A huge success at its first performance in 1728 John Gay's The Beggar's Opera satirized the conventions of Italian opera, using popular tunes to tell the story of rogues and criminals. With his distinctive musical arrangements at its heart, Britten's 1948 adaptation was a significant revision, amounting to a new twentieth-century opera. The BBC film, originally broadcast in 1963, feature a superb cast of English singers..
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| RRoger JeromeThe Beggar | The Beggar |
| DDavid HartleyThe Manager of the Company/Mat of the Mint | The Manager of the Company/Mat of the Mint |
| BBrian HandleyThe Stage Manager/Slippery Sam | The Stage Manager/Slippery Sam |
| DDavid KellyPeachum | Peachum |
| BBernard DickersonFilch/Wat Dreary | Filch/Wat Dreary |
| AAnna PollakMrs. Peachum | Mrs. Peachum |
| JJanet BakerPolly Peachum | Polly Peachum |
| KKenneth McKellarCaptain Macheath | Captain Macheath |
| BBryan DrakeLockit | Lockit |
 Heather HarperLucy Lockit | Lucy Lockit |
| EEdith CoatesMrs. Trapes | Mrs. Trapes |
| JJoan EdwardsJenny Diver | Jenny Diver |
| PPhilip MayBen Budge | Ben Budge |
| JJack IronsTom Tipple | Tom Tipple |
| JJohn GibbsCrook-finger'd Jack | Crook-finger'd Jack |
| AAndrew SnarskiHarry Paddington | Harry Paddington |
| PPatricia BrigenshawMrs. Coaxer | Mrs. Coaxer |
| SSally LangfordDolly Trull | Dolly Trull |
| CCarolyn MaiaMrs. Vixen | Mrs. Vixen |
| AAngela JenkinsBetty Doxy | Betty Doxy |
| JJoan ClarksonMrs Slammekin | Mrs Slammekin |
| AAlice HyndSuky Tawdry | Suky Tawdry |
| SShelia AmitMolly Brazen | Molly Brazen |