, 1949

1949 Shadows and Substance

Character: Father Kirwan

The Playhouse, Nottingham. April 1949

1949 Caste

Character: Captain Hawtree

The Playhouse, Nottingham. May, 1949

1949 The Merchant of Venice

Character: Prince J- Arragon

The Playhouse, Nottingham. June, 1949

1949 By Candle Light

Character: Baron Egon Von Felsen. 

The Playhouse, Nottingham. July, 1949

Above: Peter with Jenny Harvey in ‘By Candle Light’  

1949 The Apple Cart

Character: Nicobar, the Foreign Secretary

The Playhouse, Nottingham. July 1949

1949 The Winslow Boy

Character: Sir Robert Morton

The Playhouse, Nottingham. July 1949

1949 Othello

Character: Cassio

The Embassy Theatre, London. May-July 1949 

1949 Easy Money

Character: Denis Stafford

Richmond Theatre: December 1949

1949 While The Sun Shines

Character: Lieutenant Coldbert

Richmond Theatre. December 1949

1950 The Happiest Days of Your Life

Character: Dick Tassell

The Richmond Theatre. January, 1950

1950 The Long Shadow

Character: Geoffrey Delamere

The Richmond Theatre: January, 1950

1950 Mile Away Murder

Character:

The Richmond Theatre: February, 1950

1950 The Perfect Woman

Character: Freddie

The Richmond Theatre: February, 1950

1950 They Knew What They Wanted

Character: Joe

The Richmond Theatre: February, 1950

1950 Lovely To Look At

Character: Edward Winthrop

Richmond Theatre: February 1950

1950 Edward, My Son

Character: Dr. Larry Parker

Richmond Theatre. February 1950

1950 Mountain Air

Character: George Beesdale

Richmond Theatre. March 1950

1950 French Without Tears

Character: The Honourable Alan Howard

Richmond Theatre. March 1950

1950 The Importance of Being Ernest

Character: Dr. O’Shea

Richmond Theatre. April 1950

1950 Rebecca

Character: Jack Fayell

Richmond Theatre. April 1950

1950 They Were Not Divided

Character: The Housemaster

Richmond Theatre. April 1950

1950 Summer In December

Character:

Richmond Theatre. April 1950

1950 Fifty-Fifty

Character:

Richmond Theatre. April 1950

1950 P.C. 49 – The Case of the Shocking Shadow

Character: Andre Cheval

The Richmond Theatre. May 1950

1950 Off The Record

Character:

Richmond Theatre. June 1950

1950 The Magistrate

Character(s): Captain Horace Gale and Mr. Wormington

Richmond Theatre. May 1950

1950 And Then There Were None

Character: Captain Phillip Lombard

Richmond Theatre. June 1950

1950 Claudia

Character: Jerry Seymour

Richmond Theatre. June 1950

1950 Young Wives Tale

Character: Victor Manifold

Richmond Theatre. July 1950

1950 Madam Tic-Tac

Character: Clem

Richmond Theatre. July 1950

1950 Goodbye Mr Chips

Character: Mr Chipping

The Richmond Theatre. July 1950

1950 And The Whistle Blew

Character: Frenchy

Richmond Theatre. July 1950

1950 Dirty Work

Character:

Richmond Theatre. July 1950

1950 The Patsy

Character: Tony Anderson

The Richmond Theatre. July 1950

1950 Twenty To One

Character:

The Richmond Theatre. August 1950

1950 Springtide

Character:

The Richmond Theatre. September 1950

1950 The Man From Toronto

Character: Robert Gilmour

Richmond Theatre, October, 1950

1950 Someone At The Door

Character: Bill Reid

Richmond Theatre. October 1950

1950 She Stoops To Conquer

Character: Young Marlow

Richmond Theatre. October 1950

1950 Bonaventure

Character: Willy Pentridge

Richmond Theatre, October, 1950

Above: Peter as Willy Pentridge, with cast in Bonaventure

1950 In Society

Character: Frank Hunter

Richmond Theatre, November, 1950

1950 Village Wooing

Character:

Richmond Theatre, November, 1950

1950 Mr Gillie

Character: Tom Donnelly

Richmond Theatre, November, 1950

1951 September Tide

Character: Evan Davies

Richmond Theatre: February 1951

1951 Loaves and Fishes

Character: Bertram Railing

The New Boltons Theatre Club, London. March 1951

1951 Hamlet

Character(s): Voltimand/Third Player (who acts the part of the murderer, Lucianus)

The New Theatre, Bromley. May 1951

N.B. This production of ‘Hamlet’ at the New Theatre, Bromley, was produced as part of the Festival Of Britain celebrations.

