The Ruffian on the Stair is a play by British playwright Joe Orton which was first broadcast on BBC Radio in 1964, in a production by John Tydeman.
[1][2][3] It is an unsympathetic yet comedic one-act portrayal of working class England, as played out by a couple and a mysterious young man who toys with their lives.
[4][5] The title and play are based on a few lines from poet and dramatist William Ernest Henley: "Madam Life's a piece in bloom, / Death goes dogging everywhere: / She's the tenant of the room, / He's the ruffian on the stair.
Mike is a self-described "derelict", ex-boxer Roman Catholic thug from Donegal, who—despite claiming the dole—has a sideline as a proto-white van man, running people down for cash.
She pleads loudly for the perpetrator to stop, which they finally do by the end of the scene but not after a prolonged aural torture for Joyce.
Suddenly, they notice that the first shot from Mike's gun knocked over Joyce's goldfish bowl, killing the fish inside.
[9] Together with The Erpingham Camp, the play was then performed the following year at the Royal Court, also directed by Gill, in a double bill, Crimes of Passion.
[10] In 1973, ITV Sunday Night Theatre broadcast a production of the play directed by David Cunliffe, starring Judy Cornwell as Joyce, Michael Bryant as Mike, and Billy Hamon as Wilson.