Peter Graham Scott had pitched the idea of turning American novelist David Karp's book 'One' into a TV production to the incoming ITV programme controller John McMillan in January 1956. On the strength of Scott's play 'The Last Enemy' McMillan quickly commissioned the project and John Letts was charged with adapting the book into a 90 minute play.

'One' depicted a society were all personal ambition has been eradicated and society is now uniform. Donald Pleasance starred as Burden, a man who the state deems a non comformer capable of personal ambition. Burden is brainwashed and given a new identity, but the original personality resists and breaks through. The play ends as Burden is led away for execution.

Whilst Letts completed the screenplay Scott took three weeks leave from work. He wasn't lazy - he completed work on the second billing feature 'The Hideout' during this period. On his return to work Scott set about casting and experimenting with lighting cameraman Teddy Shankster. Scott admired the deep-focus photography displayed in the films Citizen Kane and The Little Foxes and felt this would suit the clausterphobic mood of the script. Throughout the production he would make use of wide-angle lenses to distort the actors faces in close-up, whilst still having other visual elements in the background. An ambitious shot involving a camera titled on a high rostrum caused concern with the engineering department. They feared that titling the camera at 45 degrees would damage the camera. As it was such a complicated production (which went out live) the team was granted a lengthy period of technical experimentation and rehearsal. To resolve the argument over the proposed rostrum shot a test was carried out which proved succesful and the shot was included in the finished production. Rehearsals took place at Lime Grove, Studio H, whilst designer George Haslam fulfilled his brief by constructing sets of warm domesticity to contrast with the sterile interriors for the interrogation room.

The play was broadcast on Monday 16th April, the day before Scott's daughter Heather's first birthday, and received mixed reviews. Many compared it to the controversial BBC production '1984' which had aired two years previously. The Daily Express was amongst the reviews that noticed the comparison and described the production as "a long winded bore." However, in comparison The Evening Standard noted "...a top-class director cut loose and proved that technical skill and artistic integrity can make TV a true medium in its own right..." Bernard Levin, reviewing for The Guardian was equally as enthustiastic "...Mr Peter Graham Scott's direction was so sure and unfaltering and his grip so firm that I can answer for one viewer who had the living daylights scared out of him..."

Sadly the programme was never recorded and does not exist, so modern viewers will never have a chance to decide for themselves.

Characters	Portrayed By
Conger	Jack May
Miss Allom	Ruth Trouncer
Wright	Kenneth Hyde
Burden	Donald Pleasance
Wilkin	Jonathan Meddings
Dr Middleton	Raymond Francis
Emma Burden	Mary Jones
Richard	Ronald Howard
Lark	Kenneth Griffin
Dr Emerson	Philip Ray
Victor	John Woodnutt