Traitor (Play for Today)

1st episode of the 2nd series of Play for Today

"Traitor"

Play for Today episode
Episode no.| Series 2
Episode 1
Directed by| Alan Bridges
Written by| Dennis Potter
Original air date| 14 October 1971 (1971-10-14)
Episode chronology
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"Edna, the Inebriate Woman"

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"Traitor" is the first episode of the second season of the British BBC anthology TV series Play for Today. The episode was a television play that was originally broadcast on 14 October 1971. "Traitor" was written by Dennis Potter, directed by Alan Bridges, produced by Graeme MacDonald, and starred John Le Mesurier as Adrian Harris, a character loosely based on Kim Philby. Le Mesurier's performance won him the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 1972.[1]

## Plot

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Western journalists visit Moscow to interview Adrian Harris, a former controller in British intelligence who was also a double agent for the Soviet Union. Harris believes in both Communism and Englishness, believing himself to have betrayed his class, but not his country. The press find these beliefs incompatible, and want to find out why he became a ‘traitor’. Harris is plagued by anxieties over both his actions and his upper-class childhood, and drinks to a state of collapse.[2]

## Cast

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* Adrian Harris – John Le Mesurier
* James – Jack Hedley
* Simpson – Vincent Ball
* Blake – Neil McCallum
* Thomas – Jon Laurimore
* Sir Arthur Harris – Lyndon Brook
* Lady Emma – Diana Fairfax
* Michaelov – Richard Marner
* Duty clerk – Terence Bayler
* Craig – John Quentin
* Schoolmaster – John Saunders
* Young Adrian – Sean Maddox

## Reception

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Better known for comedic roles, Le Mesurier's casting was a brave move, one which initially concerned the actor who "was very, very scared" that "he wouldn’t be able to pull it off".[2] Le Mesurier would later call the role 'the best part I ever had on TV'.[1] While reviews of the play were mixed, critics were unanimous in their praise for Le Mesurier and he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 1972.[2]

## References

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1. ^ a b Angelini, Sergio (2013). "Traitor (1971)". screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
2. ^ a b c Rolinson, David (4 November 2010). "Traitor (1971)". britishtelevisiondrama.org.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2014.

## External links

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* "Traitor" at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Works by Dennis Potter

* Bibliography

Television
plays|

* Stand Up, Nigel Barton (1965)
* Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton (1965)
* Emergency – Ward 9 (1966)
* Shaggy Dog (1968)
* A Beast with Two Backs (1968)
* Moonlight on the Highway (1969)
* Son of Man (1969)
* Traitor (1971)
* Follow the Yellow Brick Road (1972)
* Joe's Ark (1974)
* Double Dare (1976)
* Where Adam Stood (1976)
* Blue Remembered Hills (1979)
* Blade on the Feather (1980)
* Rain on the Roof (1980)
* Cream in My Coffee (1980)
* Brimstone and Treacle (1987)

Television
serials|

* Casanova (1971)
* The Mayor of Casterbridge (1978)
* Pennies From Heaven (1978)
* Tender Is the Night (1985)
* The Singing Detective (1986)
* Christabel (1988)
* Blackeyes (1989)
* Lipstick on Your Collar (1993)
* Karaoke (1996)
* Cold Lazarus (1996)

Films|

* Pennies from Heaven (1981)
* Brimstone and Treacle (1982)
* Gorky Park (1983)
* Dreamchild (1985)
* Track 29 (1988)
* Secret Friends (1991)
* Mesmer (1993)
* The Singing Detective (2003)

Novels|

* Hide and Seek (1973)
* Pennies from Heaven (1981)
* Ticket to Ride (1986)
* Blackeyes (1987)

* v
* t
* e

Play for Today

* Robin Redbreast (1970)
* Alma Mater (1971)
* The Foxtrot (1971)
* The Rank and File (1971)
* Traitor (1971)
* Edna, the Inebriate Woman (1971)
* Evelyn (1971)
* Home (1972)
* The Operation (1973)
* Hard Labour (1973)
* Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (1973)
* Joe's Ark (1974)
* Penda's Fen (1974)
* The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil (1974)
* Leeds — United! (1974)
* The Evacuees (1975)
* Gangsters (1975)
* Funny Farm (1975)
* Just Another Saturday (1975)
* Days of Hope (1975)
* Rumpole of the Bailey (1975)
* Nuts in May (1976)
* The Other Woman (1976)
* Willie Rough (1976)
* Double Dare (1976)
* Bar Mitzvah Boy (1976)
* Kiss of Death (1977)
* Spend, Spend, Spend (1977)
* The Price of Coal (1977)
* Abigail's Party (1977)
* Licking Hitler (1978)
* Red Shift (1978)
* The Spongers (1978)
* Our Day Out (1978)
* The After-Dinner Joke (1978)
* Blue Remembered Hills (1979)
* Comedians (1979)
* Just a Boys' Game (1979)
* A Gift from Nessus (1980)
* The Black Stuff (1980)
* The Imitation Game (1980)
* The Flipside of Dominick Hide (1980)
* Home, Sweet Home (1982)
* Another Flip For Dominick (1982)
* Z for Zachariah (1984)
* Brimstone and Treacle (1987, completed 1976)
* Scum (1991, completed 1977)

Associated|

* Play for Tomorrow (1982 series)

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