Thirty Minute Theatre – The News Benders

“Newsbenders” is an episode from the “Thirty-Minute Theatre” series, a British television anthology series that aired on BBC2. The episode “Newsbenders” was written by playwright William Trevor and first broadcast on March 16, 1967. The “Thirty-Minute Theatre” series featured a variety of dramatic works, including original plays, adaptations, and experimental pieces, all with a runtime of approximately thirty minutes per episode.

The episode explores themes related to journalism, media manipulation, or the power of the press to shape public opinion. William Trevor was known for his insightful and often darkly humorous explorations of human nature, so the episode may delve into these themes with a combination of wit and social commentary.

The following is a Google NotebookLM podcast that explores the script of the show.

Briefing Document: “The News-Benders 1968”

I. Executive Summary

“The News-Benders 1968” reveals a chilling conspiracy to control global affairs through the manipulation of information and reality itself. A secretive organization, the Classified World News Service (CWNS), operates at the pinnacle of power, fabricating news, managing international crises, and shaping public perception to maintain a carefully constructed world order. Their methods include creating “fake newsreels,” orchestrating global events, and using advanced surveillance technology, including surgical implants. The core objective is to prevent world war by maintaining a fragile balance of power, primarily through fear (“scaring the hell out of their grandchildren”) and economic control, rather than genuine peace or disarmament. The narrative highlights the CWNS’s contempt for the general populace, their belief that politicians are easily controlled, and their ultimate dependence on a sophisticated computer system for decision-making and control.

II. Key Organizations and Individuals

Classified World News Service (CWNS):
A clandestine organization “set up midway between the government and TV companies.”
Operates globally, with “very few of the top people in communications in every major country in the world” working for them.
Controls and fabricates news, particularly “newsreels” and “commentaries,” which have been accepted as truth for “the past 10 years.”
Their primary goal is to prevent world war by controlling crises, rather than eliminating the causes of conflict.
They believe “99.386 percent of the population wouldn’t believe this conversation and the rest are working for us.”
Their headquarters appear to be in a building where control ascends through multiple floors, culminating in a “giant computer system.”
JG:
The mysterious, unnamed individual who interviews Robert Larkin.
Represents the CWNS and attempts to recruit Larkin.
Possesses an extraordinary level of personal information about Larkin, obtained through covert surveillance.
Explains the CWNS’s philosophy and methods with chilling detachment.
Robert Larkin:
A 35-year-old television director with a “high IQ” and a history of producing “hard-hitting, vital” shows on social issues (alcoholism, blood sports, slum clearance).
By 1968, his shows are “souffles, little soft in the center,” suggesting a shift away from controversial topics.
Has a complex personal life, including a wife (Rachel) and two children (Rebecca and Daniel), and a recent 18-month affair with a woman named Sheila.
Is initially skeptical and horrified by the CWNS’s revelations but is trapped by their knowledge of his private life and the surgical transmitter implanted in him.
His “power quotient” (ratio of responsibility vs. aggression) is “very low, 0.2,” making him an ideal recruit for the CWNS.
Sheila:
Robert Larkin’s former girlfriend.
Her conversations with Larkin were monitored and recorded by the CWNS.

III. Core Themes and Concepts

Fabrication of Reality and “Fake News”:

The CWNS explicitly states, “We are going to make models much cheaper than we photograph the models fake newsrooms fake news for the past 10 years people have been looking at our fake news wheels and listening to our fake commentaries and they accept it for the truth.”
They plan future events, such as the “combined U.S. Russian landing on the moon” and the deployment of the “ultimate weapon codenamed Icarus,” as staged news events for 1973.
The very existence of powerful weapons like the intercontinental ballistic missile “Boy Wonder” and the mercury warhead is a lie: “if this rocket doesn’t work then the others they have a fireworks party at Cape Kennedy almost every other day.” Even the atomic and hydrogen bombs “didn’t work either.”

