Lu Kemp Radio Plays

18 Aug 2018: Saturday Play - The Pillow Book
By Robert Forrest, inspired by the writings of a lady-in-waiting to an empress in 10th-century Japan. This is the omnibus edition of the 5 x 12m 11th series. Lady Shonagon: Ruth Gemmell, Yukinari: Cal MacAninch, with Simon Donald son, Victoria Liddelle, Joanna Tope, Meg Fraser and Anthony Strachan. Producer: Lu Kemp.

2 Apr 2015: Duchamp's Urinal
By Al Smith and Ben Street. Docu-drama about some odd events a hundred years ago. In 1917, Marcel Duchamp bought a men's porcelain urinal from a hardware factory and submitted it for inclusion in a New York art exhibition, calling it "Fountain". Duchamp argues his case with the exhibition committee. Ben (a real-life art historian) gives us the historical background. Duchamp: Samuel Barnett, with Finn Den Hertog. Produced by Lu Kemp.

31 Dec 2014: The Meet-Cute
By Ben Lewis. When his agent threatens to leave him, an unknown horror writer makes one last bid for success. He teams up with the girl next door to learn the rules for writing the perfect rom-com. Can they avoid the biggest cliche of all - falling in love? Him - Mackenzie Crook, Her - Rosie Cavaliero; other parts played by Anna Crilly. Sound by Elena Pena; produced by Lu Kemp.

26 Sept 2014: Julie
By Rob Gittins. Historical drama about illegal drugs; in particular, LSD. Chemist Richard Kemp found a way of synthesising very pure lysergic acid diamine and thought he could change the world, but the detective Dick Lee was determined to stop him. In 1977 there was a police raid at a rural farmhouse in Wales, where LSD worth £65 million had originated. It was part of 'Operation Julie'. Narrator - Elry Thomas, Richard Kemp - Alex Waldmann, Dick Lee - Simon Armstrong, Christine - Sarah Lloyd-Gregory, David Solomon - Alum Raglan, Fitz - Stuart McLoughlin, Hawkins - Michael Bertenshaw. Producer - James Robinson. Presumably BBC Wales, though RT didn't say so.

30 Sep: 15 Minute Drama - The Pillow Book: Time and Change
By Robert Forrest. 5 episodes of 12 minutes. Notes to episode 1: Yukinari is summoned to visit his old friend Takashi. Shonagon is confined in the palace Lady Shonagon and Lieutenant Yukinari return! But this time, not together... Despite her conviction that she is unable to bear children, Shonagon has become pregnant
By Yukinari. She has gone into labour prematurely, and the process is as distasteful to her as the idea of being a mother. Meanwhile, Yukinari, believing the child to be due a month later has answered the summons of a childhood friend, Takashi. He arrives at the rural outpost where the two boys grew up to find his old friend much changed. Inspired by the writings of Sei Shonagon, a poet and lady-in-waiting to the Empress of the 10th Century Japanese court. Shonagon - Ruth Gemmell; Yukinari - Cal MacAninch; Takashi - Alexander Morton; Saisho - Victoria Liddelle; Writer - Robert Forrest ; Director - Lu Kemp.

7 Sept 2013: Saturday Drama - For Services Rendered
By Somerset Maigham, ad. Lu Kemp. Anti-war play, with the aristocratic Ardsley family fighting for survival against the changing landscape of a post-first-world war England. Cracks appear in Ethel's marriage to a former officer, and Eva devotes herself to her brother Stanley, blinded in active duty. Meanwhile Lois loses hope of finding a husband, living in a backwater. Leonard - David Calder, Ethel - Mariah Gale, Sydney - Tom Espiner, Charlotte - Sian Thomas, Lois - Louise Brearley, with Cath Whiteford, Michael Schaeffer, Justin Salinger, Ron Cook, Hetty B Russell, John Rowe and Philippa Stanton. Producer Lu Kemp.

