ROBIN BROOKS RADIO PLAYS
Robin Brooks was born in Leeds in 1961 and brought up in Sheffield
and Manchester. He was an exhibitioner at Christchurch College,
Oxford, where he studied English. He started writing for Empty
Space Theatre Co. in 1989. He adapted R.L.Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde", which was performed all over the world from 1990 to
1997. He started writing radio drama in 1992; he has
written serials, series and one-off plays. He wrote "The
Portland Vase", a non-fiction book,
three years ago - about a small ancient vase in the British Museum which has
belonged to kings, emperors, courtesans and artists.
... this info. located with the help of Helen Cunningham - thanks Helen)... N.D.
BBC BROADCASTS
25.11.98 Golden Triangle- The Awakening Conscience
09.12.98 Golden triangle- The Order of Release
09.12.98 Golden Triangle- Love among the Ruins*
27.02.99 The John Buchan weekend*
13.05.99 The immortals
03.09.99 Fire in the Heart (Keats), dram; 15 parts,12m each
25.09.99 Plain Murder
22.05.00 The Art of Love*
01.08.02 Love and Friendship (Jane Austen/Robin Brooks)
12.08.03 A Quick Change*
26.12.03 The Smallest Man in Christendom*
21.01.06 The Fountain Overflows* (Rebecca West) 6 x 55m
12.05.07 My Cousin Rachel (2 eps of 55m)*
28.12.07 A warning to the furious*
28.11.10 I, Claudius (Robert Graves), dram, 6 x 55m*
08.10.11 The High Window (Raymond Chandler), dram*
22.10.11 Poodle Springs (Raymond Chandler), dram*
15.02.14 The Big Sleep, rpt (Raymond Chandler), dram*
19.07.15 Tender Is The Night (F.S.Fitzgerald), dram, 2 x 55m
13.01.18 Memento Mori (M.Spark), dram*
12.12.21 Don Juan, dram, R3
SERIES
2000 The man who knew everything*, series 1: Madam Rachel and the waters of life, The Dilke-Crawford Imbroglio, The Pimlico Poisoning, The Ghastly Mordaunt Business.
2003 The man who knew everything*, series 2: The case of Serafino Pelizzoni, The Balham Mystery, Darling Daisy
NOTES
THE AWAKENING CONSCIENCE....1998
William Holman meets Annie Miller, a young beauty who works behind
the bar at the local pub..he decides to turn her into the perfect model
and woman. With Jonathan Firth, Julie Cox, Alan Cox, Damian Lewis. Dir.
Clive Brill.
THE ORDER OF RELEASE....1998
Ruskin insists that Millais paints his portrait whilst he is on
holiday with his wife. The beauty and innocence of Effie make it an
almost impossible task. With Bob Peck, David Tennant and Sharon Small.
Dir. Clive Brill.
LOVE AMONG THE RUINS....1998
Edward Burne-Jones...he looks back over his life and career. He thinks
about his lover, Maria...with Ken Cranham and Maggie Steed. Dir. Clive Brill.
THE JOHN BUCHAN WEEKEND....1999
A pastiche on Richard Hannay...when he signs up for a murder-
mystery weekend he does not expect the drama to begin on his own
doorstep. Stars Alan Cox, Emily Wolf; dir. Clive Brill.
FIRE IN THE HEART....1999
Keats...sorry; poetry is my blind spot - I don't even know what a
"Keat" is...poems and letters adapted by Robin Brooks; with David Tennant,
John Webb, Nigel Cooke; dir. Clive Brill.
THE ART OF LOVE....2000
Robin Brooks' "The Art of Love" (R4 23 May 1415) was a comic
portrayal of the poet Ovid as a rampant womaniser advising others
about their relationships with women. Included is his ultimate
guide to seduction. The only problem is, he ends up on his own.
Bill Nighy played Ovid and Anne-Marie Duff the long-suffering
Cypassis.(VRPCC newsletter, Sep 00)
A QUICK CHANGE....2003
Colin rents out his flat to a theatre company for the
Edinburgh festival. He is roped in as company dogsbody
for the production, discovers that some actresses
don't wear much under their stage gear, and rapidly
gets out of his depth. With Flora Montgomery,
David Tennant, Ashley Jensen, Mark Spalding, Raza
Jaffrey, Alan Cox, Barbara Dryhurst, Jonathan Tafler,
and directed by Fiona McAlpine.
