The Nigel Barton Plays
Encyclopedia
The Nigel Barton Plays are two semi-autobiographical television dramas by British playwright Dennis Potter
, first broadcast on BBC1
in 1965 as part of The Wednesday Play
strand. The first play, Stand Up, Nigel Barton, follows the eponymous character's journey from his childhood in a small mining
community to winning a scholarship
for Oxford while the second, Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton, sees him standing for Parliament of the United Kingdom
as the Labour Party
candidate in a by-election
. Both plays develop several themes and utilize dramatic devices that would become major hallmarks of Potter's subsequent work.
MP
for West Barset
is killed in a hunting accident, Nigel is persuaded to stand for Parliament
as the Labour
candidate in the upcoming by-election
, much to the disapproval of his wife, Ann (Valerie Gearon). Despite being beaten in his candidacy for the area in the last general election
, Nigel is enthusiastic about the prospect of a political career and consults his former agent
, Jack Hay (John Bailey
), on launching their campaign. Jack arranges for Nigel to make several public speaking engagements, which terminate in a disastrous meeting at the local Women's Institute.
Nigel, Jack feels, is too earnest in his approach to party politics and must learn to compromise by working on his public image. Nigel resists Jack's attempts to transform him into "a dutiful party hack", believing that the success of his candidacy will rely on issues rather than personality. As Nigel's profile grows, he unwittingly finds himself being moulded to fit Jack's agenda. After a party debate at the town hall, Ann chastises him for his "cynical" performance, commenting that his idealism and conviction are being overwhelmed by Jack's influence. Nigel begins to have second thoughts about his suitability for public office, but Jack insists that Nigel is only behaving in a manner that would be expected of any candidate. When the two men go canvassing
for votes the next day, Nigel's frustrations are compounded further by the wave of apathy he is greeted with as he and Jack go from door to door.
That evening, Nigel addresses a local Labour Party meeting and discusses his concerns about the campaign; conflict immediately ensures between Nigel's image-based brand of politics and the old socialist
values of the committee. Jack is castigated for making Nigel "apologetic" about his left-wing ideals, while Nigel is accused of masking his politics to bolster his public persona. The meeting ends with all assembled singing "The Red Flag
" in an act of solidarity, spoiled only by Nigel not knowing the words. His confidence severely shaken, Nigel embarks on the last stages of the campaign, which involves a visit to the local hospital to meet some of the residents. Nigel is sickened by Jack's increasingly exploitative methods for canvassing votes and becomes distressed by the plight of an elderly patient he meets, who pleads with the hospital staff to let him go home despite having his leg amputated. Nigel and Jack leave the hospital to get ready for a dinner being held by the Lord Mayor, Sir Hugh Archibald-Lake (Cyril Luckham
), where both prospective candidates will make their final public appearances before the by-election.
At the dinner, Nigel listens to his opponent's address with silent disdain, becoming disruptive when the toastmaster (Fred Serman) begins to make disparaging comments about his age and his politics. Nigel, however, is haunted by the elderly patient he met earlier that day. When he rises to make his speech, he begins to attack the "empty platitudes" of party politics, much to the disgust of the other dinnerguests who attempt to silence him by banging at the table. In an act of defiance, Nigel makes a 'V' sign
at Archibald-Lake, which is caught on camera by the newspaper photographers in attendance. In Jack's office the next day, on the eve of the election, an unrepentant Nigel receives a ticking off from his agent for costing them the election. Jack storms out, angry and upset at what he sees as Nigel's naivety in thinking he could "play the game" his way. Alone in the office, Nigel turns to address the viewer, reminds them that it's polling day tomorrow and asks them for their vote.
, a safe Conservative Party
seat, in the 1964 general election
against the incumbent Derek Walker-Smith
. By the end of the campaign, he claimed that he was so disillusioned with party politics that he did not even vote for himself. His candidacy was unsuccessful. Potter drew on his experiences canvassing support in Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton. The character of Jack Hay was inspired by Potter's own political agent Ron Brewer.
Dennis Potter
Dennis Christopher George Potter was an English dramatist, best known for The Singing Detective. His widely acclaimed television dramas mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social. He was particularly fond of using themes and images from popular culture.-Biography:Dennis Potter was born...
, first broadcast on BBC1
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in 1965 as part of The Wednesday Play
The Wednesday Play
The Wednesday Play was an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. Every week's play was usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured...
strand. The first play, Stand Up, Nigel Barton, follows the eponymous character's journey from his childhood in a small mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
community to winning a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
for Oxford while the second, Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton, sees him standing for Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
as the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
. Both plays develop several themes and utilize dramatic devices that would become major hallmarks of Potter's subsequent work.
Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton
When the ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for West Barset
Barsetshire
Barsetshire is a fictional British county created by Anthony Trollope, which is featured in the series of novels known as the "Chronicles of Barsetshire". The county town and cathedral town is Barchester...
is killed in a hunting accident, Nigel is persuaded to stand for Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
as the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate in the upcoming by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
, much to the disapproval of his wife, Ann (Valerie Gearon). Despite being beaten in his candidacy for the area in the last general election
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
, Nigel is enthusiastic about the prospect of a political career and consults his former agent
Election agent
In elections in the United Kingdom, as well as in certain other similar political systems such as India's, an election agent is the person legally responsible for the conduct of a candidate's political campaign and to whom election material is sent to by those running the election. In elections in...
