What happens
At an English boys' school near the end of a spring term, the new teacher Gilbert observes the lower fifth class taught by Mr. Crocker Harris, a strict and reserved master who is leaving because of poor health. The boys mock him, and Taplow, a pupil, stays behind for extra work. Crocker Harris's wife Millie is seen with Frank, a younger master, while Crocker Harris is kept busy with school duties. The episode is an adaptation of Terence Rattigan's play, broadcast by Lux Radio Theatre on November 23, 1953, with Ronald Coleman as Crocker Harris, Benita Hume as Millie, and Robert Douglas as Frank. The story is told in two acts, and this part sets up the strained marriage and the master's uncertain future.
A English boys' school in the countryside, late spring
Characters: Mr. Crocker Harris, Millie, Frank, Gilbert, Taplow, Mr. Frobish, Mr. Hunter, Mrs. Frobish
Listen for: Crocker Harris's reserved manner with the boys, and the tension between him and Millie as Frank's visits and his own dismissal come to light.
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.