1951 The Taming Of The Shrew

Character: Tranio

The Marlow Theatre. May 1951

1951 Ten Little Niggers

Character: Phillip Lombard

The Grand Theatre, Southampton, August 1951

1951 French Without Tears

Character: Hon. Alan Howard

The Grand Theatre, Southampton, August 1951

1951 The Happy Family

Character: Herbert Filch

The Grand Theatre, Southampton, September 1951

1951 Love From a Stranger

Character: Nigel Lawrence

The Grand Theatre, Southampton, September 1951

1951 Murder Without Crime

Character: Matthew

The Grand Theatre, Southampton, October 1951

1951 Murder Without Crime

Character: Inspector Japp and Sir Claude Amory

Grand Theatre, Southampton, November 1951

1951 Young Wives Tale

Character: Victor Manifold

The Grand Theatre, Southampton, November 1951

1951 Murder On The Nile

Character: Simon Mostyn

Richmond Theatre, December 1951

1952 They’ll Arrive Tomorrow

Character: Jonah

The Irving Theatre, London. June 1952

Above: Peter as Jonah

1953 The Loyal Traitors

Character: The Communist

The Arts Theatre, London. January, 1953

1953 September Tide

Character: Evan Davies

Marlow Theatre, Canterbury 

1953 The Nobel Spaniard

Character: The Duke of Hermanos

The Cambridge Theatre. October 1953

1954 The Enchanted (A.K.A. ‘Intermezzo’)

Character: The Ghost/A Young Man.

The Arts Theatre, London. March 1954

Above: Peter (centre, on steps) as the Ghost of a Young Man in ‘The Enchanted’

1954 No Laughing Matter (A.K.A. ‘Histoire de Rire’)

Character: Gérard Barbier

The Arts Theatre, London. July, 1954.

Above: Peter (Centre) in ‘No Laughing Matter’

1954 Saint Joan

Character: Dunois

The Art’s Theatre, Cambridge: 20th September – 25th September, 1954

The Arts Theatre, London. 30th September 1954 (opening night)

Above: Peter (right – in full armour) as Dunois

1954 Journeys End

Character: Stanhope

The Irvine Theatre. July 1954

1956 The Good Woman of Setzuan

Character: Yang-Sun

Theatre Royal, Brighton: 15th October – 21st October,1956

New Theatre, Oxford: 22nd October – 28th October, 1956

Royal Court Theatre, London: 31st October – 13th November, 1956

Above: Peter (lying) as Yang-Sun

1958 Duel of Angels

Character: Count Marcellus

The Theatre Royal, Newcastle Upon Tyne: 11th March – 16th March, 1958

The Alhambra Theatre, Glasgow: 17th March – 23rd March, 1958

The Opera House, Manchester: 24th March – 30th April, 1958

The New Theatre, Oxford: 7th April – 12th April, 1958

Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham: 21st April – 22nd April, 1958

The Apollo Theatre, London: 24th April, 1958 (opening night)

Above: Peter as Count Marcellus with Vivien Leigh

1959 The Taming Of The Shrew

Character: Petruchio

The Old Vic, Bristol – February 24th – March 10th, 195.

N.B. Recorded and shown by ITV (T.W.W.) in an edited 60-minute version on March 26th, 1959.