1 June 2013 : Saturday Drama - The Letter of Last Resort
The Letter of Last Resort is a hand-written letter from the Prime Minister to the commanding officer of each of Trident's submarines. It contains instruction on what action the commanding officer of the submarine should take in the event that Britain is obliterated by nuclear attack and all those in authority deceased. The letter can only say one of two things: retaliate, or, don't retaliate. Each new British prime minister must write the letter upon taking office. Set in the near future, David Greig's play is a conversation between a new woman prime minister and the Head of Arrangements at the end of her first day. To summarize: To write 'retaliate' is monstrous and irrational. To write 'don't retaliate' renders the whole nuclear project valueless. [... a somewhat naive analysis..... Ed ] Prime Minister ....... Belinda Lang, John ....... Simon Chandler, Director ....... Nicolas Kent , Producer ....... Lu Kemp.

20 May 2013: Afternoon Drama - Edward, Edward
By Abigail Docherty. Aged nine, Edward VI becomes King upon the death of his father, Henry the VIII. Together with his cousin Jane, Edward tries to negotiate the vagaries of life at court and to find a freedom when every move he makes is watched over by the tenacious Privy Council. Edward: Oscar Kennedy, Jane: Izzy Meikel-Small; other parts played by: Paul Stonehouse, David Seddon, Philippa Stanton, Amaka Okafor. Producer Lu Kemp.

22 Feb 2013: Afternoon Drama - The Spare Room
By Oliver Emmanual. Michael lives in Stephanie's spare room. He knows everything about Stephanie: how many pairs of shoes she has, and how often she has sex. But Stephanie doesn't know anything about Michael, an asylum seeker from Eritrea. He's had his last asylum claim refused, been evicted from his flat and lives on handouts. She doesn't know that he lives in her spare room. This was a 'Rapid Response' play (commissioned close to transmission) inspired by the Scottish Refugee Council's recent report stating that one in four asylum seekers in Britain will face destitution. Stephanie ....... Candida Benson, Michael ....... Babou Ceesay, Police ....... Hannah Wood and Michael Shelford. Directed by Lu Kemp.

12 Sept 2012: Afternoon Drama - Ancient Greek
By Oliver Emanuel. Since Christmas, strange words have been appearing all over the school - on the walls of the maths department, across the windows of the gym, scratched into the deputy head's Mondeo. A protest of sorts it would seem. Apparently written in Ancient Greek. On the last day of school, sixth-former Alex King walks into Head's office and admits that the work is all his. He's one of the brightest students in the school... Alex King ........ Alex Austin, Mr Desai ........ Vincent Ebrahim, Lorraine ........ Sophie Stanton, The Chorus ........ Caitlin Fitzgerald, The Messenger ........ Austin Moulton Producer ........ Lu Kemp.

7 April 2012: Saturday Drama - The Voysey Inheritance
RT notes: Harley Granville Barker's play from 1905. Edward discovers that in taking over the family business, he is inheriting a Ponzi scheme. For years his father has been making free with clients' capital and speculating, as his own father did before him. Edward must decide whether to continue the business and try to put matters right - a seemingly impossible task - or to expose the crime and bring his family to certain ruin. Edward............ Samuel Barnett, Mr Voysey............ . Clive Merrison, Mr George Booth........... Gawn Grainger, Trenchard Voysey.......... Richard Dillane, Major Booth Vosey............ Alan Cox, Denis Tregoning............. Joseph Arkley, Mrs Voysey............... Phyllida Law, Honor Voysey........... Amanda Lawrence, Peacey......... Paul Moriarty. Adapted for radio and produced by Lu Kemp.

THE VOYSEY INHERITANCE, (R4, 1430, 7 Apr 12) was a dramatization by Lu Kemp of a play by Harley Granville Barker, published in 1905. A man discovers that his partner and father, Mr. Voysey, to all appearances a prosperous businessman, has kept his finance company afloat by wheeling and dealing rather than investing. Many of his clients' investments have been sold and spent - embezzled. They don't know any of this because he always ensures that dividends are paid. The son is aghast and astonished and judgemental. However, when his father dies a little time afterwards, and he inherits the business, he has a dilemna. Does he disclose evrything, declare the company insolvent, put everyone out of work and probably go to prison, or does he keep quiet, soldier on, and try to rebuild the investments?

