 The production was a major hit, attracting 28 million viewers, and greatly boosted the book's sales.It was rerun on kinescope on 2 May 1956, five weeks after its first broadcast.The film adaptation came about after its eventual director, Roy Ward Baker, and its producer, Belfast-born William MacQuitty both acquired copies of the book – Baker from his favorite bookshop and MacQuitty from his wife – and decided to obtain the film rights.