A Breach in the Wall

"A Breach in the Wall" is a 1967 TV play by Ray Lawler about the remains of Thomas a'Beckett being discovered behind a church wall.

"A Breach in the Wall"
Wednesday Play episode
Directed byGilchrist Calder
Teleplay byRay Lawler
Original air date29 March 1967 (1967-03-29)
Running time70 mins[1]

It was made for British TV and screened as a Wednesday Play. It also screened in Australia on 22 May 1968.[2][3]

Lawler later adapted the script into a stage play for the town of Canterbury.[4]

Plot

In the near future, the parish church of the Kentish village of Valham is undergoing long-overdue restoration largely made possible by the fund-raising efforts of the able and radical young incumbent, Lewis Patterson. A walled-in chamber is discovered and within it is a coffin sealed with the crest of Thomas Becket. This is discovered by Katherine Elliott.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is convinced the remains are Becket's as does Cardinal Runan and they decide to turn it into a shrine. Patterson tries to persuade them otherwise.

Cast

Production

Lawler converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism in 1966 but says he had the idea for the play beforehand.[5]

Lawler said "I don't pretend that this is necessarily how events would shape themselves if the situation arose. But I do believe that the historical significance of Thomas A'Beckett is contained in certain words from the play: 'A saint is somebody who spends his life on earth in bringing mankind nearer heaven, and his life hereafter bringing heaven nearer men'."[6]

Reception

The Observer called it "for the most part... compulsively viewable."[7]

References
  1. "Wednesday". The Canberra Times. Vol. 43, no. 12, 219. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 27 January 1969. p. 12. Retrieved 22 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. "TV Guide". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 May 1968. p. 15.
  3. Vagg, Stephen (February 18, 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
  4. Sykes, Jill (28 February 1976). "Snared in the past of the Doll". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 11.
  5. "When a saint turns up in the village...". Daily Mirror. 29 March 1967. p. 14.
  6. "BBC Play of Week: Ray Lawler's success". The Canberra Times. Vol. 41, no. 11, 651. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 31 March 1967. p. 11. Retrieved 22 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "Battling over saintly bones". The Observer. 2 April 1967. p. 25.
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