, Jack Hay (John Bailey
John Bailey (actor)
John Bailey was a British actor with an extensive television repertoire.He played Edward Waterfield in the Doctor Who story The Evil of the Daleks in 1967, alongside Patrick Troughton and Marius Goring; and had previously appeared in the serial The Sensorites in 1964; and returned as Sezon in The...
), on launching their campaign. Jack arranges for Nigel to make several public speaking engagements, which terminate in a disastrous meeting at the local Women's Institute.
Nigel, Jack feels, is too earnest in his approach to party politics and must learn to compromise by working on his public image. Nigel resists Jack's attempts to transform him into "a dutiful party hack", believing that the success of his candidacy will rely on issues rather than personality. As Nigel's profile grows, he unwittingly finds himself being moulded to fit Jack's agenda. After a party debate at the town hall, Ann chastises him for his "cynical" performance, commenting that his idealism and conviction are being overwhelmed by Jack's influence. Nigel begins to have second thoughts about his suitability for public office, but Jack insists that Nigel is only behaving in a manner that would be expected of any candidate. When the two men go canvassing
Canvassing
Canvassing is the systematic initiation of direct contact with a target group of individuals commonly used during political campaigns. A campaign team will knock on doors of private residences within a particular geographic area, engaging in face-to-face personal interaction with voters...
for votes the next day, Nigel's frustrations are compounded further by the wave of apathy he is greeted with as he and Jack go from door to door.
That evening, Nigel addresses a local Labour Party meeting and discusses his concerns about the campaign; conflict immediately ensures between Nigel's image-based brand of politics and the old socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
values of the committee. Jack is castigated for making Nigel "apologetic" about his left-wing ideals, while Nigel is accused of masking his politics to bolster his public persona. The meeting ends with all assembled singing "The Red Flag
The Red Flag
The Red Flag is a protest song associated with left-wing politics, in particular with socialism. It is the semi-official anthem of the British Labour Party, sung at the end of conference. It is the official anthem of the Irish Labour Party and sung at the close of national conference.-History:The...
" in an act of solidarity, spoiled only by Nigel not knowing the words. His confidence severely shaken, Nigel embarks on the last stages of the campaign, which involves a visit to the local hospital to meet some of the residents. Nigel is sickened by Jack's increasingly exploitative methods for canvassing votes and becomes distressed by the plight of an elderly patient he meets, who pleads with the hospital staff to let him go home despite having his leg amputated. Nigel and Jack leave the hospital to get ready for a dinner being held by the Lord Mayor, Sir Hugh Archibald-Lake (Cyril Luckham
Cyril Luckham
Cyril Luckham was a British film, television and theatre actor.Luckham played the White Guardian in the long running science fiction television series Doctor Who. He appeared in The Ribos Operation, the first serial in The Key to Time season, and Enlightenment...
), where both prospective candidates will make their final public appearances before the by-election.
At the dinner, Nigel listens to his opponent's address with silent disdain, becoming disruptive when the toastmaster (Fred Serman) begins to make disparaging comments about his age and his politics. Nigel, however, is haunted by the elderly patient he met earlier that day. When he rises to make his speech, he begins to attack the "empty platitudes" of party politics, much to the disgust of the other dinnerguests who attempt to silence him by banging at the table. In an act of defiance, Nigel makes a 'V' sign
V sign
The V sign is a hand gesture in which the index and middle fingers are raised and parted, while the other fingers are clenched. It has various meanings, depending on the cultural context and how it is presented...
at Archibald-Lake, which is caught on camera by the newspaper photographers in attendance. In Jack's office the next day, on the eve of the election, an unrepentant Nigel receives a ticking off from his agent for costing them the election. Jack storms out, angry and upset at what he sees as Nigel's naivety in thinking he could "play the game" his way. Alone in the office, Nigel turns to address the viewer, reminds them that it's polling day tomorrow and asks them for their vote.
Background
Potter stood as the Labour Party candidate for Hertfordshire EastEast Hertfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
East Hertfordshire was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Hertfordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
, a safe Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
seat, in the 1964 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
against the incumbent Derek Walker-Smith
Derek Walker-Smith
Derek Colclough Walker-Smith, Baron Broxbourne PC, TD, QC, Bt. , known as Sir Derek Walker-Smith, Bt., from 1960 to 1983, was a British Conservative Party politician....
. By the end of the campaign, he claimed that he was so disillusioned with party politics that he did not even vote for himself. His candidacy was unsuccessful. Potter drew on his experiences canvassing support in Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton. The character of Jack Hay was inspired by Potter's own political agent Ron Brewer.
Sources
- Humphrey CarpenterHumphrey CarpenterHumphrey William Bouverie Carpenter was an English biographer, writer, and radio broadcaster.-Biography:...
, Dennis Potter: A Biography; 1998 - Graham FullerGraham FullerGraham E. Fuller is an American author and political analyst, specializing in Islamic extremism. Formerly vice-chair of the National Intelligence Council, he also served as Station Chief in Kabul for the CIA...
(Ed.), Potter on Potter; 1993 - W.S. Gilbert, Fight and Kick and Bite: The Life and Work of Dennis Potter; 1995
- Nigel WilliamsNigel Williams (author)Nigel Williams is an English novelist, screenwriter and playwright.-Biography:He was educated at Highgate School and Oriel College, Oxford, is married with three sons and lives in Putney, south-west London...
(Ed.), ArenaArena (TV series)Arena is a British television documentary series, made and broadcast by the BBC. It has run since 1 October 1975, and over five hundred episodes have been made. Arena covers all manner of subjects, from profiles of notable people such as Bob Dylan to the Ford Cortina car...
: Painting the Clouds; 2005