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Marjorie Westbury
(1905 - 1989)

Marjorie Westbury from her obituary in The Times

Thank you for coming to this page about the radio actress and singer Marjorie Westbury.

Today she is best known for playing the part of Steve in Francis Durbridge's Paul Temple radio serial. However, she had a long and very successful career in other radio work and, when she was younger, as a singer.

She put both of these talents together when she played the part of Elsa Strauss in Henry Reed's plays about Hilda Tablet.

Please contact me if you can add any further information to Marjorie's story.

Brief biographical details

Rose Marjorie Westbury was born on 18th June 1905 at Langley Green, a small part of Oldbury, now part of Birmingham. She was the only child of George and Adella (or Adelaide) Westbury.

In 1927 she won a four-year scholarship to the Royal College of Music. During 1932 she her operatic debut as Hansel in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel for the Old Vic Company.

Following extensive radio work during the 1930s Marjorie joined the BBC Drama Repertory Company in 1942.

In 1983 she celebrated fifty years in the BBC Drama Rep by playing Helen Lancaster in N. C. Hunter's Waters of the Moon. You can hear a brief extract from the play here.

She died in her Sussex farmhouse near Uckfield on 16th December 1989, aged 84.

She was unmarried.

Early studies

Marjorie entered the Royal College of Music in the Easter Term of 1927 and studied Voice with Daniel Price. For her first two terms she took Piano as her second study with P. Whitehead and followed that with Piano Accompaniment with Frederick Sewell.

While at the RCM, she took part in a number of opera productions at the College:

Errand Girl in Charpentier's Louise (10 October 1928)
Hansel in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel (19 February 1929)
Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute (25 June 1929)
Gilda in Rigoletto (5 February 1930)
Sister Genevieva in Puccini's Sister Angelica (first performance in English) (25 and 31 March 1930)
Despina in Cosi fan tutte (shortened version) (16 July 1930)

She left the college at the end of Christmas term, 1930.

I am very grateful to the RCM Library for providing this information from their archives.

BBC broadcasts in the 1930s

These are taken from the radio pages of The Times.

Marjorie's first broadcasts for the BBC were given on the Birmingham-based Midland Regional programme. Her very first appears to have been at midday on Wednesday 7th December 1932. She sang with Harold Howes (baritone), Norman King (tenor), Muriel Tookey (violin) and J. William Dunn (piano). (That evening at 11pm the BBC were transmitting a television programme by the Baird process, featuring Alice Delysia, John Tilley and Laurie Devine.)

Her next broadcast was on Friday 7th April 1933, at 5.15pm: "Songs by Marjorie Westbury (soprano)".

The following Sunday, 9th April 1933, she appeared on again. Another teatime broadcast (3.55pm), she sang with the Midland Studio Orchestra, conducted by Frank Mantell.

The same forces were assembled for the same service on Thursday 1st June 1933, for at broadcast at 7.45pm also featuring Harry Stanier (cello).

Her next appearance was on Friday 4th August 1933, in a programme entitled "From the Light Operas and Musical Comedies", where she sang with baritone Oswald Rogers.

On Monday 18th December 1933 at 5.15pm, Marjorie was accompanied by Victor Hely-Hutchinson (piano) in a number of songs for children.

The following year, Wednesday 31st January 1934, she appeared in a programme called Current Midland Theatre Music accompanied by the Midland Studio Orchestra and Frank Cantell.

On Saturday 17th February 1934 at 8pm she appeared in her first musical play on radio. Programmed as part of a "divertissement" and with book and lyrics by Gwladys Hay-Dillon and music by Walford Hyden, Flower of a thousand nights also featured Sheila Crocker, Godfrey Baseley (later to create The Archers), Geoffrey Dams, and the Midland Studio Orchestra conducted by Victor Hely-Hutchinson. Later in the same divertissement she appeared in The old lady shows her muddles by Ronald Jeans. The whole was produced by Martyn C. Webster, who would later produce the Paul Temple series.

A day later, on Sunday 19th February 1934, at 5.30pm, she was singing with soprano Grace Field in a programme called The Music of Mendelssohn. They were accompanied by the Norris Stanley Trio.

