[DAHL, Roald] CHAPMAN, Robin
Neck: Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, Series 1 Episode 6
London: Anglia TV, 1978
61 yellow mimeographed pp. bound in director’s black spring binder, home-made title label to spine. Very well preserved in the director’s binder, and with a complete production archive.
DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER MILES’ WORKING COPY OF THE SHOOTING SCRIPT OF NECK, THE SIXTH EPISODE OF THE FIRST SERIES OF ROALD DAHL’S TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED. WITH MILES’ ANNOTATIONS AND DRAWINGS THROUGHOUT, AND ACCOMPANIED BY AN EXTENSIVE PRODUCTION ARCHIVE.
Neck began life as a short story in Roald Dahl’s collection Someone Like You (Knopf, 1953). This TV adaptation, starring Joan Collins as an over-sexed lady of the manor and John Gielgud as her axe-wielding butler, was first broadcast on 28 April 1979, and features an introduction by Dahl himself. The film was shot in ten days at Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk in September 1978.
Neck was directed by Christopher Miles, whose career began in 1963 with the Oscar-nominated short film The Six-Sided Triangle, starring Sarah Miles, his sister. He went on to direct D.H. Lawrence’s The Virgin and the Gypsy (1970), Jean Genet’s The Maids (1974) and the D.H. Lawrence biopic Priest of Love (1981), an early screen success for Ian McKellen.
Miles’ shooting script for Neck has his ownership signature to the title page, is extensively annotated, and carries several hand- drawn diagrams illustrating the intended shot list for some of the more complicated scenes. The camera shots themselves, printed alongside the text, have been ticked off by Miles as shooting progressed, and he has also made a number of hand-written changes to the text.
After two series Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected began to cast its net wider for stories, and Dahl’s name was dropped from the title. As Tales of the Unexpected, the show eventually ran for nine series, clocking up a total of one hundred and twelve episodes.
As well as Miles’ shooting script, the archive comprises:
i) Pale green folder marked ‘NECK SHOOTING’:
-- 8pp. typed story outline by Miles, 20 April 1978, with a second
photocopied copy;
-- Screenwriter Robin Miller’s typed CV, on his headed notepaper, with his accompanying TLS, and Miles’ letter of recommendation (Miller got the job after Ronald Harwood had to drop out);
-- Large-scale construction plan of Japanese summerhouse by Production Designer Adrian Smith;
-- Multiple photocopies of Roald Dahl’s introductions to the first series’ episodes, both UK and US versions;
-- 2pp. titles and credits script.
ii) Manilla folder marled ‘NECK CORRESPONDENCE & CONTRACTS’:
-- ALS FROM SIR JOHN GIELGUD TO MILES, 4 AUGUST 1978, MAKING SUGGESTIONS FOR HIS COSTUME (’But do I come to the bedroom fully dressed? [...] Perhaps an electric torch -- for intruders -- or even a poker?!’);
-- A small collection of correspondence concerning Miles’ recruitment, and his contract and terms. With a copy of the contract itself, and a photocopy;
-- A small collection of correspondence concerning casting and script development, supporting artist casting notes;
-- Shooting schedule, two versions, one with Miles’ handwritten camera notes to verso of final page, and 1p. rehearsal/shooting schedule;
-- Letters of thanks from cast members Michael Aldridge, Paul Herzberg, Carmen Silvera and Peter Bowles;
-- Unit and cast list;
-- Travel and accommodation receipts.
PHOTOGRAPHS:
Two packets of b&w and colour photographs, various formats
but mostly 10 X 8, location shots, production stills and candid on-set shots of all cast members, including TWO ON-SET PHOTOGRAPHS OF ROALD DAHL IN DISCUSSION WITH MILES. (One was used to accompany a newspaper item; we can find no public use of the other.) WITH A GROUP CAST PHOTO, INSCRIBED BY EVERYONE PRESENT.
[DAHL, Roald] CHAPMAN, Robin
Neck: Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, Series 1 Episode 6
London: Anglia TV, 1978
61 yellow mimeographed pp. bound in director’s black spring binder, home-made title label to spine. Very well preserved in the director’s binder, and with a complete production archive.
DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER MILES’ WORKING COPY OF THE SHOOTING SCRIPT OF NECK, THE SIXTH EPISODE OF THE FIRST SERIES OF ROALD DAHL’S TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED. WITH MILES’ ANNOTATIONS AND DRAWINGS THROUGHOUT, AND ACCOMPANIED BY AN EXTENSIVE PRODUCTION ARCHIVE.
Neck began life as a short story in Roald Dahl’s collection Someone Like You (Knopf, 1953). This TV adaptation, starring Joan Collins as an over-sexed lady of the manor and John Gielgud as her axe-wielding butler, was first broadcast on 28 April 1979, and features an introduction by Dahl himself. The film was shot in ten days at Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk in September 1978.
Neck was directed by Christopher Miles, whose career began in 1963 with the Oscar-nominated short film The Six-Sided Triangle, starring Sarah Miles, his sister. He went on to direct D.H. Lawrence’s The Virgin and the Gypsy (1970), Jean Genet’s The Maids (1974) and the D.H. Lawrence biopic Priest of Love (1981), an early screen success for Ian McKellen.
Miles’ shooting script for Neck has his ownership signature to the title page, is extensively annotated, and carries several hand- drawn diagrams illustrating the intended shot list for some of the more complicated scenes. The camera shots themselves, printed alongside the text, have been ticked off by Miles as shooting progressed, and he has also made a number of hand-written changes to the text.
After two series Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected began to cast its net wider for stories, and Dahl’s name was dropped from the title. As Tales of the Unexpected, the show eventually ran for nine series, clocking up a total of one hundred and twelve episodes.
As well as Miles’ shooting script, the archive comprises:
i) Pale green folder marked ‘NECK SHOOTING’:
-- 8pp. typed story outline by Miles, 20 April 1978, with a second
photocopied copy;
-- Screenwriter Robin Miller’s typed CV, on his headed notepaper, with his accompanying TLS, and Miles’ letter of recommendation (Miller got the job after Ronald Harwood had to drop out);
-- Large-scale construction plan of Japanese summerhouse by Production Designer Adrian Smith;
-- Multiple photocopies of Roald Dahl’s introductions to the first series’ episodes, both UK and US versions;
-- 2pp. titles and credits script.
ii) Manilla folder marled ‘NECK CORRESPONDENCE & CONTRACTS’:
-- ALS FROM SIR JOHN GIELGUD TO MILES, 4 AUGUST 1978, MAKING SUGGESTIONS FOR HIS COSTUME (’But do I come to the bedroom fully dressed? [...] Perhaps an electric torch -- for intruders -- or even a poker?!’);
-- A small collection of correspondence concerning Miles’ recruitment, and his contract and terms. With a copy of the contract itself, and a photocopy;
-- A small collection of correspondence concerning casting and script development, supporting artist casting notes;
-- Shooting schedule, two versions, one with Miles’ handwritten camera notes to verso of final page, and 1p. rehearsal/shooting schedule;
-- Letters of thanks from cast members Michael Aldridge, Paul Herzberg, Carmen Silvera and Peter Bowles;
-- Unit and cast list;
-- Travel and accommodation receipts.
PHOTOGRAPHS:
Two packets of b&w and colour photographs, various formats
but mostly 10 X 8, location shots, production stills and candid on-set shots of all cast members, including TWO ON-SET PHOTOGRAPHS OF ROALD DAHL IN DISCUSSION WITH MILES. (One was used to accompany a newspaper item; we can find no public use of the other.) WITH A GROUP CAST PHOTO, INSCRIBED BY EVERYONE PRESENT.