Control through Fear and Economic Manipulation:

The primary method of control is “scaring the hell out of their grandchildren.”
The fictitious hydrogen bomb is a key tool: “this fictitious hydrogen bomb we’ve talked about.”
Economic control is also vital: “enough money to fill some of the empty bellies and put a hopeful smile on the faces of the others.”
They admit to manipulating consumer behavior: “You mean you scare us so that we’ll buy more so that so that money moves quicker production moves up.”
Emotional manipulation is preferred over direct “scare” tactics: “we don’t say scare when we talk about human beings we say uh threaten them emotionally.” This includes “overcrowd them a little with bad planning sell them too many motorcars anything to keep them a little bit removed from reality.”

The Illusion of Global Conflict and Disarmament:

Superpower rivalries are a sham: “Nowadays we work very closely together.” Stories about spies like Philby are “just good copy for the Sunday papers.”
The “Chinese bomb” is a “phony explosion” recorded by the CWNS.
Wars are controlled: “There’s no danger of world war just a simple choice for everybody capitalism or communism strawberry or vanilla it all adds up to the same thing.”
The “big bangers” (nuclear weapons) have been “got rid of” in reality.
The military-industrial complex is complicit: “people in the top secret factories just those in a position to know they’re making weapons that don’t really work.”

Sophisticated Surveillance and Control Mechanisms:

Surgical Transmitters: Implanted within individuals, “one was fitted inside you when you went into the chairing cross hospital three years ago a appendix wasn’t it.” These devices monitor conversations and “puts a bleep onto anything that you’re excited about saying.” They also contain a lethal dose of a substance, functioning as an “oral contraceptive” to prevent talking.
“Power Quotient”: A metric used to assess individuals, a “ratio of responsibility as against aggression.” Low quotients are desired for recruitment.
Computer System: Described as “link number four in world control,” a “giant computer system” that “can store a vast amount of information” and “feed data into it anything from the wall street closing prices to the north atlantic weather and you get decisions.” Larkin fears it has “taken you over,” while JG insists it’s “extra hands for the people who know how to control it.”

Hierarchy of Control:

Bottom: Politicians (“grosser mentality boys who like to be photographed getting in and out of Daimlers”).
Mid-level: People in “top secret factories” making non-functional weapons, economists, top civil servants, military brass.
Top: CWNS (“right at the top,” “just very few of the top people in communications”).
Above CWNS: Two higher offices and the “giant computer system.”

Manufactured Social Movements:

The CWNS proposes an “anti-teenage movement,” a “return to maturity,” and a “religious revival” for 1973, indicating their ability to shape cultural trends.
They admit to having “marketed” LSD as a “non-addictive drug” to control protest movements: “some of these protest movements were getting a little bit too close to the mark lsd gave him nice little hallucinations made them talk like three-year-olds throw flowers at policemen.”

IV. Important Ideas/Facts

The Big Lie: The world’s most terrifying weapons (ICBMs, H-bombs) are fakes, and global conflicts are managed illusions. This started “since Hiroshima and the h-bomb that doesn’t work either.”
The CWNS’s Omnipotence: They claim to control all crises, “we build them up and we shut them down.”
Contempt for the Masses: The CWNS operates on the assumption that the majority of the population is easily deceived and “wouldn’t believe this conversation.”
Vietnam as a Controlled Conflict: They acknowledge “hundreds of people are being killed every week” in Vietnam, but claim they “control the situation” because “people of bad habits and two generations they like to carry rifles they like to put lines on maps and we let them.”
Motivation for Control: Preventing true world war by maintaining the illusion of threat, and managing global resources (“one quarter of the world is starving,” “full bellies and empty bellies”).
Larkin’s Recruitment: He is targeted not for his brilliance, but for his “low power quotient,” his capacity for “responsibility,” and his perceived malleability. The CWNS wants him to “help plan the news for 1973.”
The Price of Compliance: Larkin is offered a substantial salary (“quarter of a million pounds a year rising to a million”) and the prospect of joining the “ministry of morality.” The consequence of non-compliance is death via the surgical transmitter.
The Human Cost: Larkin’s personal reflections on his family and the “footprints in the sand” highlight the emotional toll of his potential involvement in this dehumanizing system, contrasting with the CWNS’s detached, manipulative worldview.

This briefing underscores the core message of “The News-Benders 1968”: the unsettling proposition that global events, news, and even our most deeply held beliefs can be meticulously constructed and controlled by a hidden, powerful, and utterly cynical elite.

