Beckett’s “Non-canonical” Radio Productions, 1957–1989

Abstract

This chapter sets the scene for the volume by providing a chronological case-log and production details for Samuel Beckett's ``non-canonical'' radio broadcasts for BBC radio between 1957 and 1989. Included are details of production and transmission and cast and crew, as well as BBC ``framing'' announcements involved in each pre-recording. Although the amount of information available at the BBC Written Archives Centre on these radio productions is quite variable---from virtually nothing on the 1966 performance of Play, to extensive holdings on the BBC transmission of Beckett's Rimbaud translation, ``The Drunken Boat,'' a decade later---the following represents the most complete account to date of Beckett's ``adaptations'' for BBC radio.