Peter Kavanagh Radio Plays
20 Nov 20: Blue Thunder
By Padraic Walsh. In small-town Ireland, a father and his two adult sons are holed up in a minibus for the night. There’s no escape when the home truths start flying. This play won the Innovation Award at the VAULT Awards in 2019. Padraic’s debut audio drama Foxes (prod. Peter Kavanagh) was shortlisted for Best Original Drama at the 2018 BBC Audio Drama Awards.
Brian ….. Gary Lilburn,
Dara ….. Stephen Jones,
Ray ….. Paul Reid.
Directed by Gemma Jenkins.
23 Jul 20: Rhoda and Pete Get Back On the Scene
By Ross Dunsmore. Recently-widowed Rhoda and Pete are determined never again to commit to a life-partner. Their children, Mari and Seb, have other ideas and set up a date between the two.
Peter: Kenneth Cranham, Rhoda: Elizabeth Counsell, Mari: Valerie Grogan, Seb: Ryan Whittle, Waitress: Lauren Cornelius. Producer: Peter Kavanagh. Rpt.
3 Mar 20: The AntiSocial Network
By Peter Jukes, rpt, set in a ski resort in the Carpathian Mountains. A secretive British lobbying firm is manipulating the outcome of elections in the city below. As the clock ticks, one of their team goes missing on the slopes. Did she fall or was she pushed?
Marcus ..... Orlando Seale,
Kaveeta ..... Deeivya Meir,
Niko ..... Adam Fitzgerald,
Seth ..... Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong,
Greg ..... Philip Bretherton,
Kelly ..... Abbie Andrews,
Elisa ..... Isabella Inchbald,
Pablo ..... Clive Hayward.
Directed by Peter Kavanagh.
25 Jul 18: Rhoda and Pete get back on the Scene
By Ross Dunsmore. A woman who has just lost her husband, along with Pete, another person without a partner, is pushed into speed-dating by their children.Peter: Kenneth Cranham, Rhoda: Elizabeth Counsell, Mari: Valeria Gogan, Seb: Ryan Whittle, waitress: Lauren Cornelius. Producer: Peter Kavanagh.
4 May 18: Watch Me While I'm Sleeping
By Christopher William Hill. Mo's snoring is keeping Eddie awake. It's become a crisis. Now, finally, they are forced to discuss it. Mo: Joseph Kloska, Eddie: Mark Edel-Hunt. Producer: Peter Kavanagh.
It was good to hear a first radio play by actor Jonathan Tafler THE RULES OF PALSHIP (R4, 1415, 16 Nov 2017), about the early life of Noel Coward. Jonathan imagines a testing moment when Noel is on tour in 'Charley's Aunt'. There are some tensions between the cast members, and a situation arises when a new actor, perhaps with more enthusiasm than acting skill, is given his chance. It affects the relationship between Noel and the female lead. 'Nuf said; it was a charming play and I don't like spoilers. Noel was played by Joel McCormack, Graham Henshaw by Tom Forrister, Fraser Stanhope by Wilf Scolding and Barth by Neil McCaul. The producer was Peter Kavanagh. (....ND, Diversity website review, Dec 2017)
IRONGATE, by Nick Warburton (R4, 1415, 31 Jul 15) was a two-hander about love and loss. A woman's annual walk along the Thames from Kew to Tower Bridge takes an unexpected turn when she meets a stranger. She begins to reveal the purpose of her journey. Laura was played by Emma Fielding and Teal by James Fleet. Peter Kavanagh produced. (....ND, Diversity website review, Sep 2015)
Another play by Christopher William Hill "HUSH! HUSH! WHISPER WHO DARES! (R4, 1415, 25 Jul 13) imagined an encounter between 90-year-old Ernest Shepherd, illustrator of the tales of Pooh, and 50-year-old "Christopher Robin", A.A.Milne's son. The play examined the effects of the the Pooh stories on the lives of the two men, including a possible V&A retrospective, but there were plenty of dark shadows. Oliver Ford Davies played the illustrator and Christopher Milne was played by Simon Treves. The producer was Peter Kavanagh. (....ND, Diversity website review, Sep 2013)
NYAMA (R4, 1415, 23 Apr 10) was an afternoon play by David Pownall, one of our most experienced radio playwrights. A wealthy entrepreneur (played by Vincent Ebrahim) makes a fast buck when a whale dies on a South African beach. The whale is pickled (not an easy job) and then taken from place to place for people to see - at a price. Things get complicated when the carcass gradually begins to decompose. This was an interesting tale, with an astonishing twist at the end, produced by Peter Kavanagh. Unfortunately I missed a play by Pownall later in the summer about George Orwell (R4, 1415, 31 Jul 10) entitled WRITING ON WIGAN PIER. (....ND, Diversity website review, Apr 2010)
2010-03-12, 11-30am People in Cars - Sat Love
By Simon Brett. A businessman spices up his life with excursions to extramarital assignations. But why is his new Satnav directing him back home?
He ... Bruce Alexander,
She ... Maureen Beattie,
Producer: Peter Kavanagh.
2009-11-10, Albert's Boy
By James Graham. How can Albert Einstein find a unified theory of everything when he can't even match his socks? A funny, touching look at the eccentric genius' last years and the personal grief that prevented him from making one great final breakthrough.
Albert Einstein ...... Victor Spinetti,
Peter ...... Richard Laing.
Produced by Peter Kavanagh.
