Fable (The Wednesday Play)

"Fable" is a British television play, shown on 27 January 1965^[1] as an episode of The Wednesday Play series on BBC 1.^[1] Written by John Hopkins, the play is set in a parallel totalitarian Britain where those in authority are black people, and white people are their social underdogs – a reversal of the situation in contemporary apartheid South Africa.^[2]

"Fable"
The Wednesday Play episode
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 4
Directed by	Christopher Morahan
Written by	John Hopkins
Narrated by	Keith Barron

It was directed by Christopher Morahan and produced by James MacTaggart.

Cast

• Eileen Atkins – Joan
• Ronald Lacey – Len
• Thomas Baptiste – Mark
• Barbara Assoon – Francesca
• Carmen Munroe – Lala
• Keith Barron – Narrator
• Rudolph Walker – Policeman
• Leo Carera – Editor
• Bari Johnson – Deputy Editor
• Dan Jackson – Overseer
• Sally Lahee – Lilian
• George Roderick – Laughton
• Trevor D. Rhone – Assistant Editor
• John Rapley – Michael
• André Dakar – Head of State
• Frank Singuineau – Minister
• Charles Hyatt – Newsreader
• Thor Pierres – Secretary
• Kenneth Gardnier – Interrogator

Commentary

Hopkins had anti-racist intentions in writing the play.^[1] Carmen Munroe has said that for the actors the production was a frightening experience "because suddenly you were being asked to perform the sorts of acts that were performed against you in real life".^[1]

The programme's original screening, scheduled for 20 January 1965, was postponed by the BBC for one week "to avoid accentuating the colour issue" during the Leyton by-election to be held on 21 January.^[3] In an era when negative responses to immigration were very high^[2] audience research at the time of the original broadcast suggested that some whites in the audience saw the role reversal as threatening and reinforced their racist views.^[1]

See also

• BabaKiueria – a 1986 Australian mockumentary about an oppressed white minority in a society dominated by Aboriginal Australians.
• White Man's Burden – a 1995 film about similar subject matter.
• Noughts and Crosses (TV series) – a 2020 television series, based on the novels by Malorie Blackman, about similar subject matter.