Clive Merrison was Voysey senior; Samuel Barnett played the son, and Phyllida Law was his mother; the producer was Lu Kemp. It was good to see a good 90-minute play again in the 'Saturday Play' slot.
(....ND, VRPCC review, Apr 2012)

19 Jan 2012: Afternoon Drama - Twelve Years
By Alexandra Wood. A love story told across the two New York blackouts of 1965 and 1977. Larry and Nancy meet during the first blackout, while the prosperous city enjoys a spontaneous holiday. Twelve years on, the city is very different: rioting and looting accompany the blackout in a time of economic depression, and the couple must fight for their survival in a world which seems irrevocably changed. Nancy.... Megan Ketch Larry...... Brian Hastert. Producer: Lu Kemp.

30 Nov 2011: Afternoon Drama - Ancient Greek
By Oliver Emanuel. A drama about a sixth-former who decides to take a stand. Since Christmas, strange words have been appearing all over the school - on the walls of the maths department, across the windows of the gym, scratched into the deputy head's Mondeo, all written in Ancient Greek. On the last day of school, Alex King walks into Head's office and admits that the work is all his. He's one of the brightest students in the school.How he wants a chance to speak. Alex King - Alex Austin, Mr Desai - Vincent Ebrahim, Lorraine - Sophie Stanton, The Chorus - Caitlin Fitzgerald, The Messenger - Austin Moulton. Directed by Lu Kemp.

18 Aug 2011: Afternoon Drama - Rightfully Mine
By Ella Hickson. In this play she explores the relationship between a mother and a daughter and asks what rights raising a child gives you. Twenty six year old Amy is desperate to have her own child, but a teenage illness and subsequent operation has made it impossible for her to bear her own. Her last resort is to ask her fifty year-old mother, Celia, to act as surrogate. Celia: Kath Howden, Amy: Shauna MacDonald, Paul: John Paul Hurley. Written by Ella Hickson. Producer Lu Kemp.

5 Apr 2011: Afternoon Drama - Deja-Vu
By Alexis Zegerman. When a young English woman and a French man meet in Paris it is language that stands between them. But when he gets stopped and searched in London, the seed of a much larger difference is sown. Bilingual play in French and English; a co-production between BBC Radio Drama and Arte Radio, a division of Arte France. Claire...Caroline Catz, Ahmed...Karim Saleh , French Policeman...Richard Sanda, French Policeman...Hovnatan Avedikian, British Policeman...Chris Pavlo, Translator...Helen Longworth, Directed by Lu Kemp and Christophe Rault. Produced by Jeremy Mortimer.

9 Feb 2011: Afternoon Drama - The Continuity Man
Starring EastEnders' Nitin Ganatra as himself. Comedy by Stephen Keyworth. Nitin Ganatra is fed up with playing the 'good family man' Masood. He feels there is more to him as an actor than playing the nice guy, the good husband. On the advice of his agent, Crawford Bunch, he sets about making his profile a little more 'edgy' in order to convince Hollywood producers that he really has what it takes to play the baddie. Unfortunately Nitin is just too nice. And he gets more than he bargained for when he finds himself head to head with 'The Continuity Man'. Nitin ... Nitin Ganatra Oliver ...Ben Lewis Amy ... Julia Innocenti Crawford ... Karl Johnson Sally ... Sally Orrock Directed by Lu Kemp.

