Edna, the Inebriate Woman
Encyclopedia
Edna, the Inebriate Woman is a British television
drama written by Jeremy Sandford
which was transmitted by the BBC
as part of the Play for Today
series on 21 October 1971. Directed by Ted Kotcheff
, Irene Shubik
produced it.
The play deals with an elderly woman, Edna (Patricia Hayes
), who wanders through life in an alcoholic haze without a home, a job or any money. A rambling, pathetic yet defiant woman, Edna sleeps rough and begs for food and shelter and the drama follows her progress as she moves from hostel to hostel, going to a psychiatric ward and then prison along the way.
Jeremy Sandford, who had previously written Cathy Come Home
, researched the play by living rough himself for two weeks. The film was the only notable acting role of British actor Vivian MacKerrell
, the real-life inspiration for the character Withnail in Withnail and I
.
At the 1972 British Academy Television Awards
, the play won the Best Drama Production category, with Patricia Hayes receiving the award for Best Actress.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
drama written by Jeremy Sandford
Jeremy Sandford
Jeremy Sandford was an English television screenwriter who came to prominence in 1966 with Cathy Come Home, his controversial entry in BBC1's The Wednesday Play anthology strand which was directed by Ken Loach...
which was transmitted by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
as part of the Play for Today
Play for Today
Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted...
series on 21 October 1971. Directed by Ted Kotcheff
Ted Kotcheff
Ted Kotcheff , sometimes credited as William Kotcheff or William T. Kotcheff, is a Canadian film and television director, who is well known for his work on several high-profile British television productions and as a director of films such as First Blood.-Early life:Kotcheff was born William...
, Irene Shubik
Irene Shubik
Irene Shubik is a British television producer, notable for her contribution to the development of the single play in British television drama. Beginning her television career at ABC Television, she worked on Armchair Theatre as a story editor where she devised the science fiction anthology series...
produced it.
The play deals with an elderly woman, Edna (Patricia Hayes
Patricia Hayes
Patricia Lawlor Hayes, OBE was an English comedy actress.Hayes was born in Streatham, London. As a child Hayes attended Sacred Heart School in Wandsworth....
), who wanders through life in an alcoholic haze without a home, a job or any money. A rambling, pathetic yet defiant woman, Edna sleeps rough and begs for food and shelter and the drama follows her progress as she moves from hostel to hostel, going to a psychiatric ward and then prison along the way.
Jeremy Sandford, who had previously written Cathy Come Home
Cathy Come Home
Cathy Come Home is a 1966 BBC television play by Jeremy Sandford, produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach, about homelessness. An industry poll rated it as the best British television drama ever made. Filmed in a gritty, realistic drama documentary style, it was first broadcast on 16...
, researched the play by living rough himself for two weeks. The film was the only notable acting role of British actor Vivian MacKerrell
Vivian MacKerrell
Vivian Alan James MacKerrell was a British actor of the 1960s, who shared a house in Camden, London with film director Bruce Robinson, director of Withnail & I. He was the major basis for Withnail, a memorable character of British cinema...
, the real-life inspiration for the character Withnail in Withnail and I
Withnail and I
Withnail and I is a British black comedy made in 1986 by HandMade Films. It was written and directed by Bruce Robinson and is based on his life in London in the late 1960s. The main plot follows two unemployed young actors, Withnail and “I” who live in a squalid flat in Camden in 1969 while...
.
At the 1972 British Academy Television Awards
British Academy Television Awards
The British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . They have been awarded annually since 1954, and are analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States.-Background:...
, the play won the Best Drama Production category, with Patricia Hayes receiving the award for Best Actress.
Cast
- Patricia HayesPatricia HayesPatricia Lawlor Hayes, OBE was an English comedy actress.Hayes was born in Streatham, London. As a child Hayes attended Sacred Heart School in Wandsworth....
as Edna - Barbara JeffordBarbara JeffordBarbara Jefford, OBE is a British Shakespearean actress best known for her theatrical performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Old Vic and the National Theatre, and her role as Molly Bloom in the 1967 film of James Joyce's Ulysses.-Early life:Jefford was born Mary Barbara Jefford in...
as Josie of 'Jesus Saves' - Geraldine Sherman as Trudi
- Cheryl HallCheryl HallCheryl Hall is a British actress.She is best known for playing the role of Shirley, the girlfriend of Wolfie Smith in the British sitcom Citizen Smith....
as Vangi - Kate Williams as Teresa
- Peggy Aitchison as Lil
- Freda DowieFreda DowieFreda Dowie is an English actress.Her television credits include: Dixon of Dock Green, Doomwatch, Edna, the Inebriate Woman, Upstairs, Downstairs, The Carnforth Practice, I, Claudius, The Old Curiosity Shop, The Pickwick Papers, Lillie, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Our Friends in the North and...
as Mother Superior - Roger HammondRoger Hammond (actor)Roger Hammond is an English character actor who has appeared in many films and television series.Hammond attended Cambridge University, and appeared extensively in their drama program, alongside actors such as Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi, and John Wood. Following that, he attended the Royal Academy...
as Victor - John Trigger as Graham
- Walter SparrowWalter SparrowWalter Leonard Sparrow was a British film and television actor best known for his appearance as Duncan in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner....
as Common Lodging House Proprietor - June Watson as Attendant (at The Spike)
- Denis Carey as Doctor
- Jerry VernoJerry VernoJerry Verno was a British film actor. He appeared in 39 films between 1931 and 1966, including five films directed by Michael Powell.He was born in London.-Selected filmography:* Two Crowded Hours...
as Old Man (at The Spike) - Rex RashleyRex RashleyRex Rashley was a British character actor who appeared regularly on The Morecambe & Wise Show often dressed in familiar stars' attire as part of a joke. For instance, he appeared in cowboy hat, spurs and sheriff's star on stage, with Morecambe advising Wise that he was "John Wayne's Son" - the...
as Old Man (at The Spike) - Amelia BayntunAmelia BayntunAmelia Bayntun was an English Actress. She was born in Bristol on 31 March 1919 as Amelia Ellen Bayntun and died in Islington, London in January 1988.- Career :...
as Jessie - Tramp - Talfryn ThomasTalfryn ThomasTalfryn Thomas was a British character actor, best known for supporting roles on British television in the 1970s.-Biography:Talfryn Thomas was born in Swansea on 31 October 1922....
as Tramp - Charles Farrell as Tramp
- Vivian MacKerrellVivian MacKerrellVivian Alan James MacKerrell was a British actor of the 1960s, who shared a house in Camden, London with film director Bruce Robinson, director of Withnail & I. He was the major basis for Withnail, a memorable character of British cinema...
as Tramp - Jenny LoganJenny LoganJenny Logan is an English actress, trained dancer and singer. Though she played WPC Sally Reed in the TV series Dixon of Dock Green between 1968 and 1969, she is perhaps best known for her appearances as the woman in the television commercial for the carpet freshener Shake'n'Vac which was shot in...
as Doris, on the Road - June BrownJune BrownJune Muriel Brown, MBE is a British actress, best known for her role as the busy-body, chain-smoking gossip Dot Cotton in the long-running British soap opera EastEnders and for making other high profile television appearances on shows such as Doctor Who, Coronation Street, Minder, The Bill and...
as Clara - Norman LumsdenNorman LumsdenNorman Lumsden was a British opera singer and actor. He first came to prominence during the 1940s and 1950s in several operas by composer Benjamin Britten, often performing at Covent Garden and the Aldeburgh and Glyndebourne festivals. He later began a television acting career during the 1970s...
as Magistrate