On Saturday 10th March 1934 at 8.20pm, she appeared in a "dramatic story" by L. du Garde Peach and Victor Hely-Hutchinson called The Charcoal-burner's Son. Produced by Martyn C. Webster, Marjorie was joined by John Morley, Alfred Butler, Wiliam Berry, Reginald Smith, John Bentley, Godfrey Basely, Dorothy Summers and the Midland Studio Orchestra conducted by Victor Hely-Hutchinson.

Thursday 5th April 1934, saw Marjorie singing in another children's programme at 5.15pm with the other members of the Signature Quartet: Ethel Williams (contralto), Roland Cook (tenor) and Cuthbert Ford (baritone).

On Saturday 9th June 1934 at 7pm, she appeared in programme entitled Sentiment. This featured the Midland Studio Chorus directed by Edgar Morgan, the Midland Studio Orchestra, conducted by Frank Cantell, and Cuthbert Ford (baritone).

The following Friday, 15th June 1934, she sang in Tangos with the Midland Studio Orchestra, conducted as usual by Frank Cantell, and Thomas O'Hara on piano accordion.

On Wednesday 12th September 1934, Marjorie finally made it to the National-Daventry service. At 7.15pm, Martyn C. Webster presented The Radioptimists - a Midland Concert Party, with Hugh Morton (the first Paul Temple), Dorothy Summers, Dennis Folwell and Harry Saxton. The Radioptimists seem to have had their origins on the Scottish and Glasgow programmes in 1929, and the Midland service "borrowed" the concept.

Another occasional programme, Light Music by Midland Composers was broadcast on Thursday 20th September 1934 at 6.30pm. Marjorie was by Mark Mellors (baritone), and the Midland Studio Orchestra, conducted by Frank Cantell.

Marjorie and the other Radioptimists were back on the Midland Regional programme on Tuesday 9th October, Tuesday 30th October, and Friday 23rd November 1934.

Back in more conventional territory, Marjorie was joined by the BBC Midland Orchestra conducted by Leslie Heward, for a one hour broadcast at 6.30pm on Saturday 8th December 1934.

On Saturday 9th February 1935 at 6.30pm, Marjorie was in Italian Music, with the same forces: the BBC Midland Orchestra (leader, Alfred Cave), conducted by Leslie Heward

Spring's in the Air, arranged by Martyn C. Webster, was broadcast on Thursday 28th March 1935 at 6.3pm. Marjorie was joined by Harry Porter (tenor), Cuthbert Ford (baritone), the BBC Midland Orchestra (leader, Alfred Cave), and the BBC Midland Wireless Singers, conducted by H. Foster Clark.

Another local programme, A Review of Midland revues, with compère Martyn C. Webster appeared at 7.15pm on Friday 10th May 1935. The forces included Helmar Fernback, Hugh Morton, Nita Valerie, with the Midland Revue Orchestra and Chorus.

The following month, on Wednesday 19th June 1935 at 7.15pm, The Rival Fairies or Paraphernalia Re-visited was produced by Martyn C. Webster. Written by Gordon Crier, with music by John Morley, the cast included Stuart Vinden, Denis Folwell, Alex Penney, Geoffrey Dams, Alfred Butler, Doris Nichols, John Lang, Cuthbert Ford, Roland Hill, and John Bentley. The BBC Midland Orchestra and BBC Midland Singers were conducted by Reginald Burston.

A gap of a few months, and then Main Street of Song on Thursday 5th September 1935 at 7pm. With book and lyrics by Peter Lansdale and music by Julian Wright, Martyn C. Webster produced and the cast included John Lang, Hugh Morton, Dorothy Summers, Vera Ashe, Denis Folwell, Those Three, the Three Herons and John Bentley. The Revue Orchestra was conducted by Reginald Burston.

On Saturday 12th October 1935 at 6.30pm, Marjorie sang in a programme of Noel Coward's music with Geoffrey Dams (tenor), John Bentley (baritone), the BBC Midland Orchestra (leader, Alfred Cave), conducted by Reginald Burston.

In the New Year, Marjorie took part in January Cocktail: another tropical mixture by Martyn C. Webster. She was joined on Thursday 16th January 1936 at 9.30pm by Dorothy Summers, Lee Fox and Godfrey Baseley, with Jack Hill and Basil Hempseed at the pianos.

A morning concert is her next appearance on Thursday 6th August 1936 at 10.45am. She sang with the BBC Midland Orchestra conducted by Reginald Burston.