27 Jan 2011: Afternoon Drama - Ursula and Boy
Inspired by the true story of Ursula Kemp whose eight year-old son testified against her for witchcraft in St. Osyth, Essex, in 1582. In Elizabethan England, Jean Bodin, a French aristocrat brings news to Queen Elizabeth of 'Sorcieres and Wytches' abroad in her country. The luminaries of her court - and those who wanted to find favour - set out to root out witches within their wards. Brian Darcy, Justice of the Peace in St. Osyth, arrives in the town of his birth. He is here to do his duty, and at church on Sunday he watches the women of the town with a sharp eye. Some days later, Grace Thurlowe, arrives in his drawing room with the news he is hoping for. Ursula Kemp, a local apothecary, has bewitched Grace's family. She sent familiars into Grace's house to rock the cradle where her ten-month old baby lay - the child fell, smashing her head on the stone floor. And now the child is dead. Ursula cursed Grace, and now Grace is lame. Ursula will have to pay. Boy: Austin Moulton, Ursula: Natalie Press, Grace: Meg Fraser, Sound Design: Nigel Lewis. BBC/Cymru Wales production, directed by Lu Kemp. Rpt. 10 Jun 13.

17 Nov 10 Children in Need: Everything
By Oliver Emanuel. One of two special Radio 4 Afternoon Plays, commissioned with BBC Children in Need, 'Everything' tells the story of a fourteen-year-old girl who spends 7 days in a refuge for runaways. Earlier this year, playwright Oliver Emanuel worked with ROC - Running Other Choices, part of the Aberlour Child Care Trust, a 'Children in Need' supported project. Under Scottish law, any young person under the age of sixteen is allowed to stay in ROC's refuge for up to seven days without parental notification. This is one of only two refuges for runaways in the UK. Oliver worked with young people who had either been involved with ROC in the past or were currently staying at the refuge. In July 2010, the group spent a week at Pacific Quay (BBC Scotland) writing, acting, playing games and talking about what it means to be a runaway. Informed by this experience, Oliver wrote 'Everything'. Girl: Natasha Watson, Sam: Sandy Grierson, Beth: Meg Fraser. Directed by Lu Kemp.

23 Sep 10 The Second Mr Bailey
John is a young gay man living in Edinburgh in 1967. Homosexuality is about to be legalised in England, but not in Scotland. When John takes up lodgings with the enigmatic Mrs Margaret Bailey, he begins to experience what life as a conventional straight man could be like. But Margaret is no ordinary house-wife; she's slowly turning John into a replica of her husband. And John's beginning to like it. Haunting drama by Andrew Doyle. Rpt. 1 Aug 2013. Cast: Young John...... Sam Swann, Older John ...... Richard Greenwood, Brian................ Owen Whitelaw, Margaret..... Gerda Stevenson, Hilary........ Gabriel Quigley, Policeman...... James Bryce. Producer: Kirsty Williams. Director: Lu Kemp.

19 11 2008 The Architects
By Chris Dunkley. Howard is coming to the end of an unremarkable career designing houses which all look much the same. He intends to pursue his retirement in similar fashion; exactly like the next man. Then he meets Pat; who has decided that things have to change. Howard ...... Michael Jayston, Emma ...... Sandra Voe, Pat ...... Karl Johnson, Mr Warren/Mick ...... John Rowe, Mrs Warren ...... Natasha Pyne. Policeman/Alan ...... Ben Lewis. Directed by Lu Kemp.

12 9 2008 A Tiger for Malgudi
By RK Narayan; dramatised by Ronald Frame. Now the companion of a Sadu; an ageing tiger looks back on his life. A rich evocation of Indian life in the 1970s; this comic narrative views human absurdities through the eyes of a wild animal. Deputy/Zoo Keeper/Captain/Jaddu ...... Paul Bazely, Teacher ...... Meneka Das, Alphonse/Mandan ...... Kulvinder Ghir, Shekar ...... Raman Goyal, Wife ...... Indira Joshi, Raja; the Tiger ......Raad Rawi, The Master ...... Nadim Sawalha. Directed by Lu Kemp.

14 3 2008 Things to Do before You Die
By Tom Dalton Bidwell. David is critically ill in hospital. Given the chance to have his dying wish granted; he asks for what most normal 15-year-old boys want - to lose his virginity. David ...... James Anthony Pearson, Priest ...... Stuart McQuarrie, Munaza ...... Ayesha Antoine, Maggie ...... Sophie Stanton, Cheryl ...... Lesley Nicol, Wishman/Driver ...... John Lightbody. Directed by Lu Kemp.