The Man Who Knew Everything....2003
Jack Klaff as George Lewis, the celebrated 19th Century lawyer who defended the indefensible and never lost.
R4, 1415, 28 Jul 03. The Extraordinary Case of Serafino Pelizzioni. Lewis becomes absorbed in a seemingly impossible case, as a murderous pub brawl becomes an unprecedented miscarriage of justice. The other cast members: Julian Wadham, Suzanne Bertish, Poppy Miller, Nicholas Woodeson, Nicholas Murchie, Alan Cox, Christian Rodska, Stephen Mangan, Jonathan Tafler, Sarah Eedle, Anna Stewart; directed by Clive Brill.
R4, 1415, 4 Aug 03. The Balham Mystery A mysterious poisoning tempts Lewis to indulge his skills in cross-examination. With Jack Klaff, Julian Wadham, Alex Lowe, Anne-Marie Duff, Stephen Mangan, Don Warrington, Susan Brown, Ron Cook, Jonathan Tafler, and Regina Freedman. Director Clive Brill.
BLOODY STEFI....2003
R4, 1415, 29 Sep 03; by Robin Brooks and Richard Heacock:
In 1907, the young Hungarian violinist Stefi Geyer was at the height
of her fame, enchanting audiences as much with her physical beauty as
with her playing. That summer, two men fell seriously under her spell.
Both were composers and both were besotted with her. Otherwise, they
could not have been more different: the intense, fiercely intellectual
and pathologically shy Hungarian, Bela Bartok; and the dashing,
hell-raising Swiss Lothario, Othmar Schoeck. Each rival sought to
immortalise his new-found muse by writing her a violin concerto.
With Cathy Sara, Tom Goodman-Hill, James Howard, Alexander Delamere,
Bella Merlin.
Directors Rosie Boulton and Peter Leslie Wild.
THE SMALLEST MAN IN CHRISTENDOM...2003
The true story of Jeffrey Hudson, whose extraordinary adventures
are celebrated in a masque, including his presentation in a pie to King
Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria, and his exploits in the
Civil War. He had a curious life; he was court favourite and friend of
the Queen, but came from an unknown farming family. On one occasion
he behaved with a notable lack of commonsense and found himself
involved in a duel. It changed his life.
Lucy Robinson is the commentator, with David Holt as
Jeffrey. Other cast members: Desmond Barrit, Alan Cox, Charlie Simpson,
Julie Cox, John McAndrew, Terry Smith, Felix Still, Tom Raphael Eaves,
Wilfredo Acosta (as himself). SM Wilfredo Acosta; dir. Fiona McAlpine.
THE FOUNTAIN OVERFLOWS....2006
By Rebecca West; classic serial. Six 55m episodes, dramatised
by Robin Brooks. Producers Cherry Cookson and Claire
Grove; director Martin Jenkins. A story of childhood seen through the eyes of
Rose, a girl struggling to comprehend life. She has a brilliant father
with no sense who gambles his money away on the stock exchange, and a mother
who has given up her career to bring up her and her two sisters.
With Emma Fielding as Rose, Stella Gonet, Dermot Crowley, Tessa Montague,
Clare Corbett, Sophie Roberts, Ayesha Antoine, Liz Sadovy, Sandy Walsh,
Crawford Logan, Callum Williams, John Cummins.
MY COUSIN RACHEL....2007
The classic du Maurier chiller. Serial, 2 episodes.
A Warning to the Furious….2007
Christmas 2007. A feminist film-maker and her crew visit the Suffolk coast to make a documentary about ghost story writer MR James. They hope to discover how a respectable bachelor could produce such horrors. A modern tale with very creepy overtones.
Karen ...... Lucy Robinson
Zara ...... Catherine Shepherd
Guy ...... Carl Prekopp
Bob ...... Gerard McDermott
Bookshop man ....;.. Andrew Wincott
Producer/director Fiona McAlpine.
