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» » BBC Sunday-Night Play The Madhouse on Castle Street (1960–1963)

Short summary

A man mysteriously locks himself in a room in a boarding house leaving only a note saying he has decided to "retire from the world". His worried sister and the other boarders then try to discover why.

This film is considered lost as the BBC wiped its own archive copy in 1968.

There are audio tapes of all fours songs Dylan performed in the programme in existence, made by fans at the (only) time of broadcast using microphones next to the television speaker.

David Warner was a late addition to the cast, when the producer realised that Bob Dylan was unable to act. Dylan was left with one line of dialogue, and a singing role.

This was David Warner's first television role.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Ieslyaenn
    Isaw this when I was about ten or eleven, in our little house in Wales. My parents had read something about the program and decided to watch it. It made enough of an impression to remain with me in fragments. I had no idea who Dylan was. I remember him sitting on a doorstep or by a wall or something as the action went on in the foreground, and at some point he sang with the camera close on him. He was wearing his peaked cap. I don't even remember, or don't even know if I understood the story of the play. Now a Dylan obsessive, but the BBC wiped away so many things in its treasure trove. Now its just fragments in most people's memories. Presumably there is a script and stills still in existence.
  • Episode cast overview:
    David Warner David Warner - Lennie
    Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bobby
    Maureen Pryor Maureen Pryor - Mrs. Griggs
    Ursula Howells Ursula Howells - Martha Tompkins
    Reg Lye Reg Lye - Walter Tompkins
    James Mellor James Mellor - Bernard
    Georgina Ward Georgina Ward - Susan Taylor
    Ian Dallas Ian Dallas - Reverend Spooner
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