A few weeks later, on Friday 18th September 1936 at 1.15pm, Marjorie appeared once more on the National Programme. This was a 45 minute concert with Johan Hock (cello) and Lelia Brittain (piano).

Back in Birmingham once more, on Friday 16th October 1936 at 7.30pm, there was Hawaiian Rhapsody, musical play for radio by Annette Mills (brother of actor John Mills, and future presenter of Muffin the Mule). Archie Campbell produced, and the cast included John Bentley, Denis Folwell, Hugh Morton, Jane Minton, Barbara Helliwell and the Hawaiian Islanders, directed by Peter Hodgkinson.

On Wednesday 4th November 1936, there was another musical play. This time, Kick Off, a football play with music. The book and lyrics were by C. H. Averill and Alan Fitton, additional lyrics by Jack Hill, Michael Sayer and Archie Campbell, and the music by Jack Hill and Michael Sayer. The whole was adapted and produced by Archie Campbell. The cast included John Lang, Stuart Vinden, Hugh Morton, Hal Bryant, Denis Folwell, Harry Saxton, Godfrey Baseley, Graham Squiers, Edith James, Raymond Green, and Harold Clemence. The BBC Midland Revue Chorus and Revue Orchestra were conducted by Reginald Burston.

Another hint of things to come was broadcast on Thursday 22nd December 1936 at 9pm. This was the pantomine As You Like it, or Much Ado About Nothing, a burlesque by Edward J. Mason (later to be involved with The Archers) and It Happened at Christmas an interlude by Francis Durbridge (shortly to create Paul Temple). It starred Clapham and Dwyer, Harry Lupino, Helmar Fernback, George Formby, the Four Rhythm Boys, Harley and Barker, Aerbut and Gaertie, the Revue Orchestra, the BBC Midland Revue Chorus, all conducted by Reginald Burston, and arranged by Martyn C. Webster and Percy Edgar.

On New Year's Eve 1936, at 6pm, Marjorie appeared in Only a Shop Girl, a musical burlesque by the Melhuish Brothers, produced by Martyn C. Webster. With her were Vera Ashe, Dorothy Summers, Godfrey Baseley, Hugh Morton, Alfred Butler, Lawrence Baskcomb, the BBC Midland Revue Chorus and the Revue Orchestra (leader, Norris Stanley), conducted by Reginald Burston.

Tuesday 2nd February 1937 saw a high-profile broadcast by the Birmingham stalwarts on the National programme. This was Martyn C. Webster's production of the West End musical comedy Wild Violets, by Bruno Hardt-Warden, with music by Robert Stoltz and adapted for broadcasting by Holt Marvell, Hassard Short, Desmond Carter, and Reginald Purdell. The cast featured Webster Booth (tenor, not yet at the height of his fame), Frank Drew, Gordon Little, Dorothy Summers, Vera Ashe Mary Pollock, Elizabeth Mooney, Vivienne Chatterton (later to appear in the Hilda plays), Ernest Butcher, John Lang, Sylvia Welling, Stuart Vinden, John Bentley, Barbara Helliwell, the BBC Midland and Revue chorus, with Hugh Morton (narrator), and the Revue Orchestra, conducted by Reginald Burston.

Webster Booth, was in Birmingham again when he broadcast with Marjorie on Wednesday 24th February 1937 in I Remember, presented by Percy Edgar. Also appearing were Cuthbert Ford (baritone), the BBC Midland Revue Chorus and the Revue Orchestra, conducted by Reginald Burston.

Marjorie was back on the National programme on Friday 2nd July 1937 at 1.15pm. This was a recital in which she was accompanied by Anne Dorn (piano). As it was happening at the same time as Wimbledon, the broadcast bore the warning "The programme may be broken into for commentaries on the Men's Single Finals".

There was another appearance on the National on Tuesday 20th July 1937 at 9.40. Martyn C. Webster's Birmingham team presented Follow On, a revue in miniature. Webster was compère, with Dorothy Summers, John Bentley, Dennis Folwell, and Leila Brittain and Harry Engleman at two pianos.

Back on the Midland programme on Thursday 22nd July 1937 at 5pm, Marjorie was on a children's programme again, accompanied by Thomas O'Hara on his piano accordion.

Another fairly humble offering was broadcast on Tuesday 10th August 1937 at 5.30pm. Simply "Songs by Marjorie Westbury".