I,CLAUDIUS....2010
Back in 1985 I was mesmerised by the Glyn Dearman production of Robert Graves' classic Roman tale, made at the Maida Vale studios, with Timothy West in the title role. It went out in two ninety-minute episodes: I, Claudius and Claudius the God...
I recall a wonderful sound effect in one of the scenes where there's a battle involving elephants; impossible on television.
Now we have a new dramatization by Robin Brooks in six one-hour episodes broadcast as the Classic Serial. (R4, Sundays, beginning 28 Nov).
Sir Derek Jacobi, who was in the 1976 TV version as Claudius, plays emperor Augustus; Tom Goodman-Hill takes the title role. It's a superb production, and approaches the quality of Glyn Dearman's masterpiece. More here
THE HIGH WINDOW....2011
8 Oct 11. Raymond Chandler adaptation by Robin Brooks. Original story is from 1942. Marlowe tracks down the person who has stolen a rare coin and finds himself in the crossfire of a family feud. The person who's lost the coin thinks he knows who stole it, but Marlowe knows better.....
Cast: Toby Stephens, Judy Parfitt, Jessica Raine, Patrick kennedy, Joe Montana, Stuart Milligan, Susie Riddell,Peter Polycarpou, Gerard McDermott, Carl Prekopp, Alex Tregear, James Lailey, Sean Baker, Alun Ragaln, Simon Bubb. Producer Claire Grove; director Saha Yevtushenko.
POODLE SPRINGS....2011
22 Oct 11. Raymond Chandler adaptation. 1959 story, left unfinished by the author but finished by Robert Parker in the 1980s.
RT: Fresh from his honeymoon with heiress Linda Loring, Philip Marlowe has set up shop in the upmarket Californian town of Poodle Springs. But the life of a kept man soon loses its charm, and when he's asked to find a gambler on the run from his debts, Marlowe can't resist.
Cast: Toby Stephens, Lorelei King, Stephen Campbell Moore, Laurel Lefkow, Peter Polycarpou, Sasha Pick, Gerard \Mc\dermott, James Lailey, Alun Raglan, Sean Baker, Carl Prekopp, Simon Bubb. Producer Claire Grove; director Sasha Yevtushenko.
15 Feb 2014: Saturday Play: The Big Sleep
1/4. By Raymond Chandler, dram. Robin Brooks, rpt. Adaptation of 1939 novel which introduces the private eye Philip Marlowe. The story focuses on his entanglement with the Sternwood family. Initially, called to their mansion to deal with a blackmailer, the detective discovers that the family has other dark secrets. Toby Stephens as Marlowe, with Kelly Burke, Barbara Barnes, Madeleine Potter, Leah Brotherhead, Sam Dale, Sean Baker, Iain Batchelor, Henry Devas, Jude Akuwudike. Producer Claire Grove.
19 Jul 15: Classic Serial: Tender Is The Night
By F.S.Fitzgerald, dram. Robin Brooks. Notes for ep 1 of 2. The French Riviera was frequently visited by wealthy Americans between WW1 and WW2. One of them is psychoanalyust Dick Diver and his wife Nicole, who hold court at their villa. Into their circle comes a young film star. This is a dramatization of the novel. Dick: Simon Harrison, Nicole: Melody Grove, Rosemary: Kelly Burke, Tommy: Finn Den Hertog, Abe: Mark McDonnell, McKisco: Laurie Brown, with Anita Vettesse, Anne Lacey, Nick Underwood, Alasdair Hankinson and Sam Dale. Producer: Gaynor MacFarlane.
13 Jan 18: Saturday Play- Mememto Mori
By Muriel Spark, ad. Robin Brooks, from the novel. Strange play about a group of elderly people targeted by a troublesome person on the telephone. A detective investigates, and everyone becomes a suspect. Dame Lettie Colston: Patricia Hodge, Geoffrey Colston: Jim Norton, Charmian Colston: Colette O'Neill, Mabel pettigrew: Monica Dolan, Alec Warner: William Gaminara, with Keth Weare, Ellie Darvill, Neil McCaul, Isabella Inchbald and Georgie Glen. