Ernest Thesiger
BBC Radio
1923
Ernest Thesiger and Nancy Roberts, Dramatic Sketches; “Aunt Elija,” “Their Point of View”
August 23
1924
Mock trial arranged by Ernest Thesiger
January 29
1927
Poems selected from “The Bard of the Dimbovitza”
January 23
1930
“If” by Lord Dunsany
December 4
John Beal
1931
Vaudeville: “Almost a Tragedy,” “The Debating Society,” “A Trial Trip”
February 9
“Little Flower of the Wood”
April 4
1932
“Tom Thumb the Great” from the Malvern Theatre
August 11
King Arthur
“The Three Musketeers”
November 17
1937
“Money With Menaces”
January 5
Mr. Cuba
“The Tryal of Major Stede Bonnet and other Pirates”
February 21
Nicholas Trott, Esquire, Chief Justice of the Province of South Carolina
“The Impeachment of Warren Hastings”
April 8,9
Warren Hastings
Scenes from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
May 16
Philostrate, Master of the Revels to Theseus
“Atmospherics” by Lord Dunsany
June 17
An escaped lunatic
1938
“The Elixir of Count del Bosco, a Fifteen-minute Farce by Ernest Thesiger”
January 18
The Count del Bosco
“The Case of Lady Talond”
January 19
John Rayford, K.C.
1940
“From the Theatre: In Good King Charles’s Golden Days”
February 10
King Charles
1941
“The Blue-Stocking”
May 31
Trissotin, a poet
“Money With Menaces” revival
June 12
Mr. Cuba
“The New Ambassadors Revue” (exerpt)
August 21
“£250 Red Cross Radio Contest”
August 23
“Alexander Hevsky”
December 8
Vasili
1942
“The Man in the Iron Mask”
January 5
King Louis the Fourteenth
“William Ireland’s Confession”
February 5
William Ireland
For the Forces; personal appearance at the microphone
June 21
“The Rape of the Lock: readings from poetry of Alexander Pope”
July 6
“Gibbon Joins the Home Guard”
September 15
Gibbon
“From the Theatre in Wartime: Macbeth”
October 7
1st Witch
For the Forces “£250 Red Cross Radio Contest”
October 17,19
“The School for Scandal”
December 27
Sir Benjamin Backbite
1943
“Not In Our Stars”
January 22
Professor Lucius
“The Rape of the Lock”
December 29
1944
“Alexander Nevsky”
April 10
Vasili
Spelling Bee, actors vs actresses
June 18
“The History of Mr Alexander Pope”
June 23
Mr. Pope
Week’s Good Cause “For Those Who Have Seen Better Days” appeal by Thesiger on behalf of the Guild of Aid for Gentle People, the Homes of Rest for Gentlewomen, and the Friendly Almshouses
July 2
1946
“Senior & Co”
May 3
“Time for Verse”
July 7
poetry readings
“Money With Menaces”
July 27
Mr. Cuba
“Enter Caesar”
September 20
Catulus
Light Programme “Mystery Playhouse:The Pipe Smoker”
September 20
The Man
1947
“Pytheas”
May 25, 28
Ctesiphon
“The Man Who Ate The Popomack”
June 7
Sir Philo Phaoron
“The Dialogues of Plato”
December 4
Aristophanes
1948
“Imaginary Conversations: The Dreams of Petrarch and Boccaccio”
December 4
1949
Poetry Reading: Selections from T.S. Eliot
January 7
Poetry Reading: Selections from Dylan Thomas, David Gascoyne, and Wyndham Lewis
January 14
Thesiger reads “The Deserted Village” by Oliver Goldsmith
February 21
Saturday Night Theatre “Youth at the Helm”
March 12
Chairman of the Bank
“The Deserted Village” read by Thesiger
March 30
“The Deserted Village” read by Thesiger
April 21
Saturday Night Theatre “The Life of King Henry V”
April 23
King of France
1951
“The Perfect Fool” opera in one act
March 2
The Storyteller
“King Lear”
September ?
Earl of Gloucester
Excerpt from the film “Laughter in Paradise”
October 20
Excerpt from the film “Scrooge”
December 26
1952
The Week’s Good Cause on behalf of the Friends of the Poor
February 10
The Week’s Good Cause on behalf of the Friends of the Poor
May 11
1954
“Henry the Eighth”
June 14
Lord Chancellor
1958
“For Collectors”
November 10
Thesiger describes his collection of 200 pieces of Victorian mercury glassware
1959
“Desert Island Discs”
March 16
Thesiger discusses records he would choose to have with him if he were condemned to spend the rest of his life on a desert island
Because of the BBC practice of not archiving programs, it’s unlikely much of Ernest’s radio work survives.
