Seven Deadly Sins

Seven Deadly Sins

1966 - United Kingdom

Seven self-contained plays by different writers - each featuring one of the sins categorised by the founders of the Christian Church as "deadly." Lists of the seven vary. But for the TV series the sins were avarice, envy, gluttony, lust, pride, sloth and wrath. Each play had a touch of suspense about it but viewers were left to speculate on the sins concerned as each play unfolded - only discovering if they made the right guess as the final credits rolled. 

Series producer Peter Willes told TV Times in 1966; "The treatment varies from comedy to drama and the plays make no pretension to being morality plays or parables. The object is to intrigue and entertain." Among the stars who appeared were Alan Dobie, Robin Bailey, Nigel Stock, Patrick Allen, Reginald Marsh and (at that time) pop singer Adam Faith. 

Contributing writers included Alun Falconer and Joe Orton (acclaimed for his Entertaining Mr. Sloane and Loot). Willes followed up the series a year later with the similarly titled Seven Deadly Virtues

Published on February 12th, 2019. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.

Read Next...

The Wednesday Play

Now regarded as a shining light of British television's golden age, The Wednesday Play is often held up as the perfect example of the impact that television had on a generation of viewers.

Also tagged Anthology Series

Dusty Springfield

Dusty Springfield remains, to this day, one of the most respected and best selling female vocalists of all time. Simply titled Dusty (in the opening credits - although the closing credits read The Dusty Springfield Show) the format of the series was very straight forward...

Also released in 1966

Daktari

"The real stars of the series were Clarence the lion and Judy the chimpanzee."

Also released in 1966

The Baron

An antiques dealer works in an informal capacity as an agent for British Diplomatic Intelligence.

Also released in 1966

The Man in Room 17

'Room 17' was set up by the Government in a secluded area near the Houses of Parliament.

Also tagged Uk Drama

The Human Jungle

A Harley Street psychiatrist devotes his time to helping the not so well-off.

Also tagged Uk Drama

Alice in Wonderland

Unimpressed with Disney's 1951 animated version of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, Jonathan Miller was keen to develop a new version which would bring to the fore undertones of the story that had been glossed over in the often 'traditional' presentation of this classic children's tale.

Also released in 1966

Mogul and The Troubleshooters

Years before US TV viewers were introduced to the immoral exploits of the mega-rich oil barons of Dallas, the UK presented the day-to-day boardroom dramas of the high-powered executives of Mogul.

Also tagged Uk Drama