19,Nov,2007 Cats and Monkeys
By Catherine Shepherd. Eve has come to India following the recent death of her parents. While everyone around her is seeking enlightenment; she is only concerned with obtaining a legal document which will allow probate on her parents' estate to be granted. Vivanti ...... Anna Carteret, Eve ...... Madelaine Brolly, Piturbaba ...... Jack Shepherd, Xavier ...... Ben Lewis, Mette ...... Catherine Shepherd, Daniel ...... Paddy Anderson. Directed by Lu Kemp.

4 Sep 2007 The Architects
By Chris Dunkley. Howard is coming to the end of an unremarkable career designing houses which all look much the same. He intends to pursue his retirement in similar fashion; exactly like the next man. Then he meets Pat; who has decided that things have to change. Howard - Michael Jayston, Emma - Sandra Voe, Pat - Karl Johnson, Mr Warren/Mick - John Rowe, Mrs Warren - Natasha Pyne, Policeman/Alan - Ben Lewis. Directed by Lu Kemp.

15,Jun,2007 Jump
Alexis Zegerman's drama is inspired by Event Horizon; Antony Gormley's current exhibition at the Hayward Gallery. Gormley's army of lonely figures stand poised on the edges of buildings across the South Bank. A young free runner; jumping and vaulting his way across his familiar stamping ground; lands face-to-face with one of these iron men. Jack ...... Danny Waters. Director Lu Kemp.

17 May 2007 The Singing Butler
Alexis Zegerman and Ron Butlin's dramatisation of the story behind Jack Vettriano's famous image of a man and a woman dancing on a windswept beach; while their butler and maid do their best to shield the pair from the elements. Tom ...... Jon Glover, KItty ...... Natasha Little, Charles ...... Robert Portal, Phyllis ...... Rachel Atkins. Directed by Lu Kemp.

13 Apr 2007 The Strange Desire of Ms Small
By Debbie Jones. Lois has all but forgotten the flamboyant mischief of her past until; in the drab surrounding of a high street bank; she meets Elsie; a disillusioned clerk 40 years her junior and exquisitely desirable. Lois ...... Sheila Donald, Violet ...... Jan Moffat, Elsie ...... Pauline Lockhart , Joseph ...... Phil McKee. Director Lu Kemp.

7,Jan,2007 Classic Serial: Resurrection
Robert Forrest's dramatisation of the story by Leo Tolstoy. 2 x 55m. Notes for episode 2: Prince Dmitri follows the young prostitute Katerina Maslova to Siberia. Having been unable to reverse the sentence for murder served in error upon her; he proposes marriage in the hope of redeeming the wrongs he did to her as a girl.But he finds his proposal contested by a fellow prisoner Simonson; a man who has already made all the sacrifices in life that Prince Dmitri only threatens to make.Katerina Maslova ...... Katherine Igoe, Dmitri Nikhloydov ...... Richard Dillane, Lydia Menshova ...... Vivienne Dixon, Vera Bogovskaya ...... Joanna Tope, Princess Marya ...... Lesley Hart, Anatoly Krylstov ...... Joe Arkley, Nabatov/Ivan ...... Phil McKee, Simonson ...... Tom Brooke, Old Man ...... Finlay Welsh. Directed by Lu Kemp.

31 Dec 2006: Classic Serial - Resurrection
Robert Forrest's dramatisation of Leo Tolstoy's last major work. 1/2. Katerina Maslova is a young prostitute on trial for the murder of one of her clients. Serving on the jury, Prince Dmitri recognises the young woman as the girl he seduced many years before. Believing himself partly responsible for her predicament, he embarks upon a complex legal attempt to reverse the sentence passed upon her. Katerina Maslova ...... Katherine Igoe, Dmitri Nikhloydov ...... Richard Dillane, Lydia Menshova ...... Vivienne Dixon, Vera Bogovskaya ...... Joanna Tope, Princess Marya ...... Lesley Hart, Anatoly Krylstov/Rizin ...... Joe Arkley, Gudz/Makar Dyerkin ...... John Buick. Directed by Lu Kemp.

