BBC Radio 4 adaptation of The Silver King starring Balderton-born Sir Donald Wolfit available on Radio 4

A BBC Radio 4 adaptation starring Balderton-born actor, first broadcast more than 60 years ago, is returning to our airwaves.

Actor Sir Donald Wolfit appeared in many films and television plays, including BBC’s The Silver King which was first released on December 28, 1964.

The play tells the story of Wilfred Denver, who flees to America after losing all his money gambling, but will he strike it rich?

It was dramatised as a 90-minute play for the BBC Home Service, now called BBC Radio 4, which starred Sir Donald Wolfit as Wilfred Denver.

As one of the 19th century’s great Victorian melodramas, the play was written by Henry Arthur Jones and Henry Herman.

People can listen to the play, produced by RD Smith, on BBC Radio 4 for the next 13 days at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002682g.

Sir Donald Woolfitt was born in Balderton on April 20 1902, inspired by his elder brother, gave his first public performance at the age of 15 at the Robin Hood Theatre in Averham, a theatre which he supported throughout his career.

In an interview with Lincoln and Beyond, Dave Baliol-Key, the technical director at the Robin Hood Theatre said: “He lived in Balderton, went to the Magnus School, and became an internationally renowned stage actor.

“He was heavily involved in the Robin Hood Theatre in the 1960s in helping to buy the freehold, and was also instrumental in making certain that it became a charitable trust.”

Mr Woolfitt left school at 18 to become a schoolmaster in Eastbourne, where in 1920 he took his class to visit a matinee of Twelfth Night at the local Devonshire Park Theatre.

He began his professional acting career with a 14-week studentship at the Eastbourne theatre working as an actor with no wages, no keep and no savings.

Later, after his success at the Old Vic and at Stratford, Sir Donald's life as actor-manager began and he launched his own company in 1937.

He changed his name to the shorter, sharper "Wolfit" after he began his stage career and in 1957, he was knighted for services to the theatre, having appeared in more than 30 films.

In April 1993, former Theatre Director Brien Chitty set up the Wolfit Endowment Fund to assist students of drama, both financially and in-kind, using the income from its invested capital.

The charity, based on Church Lane, Balderton, changed its name in 2023 to the Sir Donald Wolfit Charitable Trust.

David Piper, the chairman of the charity said that he was “surprised and delighted” that a copy of Silver King still exists given the BBC's original policy of re-using and recording over many hours of original work:

“Many of us have heard of Donald Wolfit, he being born locally, but not many can name or recall any of his works,” he said, “Better known for his stage work however, every so often on Talking Pictures TV we see examples of his film career.

“Sadly examples of his stage work seldom survived, however thanks to BBC archives we hear a classic example of Wolfit at work on the radio.

“This will help maintain Wolfit’s legacy for a longer period.

“Listening to Wolfit’s role in the radio play is reminiscent of his roles as King Lear or The Merchant of Venice — masterly, dominating, powerful.

“Interestingly, Wolfit’s wife, Rosalind Iden also appears in Silver King.”