Traitor (TV drama)

Traitor is a BBC television drama written by Dennis Potter and directed by Alan Bridges, which featured in the Play for Today series on 14 October 1971. It stars John Le Mesurier as Adrian Harris, a character loosely based on Kim Philby. Le Mesurier's performance won him the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 1972.^[1]

Plot[]

Western journalists visit Moscow to interview Adrian Harris, a former controller in British intelligence who was also a double agent for the Soviet Union. Harris believes in both Communism and Englishness, believing himself to have betrayed his class, but not his country. The press find these beliefs incompatible, and want to find out why he became a ‘traitor’. Harris is plagued by anxieties over both his actions and his upper-class childhood, and drinks to a state of collapse.^[2]

Cast[]

Adrian Harris – John Le Mesurier

James – Jack Hedley

Simpson – Vincent Ball

Blake – Neil McCallum

Thomas – Jon Laurimore

Sir Arthur Harris – Lyndon Brook

Lady Emma – Diana Fairfax

Michaelov – Richard Marner

Duty clerk – Terence Bayler

Craig – John Quentin

Schoolmaster – John Saunders

Young Adrian – Sean Maddox

Reception[]

Better known for comedic roles, Le Mesurier's casting was a brave move, one which initially concerned the actor who "was very, very scared" that "he wouldn’t be able to pull it off".^[2] Le Mesurier would later call the role 'the best part I ever had on TV'.^[1] While reviews of the play were mixed, critics were unanimous in their praise for Le Mesurier and he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 1972.^[2]

References[]

External links[]

• Traitor at IMDb