Above: As Petruchio in ‘The Taming of the Shrew’

1959 Cyrano De Bergerac

Character: Cyrano

The Old Vic, Bristol – May 1959

Above: As Cyrano in ‘Cyrano De Bergerac’

1960 Duel of Angels

Character: Count Marcellus 

Shubert Theatre, New Have, Connecticut9th April – 16th April, 1960

Helen Hayes Theatre, New York: 19th April, 1960(Opening night)

Alcazar Theatre, San Francisco

Huntington Hartford Theatre, Los Angeles: 12th July – 1st August, 1960

Blackstone Theatre, Chicago: 12th September – 1st October, 1960

National Theatre, Washington D.C: .3rd October – 16th October, 1960

Above: Peter with Mary Ure in ‘Duel of Angels’

1962 King John

Character: King John

The Mother House, London

1962 The Merchant of Venice

Character: Shylock

The Mother House, London

1962 Macbeth

Character: Macbeth

The Mother House, London 1962

1964 Night Conspirators

Character: Werner Loder

Theatre Royal, Brighton: 19th March – 31st March, 1962

Golders Green Hippodrome, London: 1st April – 7th April, 1962

Wimbledon Theatre, London: 8th April – 14th April, 1962

The Pavilion Theatre, Bournmouth: 15th April – 21st April, 1963

The Saville Theatre, London: 23rd April – 5th May, 1962:

Above: Peter as Werner Loder, with Sally Home

1964 Time Remembered (A.K.A. Léocadia)

Character: Prince Albert Troubiscoi

New Theatre, Bromley. September 1964

N.B. Peter played Prince Albert Troubiscoi in a BBC radio production under the title ‘Léocadia’, which was first broadcast on the BBC Home Service on Sunday, 1^st August, 1954. and repeated on the BBC Home Service – Monday, 25th January, 1965. 

1965 The Philanderer

Character: Leonard Charteris

The New Theatre, Bromley. June 1965

1966 The Spies (A.K.A. The Game As Played)

Character: Chrystal

Richmond Theatre, May 1966

1966 The Servant

Character: Barrett.

The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guilford. September/October 1966

The Duke of York’s Theatre, London

1967 The Two Character Play

Character: Felice

The Hampstead Theatre Club. December 1967

N.B. The world premiere of the play was on December 11th, 1967.

Above: As Felice in ‘The Two Character Play’, with Mary Ure

1968 The Duel

Character: Nickolay von Koren

Theatre Royal, Brighton: 19th March – 25th March, 1968

The Duke of York’s Theatre, London. April 1968

Above: Peter as Nickolay von Koren

1972 Butley

Character: Ben Butley

The Metro Theatre, Melbourne, Australia. May 1972.

N.B. The production of ‘Butley’ at the Metro Theatre, Melbourne, was the World Premier of Charles Dyer’s play.

Above: Peter as Ben Butley

1972 Mother Adam

Character: Adam

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon: 22nd January – 27th January, 1973

The Playhouse, Weston-Super-Mare: 29th January – 4th Febrile, 1972

The Kings Theatre, Southsea: 5th February – 11th February, 1972:

Theatre Royal, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne: 19th February – 25th February, 1972

The Kings Theatre, Edinburgh: 26th February – 1st March, 1972

The Grand Theatre, Leeds: 5th March – 12th March, 1972

Hampstead Theatre Club, London: 16th April – 12th May, 1972 (also two previews on 13th & 14th May)

Above: Peter as Adam with Hermione Baddeley as his mother

1973 The King and I

Character: The King

Forum Theatre, Billingham: 25h June – 21st July, 1973

The Grand Theatre, Leeds: 24th July – 5th August, 1973

The Kings Theatre, Southsea: 7th August – 18th August, 1973

The Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton: 18th September – 1st September, 1973

Theatre Royal, Nottingham: 4th September – 17th September, 1973

The New Theatre, Hull: 18th September – 24th September, 1973

The Adelphi Theatre, London: 19th November – 10th December, 1973

Above: Peter as the King of Siam

1974 Present Laughter

Character: Garry Essendine

The Forum Theatre, Billlingham: 5th July – 20th July, 1974

Richmond Theatre, London: 22nd July – 4th August, 1974

Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham: 5th August – 11th August, 1974

Theatre Royal, Newcastle: 12th August – 18th August, 1974

The Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton: 19th August – 25th August, 1974

The Playhouse, Harlow: 16th September – 22nd September, 1974

The Playhouse, Bournmouth: 21st October – 27th October, 1974

The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guilford: 28th October – 15th November

Theatre Royal, Brighton: 16th November – 24th November, 1974

N.B. Peter also directed this play.

