The Haunting

1969 - United Kingdom

Children can sometimes have an instinct for situations that are beyond the grasp of their young minds. Twelve-year old Cathy (Christine Rees) somehow knows that the trouble with her father, Rolf (John Thaw) is more complex than the deep and natural grief he feels-and which she too has felt-over the death of her mother.

It is 10 months now since the fatal car accident, and Rolf is not getting over it. He has withdrawn from all social contacts and has wrapped himself in a cocoon of memories that imprison his mind in the past. Cathy's teacher, Kate (Suzanne Neve), to whom she tries to explain her home situation, is an old friend who has her own reasons for staying away since the tragedy. But Kate can't resist the child's plea - especially as she believes that some, at least, of Rolf's memories of his wife and his marriage are rooted more in illusion than in reality.

The Haunting by Ian Curteis was a one-off play presented as part of ITV's Saturday Night Theatre on 28 June 1969.

Published on April 3rd, 2020. Written by Based on original TV Times article and adapted for Television Heaven.

Filter

Alphabetically

Air date

Air location

Play and Single Dramas

The Year of the Sex Olympics (1968)

November 28th, 2020

In a future Britain, the appetites and passions of the masses are controlled by television. When audiences show signs of boredom, the broadcasters must find new methods to engage them.

All Summer Long (1960)

November 28th, 2018

Willie has tried to make his father aware of the danger to their house from flood water, but Dad thinks that Willie's fears are excessive. Willie decides to spend all summer long building a wall to keep out the river, but his efforts are in vain.

Uncle Harry (1958)

January 10th, 2022

This 'lost' BBC play is a dark psychological story of how a kindly, benevolent, and somewhat mundane bachelor can transform into a cold and pre-meditated murderer

The Silent Village (1951)

November 19th, 2020

Seven tourists arrive and gather in a deserted inn. The dinner lies half-prepared in the kitchen. Cards lie on a bridge table. A tap is running aimlessly, overflowing the bath, and yet there is not a living soul in sight.

A Night Out (1960)

April 4th, 2020

Albert Stokes finds himself perpetually fighting the dominance of women, not least of all his possessive widowed mother.

The Major Barbara (1962)

April 3rd, 2020

"The greatest of our evils and the worst of our crimes is poverty, and our first duty, to which every other consideration should be sacrificed is not to be poor."

TVH

Television Heaven Magazine

Interviews

Read Next...

Inspector Morse

Arguably the world's, and certainly Britain's, finest entry in the long and distinguished history of the television/detective fiction genre.

Also starring John Thaw

Alice

The earliest television version of Lewis Caroll's fantasy masterpiece was broadcast before most people in Britain had televisions...

Also tagged Single Play

Cold Equations

A teenager stows away aboard a rocket in order to visit her brother on another planet. But her actions put everyone else's safety in jeopardy.

Also tagged Single Play

I Can Walk Where I like, Can't I?

Set partly on a building site, a boy (15-year old Dennis Waterman) and a girl (16-year old Judith Geeson) meet secretly in a partly-built block of flats each day after the builders leave.

Also starring John Thaw

Curry and Chips

Poorly received sitcom by Johnny Speight who attempted (and many would say failed) to highlight the stupidity of racism.

Also released in 1969

Doctor In The House

Hospital comedy based on Richard Gordon's series of books, which had previously been adapted for the cinema starting with a 1954 production starring Dirk Bogarde. New medical students arrive at St Swithin's Hospital...mayhem ensues

Also released in 1969

All Summer Long

Also tagged Single Play

Drake's Venture

Swashbuckling adventure on the high seas starring John Thaw as Sir Francis Drake during his circumnavigation of the world in the sixteenth century, and the growing alienation between himself and his life-long friend Thomas Doughty

Also starring John Thaw

Dumb Martian

Earthman Duncan Weaver on a solo tour of duty on one of Jupiter's moons buys a Martian woman as a companion. He mistreats her, assuming her to be just a "dumb Martian." He learns, to his cost, that she has more intelligence than he gives her credit for.

Also tagged Single Play