Back in the pioneer days of television, the BBC brought this icy Arctic adventure to life as a live broadcast. Based on the novel The Captain's Chair by Robert Flaherty, it tells a tale of survival and leadership in one of the most unforgiving environments on Earth. John Laurie takes the lead as Captain Grant, a man tethered to his ship while facing the mounting pressures of a dangerous expedition. The production relied on the tension between the crew and the officers as they pushed through the frozen north.
Because it was filmed in 1938, the technical constraints were massive, yet the team managed to translate a sprawling sea novel into a forty-five minute live performance. It captures a moment when TV was just finding its feet, moving away from simple stage plays and trying to tackle bigger stories with more atmosphere. The narrative focuses on the hierarchy of the ship, from the directors and factors to the quartermaster and the narrator who ties the journey together. The production very much showed the medium's early ambition to go beyond the studio walls.
Production Details
UK / BBC / 1x45 minute episodes / Broadcast 1 November and 9 November 1938
Writer/Producer: Denis Johnston
Main Cast
Douglas Allen as First Director
John Thompson as Chairman / Second Factor
John Laurie as Captain Grant
Guy Glover as Second Director / Steward
Ian Aylmer as Third Director / Second Officer
David Marsh as Catlin
Basil Cunard as Simpson
Cyril Gardiner as The Factor
William Heilbronn as Quartermaster
Micheline Patton as Girl
Ah Ping as Eskimo
Graveley Edwards as McDougall
Rupert Siddons as Timmins
Robert Flaherty as Narrator