1975 Dracula

Character: Vivorde Szekels/Count Dracula

Forum Theatre, Billingham: 14th January – 25th January, 1975

The Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon: 3rd March – 9th March, 1975

Wimbledon Theatre, London: 10th March – 12th March, 1975

Theatre Royal, Bath: 17th March – 23rd March, 1975

The Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton: 14th April – 20th April, 1975

The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford: 5th May – 11th May, 1975

N.B. This play was written by Peter Wyngarde

1975 Present Laughter

Character: Garry Essendine

The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

28th October to 15th November, 1975

N.B. Peter also directed this play.

1976 The Merchant of Venice

Character: Shylock

British National Tour. March-April, 1976

Also directed by Peter Wyngarde

1976 Dear Liar

Character: George Bernard Shaw

The English Theatre, Vienna. July, 1976

N.B. Play had to reopen in September to accommodate both the public and subscribers of the English Theatre who missed it earlier in the year.

Above: As George Bernard Shaw in ‘Dear Liar’

1976 Anastasia

Character: Prince Bounine

The Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton: 14th June – 20st June, 1976

The New Theatre, Hull: 21st June – 27th, 1976

Richmond Theatre, London: 26th July – 1st August, 1976

The Cambridge Theatre, London: 3rd August – 16th August, 1976

Above: Peter as Prince Bounine

1977 Big Toys

Character: Richie Bosenquet

The English Theatre, Vienna. July, 1977

N.B. European premier. Directing, casting and male costume designs by Peter.

1977 The Merchant of Venice

Character: Shylock

The English Theatre, Vienna. August, 1977

N.B. Directed by Peter and recorded at the English Theatre, Vienna, by Austrian Educational Television

Above: Peter as Shylock

1978 Deathtrap

Character: Sidney Bruhl

Tour of Southern Africa 1978

1983 Underground

Character: Alexander Howard

Theatre Royal, Lincoln: 5th March – 9th March, 1983

The Royal Alexander Theatre, Toronto: 28th March – 7th May, 1983

The Theatre Royal, Brighton: 18th May – 21st May, 1983

Richmond Theatre, London: 30th May – 4th June, 1983

The Hippodrome, Birmingham: 20 June – 15th June, 1983

The Prince of Wales Theatre, London: 26h June – 7th August, 1983

The Palace Theatre, Manchester: 8th August – 13th August, 1983

Above: (From left to right): Alfred Marks, Peter, Elspeth March, Eric Carte and Raymond Burr.

1985 Light Up The Sky

Character: Carlton Fitzgerald

The Old Vic, London. September 1985

1984/85 Aladdin

Character: Abanazar

His Majesties Theatre, Aberdeen. December 1984/January 1985.

1985/86 Babes In The Wood

Character: Sheriff of Nottingham

Richmond Theatre. December 1985/January 1986.

1986 Guilty Conscience

Character: The Prosecutor

The Theatre Royal, Windsor. June/July 1986.

1989 Wait Until Dark

Character: Harry Roat.

The Mill Dinner Theatre, Sonning, UK. July 22 – August 22, 1989

National Tour, South Africa. 1989

The Hilton International Hotel, Singapore: August 26th-September 2nd.

The Regent Hotel, Kuala Lumpar: September 4th-27th.

The Travel Lodge Hotel, Papua New Guinea: September 22nd-October 7th.

The Siam InterContinental, Bangkok: October 9th-13th.

The Nile Hilton, Cairo: October 18th-23rd.

The Jordan InterContinental Hotel: October 25th-28th.

The Athens Hilton, Athens: October 30th-November 3rd.

The InterContinental Hotel, Dubai: November 6th- November 13th.

The Hilton International Hotel, Manaman: November 15th-20th.

The Hilton International Hotel, Manaman: November 15th-20th.

The InterContinental Hotel, Muttrah: November 22nd-27th.

The InterContinental Hotel, Abu Dhabi: November 30th-December 4th.

