An inspector calls

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It’s important to let you know that in this podcast, there will be discussions of suicide and sexual abuse. Jean: And don't forget that whilst you're in the BBC Sounds app, there's loads of other things you can use to help you with your revision. Full versions of some of the text you might be studying, revision playlists, and other Bitesize podcast series to help with different subjects. We also think it's really important to let you know that in this podcast, there will be discussions of suicide and sexual abuse. Jean: Some would argue that Inspector Goole is a stand in for the voice of JB Priestley, who says everything that Priestley wants the audience to hear. Birling: (pointing to Eric and Sheila) Now look at the pair of them – the famous younger generation who know it all. And they can't even take a joke- Inspector: This girl died a horrible death, but each of you helped to kill her. And don't ever forget that, but then I don't think you ever will.

Jean: The inspector interrupts a character when they're speaking and doesn't show any deference or submission to Mr and Mrs Birling, and unlike their parents who treat them like children, the inspector treats Sheila and Eric like adults. Inspector: A girl died tonight. A pretty, lively sort of girl, who never did anybody any harm. But she died in misery and agony – hating life. The Inspector turns his attention to Sybil, a keen patron for a charity that helps women in difficult situations, which Smith (who was by then pregnant and destitute) had turned to for help. Sybil, however, convinced the committee to deny her a grant, believing Smith had been irresponsible and suggested that she find the father, despite Smith repeatedly affirming he wouldn't be of any use. Despite vigorous cross-examination from the Inspector, she denies any wrongdoing. Goole then plays his final card, forcing Sybil to lay the blame on the "drunken young man" who got Smith pregnant. It slowly dawns on the rest of the family, except Sybil, that Eric is the young man who impregnated Eva. Carl: The inspector delivers an ominous message to all before he leaves where he references the hell that awaits men who do not learn a lesson. Carl: and I'm Carl Anka, an author and journalist, and in this episode, we are going to take a look at the first set of characters in An Inspector Calls. Today we're going to talk about Inspector Goole. Mr Birling, and Mrs Birling.

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Jean: He didn't grow up wealthy, like his wife or Gerald. And during quite a few moments in the play, he comes across as insecure and self-conscious about this. An Inspector Calls was first performed in 1945 in two Russian theatres (Moscow's Kamerny Theatre and Leningrad's Comedy Theatre), as a suitable British venue could not be found. [9] [10] Priestley had written the play in a single week and all Britain's theatres had already been booked for the season. [11] The play had its first British production in 1946 at the New Theatre in London with Ralph Richardson as Inspector Goole, Harry Andrews as Gerald Croft, Margaret Leighton as Sheila Birling, Julien Mitchell as Arthur Birling, Marian Spencer as Sybil Birling and Alec Guinness as Eric Birling. [12] Carl: Indeed, by the end of the play, Sheila has matured and has realised that her actions can and did have grave consequences. She knows that the story of Eva Smith has changed the way that she sees the world. Sybil Birling, Arthur's wife, used her influence in a charity organization to deny aid to Eva when she was pregnant and destitute, resulting in Eva's suicide. Jean: now, it takes a lot for a party to start with someone trying on their engagement ring and then for it to end with them calling off the engagement.

Jean: JB Priestley believed that if people were considerate and cared more about the people in their community, it would improve everybody's quality of life. Arthur Birling, in a moment of patriarchal pride, delivers a toast for the young couple and then gives advice to Gerald and Eric, expressing his strong belief in individualism and capitalist values. He dismisses the rumours of war and predictions of social unrest, claiming they are nonsense. Social Responsibility: The play underscores the idea that every individual is responsible for their actions and their impact on others, particularly those less fortunate. The Inspector's probing questions force each character to confront their actions towards Eva Smith, emphasizing the interconnectedness of society.Jean: You don't really get to be a knight in shining armour if you end up having an affair and cheating on your girlfriend. Carl: Mrs Birling is completely oblivious to who her son really is. Until she finds out that Eric aggressively pushed Eva Smith into sleeping with him when he was drunk. And then Eva Smith became pregnant. We have to pause here and call out what that behaviour really is, because it really isn't acceptable.

Birling: (raising his glass) So here's wishing the pair of you – the very best that life can bring. Gerald and Sheila. Birling: (terrified now) Look Inspector, you're not trying to tell us that – that my boy – is mixed up in this - ?

Mr Birling is confident that there will not be a war, saying that 'there isn't a chance of war' and then repeating this idea when he considers it 'impossible'. His arrogance and complacency are made very clear. The audience, knowing that just two years after this speech, World War One will begin, see that Mr Birling is wrong on this point, and on many others, including his prediction that the Titanic is 'unsinkable'. The audience lose trust in him as a character. The Inspector then turns his questioning to Mrs Birling. It is revealed that Eva, pregnant and destitute, had approached a women's charity headed by Mrs Birling for help. Eva used the name 'Mrs Birling,' which greatly offended Sybil. Without investigating Eva's circumstances, she used her influence to deny her the assistance she sought, driving her further into despair. The Inspector turns his attention towards Gerald Croft, who initially denies knowing Eva Smith. But when pressured, Gerald admits to having had an affair with a woman named Daisy Renton, who the Inspector suggests is Eva Smith under a different name. Gerald had met her at a local bar and, learning she was in a desperate situation, had provided her with money and temporary accommodation in a friend’s vacant apartment. An Inspector Calls might be understood in several contexts. First, it is an example of immediate post-war drama, which means that it was written after World War Two. Post-war dramas take up some of the economic, political, and social issues prompting that conflict, including socialism versus free-market capitalism, democracy versus fascism, and communal versus individual rights and privileges. It is also a historical drama, as it is set in the run-up to the World War One. This produces instances of dramatic irony throughout the play. Characters refer to the possibility of World War One, and of later calamities that would seem, to the post-World War Two audience, pivotal and lamentable landmarks in world history. The small-scale but devastating violence described in the play points to the slaughter of many thousands that will occur only a few years after its narrated action.

The play was produced and performed at the Ferdowsi Theatre in Iran in late 1940s based on the translation by Bozorg Alavi. It was staged in the first season of the Edinburgh Gateway Company in 1953. [15] Jean: We're here today to help you dive a little deeper into some of the texts in GCSE English literature. Don't forget that whilst you're in the BBC Sounds app, there's loads of other things you can use to help your with revision. It's important to let you know that in this podcast, there will be discussions of suicide and sexual abuse. Falling action Gerald tells the family that, perhaps, the Inspector has “hoaxed” them to prove a point about social systems. Jean: The inspector investigates the family's role in the death of Eva Smith by questioning them one at a time. And by doing that he reveals the domino effect that sent Eva's life into a downward spiral.The patriarch of the Birling family. He is a prosperous factory owner, a local magistrate, and a former mayor. He is more concerned with his family's reputation and his potential knighthood than the welfare of his employees. He fired Eva from his factory for demanding higher wages. Inspector: (very sternly) Her position now is that she lies with a burnt-out inside on a slab. ( As Birling tries to protest, turns on him.) Don't stammer and yammer at me again, man. I'm losing all patience with you people. What did she say? Jean: Eric and Sheila are thinking seriously about everything that happened, because they do seem to actually feel some responsibility. Mr and Mrs Birling’s response is much more self-centred, and they are relieved, because if Eva Smith didn't die, there's no chance of the story ruining their reputations. But then…