Detailed Timeline of Main Events

Pre-1945:

Undefined Period: CWNS (Classified World News Service) begins operating. It is a secret organization comprised of top people in communications in major countries globally, controlling information and shaping public perception.
Pre-1955: Robert Larkin has a good family and education but “turned his back on all that.”

1945:

August: The U.S. drops two atomic bombs (on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, implied). CWNS is formed around this time, with the stated aim of preventing other nations from developing similar weapons and controlling the world’s perception of nuclear power. This marks the beginning of their “negative research” on weapons, implying they facilitate the belief in non-functional weapons.

1950 (Implied):

Five Years After 1945: CWNS spends five years in “negative research” on the hydrogen bomb, concluding it “didn’t work” and propagating this belief.

1955:

Robert Larkin writes some plays for the BBC.

1961:

Robert Larkin receives a three-year contract as a director at the BBC. He does not renew it, citing low pay.
CWNS develops and markets LSD, a “non-addictive drug,” to control protest movements by inducing “nice little hallucinations” and making protestors “throw flowers at policemen.”

1964 (Approximate):

Robert Larkin’s three-year BBC director contract expires.
Robert Larkin begins producing only four shows a year, which critics call “brilliant” and are high-rated, but are described as “souffles” (soft in the center), a shift from his earlier “hard-hitting” work on alcoholism, blood sports, and slum clearance.

1965 (Approximate):

Robert Larkin begins an 18-month affair with Sheila.
Robert Larkin undergoes an appendectomy at Charing Cross Hospital, during which a “surgical transmitter” is implanted in him by CWNS to monitor his conversations and excitement levels.

July 25, 1966:

Robert Larkin breaks off his affair with Sheila, stating he loves his wife Rachel and children, Rebecca and Daniel (“it was two against one”). CWNS records this conversation via the surgical transmitter.
Robert Larkin goes to the seaside mid-week with Rachel and the children. He observes their footprints in the sand, feeling that “those people were slipping away,” but also seeing his family life “marked out in front of me.”

July 26, 1966:

Robert Larkin talks to Sheila about “bad love,” describing it in vivid, irresponsible terms (staying in bed until 6 PM, eating breakfast at twilight, etc.). This conversation is also monitored by CWNS.

1967:

Robert Larkin is bothered by news of the new American intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) codenamed “Boy Wonder” with a “much talked about mercury warhead.” CWNS reveals this weapon is fictitious.

1968 (Present Day of the Excerpt):

After 10 Past 3 (specific time given at start): Robert Larkin is summoned by CWNS (represented by JG) to their office, described as “midway between the government and TV companies.”
JG reveals extensive knowledge of Larkin’s personal life and career, including his finances, family, and the affair with Sheila, citing information gathered through the surgical transmitter.
JG explains CWNS’s purpose: to control the world by faking major global events, particularly concerning warfare and advanced weaponry, and to manage public perception through “fake newsreels” and “fake commentaries” that have been in circulation for 10 years.
JG presents Larkin with “rough outlines” of news for 1973, including:
April 14, 1973: First historic pictures of a combined U.S./Russian moon landing (Major Webb and Mikhailovic).
June 22, 1973: Release of film on the “ultimate weapon” codenamed “Icarus” (a satellite that freezes air solid).
September 5, 1973: “War by example,” where China destroys the remote Indian border village of Bandur with two 5-megaton H-bombs.
JG reveals that Sputniks, rockets, astronauts, and ICBMs (like the Boy Wonder) are all fictitious, and even the original atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb “don’t work.”
JG states that CWNS works closely with the Russian secret service, and stories about spies (like Philby) are “good copy.”
CWNS also claims to have faked the Chinese atomic bomb explosion to complete a “pattern.”
CWNS explains its methods of control:
Fictitious hydrogen bombs to scare people.
Money to fill “empty bellies” and create “hopeful smiles.”
Emotional threats to influence consumer behavior (e.g., buying hats when frightened, buying more cars).
Controlling politicians and people in top-secret factories.
A hierarchy of control, with economists, top civil servants, and military brass near the top, and CWNS at the very apex.
A vast computer system, link number four in “world control,” that stores information and makes decisions.
JG offers Robert Larkin a job in their newsreel department, planning news for 1973, with a starting salary of a quarter-million pounds a year, rising to a million if he makes “Ministry of Morality.”
JG reveals the “surgical transmitters” have enough material to kill six people, serving as a “oral contraceptive” to prevent talking.
Larkin is told he starts on Monday.

