The Black Tulip: 2: The Trial
by Alexandre Dumas.
Adapted as a serial in five parts by Estelle Holt.
Additional dialogue by Naomi Capon.
Holland - 1672
(A BBC telerecording of the broadcast on August 28, 1956)

5.30 For Deaf Children: Fifth Birthday
Jasmine Bligh introduces the fifth anniversary programme including Peter Butterworth, The Shipway Twins, Sandy Sandford, David Berglas.
John Madin at the organ
Before an audience of deaf children in the King's Theatre, Hammersmith

It is five years since Miss Freda Lingstrom, then Head of Children's Television, made up her mind that something special in the way of television entertainment ought to be provided occasionally for deaf children. In the five years lots of deaf children and hearing friends have been brought together. Sandy Sandford is a great favourite, and loves compering programmes in which the deaf children join; Don Tasker gave a course of dance instruction last autumn which the N.I.D. published: nearly 2,000 children wrote in for the diagrams and descriptions of the steps. Peter Butterworth is another favourite, with his side-splitting mimes which never need a word of description. We have had famous clowns like Coco, and famous sportsmen showing how to hold a bat or control a football - showing, not telling. We have shown how to make things, and often have a specially captioned film. And then there are the Christmas parties and visits to deaf schools where the children themselves, bright-eyed, keen, and merry in spite of living in a silent world, are the principal actors.

Altogether, I think it is one of the kindest things the BBC have ever done, to put on these special programmes. They are the only service in the world to do it, and I hope they go on and on until that happy day, still regrettably far off, when doctors are able to tell us that there will be no more deaf children needing special care.