Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Purple Of The Terrys | 19781018 | 20170410 (BBC7) 20170411 (BBC7) | 'Ellen Terry was my great-aunt. What I remember mostly about her is her movement - she was then an old lady, deaf and rather blind and very vague in mind, but when she came on stage you really believed that she was either walking on the flagstones of Venice or in the fields of Windsor...' Sir John Gielgud talks to John Miller about his career - starting with his 1921 very brief debut at The Old Vic. Actor and theatre director, Sir John Gielgud (1904-2000) was regarded as one of the greatest thespians of his generation. He played every major Shakespearean role, including King Lear, Hamlet, Richard II and Prospero. His Hollywood supporting role as a butler in 'Arthur' won him his only Oscar in 1982. John Gielgud tells John Miller about his career, starting with his Old Vic 1921 debut. |
| 02 | Why Don't I Go On The Stage? | 19781025 | 20170411 (BBC7) 20170412 (BBC7) | 'She thought me rather mannered and rather effeminate - which I was, and very conceited...' Surrounded by a famous family, the theatre had a magnetic pull for Sir John Gielgud early on. With John Miller. Actor and theatre director, Sir John Gielgud (1904-2000) was regarded as one of the greatest thespians of his generation. Surrounded by a famous family, the theatre had a magnetic pull for John Gielgud early on. |
| 03 | Those Great Creatures | 19781108 | 20170412 (BBC7) 20170413 (BBC7) | Great actor managers dominated Edwardian theatre, but Sir John Gielgud tells John Miller how star actresses drew the crowds. Actor and theatre director, Sir John Gielgud (1904-2000) was regarded as one of the greatest thespians of his generation. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1978. Gielgud recalls how star actresses drew the crowds in Edwardian theatre. |
| 04 | One Of Our More Promising Young Actors | 19781115 | 20170413 (BBC7) 20170414 (BBC7) | 'It was a very interesting and extraordinary part, but I was very intense in it...' Sir John Gielgud recalls the early influence of Russian director, Theodore Komisarjevsky - and praise for his goatee beard. With John Miller. Actor and theatre director, Sir John Gielgud (1904-2000) was regarded as one of the greatest thespians of his generation. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1978. |
| 05 | Hamlet Tomorrow Or Next Thursday, But Just Not Tonight! | 19781122 | 20170414 (BBC7) 20170415 (BBC7) | 'I'd used to trail around, waving my cloak in the air and posing with my sword and crying a lot, and I thought - I don't think that's the thing at all.' The 1929 - 31 seasons at London's Old Vic established Sir John Gielgud as a new and exciting Shakespearean performer. With John Miller. Actor and theatre director, Sir John Gielgud (1904-2000) was regarded as one of the greatest thespians of his generation. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 1978. The 1929-31 seasons at the Old Vic established Gielgud as a Shakespearean performer. |
| 06 | Time For Everything | 19781129 | 20170417 (BBC7) 20170418 (BBC7) | 'I think the English are so good at practical jokes, or they used to be - of course, the Edwardians were mad about practical jokes.' Harley Granville-Barker and Gordon Terry were directors who left a lasting impression on the actor. Sir John Gielgud talks to John Miller about his distinguished acting career. Actor and theatre director, Sir John Gielgud (1904-2000) was regarded as one of the greatest thespians of his generation. He played every major Shakespearean role, including King Lear, Hamlet, Richard II and Prospero. His Hollywood supporting role as a butler in 'Arthur' won him his only Oscar in 1982. How inspiring directors Harley Granville-Barker and Gordon Terry made a lasting impression |
| 07 | Alarums And Excursions | 20170418 | 20170419 (BBC7) | 'He was very set on playing Malvolio in his particular way, which was very amusing but to me a little bit extravagant.' Memories of directing Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh in a production that 'didn't work'. The actor in conversation with John Miller. Actor and theatre director, Sir John Gielgud (1904-2000) was regarded as one of the greatest thespians of his generation. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in Decemberr 1978. The actor talks to John Miller about directing Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier. |
| 08 | Juliet In A Pink Bath | 19781213 | 20170419 (BBC7) 20170420 (BBC7) | 'It was the only time I've ever appeared in a music-hall.' Sir John Gielgud tells John Miller about important collaborations with gifted performers like Dame Peggy Ashcroft. Actor and theatre director, Sir John Gielgud (1904-2000) was regarded as one of the greatest thespians of his generation. Gielgud tells John Miller about collaborations with performers like Peggy Ashcroft. |
| 09 | Speak The Speech | 20170420 | 20170421 (BBC7) | Taxi-drivers can never understand me and I gabble tremendously off the stage'. Sir John Gielgud talks to John Miller about his approach to learning lines which differed from Noel Coward's. Actor and theatre director, Sir John Gielgud (1904-2000) was regarded as one of the greatest thespians of his generation. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 1978. |
| 10 | Life In The Movies | 19781227 | 20170421 (BBC7) 20170422 (BBC7) | 'I always wanted to play the old king in Henry IV' Sir John Gielgud talks to John Miller about the growth of the film industry and working with Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles. Actor and theatre director, Sir John Gielgud (1904-2000) was regarded as one of the greatest thespians of his generation. The actor talks to John Miller about the growth of the film industry. |
| 11 | Our Revels Now Are Ended | 19790103 | 20170424 (BBC7) 20170425 (BBC7) | 'I want to make it in Japan... of course the Masque would be wonderful on the screen, having them coming down in peacock chariots from the sky and walking on the sands...' Sir John Gielgud tells John Miller about starring in The Providence and hopes of directing a film of The Tempest. Actor and theatre director, Sir John Gielgud (1904-2000) was regarded as one of the greatest thespians of his generation. He played every major Shakespearean role, including King Lear, Hamlet, Richard II and Prospero. His Hollywood supporting role as a butler in 'Arthur' won him his only Oscar in 1982. The actor starring in The Providence and hopes of directing a film of The Tempest. |