George Orwell Always in the News Number 12

The 21 greatest TV adaptations – 1984 “watched by the largest audience since the Coronation”

From the Daily Telegraph:-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/11359903/greatest-TV-adaptations.html?frame=3171857

’12. 1984 (1953, BBC)

Television’s capacity to deliver a shocking message directly into people’s homes was made evident in this early adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian novel, shot just four years after its publication. Written by Quatermass creator Nigel Kneale, it was hugely controversial because of its depiction of the torture of its hero Winston Smith.

Although the brutality was not shown directly, audiences were so shocked that MPs publicly spoke out against the drama. A repeat shown four days after the first broadcast was watched by the largest audience since the Coronation.’

By LJH