DR. FREUD WILL SEE YOU NOW, MR. HITLER....2007
Apr. 07: The Saturday play, by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran started with the true incident of young, bed-wetting Adolf being referred to the newly-opened children's psychiatric hospital in Vienna at the time Sigmund Freud was working there. There is no evidence that the two ever met, but the play uses the potential meeting as a way of investigating what made Hitler tick. The cast included Toby Jones as Hitler and Sophie Winkelmann as Freud's daughter Anna. Allan Corduner was the famous doctor, and Peter Kavanagh directed. (....ND, Diversity website review, Apr 2007)
2006-01-04, 14-15: Jadoo
By Amit Gupta. One brother prepares marvellous starters in an Indian family restaurant on Leicester's culinary golden mile. The other does main courses. Then they fall out and open different establishments. Now customers start eating in one, and then troop over to the other. Disaster! But can their families cure the rift?
Jagi: Saeed Jaffrey,
Raja: Vincent Ebrahim,
Jay: Marc Elliot,
Saru: Siddiqua Akhtar,
Prav: Amit Gupta,
Customer: Philip Fox.
Producer: Peter Kavanagh.
2005-05-13, 21-00 Friday Play. Are We Driving Ourselves Crazy?
By Ezra Hjalmarsson. You're live on air on a radio phone-in, enthusing about cars when the lines go down and you're left speaking to the nation. How long before you stop talking about cars and sav something you'll sorely regret?
Brian: Philip Jackson
Penny: Geraldine James
Nicky: Shiv Grewal
Jeremy: Jason Chan
Trucker: Stephen Hogan
Producer: Peter Kavanagh.
You Had To Be There (R4, 1415, 18 Mar 05) by Simon Brett, was something of a rarity - a monologue which held the attention. My usual reaction on finding a monologue in the drama slot is to turn it off. But Stephen Moore is one of my favourite actors, and Simon Brett knows what he is doing, so I persisted. Dan, the narrator, is a writer of sit-coms, but using his marital problems as source material for his scripts has resulted in divorce. Now he has a new girl friend, is behaving in exactly the same way, and wonders if he'll do any better this time. Peter Kavanagh directed. (....ND, Diversity website review, Apr 2005)
WITH THIS RING....2003
By Wally K. Daly. A comedy with some substance to it: a Catholic divorcee wants to remarry and needs an annulment. The person he wants to marry is nearly thirty years younger. Paul tries to sort things out in the confessional, but things don't work out in quite the way he planned. With Stephen Moore as the divorcee, Sean Barrett as the Irish priest, Jean Boht as the ex-wife and Anna Livia Ryan as the bit of fluff. Dir. Peter Kavanagh.
THE HONEYBOURNE TAPES, by Michael Butt (R4 5 Mar 03 1415) had an unusual storyline; a hypnotherapist sends a young lady into a trance after she's had emotional difficulties, and a figure from two hundred years ago emerges from her subconscious. She recalls moments from history in startling and convincing detail. There is a good sub-plot, too, and a terrific twist at the end. It starred Nicholas Farrell, Lynsey Baxter, Jonathan Coy, Stephen Critchlow, and was directed by Peter Kavanagh. (....ND, Diversity website review, Apr 2003)
BETWEEN THE LINES........ 2001
By Neil Brand. Siegfried Sassoon after he came back from Flanders. Cast: James Fleet, John Rowe, Ewan Bailey, Ray Lonnan, George Baker, Eleanor Bron, Struan Roger; dir. Peter Kavanagh.
The Anarchist Bed and Breakfast....2000
By Bernard Kops. 30 Oct 00. A couple of old anarchists are appalled to learn that they have inherited a B & B. In their view, property is still theft. Especially in smart Westcliffe on Sea. With Freddie Jones and Richenda Carey. Directed by Peter Kavanagh.
PURVIS (29 Nov 00, 1415), by Nick Warburton was an entertaining play about a lonely widower appointed by the vicar to act as safety officer to the church. The vicar never imagines that his kindness in finding something for him to do will be so ruthlessly exploited. When he finds Purvis writing a sermon, things have gone too far. Peter Sallis was an admirable Purvis, supported by James Fleet as the vicar and Jasmine Hyde as his wife; Peter Kavanagh directed. (....ND, VRPCC review, Dec 2000)
OATES AFTER HIS FINGERS ....1991
By Steve Walker. Following on from his Giles Cooper Award-winning play "The Pope's Brother", this play shows Captain Oates in the year 2065, alive and thawing out in the Antarctic. What will the old- fashioned explorer think of an England laid waste by drought and famine, where everyone speaks with an American accent? With Stephen Dillane as Oates, Vincent Marzello as Archie; also starring Lorelei King, David Graham, Pauline Letts, Sam Dastor, Charles Millham, Nigel Carrington, Peter Penry-Jones, Norman Jones, Tom Watt, David Bannerman, Colin McFarlane and Irene Sutcliffe. Directed by Peter Kavanagh.
THE POPE'S BROTHER ....1990
By Steve Walker. Awarded a prize for being one of the 2 best plays of 1990; hugely entertaining and witty. Sydney and Gregory Collyweston are twins; Sydney wallows in every indulgence, goes to the racecourse every day, and does everything to excess. After hearing of the new Papal appointment, he visits the Vatican, where his illustrious brother asks him to stay to help him combat his unworldliness...which is when the trouble starts. With Dinsdale Landen as Sydney, Ben Onwukwe as the Cardinal with the unspellable name, John Bull, Jenny Howe, Denis Hawthorne as Pope Gregory, Henry Goodman, David Bannerman, Vincent Brimble, Jenny Howe. SM Wilfred Acosta; directed by Peter Kavanagh.
Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
