2.15 Orde Wingate

An A to Z of UK Television Drama

This month Martin & Andy tackle a 1976 curio: a 3-part examination of the Zionist military leader Orde Wingate. Wingate is played by Barry Foster (Van de Valk, Fall of Eagles) in a drama scripted by Don Shaw (Survivors), script edited by Louis Marks (Doctor Who, The Lost Boys), directed by Bill Hays (Wish Me Luck) and produced by Innes Lloyd (Doctor Who, Talking Heads). The production is notable for its theatrical feel and questionable innovations: a 'Blue Peter-style' desert and a 'toilet roll jungle' in the studio. But it is the subject matter that is more problematic, as it is hard to work out if the zealous and possibly insane title character is being lifted up by the drama or critiqued. This tale of English exceptionalism and religious mania was a difficult watch, and if that wasn't enough there's also what the pair have come to term 'The Full Foster' to contend with! It is worth noting that this episode was recorded some months before the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Next Time: Partners in Crime