The InterContinental Hotel, Al Ain: December 6th.

Above: As Harry Roat with Helen Gill in ‘Wait Until Dark’

1988 As You Like It

Character: Duke Frederick

March/April 1988

UK National Tour

1990 The Country Wife

Character: Jack Pinchwife

The Mermaid Theatre, London – December 1990

Above: Peter as Jack Pinchwife with Fenell Fielding as Lady Fidget

1995 The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari

Character: Doctor Caligari

The Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool – September 1995

N.B. Peter appeared in just one half of the opening night performance of ‘The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari’ at the Playhouse Theatre in Liverpool on Tuesday, September 19th, 1995, before withdrawing from the show with a serious throat infection.

---

WYNGARDE PRODUCTIONS

1959 Long Day’s Journey Into Night

Produced and Directed by Peter Wyngarde.

The Bristol Old Vic. March 17th – April 7th, 1959

---

DIRECTED BY PETER WYNGARDE

1975 Time And The Conway’s

The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford. December 1975

---

READINGS

1970 A Celebration of Tudor Verse

Bishop Stortford Town Centre (Various locations)

23rd, 24th, 25th & 26th September, 1970

Peter with the other actors that took part in the performances, including Madeline Smith and Susan George

1974 Water, Water Everywhere

Royal Pavilion Music Room, Brighton. 1974

(Part of the Brighton Festival. Theme: The Sea)

Click below for…

Please note that some of the additional information provided here by the journalist named below may not be accurate, so it should be treated with caution.

---

Broadcast: BBC Radio 4 – August 1994

The programme opens with a sound bite from the Jason King episode, ‘A Red, Red Rose Forever’,

Voice of Fan 1: “I just remembered him as a quintessential English gentleman; a sort of James Bond character but as it was on TV, it was so slightly cheaper value. I also remember him wearing all the fab gear”.

Voice of Fan 2: “Jason King would usually pull up in a flared car of some sort – the tyres would be flared, and he’d sort of waft out, keeping his hand on his head to keep his wig in place; his moustache would be vibrating succulently. He’d have a bird on his arm and be smoking a corduroy cigarette. He’d usually be wearing some sort of double-breasted affair and fantastic shoes, no doubt”.

Voice of Fan 3: “He got the clothes. He got the girls. He was the man!”

Voice of Host: “Even though they were knee-high to a grasshopper when Jason King graced our screens, these guys do remember him. Fab! Jason also had a way with words”.

Voice of Fan 2: “I recall he had a thing of ending every sentence with, ‘Do-dee dee-dee’“ [1]

Voice of Host: “As well as being Prince of mix and match. No wonder as the release date of Jason King on video nears, that so many people remember the flamboyant adventurer and notorious lover of women who could solve crimes even Interpol battled with”.

Voice of Fan 2: “I remember he was in this love-scene with a famous actress at the time, and I remember him saying to her, “You really turn me on,” and her replying, “You’re really fab!”

Voice of Host: “Everyone at the time looked like him; you could hardly walk down the street without tripping over a droopy moustache. Peter Wyngarde is the actor who played this Sultan of style”.

Peter: “I thought the funniest thing of all was the fan mail you got from girlfriends and wives, saying things like: ‘My husband looks exactly like you,’ and you’d get this photograph of him and he’d look like Godzilla. It was absolutely unbelievable!

“There was this man with more hair on his head than anybody has ever had in their lives on top of their head, and a moustache that went down to their knees. It was unbelievable. They also had these great grinning teeth. And they’d say, ‘Could you sign his photograph – not my photograph – his photograph. People exaggerate what they think they see”.

Voice of Host: “And what about the clothes?”

Peter: “The idea was to give me more height, so I double the height of the collar and I made it much higher, that’s all it was. And instead of a tie which I believe displays a person’s personality; if you look at the people that have little tiny knots you know what else they have which is tiny! You know there’s no freedom and that they are so introverted they almost disappear into themselves,

Voice of Host: “He would often draw designs for his suits on brown paper which were sent to his own tailor. the pink high-neck shirt with gigantic matching tie bursting out from the jacket of the caramel suit; the high waisted trousers and the snooker players waistcoats. He was busy on set as there were at least eight changes of clothes per episode from Tweedy suit to sheepskin jacket to tight jumper; powder blue suit in the morning, red kaftan at night. Ohhh, the flick of his jacket as he strolled across the parquet floor to tick off a villain. The way the trouser leg hung just so”.