1973 (Planned News by CWNS):

April 14: Combined U.S./Russian moon landing, showing Majors Webb and Mikhailovic.
June 22: State Department releases film of “Icarus,” the “ultimate weapon.”
September 5: China destroys Bandur village in India with H-bombs.
October 1: Grand opening of Riceslip Cathedral (implied anti-teenage movement and religious revival).

Cast of Characters

Principle Characters:

Robert Larkin: A 35-year-old television director with a high IQ. He previously worked for the BBC, writing plays (1955), editing stories, and directing (1961-1964). His earlier work was “hard-hitting” (alcoholism, blood sports, slum clearance), but his current four shows a year are “brilliant” but “souffles” (soft). He is married to Rachel, has two children (Rebecca and Daniel), and owns a flat in Holland Park and a cottage in Hampshire. He had an 18-month affair with Sheila, which he ended on July 25, 1966. He is the target of CWNS recruitment and surveillance.
JG: A high-ranking member of CWNS (Classified World News Service) and Robert Larkin’s interrogator/recruiter. His initials are all that Larkin knows about him, having never met him before. He demonstrates extensive, intimate knowledge of Larkin’s life, obtained through surveillance (including a surgical transmitter), and calmly reveals CWNS’s shocking methods of global control. He is articulate, manipulative, and seemingly devoid of remorse regarding their deceptions.

Supporting Characters (Mentioned):

Rachel Larkin: Robert Larkin’s wife, described as “the girl next door.” She is unaware of Robert’s affair with Sheila. Robert decided to stay with her and their children because “it was two against one.”
Rebecca Larkin: One of Robert and Rachel’s two children.
Daniel Larkin: One of Robert and Rachel’s two children.
Sheila: Robert Larkin’s former girlfriend with whom he had an 18-month affair, ending July 25, 1966. JG implies that Sheila might have provided information to CWNS, though Larkin believes she wouldn’t have.
Major Webb: (Fictional, created by CWNS) A U.S. astronaut/cosmonaut depicted as one of the first two men to land on the moon in 1973.
Mikhailovic: (Fictional, created by CWNS) A Russian astronaut/cosmonaut depicted as one of the first two men to land on the moon in 1973.
Mr. Philby: (Implied reference to Kim Philby, a real-life British intelligence officer who defected to the Soviet Union) Mentioned by JG as an example of spy stories being “just good copy for the Sunday papers,” suggesting such events are fabricated or controlled by CWNS.
Johnson: (Likely refers to U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, who was in office in 1968) Mentioned by Larkin as a world leader who might be working on “other things” (like poison gas or bacteria), which JG dismisses as “pathetic.”
Kosygin: (Likely refers to Alexei Kosygin, who was Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union in 1968) Mentioned by Larkin alongside Johnson.
Tony Palmer: (A real-life British film director) Mentioned at the very end as having a “very personal film” playing next on television. This character is external to the main narrative of the CWNS meeting.
Dennis Potter: (A real-life British screenwriter and playwright) Mentioned at the very end as having “early controversial classics” playing next weekend. This character is external to the main narrative of the CWNS meeting.
Nigel Barton: (A fictional character from Dennis Potter’s plays) Plays featuring this character are mentioned to be broadcast. This character is external to the main narrative of the CWNS meeting.

Organizations/Entities:

CWNS (Classified World News Service): The secretive, powerful organization that controls global information and events. They operate “midway between the government and TV companies,” have a vast network of personnel (“top people in communications in every major country”), and utilize advanced technology (surgical transmitters, giant computer systems). Their ultimate goal is to maintain global stability by frightening populations into compliance and controlling the world’s economy and social trends.
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation): Robert Larkin’s former employer, where he worked as a writer, story editor, and director. CWNS views them as less significant than television (as a medium) for their purposes.

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