TV: BBC SUNDAY PLAY - THE FLY SHAM (1963)

BBC SUNDAY PLAY: THE FLY SHAM by Tom Murphy

TX Date: 19th May 1963


This play marked TP's first appearance on British Television. It was a drama written by in which he appeared with his close friend and colleague, Donal Donnelly.

TP recalls: "The play [STEPHEN D] was such an enormous success in London, it was startling.  The offers literally came pouring in.  One of the co-originators of 'Z Cars', John McGrath approached me with the script of Tom Murphy's 'The Fly Sham'.  It interested me a lot and Donal Donnelly had a big part.  When I saw the credits go up on the screen, I go the shock of my life, because I was co-starring in it.  That was my first television play for the BBC and it established a marvellous precedent, with fees and so on.  You could only go up after that.  The rest of the year was sold.  And I enjoyed it so much that I eventually wrote my letter of resignation to the Abbey."