Peter: “I think you’ve got to dress to make yourself look better, if possible – to make the body look better. The fact that I used a riding jacket of the 18th Century gave it a kind of elegance in a very masculine way, which I was also after, you know, so that the jacket became longer, the trousers became narrow, and I wore riding boots, so you had this wonderful line. It was an elegant line; it had something, and I was doing alright in my private life with this, so why not use it in my public life. It was a very classic line”.

Voice of Host: “So what happened to the suits? Apparently, some were just given, so always look out when trawling the charity shops, you may get lucky and find a genuine Wyngarde suit that he’d once given to Oxfam. There’s even a rumour that an original pair of Jason King trousers are doing the rounds at various raves”.

Peter: “I can’t find any now as they’ve all disappeared with different people. Sometimes I’d say, ’Where’s that lovely steely grey one? I haven’t seen that for ages”.

Voice of Host: “Would you recognise without any shadow of doubt one of your suits?”

Peter: “Immediately! That’s why I knew when I went to Germany, France, Sweden and I’d see ‘Jason King Suits’ in shop windows, I said: ‘That’s not my suit!’  But everyone says it is. ‘No. It’s terrible. This is wrong, this is wrong this is…’ I could tell right away. They didn’t know the cut. The secret was the cut. I know that secret to this day so if I’m kidnapped, you know what happened.”

Voice of Host: “With Jason, the dandy writer of crime fiction who had better brains than all of MI5 put together, surely, he should have moved from crime into a fashion slot or joined the style police and kept the colour wheel firmly on beige”.

The world of cheese certainly won’t let him be forgotten.

Voice of Retro Clothes Shop Owner: “We have a screen that shows a photo’ of Peter Wyngarde around every 5 seconds to subliminally entice people into our 1^st floor shop”.

Notes: [1]: Don’t remember that one…!

Please note that some of the additional information provided here by the journalist named below may not be accurate, so it should be treated with caution.

---

December 1974

The Bravo Truth Game

Peter Wyngarde makes a surprise confession: “I’m waiting for my third great love!”

Why does he sometimes dream at night of a James Bond character who looks just like Jason king? Why can’t he stand women who don’t have a sense of humour? And why does he consider it important that a man is able to fib convincingly?

Question: Are there any experiences in your life that you’d rather have missed?

Peter: None at all. Every experience, even a bad one, has its advantages.

Question: What is your greatest talent?

Peter: Energy and concentration.

Question: What about faults?

Peter: I’m too impatient an easily hurt.

Question: What do you think about marriage?

Peter: I was very young when I married and it went wrong. I think that everyone should be in love at least three times. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be possible if you were wearing a wedding ring.

Question: Have you already at these three loves?

Peter: I’m still waiting for the third!

Question: What is your favourite food?

Peter: Fresh fish and lots of salads.

Question: Favourite drink?

Peter: French country wine.

Question: What quality do you appreciate most in a woman?

Peter: Humour. If a woman can’t laugh, she’d get on my nerves!

Question: What quality do you consider most important in a man?

Peter: To charmingly unconvincingly tell fibs!

Question: What is your favourite book?

Peter: The one I’m reading at the time.

Question: Who are your favourite favourite composers?

Peter: Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert.

Question: Favourite actors?

Peter: Laurence Olivier, Marlon Brando I’m Vivien Leigh, who died much too young.

Question: Do you have a dream part?

Peter: I dream of a part much along the lines of James Bond but not so terribly serious, more playful Jason King.

Question: Imagine you were living on a desert island for a year and you were only allowed to take three things with you. What would they be?

Peter: Three women a cool blonde, a fiery black haired one, and a gentle brunette.

Question: Have you been telling the truth in this Questionnaire?

Peter: If I said yes, you think I was lying. Therefore, I shall say no!