A few days later, on Monday 16th August at 8pm, the Birmingham team were back on the National programme. This was another Melhuish Brothers burlesque called All at Sea, or The True Story of the Betty Martin. Martyn C. Webster produced and the cast was Lawrence Baskcomb, Doris Nichols, Hugh Morton, James Doherty, John Bentley, Fred Forgham and Godfrey Baseley with the BBC Midland Male Voice Chorus and the Revue Orchestra conducted by Reginald Burston. It was re-broadcast again on the Midland programme the following day at 9pm.

A short 20 minute recital followed on Thursday 9th September 1937 at 6.40pm.

Another appearance with the Birmingham team on the National programme followed on Monday 27th September 1937 at 8.20. This was The King who Didn't Matter by Gordon Crier. Produced by Martyn C. Webster, the usual cast featured Lawrence Baskcomb, Doris Nicholls, Alfred Butler, Helmar Fernback, Denis Folwell, Christine Holt, Fred Forgham and the BBC Midland Revue Chorus and the Revue Orchestra conducted by Reginald Burston.

A long break follows, with Marjorie's next listing being a a short Midland programme on Saturday 12th March 1938 at 6.45pm. Marjorie was accompanied by the Midland Revue Orchestra.

Another simple recital followed on Friday 13th May 1938 at 3.45, singing with the BBC Midland Orchestra. However, at 9pm was an episode of Send for Paul Temple!, a serial thriller in eight parts. During this first series the part of Steve was played by Bernadette Hodgson, with Paul played by Birmingham regular Hugh Morton. Other familiar names in the cast were E. Stuart Vinden, John Morley and Denis Folwell. It was, of course, produced by Martyn C. Webster.

Yet another Melhuish Brothers burlesque appeared on the Midland programme on Tuesday 5th July 1938 at 9.30pm. Daylight Robbery, or The Thief in the Night was produced by Martyn C. Webster, and featured John Lang, Cuthbert Ford, Hugh Morton, Fred Forgham, Godfrey Baseley, Lawrence Baskcomb, Alfred Butler, the BBC Midland Revue Chorus and the Revue Orchestra, conducted as usual by Reginald Burston.

Another teatime appearance followed on Thursday 7th July 1938 at 6pm. Continental Songs and Dances featured Marjorie with the Norris Stanley Sextet.

The Birmingham team appeared on the National programme again on Wednesday 27th July 1938 at 8pm. This was a musical comedy by Dion Titheradge, Lauri Wylie and Herbery Clayton called Dear Love. The music was by Haydn Wood. Produced by Martyn C. Webster, the cast featured Godfrey Baseley, William Hughes, Clarence Wright, Lawrence Baskcomb, Leslie Bowmar, Gerry Fitzgerald, Dorothy Summers, Cora Coffin, Margery Wyn, Vera Ashe and Stuart Vinden. The Midland Revue Chorus and Midland Revue Orchestra were conducted by Charles Shadwell.

An interesting series featured Marjorie on Tuesday 6th September 1938 at 9.45pm. This was Landmarks in English Music - 2 - Purcell - 1688. Arranged by Alexander Brent-Smith and presented by W.K. Stanton with the BBC Midland Singers, the BBC Midland Orchestra, Webster Booth (tenor) and Margaret Ablethorpe (piano).

A few days later, Marjorie was in more familiar territory on Monday 12th September 1938 at 9pm in Tunes of the Day - From Stage and Screen, with We Three and the Midland Revue Orchestra, conducted by Reginald Burston. Martyn C. Webster was the compère.

Another broadcast of I Remember presented by Percy Edgar followed on Monday 17th October 1938 at 9.15pm. Marjorie was joined by Geoffrey Dams (tenor) and George Gibbs (baritone). The BBC Midland Singers and the Midland Orchestra were conducted by Reginald Burston.

Vivian Ellis and Greatrex Newman's 1920s success Mr Cinders received an airing on the National programme on Tueday 31st January 1939 at 8pm. Adapted "for the microphone" by Martyn C. Webster and Reginald Burston, the cast included Lester Mudditt (Sir Graham Forbes in Paul Temple from 1938 to 1958), Leslie French, Courtney Hope, Hugh Morton, Patrick Waddington, Neil Tuson, Marjery Wyn, Joan Carter, Vera Ashe, Godfrey Baseley, Alfred Butler, and Cedric Johnson. The Midland Revue Orchestra was conducted by Reginald Burston.

