Summary
The Film by Martin Jameson April 1945. A Ministry of Information army film crew enters Bergen-Belsen to record the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust that many were already refusing to believe. But faced with all this footage, the head of the unit - Sidney Bernstein, is overwhelmed. He needs to get a film out there as soon as possible, but how to do justice to such suffering? So he summons his friend Alfred Hitchcock from Hollywood. And Bernstein - who later establishes Granada Television - determines that together they can create an irrefutable cinematic testimony. Sidney Bernstein - Henry Goodman, Alfred Hitchcock - Jeremy Swift, Richard Crossman - Geoffrey Streatfeild, Mrs Haig - Fenella Woolgar, Secretary - Hamilton Berstock. Production Co-ordinator - Vicky Moseley, Sound Design - Sharon Hughes, Technical Producer - Peter Ringrose, Studio Manager - Alison Craig and Producer/ Director - Gary Brown.
A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.
With grateful thanks to documentary film maker Jane Wells, daughter of Sidney Bernstein, who generously helped with the research for this drama.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Why would anyone want to steal a toilet? |
| 0:05.0 | If they think they can get away with it, they'll get away with it. |
| 0:08.0 | But this isn't any old toilet. |
| 0:11.0 | This is a solid gold toilet, worth nearly five million pounds, stolen from a palace. |
| 0:17.0 | A solid gold toilet has been stolen. |
| 0:20.0 | Police are trying to flush the robbers out. |
| 0:23.0 | It's a tale of security failures, ruthless robbers and missing millions. |
| 0:27.7 | Crime next door, the golden toilet heist. |
| 0:30.4 | Listen first on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:34.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:37.8 | This is Drama of the Week. |
| 0:41.4 | Yes, the war in Japan may still be raging, |
| 0:44.2 | but for these brave American boys waiting at Southampton, their war is over. |
| 0:48.8 | But if this handsome GI seems impatient for the SS George Washington to dock, |
| 0:53.4 | it's because he's got a sweetheart waiting for him in New York, |
| 0:56.0 | who he hasn't seen for over two years. |
| 0:59.0 | Easy, soldier. |
| 1:01.0 | He can't wait to get on board once everyone has disembarked. |
| 1:05.0 | But hello, who's this stepping off the gangway? |
| 1:09.0 | None other than Britain's master of suspense himself film director, Alfred Hitchcock, |
| 1:15.3 | hitching a ride to the home country on a US Army troop carrier. |
| 1:18.8 | On some top secret mission, perhaps. |
... |
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