Chance of a Lifetime 1950

In the years of postwar austerity, Dickinson struggles to keep his failing agricultural-implements factory afloat. The workforce is restive, resenting the heavy-handed management of Bland, and they repeatedly feel ignored as issues pile up. After Dickinson installs a suggestion box to listen to workers, late responses from Bland only deepen tensions. When Bolger [Geoffrey Keen] is sacked, the anger boils over into a full strike. In a bold moment, Dickinson prods the sentiment by arguing that he works harder than they do and dares the workers to run the business themselves. The revolt takes on a life of its own as Baxter [Niall MacGinnis] rallies the others, and they elect Stevens [Bernard Miles] and Morris [Julien Mitchell] to run things. Dickinson reluctantly agrees to the arrangement, but only on a financial wager: they must pay him annually 5% of the capital value of the business, the equivalent of about £120 a week.

With the worker-led leadership in place, the factory is forced to weather a cascade of disruptions. Bland, Dickinson’s secretary Miss Cooper [Josephine Wilson], the foreman, and a number of others resign. That same night, Dickinson’s solicitor and doctor advise him to take a holiday and suggest that Miss Cooper return to the floor, a light at the end of a tunnel that may allow the enterprise to breathe again. The money trouble intensifies when a supplier changes its credit terms and the local bank manager resists extending a loan. Stevens ventures to the City to plead with the bank’s managing director, Sir Robert Dysart [Compton MacKenzie], but the visit yields no rescue. Undeterred, Stevens and Morris assemble a patchwork of funding: Stevens and Morris pledge their homes’ deeds, Palmer [Russell Waters] taps his life insurance, and several other workers contribute until the cash shortfall is bridged.

Public attention follows the crisis, and a Xenobian trade delegation arrives to demo the “one-way plough” that Dickinson has been refining. Miss Cooper invites Dickinson to participate, but he chooses to observe from a distance. The Xenobians are impressed and place an order for 800 ploughs worth £50,000. Once the deal is signed, Adam [Kenneth More] pushes for a single-minded focus on the ploughs, arguing that concentrating resources on this product is the only way to fulfill the order. Morris resists the narrowing of the factory’s commitments and returns to the shop floor, while Adam steps into the managing-director role, leaving Dickinson to a lesser title as the operation pivots toward the Xenobian contract.

Meanwhile some workers push back against the new, lower pay. Two trades union men are brought in to mediate, and Baxter’s objections are gradually set aside. Dickinson learns of a delay in steel delivery and heads to Garrett [Gordon McLeod], the steel supplier’s managing director, to press the issue. Garrett’s disapproval threatens the plan, but Dickinson hints that public exposure—perhaps a newspaper photograph that wouldn’t reflect well on Garrett—could influence the supplier to move faster. The steel finally arrives, easing the immediate bottleneck.

The Xenobian threat overlays the domestic concerns when Xenobia’s government imposes a suspension on import licenses, cited as a response to foreign-currency pressures. Dickinson adapts by seeking alternative foreign customers for the ploughs, keeping the project alive despite the setback. In the meantime, Stevens offers Dickinson his old post back, but Dickinson accepts a reduced role and publicly suggests that Adam should helm the company as managing director. Stevens declines the offer, stating that he prefers “to do real work.”

Across the board, the episode tests loyalty, ingenuity, and resolve within a community of workers and managers. The factory becomes a microcosm of reconstruction after war: a place where bold experimentation with worker-led governance and a daring export contract collide with financial risk, union tensions, and the unpredictable winds of international trade. The endgame is not just about survival but about redefining who has a stake in the business, who deserves a voice on the shop floor, and who will steer the company through a world that is changing as rapidly as the machinery it makes.