Harold Goldblatt gives an obituary for his friend, playwright Sam Thompson, who had passed away suddenly on this day. He speaks of Thompson’s contribution to the theatre world and the society of Northern Ireland. He sadly remembers their last conversation.  

Sam Thompson (21 May 1916 – 15 February 1965) was an Northern Irish playwright best known for his controversial plays Over the Bridge, which exposes sectarianism, and Cemented with Love, which focuses on political corruption. His works fall into the social realist genre but are distinct in their dramatisation of Northern Irish issues; they were ground-breaking in documenting sectarian violence before the eruption of the Troubles. 

Harold Goldblatt (born Israel Goldblatt, 5 July 1899 – 22 March 1982) was an actor, theatre director and theatre producer from Northern Ireland. He was a prominent member of the Jewish community in Belfast and founded the Jewish Institute Dramatic Society. He remained a prominent member after their merger with the Northern Ireland Players and the Ulster Theatre in 1940 to form the Group Theatre. He left the Group Theatre in 1959, and in 1963 he formed the Ulster Theatre Company, which included a number of former Group members.  

An Ulster Television Production.

• Broadcasting Authority Ireland