Mrs Dale's Diary - Spin-offs

Spin-offs

Over the years it ran there were a number of books written around the characters, several authored in whole or part by Jonquil Antony, the most important scriptwriter at the beginning and for many years. In 1970, the year after the programme finished, she took back her former characters after a fashion, publishing Dear Dr Dale, a novel set after the end of the serial.

In the same year Charles Simon, who had played Dr Dale in the Jessie Matthews years, did his own continuation of the story, going on tour in At Home With The Dales. This show has its place in theatre history as the first professional venture of Cameron Mackintosh, now renowned for large-scale musicals. The Dales play was written by Charles Henry, who was soon discovered to be the versatile and experienced Charles Simon. It is a workmanlike comedy that takes a few liberties with established characters, but deserved a better fate than to die on the road. Later dates in the tour were cancelled because the audience did not seem to be there. "It would have been different if Jessie had done the tour," Charles Simon remarked to another actor a few months later. But he was the only member of the radio cast to make the transition.

The play was published, but has seldom been revived. In 1972 it received an amateur production at Rugby Theatre with Bridget Watson as Mrs Dale and Harry Roberts as her husband the doctor. The only professional revival seems to have been in 1997 at the Kenneth More Studio Theatre in Ilford, when Angela Ellis and Roger Braban played the senior Dales.