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Sampson. A tragedy.

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A privately printed and seemingly unrecorded play by Lewis Carroll’s first bibliographer, submitted to the BBC for consideration as a radio drama, with its accompanying rejection letter and notes on how to write for radio; an amusing testament to the trials and tribulations of the amateur playwright, and of those forced to read their work.

The enclosed notes, titled Some Notes on Radio Drama, are initialled (in type) at the bottom Val Gielgud and Lance Sieveking (Lancelot de Giberne Sieveking), two major figures of BBC radio drama. The notes set out a clear fifteen-point guide on how to write a radio play which could be accepted by the BBC, with advice on subject, characters, length, and how to write for the peculiarities of a ‘voice-only’ format. Gielgud’s tenure as Head of Productions at the BBC marked a high point for the radio play as a genre, but as a result the BBC received an average of seventy-five scripts per week. Gielgud and Sieveking’s notes are helpful but cutting, and exasperation often leaks through: ‘Before starting to write a radio play it is wise to find out from the B.B.C drama department if a play on that particular theme would be acceptable… In this way you might save yourself and the B.B.C Drama Department some waste of time.’

A readthrough of Sampson gives some insight as to the cause of its rejection; the dialogue is ponderous and the language anachronistic. The book, however, is produced to a high standard, with its delicate headpiece and initial, and printed on good quality paper; whatever its faults the author was clearly proud of his creation. This appears to have been William’s first (and possibly only) foray into drama, and he is better known as the first bibliographer of Lewis Carroll. Some rare Carrolliana, 1924 is a privately printed work which bears some physical resemblance to the present play, and was followed by A Bibliography of the writings of Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, M.A.), 1924, and A Handbook of the Literature of the Rev. C.L. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll), 1931, which was written with Falconer Madan and remains the definitive reference book on Carroll. Williams was also a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and a barrister at the Inner Temple.

Though the rejection must have stung, Williams was in good company in being turned down by Val Gielgud; amongst the many plays Gielgud rejected was Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, which would otherwise have had its UK debut on the radio rather than the stage.

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