Abstract/Summary

Using previously undocumented files from the BBC’s Written Archives Centre, this article accounts for Harold Pinter’s roles in BBC radio and television productions through the 1950s. The article fills the gaps in Pinter’s history with the BBC by detailing these archival records. It also examines the reception of these productions and situates them both in Pinter’s career and the history of the BBC. Along the way, this article argues that Pinter’s BBC work provides a way in to exploring the different evolutionary histories of BBC radio and television as they competed with one another for audience attention and management support.