Alice in Wonderland

Picture shows (seated, L-R) Peter Cook as the Mad Hatter, Wilfrid Lawson as the Dormouse, Michael Gough as the March Hare, Anne-Marie Mallik as Alice and the production team filming the Tea Party scene.

Jonathan Miller’s production of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland debuted on BBC television on 28 December 1966. Miller said the film "although it is about children, is not really for them", and so it went out in the slot generally filled by The Wednesday Play.

Miller was keen to strip Alice in Wonderland of any associations – such as the Tenniel illustrations – that had built up over the years and had his actors perform without elaborate character makeup, in everyday Victorian dress. This approach proved controversial, but Miller's talent was undeniable and the following year it was repeated at a time when children could see it.

Alice was played by the 13 year old unknown, Ann-Marie Mallik. Mallik's stillness and slight air of detachment emphasised the dreamlike quality of the action that went on around her. The stellar cast included Alan Bennett, Michael Redgrave, Leo McKern, Peter Cook, Michael Gough, Wilfrid Brambell, Alison Leggatt, Peter Sellers and John Gielgud.

They performed what Miller described as "a poetic summary of life's journey" sealed within "a clever child's dream". Ravi Shankar's music heightened the mood, while also adding – in Miller's words – "a faint suggestion of Victorian empire".

Alice in Wonderland is now viewed as an important programme of the time and a reflection of sixties psychedelic culture. Jonathan Miller has made many more acclaimed programmes including TheBody in Question, Whistle and I'll Come to You and the BBC Television Shakespeare project.