Television was in its infancy when this production of The Beautiful One aired, bringing the world of ancient Egypt to the small screens of the few thousand people lucky enough to own a set. John Abbott takes on the role of Akhenaton, the Pharaoh who tried to change the very soul of his nation, while Margaretta Scott plays the legendary Nefertiti. It is a story of religious upheaval and the personal friction that comes when a leader tries to force a new way of life on a people rooted in tradition.
Because it was performed live from Alexandra Palace, there was no room for error. The cast had to deliver their lines perfectly as the cameras rolled, then do the whole thing again for a second live broadcast just forty-eight hours later. It is fascinating to see Margaretta Scott in the cast list here, decades before she became a household name as the posh and demanding Mrs Pumphrey in All Creatures Great and Small. This early drama gave viewers a rare, high-concept look at history right in their living rooms.
Production Details
UK / BBC / 1×50 minute episode / Broadcast 5 February 1938
Writer: T. B. Morris
Producer: Dallas Bower
Main Cast
John Abbott as Akhenaton
Margaretta Scott as Nefertiti
Graveley Edwards as Rames
Drusilla Wills as Asa
Ivor Barnard as Haya
Bromley Davenport as Merira
D. A. Clarke Smith as Nakht
Stuart Latham as Smenkhara
Angela Braemar as Meritaton
John Hepworth as Tutankhaton
Cecil Bevan as Scribe