A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas
Dramatized by Herbert Williams
Directed by Forbes Allan
BBC Radio 4 25 December 1994
Plot[]
A Child's Christmas In Wales was published in 1955. It is an anecdotal sketch of the festive season which emerged from a piece originally written for radio (Memories of Christmas, a talk broadcast on the Welsh Home Service 16.12.1945) and here in this dramatized version it returns to that medium.
Thomas recreates the experience of Christmas as though it were a fairy tale. He describes an old fashioned picture book Christmas which is meant to be familiar to everyone. But Thomas is keen to emphasise that modern Christmases are not as good as the ones he remembers. In the past, "It was snowing. It was always snowing at Christmas". This remembered snow was not the same as that which we have now: it was a "dumb, numb thunderstorm of white," and far more exciting. Thomas recreates the nostalgic magic of a childhood Christmas when everything was brighter and better.
The Cast[]
- Old Will........................Philip Madoc
- Old Jim.........................Freddie Jones
- Young Will......................Alan Horan
- Young Jim.......................Owen Peline(?)
- Mother..........................Lyn Hunter
- Mrs Prothero....................Victoria Putlet(?)
- Mr Prothero.....................Chris Griffiths
- Uncle Ben.......................Dilwyn Owen
- Auntie Hanna....................Helen Griffin
- Fireman.........................Philip Rowland
- Small Dry Voice.................Richard Elvin
- Dan.............................Owen Bodicom
- Jack............................Chris Bodicom
References[]
Lewis, Peter. The road to Llareggub. British Radio Drama ed. John Drakakis
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/dylan-thomas/pages/childs-christmas-in-wales.shtm