18 Oct 2006: It's Not You
By Simon Burt. A tragi-comedy about a holiday romance which seems perfect until the lovers meet again. Tobes is not who Jo thinks he is, and Jo is not who Tobes thinks she is. So who, then, have they each fallen in love with? With Jessica Harris, John Paul Hurley. Director Lu Kemp.

17 Oct 2006: Cats and Monkeys
By Catherine Shepherd. Eve has come to India following the recent death of her parents. While everyone around her is seeking enlightenment, she is only concerned with obtaining a legal document which will allow probate on her parents' estate to be granted. With Anna Carteret, Madelaine Brolly, Jack Shepherd, Ben Lewis. Director Lu Kemp.

9 Oct 2006: A Tiger for Malgudi
By RK Narayan, dramatised by Ronald Frame. The companion of a Sadu, an ageing tiger, looks back on his life. This comic narrative views human absurdities through the eyes of a wild animal. Deputy/Zoo Keeper/Captain/Jaddu ...... Paul Bazely, Teacher ...... Meneka Das, Alphonse/Mandan ...... Kulvinder Ghir, Shekar ...... Raman Goyal, Wife ...... Indira Joshi, Raja, the Tiger ...... Raad Rawi, The Master ...... Nadim Sawalha. Director Lu Kemp.

25 Aug 2006: The January Wedding
By Beatrice Colin. In 1969 a landmark court case was brought in the UK. A young Polish woman petitioned for her marriage to an elderly Warsaw academic to be annulled. The annulment was granted on the basis that the marriage had taken place under duress. He had married her to save her from imprisonment under the Polish communist regime. Szymon ...... Karl Johnson, Nina ...... Cressida Trew, The Face ...... Richard Katz, Mother/Karla ...... Susan Engel, Registrar/ Father/Judge/Witness ...... Sam Dale. Director Lu Kemp.

1 Jul 2006: The Saturday Play - Dr Korczak's Example
By David Greig. Based on the true story of Janusz Korczak, best-selling children's novelist, paediatrician and social experimenter, who set up a Jewish orphanage in Warsaw and ran it as a children's democracy. In the play, when the Nazis close in on Warsaw, Korczak and the children are forced to move into the ghetto - stretching Korczak's pacifist ideals to the limit. But the doctor's values are threatened not only by the Nazi regime but by the arrival of a young Jewish boy who believes in fighting back. Dr Korczak ...... Alexander Morton, Stephanie ...... Vicki Liddelle, Adzio ...... Simon Donaldson, Cerniakow ...... Sandy Neilson, Stepan ...... Anthony Hutcheson , Priest ...... Matthew Zajac, Abraza ...... Ewan Macleod, Tadeusz ...... Fergus Hitchcock , Bruno ...... Finn Hitchcock , Miriam/Zelda ...... Katie Neville , Coco ...... Sarah-Beth Neville, Violinist ...... Daphne Godson . Director Lu Kemp.

7 Apr 2006: The Mecklington Miracle
By Hannah and Rachael McGill. A big conspiracy comes to a small town in this light-hearted comedy. The town's local hero hasn't stepped out of her house for years until Pedro arrives from Colombia determined to make a miracle happen in Mecklington. Lisa ...... Christine Bottomley, Jessica/Maria ...... Charlie Hayes, Barry ..... Martin Hyder, Darren ...... Andrew Mayer, Pedro ..... David Sant. Director Lu Kemp.

25 Mar 2006: The Saturday Play - Prince Unleashed
By Robert Forrest.Holly has become a strange and silent little girl, living unhappily with her smoky Aunty Isa and her drunken Uncle Dave. She is determined to escape with the help of her dog Prince. But Prince is dead, and when he returns from the Happy Hunting Grounds to sort things out once and for all, Holly is alarmed to find he is not the obedient pedigree playmate he once was. Holly ...... Helen McAlpine, Cal ...... Steven Ritchie, Prince ...... Steven Cartwright, Isa ...... Barbara Rafferty, Dave ...... Jimmy Chisholm. Director Dougie Irvine. ProducerLu Kemp.

