AS SEEN ON TV: THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

AS SEEN IN:
'Lord Peter Wimsey' - "The Nine Tailors"

AS PLAYED BY:
Christopher Banks

I've determined that "The Nine Tailors" must take place in 1935, as that was the only possible year in which December 29 fell on a Sunday. Therefore, the Archbishop of Canterbury must be William Lang.

From Wikipedia:
William Cosmo Gordon Lang, 1st Baron Lang of Lambeth, GCVO, PC (31 October 1864 – 5 December 1945), was an Anglican prelate who served as Archbishop of York (1908–1928) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1928–1942). His rapid elevation to Archbishop of York, within 18 years of his ordination, is unprecedented in modern Church of England history. As Archbishop of Canterbury during the abdication crisis of 1936 he took a strong moral stance and comments he made in a subsequent broadcast were widely condemned as uncharitable towards the departed king.

Lang became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1928. He presided over the 1930 Lambeth Conference, which gave limited church approval to the use of contraception. After denouncing the Italian invasion of Abyssinia in 1935 and strongly condemning European antisemitism, Lang later supported the appeasement policies of the British government. On retirement in 1942 he was created Baron Lang of Lambeth and continued to attend and speak in House of Lords debates until his death in 1945. Lang himself believed that he had not lived up to his own high standards. Others, however, have praised his qualities of industry, his efficiency and his commitment to his calling.

It was somewhat traditional for TV productions of the 1960's and 70's to show historical figures from the back of the head, usually in a high-backed chair. At the very least, you'd only see their hand, something of a Frank Costello effect, with something appropriate nearby to solidify their identification - like a cowboy hat for Lyndon Johnson, for example.

With this method, the producers didn't need to worry about casting someone who looked like Archbishop Lang. At least this way, his portrayal doesn't cause a Zonk with a different portrayal....

THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

AS SEEN IN:
'Edward & Mrs. Simpson'

AS PLAYED BY:
Maurice Denham

It's true his hair is fuller in the first picture. "Luxuriant," as Nelson Brenner once said in 'Columbo'. But maybe the televersion of Archbishop Lang liked to wear a piece in the privacy of his own rectory.....

BCnU!