Paul Temple and Steve

The first Paul Temple serial to be broadcast was Send for Paul Temple in 1938. Although broadcast from Birmingham, Marjorie Westbury did not make her appearance until 1942 when she had a small part in Paul Temple intervenes.

It was in Send for Paul Temple again, first broadcast on 13 September 1945, that Marjorie first appeared as Paul's wife Steve with Barry Morse as Paul Temple.

The first broadcast in which Marjorie played Steve Temple and which has been preserved is Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case from 29 March 1954. You can hear a brief example of Marjorie's technique here.

Hilda Tablet and Elsa Strauss

Hilda Tablet first appeared in Henry Reed's 1953 radio play A Very Great Man Indeed. Her Viennese soprano companion (a relationship based on that between composer Benjamin Britten and singer Peter Pears) was Elsa Strauss. You can hear a brief extract of Marjorie as Elsa in The Private Life of Hilda Tablet (1954) here. You can also hear her as Elsa in the spoof request programme Musique Discrète (1959) here.

Miss Parker's bequest

In 1957 Marjorie Westbury suddenly found that she was the subject of a bequest of over £15,000 in the will of Miss Olivia Louisa Parker. Miss Parker, of "Sylvacot", Creekview Avenue, Hullbridge, Essex died on 9 March 1957. She was found dead in a gas-filled room and the inquest returned a verdict of suicide while the balance of her mind was disturbed.

Miss Parker left £18,999 (gross), £18,681 (net) - duty of £3,366. She left her body to Her Majesty's Inspector of Anatomy for experimental purposes, £100 to the Society for Legal Euthanasia, and the remainder to Marjorie Westbury who, at that time, was living at 71 Canfield Gardens, London NW6.

According to an article in The Times on 17 August 1957, Marjorie Westbury had received fan letters from Miss Parker for some years, and had met Miss Parker in 1956 for the first time. Miss Parker subsequently wrote to her and said she wanted to leave her a bequest.

"I wrote back to say that as she did not know me she could not possibly leave me money. I then went to see her, had lunch with her, and that was our only meeting. I was very much surprised when I found that the amount she had left me was so much."

Martin Jarvis on Marjorie Westbury

In his book Acting strangely (London: Methuen, 1999), the actor Martin Jarvis wrote:

During the nine-month run of Poor Bitos I must have recorded ten or fifteen different plays, mostly in the basement studios of Broadcasting House. I was particularly impressed with a small, bun-shaped, grey-haired woman who danced up to the microphone with phenomenal energy. It was always specially lowered to accommodate her four foot ten inches. I watched her all one afternoon as, script in hand, she created, out of the air, a whole world of sophistication, of heady romance and well-heeled humour. Her voice - oh so charming, so feminine, so all-knowing and full of wit - swept and soared and dived into the mike, and out again, nationwide, to fire the ready imagination of her listening fans. This elderly bundle of vocal genius was Marjorie Westbury herself. Really she could do anything, be anyone she wanted, within the radius of the microphone. She knew, we knew, the moment she approached its attentive ear, that she was Elvira in Blithe Spirit, or Paul Temple's witty young wife in the Durbridge mystery serials.

"I'll open the window, my darling," she would flute, "it's such a lovely day." Then, cunningly retreating a pace and turning her head (therefore her mouth) a few inches to one side, she would emit a pretty little effort-noise as she gently opened the imaginary casement...Marjorie would then turn back towards the microphone, just the slightest bit out of breath, say "There, Paul", before moving forward a step for, "Oh, darling, I do love you so." She would lean closer, bestow a light kiss on the back of the hand, sigh, and on the out-going breath whisper to the mike, in the tinkling manner her listeners adored, "Oh Paul, I'm so happy."

Watching from the sidelines, having completed my own part as a lumpy detective sergeant, I was spellbound by her skill. Her imaginative technique, harnessed to her understanding of character and situation, was breathtaking. The precision and delicacy of her movements around the microphone, her knowledge of just how much difference a retreat or an approach would make to the depth of the sound-picture, was the start of my radio education. Such sonic choreography was entertaining enough to watch. When you closed your eyes and listened, it was dazzling.

Marjorie Westbury (1905 - 1989)