A play commissioned and performed to mark the 400th anniversary of the execution of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer is being revived by the PBS next year.
The Trial of Thomas Cranmer was written by poet and playwright Anne Ridler for performances in 1966.
The BBC broadcast a recording of the play, which starred Frank Windsor, later of Z Cars and Softly Softly TV dramas, as Cranmer. Other actors included Derek Hart as the Witness, and Elizabeth Ogston (wife of Oxford academic Sandy Ogston, who became head of Trinity College), who played Margaret Cranmer.
The original play had one performance in the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford: the site of Cranmer’s Trial.
The revival will be performed in the same church on 21st March, as part of the 2026 Cranmer Commemoration. It will be directed by Professor Elisabeth Dutton. Elisabeth is a member of the Department of English at the University of Fribourg and head of Early Drama for the Oxford Project, which examines plays written and performed in the Oxford Colleges between 1485 and 1642.
‘This is an artistic first for the Prayer Book Society,’ says PBS Chairman Bradley Smith. ‘The revival of Anne Ridler’s play at the location of its original performance and the historic setting of Cranmer’s trial is thrilling. I hope both members and supporters of the PBS will come and enjoy this timepiece drama, centred on the imprisonment and trial of the Prayer Book’s author.’
The surviving members of Anne Ridler’s family will be guests of honour at the performance.
Tickets for the script-in-hand production will go on sale soon. St Mary’s has a limited capacity, so do secure your seat as soon as possible.
Photo: The Ridler Estate
The staging of this unique Trial of Thomas Cranmer drama is costly. The PBS would welcome financial assistance to help co-sponsor the production. Benefactors can email Interim CEO of the PBS, David Harvey, or by calling the Copyhold office on 0118 984 2582.