22 Mar 2006: A Tiny Light in the Darkness
By Ursula Rani Sarma. In late August 2005, a group of strangers find themselves thrown together when their tube carriage is plunged into darkness. Karim ...... Tarun Iyer, Annemarie ...... Katherin Igoe, Kaseb ...... Kulvinder Ghir, Sumi ...... Meneka Das, Fred ...... Garrick Hagon, Janice ...... Liza Ross, Daniel ...... Mark Bonnar, Michael ...... Ifan Meredith, Alysha ...... Sarah Okeze. Director Lu Kemp.

21 Mar 06: The Cenci Family
By Lizzie Hopley. Rome, 1599. A young girl, Beatrice Cenci, stands trial for the murder of her father Francesco Cenci, the first godfather of the Italian mafia. Guido Reni ...... Daniel Evans, Beatrice Cenci ...... Sally Hawkins, Cardinal Savella ...... Gerrard McArthur, Pope Clement VIII ...... Ronald Pickup, Bishop Camillo ..... Owen Teale, Bernardo ...... Peter Innes. Director Lu Kemp.

The Best Snow for Skiing....2005
14.7.05. By Linda Cracknell. It is 1978, and Valda Greive, the second wife of the Scottish poet Hugh MacDiarmid is reassessing her life following her husband's death. A young student arrives at her door during a snow storm determined to pay his respects his deceased hero's memory. Valda, irritated by the youngster's intrusion and pious reverence does her best to shatter his illusions. The story unravels over the two days this odd couple spend in each other's company while snowed in at Brownsbank Cottage. Recorded on location at Brownsbank Cottage, Valda Grieve and Hugh MacDiarmid's former home; with Colette O'Neil and Iain Robertson. Directed by Lu Kemp.

The Distant Echo....2005
R4,1430, 26 Mar 05. Broadcast in the Saturday Play slot; Bert Coules adapted this Val McDermid story, turning it into an effective one-hour police drama. One night in the snow, some students find the body of a girl. But the police are unable to sort out the details of the crime, and it goes down in their books as an unsolved killing. Twenty-five years later, the case is reopened, and the students think they have an opportunity to clear their names, until one of them gets killed in a suspicious house fire, and another in a burglary. The cast included Jimmy Chisholm, John Paul Hurley, Steven Cartwright, Michael Nardone and Crawford Logan, and the director was Lu Kemp. (....ND, VRPCC review, Apr 2005)

THE TRAGICAL COMEDY OR COMICAL TRAGEDY OF MR. PUNCH....2005
3 Mar 05. R3, in the series "The Wire". The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr Punch. Adapted by Neil Gaiman from the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, Mr Punch Never Dies.

A small boy goes to stay with his grandparents in Southsea, spending his days at his grandfather's failed arcade on the seafront. When Swatchell, a Punch and Judy professor, sets up his booth in the arcade the boy becomes fascinated by the story played out by these strange violent wooden puppets - particularly when strange parallels start to develop between the story of Mr. Punch and events in his own family's life. Richard Dillane, Alexander Morton, Hugh Dickson. Dir. Lu Kemp. Music by Dave McKean and Ashley Slater. Directed by Lu Kemp.

A Rose for Chopin ....2003
By Lorraine McCann. In failing health and broken-hearted after his split from George Sand, Chopin makes the journey to Scotland at the invitation of his gifted pupil, Jane Stirling. The trip will re-line his purse, and help him escape the gossiping tongues of Paris. But Chopin finds himself dealing with more than he bargained for - a whirlwind of aunts and gentry, and the ever-pressing attentions of Miss Stirling. With Richard Greenwood, Michael Perceval Maxwell, Noreen Leighton, Vivienne Dixon, and Michael MacKenzie. Pianist Fali Parvi. Director Lu Kemp. (.....info. sent by Hans Kieft, Australia)

compiled by Nigel Deacon / Diversity website

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