# Radio play about totalitarianism **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 26, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-play-about-totalitarianism/842500 "2019-10-26T16:02:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-play-about-totalitarianism/842500/1 "2019-10-26T16:02:36Z")
When my brother and I were young, we used to listen to the radio for entertainment. This was in Zimbabwe, early 80s. In those days, the Zimbabwean Broadcasting Corporation was analogous to the BBC, with, no doubt, many shows purloined without payment upon independence. We listened to the Goon Show, some H. G. Wells (the famous War of the Worlds featured) and one story/radio play in particular that I’d like to trace. The premise of the story was that there was a dictator, become mad on power, and what I vividly recall (towards the end) was his omnipotent power to open all the shops and declare a hugely discounted sale, only to immediately close all the shops while watching the populace rush to the shops in expectation then retreat when their hopes were dashed. Does anyone have an idea what this was? Almostly certainly a BBC production, but aside from that I have nothing but vague memories. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2019, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-play-about-totalitarianism/842500/2 "2019-10-26T16:46:17Z")
I dunno, but even for a dictator, that sounds like a dic move.