by D.G. Bridson

When Thomas Chatterton first published his so-called Rowley poems they were accepted as the genuine work of a fifteenth-century poet. When their authenticity was challenged they ceased to be regarded by many critics as poetry at all. This programme tells the story from contemporary sources.
Readers: JOHN BAKER, FELIX FELTON, DENIS GOACHER, DENYS HAWTHORNE, DUNCAN MCINTYRE, WILFRID CARTER, MALCOLM HAYES, RALPH TRUMAN, PETER WILLIAMS AND MARGARET WOLFIT