Radio Plays - Financial

??.08.68 Compensating Error, by R.D.Wingfield
13.11.68 Our West Ladyton Branch, by R.D.Wingfield
05.05.73 The Tunnel, by John D. Vincent
16.03.74 The Weak Spot, by John Lawson
13.12.90 Power of attorney, by David Wade (55m)
07.10.91 Arcady, by Guy Meredith
12.06.93 Double Indemnity
05.10.93 The footsie put, by Jes Curtis (30m)
26.11.94 A Quick Killing In The City, by Ed Thomason
14.02.98 Waiting for the earth to move, by John Fletcher (55m)
c2001 Twenty Dog Years at Amazon.com, by Mike Daisey
c2004 An insurance inspector calls, by Alastair Jessiman
15.09.06 Financial Play, by Peter Morgan
2008 When Greed Becomes Fear, by Dave Britton
19.05.08 Horizon, by Steve May
12.12.08 Life Savings, by Sarah Wooley
22.06.09 Power Play, by Margaret Heffernan, 90m


NOTES


POWER PLAY....2009
22-23 Jun 09, afternoon play. The fascinating story of the collapse of ENRON, the biggest power company in the world. Done as a drama-documentary. Producer Sarah Davies. By Margaret Heffernan. More about this on ENERGY page.


LIFE SAVINGS....2008
12 Dec 08; Friday afternoon play, commissioned, written and recorded in 6 weeks by Sarah Wooley. It's a contemporary comedy drama about the pressures of middle age, the credit crunch and Christmas. Starring Stuart McQuarrie as the Glasgow shampoo king, Des Monroe, who decides to change his will. Producer Gaynor McFarlane.


Horizon….2008
19May 08. Comedy thriller by Steve May. Cassie is a horizon scanner for a global bank. When she discovers a black hole in the markets, she must get to the bottom of it. Her father is busy trying to read the credit crunch and her mother is busy shopping online with credit cards. Her colleague Reg is stealing her computer memory to develop his own software. All are trying to plan for the future in their different ways. But in the future is.... meltdown. Cast: Cassie ...... Devon Black, Frank ...... Paul Clayton, Mark ...... Mark Meadows, Reg ...... Carl Prekopp, Lesley ...... Marlene Sidaway, Bank Manager ...... Stephen Critchlow, Producer….Mary Ward-Lowery.

*WHEN GREED BECOMES FEAR....2008
By Dave Britton. A response, in drama, to the financial crisis affecting Northern Rock, and - probably - having an effect on all of us. When a bank collapses it doesn't just affect tycoons.

Dave Britton: This play was the result of an unusual rapid-response process in which the script was begun relatively close to the broadcast date, and recorded in the week before it went to air. I found this an exciting way to work, especially since it is something radio can do more quickly and efficiently than any other dramatic medium. (lots more information about this play on Dave's page)

WAITING FOR THE EARTH TO MOVE 1998
Superb play about the rogue trader Nick Leeson and how his activities led to the downfall of Barings' Bank. With Richard Briers, Paul Chan, Leena Dhingra, Andrew Lincoln. Directors Catherine Bailey and John Dove.

A friend comments... on hearing this, I reckoned that none of Leeson's senior bosses wished to quiz him (a) because the called profits seemed to be rolling in (b) because they had no idea what questions to ask him and would not have known if he was feeding them nonsense in reply, and (c) were too embarrassed at the potential loss of face to have a junior employee realising that they were clueless.

A QUICK KILLING IN THE CITY....1994
By Ed Thomason, 26 Nov 94, SNT. An adoption, a young girl, a merchant bank, life in the fast lane, multi-million pound deals, and a web of lies come together in London at the time of Black Wednesday, October 1992. Penny ... Deborah Findlay, Michael ... David Bark-Jones, Joanne ... Teresa Gallagher, Sheila ... Jane Hazlegrove, Nick ... Christopher Bramwell, Buck ... Garrick Hagan, Gavin ... Oliver Senton, Rupert ... Michael Troughton, Danny ... Terry John, Heather ... Frances Jeater, Mrs Digby ... Jilly Bond, Sevvie ... George Parsons, Pauline ... Annabel Mullion, Alan ... Neville Jason, Sister Gerard ... Kristin Milward, Radio DJ ... David Jarvis. Producer Tracey Neale.


ARCADY .... 1993
I seem to remember this as a "financial" play. The Radio Times described it like this: "Amid the frenzy of gathering new wealth in the 1980s, Malcolm and Liz also acquire a vast, old house infested with strange sounds and voices." It stars Harriet Walter, Michael Kitchen, Jan Winters, Ben Onwukwe, Angus Wright, Terence Edmond and James Greene; directed by Ned Chaillet.


THE FOOTSIE PUT .... 1993
A young woman inherits a strange piece of paper from her uncle - a "put option". She knows nothing of finance, and forgets about it, until a certain company hits the news. A superbly -paced comic play, with a nailbiting finish.

DOUBLE INDEMNITY, dram, 1993
From the Hollywood film, by James M. Cain. With Walter Hough, Molly Ringwald, Teresa Russell, John Wood, Michael Drew, John Goraczio, John Baddeley, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Roger May. Technical presentation by Graham Hoyland, Dave Parkinson, Andrew Lawrence, Fiona Baker, Christine Hall, Mark Decker. Directed at Christchurch Studios in Bristol by Andy Jordan.


The Weak Spot....1974
John Lawson 16.3.1974 David McKail/Eileen McCallum/Leon Sinden. A bank robbery, and a very unusual plot.


The Tunnel....1973
John D. Vincent 5.5.1973 John Hollis/Edward Kelsey/Kevin Flood/Peter Gordon. Another excellent 90m play about a bank robbery.


COMPENSATING ERROR .... 1968
Long before the days of computers, two bank employees wonder how they might take advantage of inside knowledge ... the accountants are pretty efficient, but what if there's a compensating error? With Derek Guyler / George Benson.


OUR WEST LADYTON BRANCH .... 1968
Skullduggery in a local bank. With Frederick Treves/Peter Pratt.

copyright Roger Bickerton / Nigel Deacon / Diversity website

Above plays in VRPCC collections

Back to top