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TV play (UK) 1966 produced and directed by Jonathan Miller

Jonathan Miller studied medicine at Cambridge University in England, and, although he's a "real" doctor, his achievements in other fields are diverse and influential. He started his career in show business on BBC TV as one of the members of the original 'Beyond the Fringe' comedy troupe, which also included such luminaries as David Frost, Dudley Moore and Peter Cook. He's a writer, performer, presenter, producer and director on television, in films and in the theatre, and his adaptations of Shakespeare and his classic theatre productions are legendary. As an author, his books, such as "The Body In Question" have sold millions around the world.     Of his adaptation of the classic Carroll story he said, "For the last hundred years we have thought of Alice as a charming fairy story, full of cranky animals and jolly playing cards, as brilliantly illustrated by Sir John Tenniel. But Alice in Wonderland is a Victorian fantasy about the pains and perils of growing up. I have discarded the traditional masks to reveal an enduring melancholy."     "It seemed to me to be dark and intriguing. It brings back a quality of the neo-gothic - of the Victorian gothic - inevitably written by someone who was composing a story for a child living in Victorian Oxford, who would see dons and professors walking around the Oxford quads. The sense of them being animals is just nicknames. Once you take the animal heads off, you begin to see what it's all about. A small child, surrounded by hurrying, worried people, thinking "Is that what being grown up is like?"

"The story represents more accurately than almost anyone, apart from Kafka, the illogicality of dreaming. The strange inconsistancies, at the same time the peculiar inevitability of it all. And that, I think, is something that Carroll catches. It's only if you take literally the fact that there's a caterpillar sitting on a mushroom ... what it is, it's just a don in his rooms who's rather surprised to have a young woman suddenly burst in ... "Who are you?" ... then of course, Carroll the logistican starts asking interesting questions ... "     The cast of 'Alice' features an incredible number of 'names'. Peter Sellers (the King of Hearts) had yet to make his world breakthrough as Inspector Clouseau, but was a major star on radio, TV and films in the UK. Wilfred Brambell (White Rabbit) starred in 'Steptoe and Son', a big hit on TV in the 50's and 60's and still popular today. Peter Cook (Mad Hatter), has credits which go on forever, John Gielgud (Mock Turtle) and Michael Redgrave (Caterpillar) were two of the biggest theatre stars ever. Leo McKern (Duchess) has had many film and TV hits, as has Michael Gough (March Hare) - particularly as Batman's butler, Alfred. Formidable actors each and every one.     The only major participant we know almost nothing about is Alice herself. Anne-Marie Mallik was literally plucked from obscurity just for this production and apparently returned there afterwards. Jonathan Miller relates the tale that he deliberately avoided the traditional concept a over-cheery seven-year-old Alice and preferred the serious and almost joke-proof look which Anne-Marie brought. Apart from this, there seems to be no further information at all. Are you still out there somewhere Anne-Marie? Get in touch, we'd love to hear from you.

"RUN HOME THIS MOMENT ..." While most of the locations used in the production have been demolished over the years, the White Rabbit's house is still standing. Once the lodge to a large country house in Hastings, it has been extensively renovated into a "des-res". The current owners, Ian and Maureen, have kindly provided a photograph of it as it appears today.

1966 with Alice on the doorstep.

As it is today. Nice, if not so rustic.

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