Albert

Based on a true story about an ingenious and daring escape from a German POW camp for Allied naval officers during WW2, Albert tells how a life-sized dummy, constructed out of wire and papier-mâché by artist John Worsley, fooled the German guards into thinking they had a full complement of prisoners while a British escaper made his getaway. After the war Guy Morgan, a former fellow PoW, immortalised Albert RN in a play, which first came to our screens on 12 August 1951 in this BBC adaptation. 

Adapted by Edward Sammis and Guy Morgan, the 100-minute play starred Warren Stanhope, Gerald Metcalfe, Bill Travers, Michael Gough, Harold Ayer and Douglas Hurn (pictured). Ferdy Mayne also appeared. Two years later, the story was filmed for the big screen as Albert, RN, directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Jack Warner with Anthony Steel as Worsley. After the war Worsley went to work for the Eagle comic illustrating the Adventures Of PC 49 (1951 - 57). The artist himself recreated Albert for the movie, and the dummy is now kept at the Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth. Many of Worsley's paintings and portraits can be seen at the Imperial War Museum and the National Maritime Museum. He also worked as a police sketch artist.

Published on November 28th, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.