Friendly Relations 1952

This posed picture was taken by the Daily Mirror on 22nd December 1952, four days before the show opened in the West End. There seems to be little record of how serious the spanking actually was. The script says that the spanking starts as the final curtain falls. The scene is mainly included because the play is often referenced as having a spanking scene, but it seems to be a bit of a fraud. In addition, at the London opening, the spankee is Patricia Dainton (as Anne Watson) who is spanked by Barry Sinclair (as Michael Barry), her real life husband (pictured above). Articles often ask if it is a reflection on their real life relationship, purely based on speculation.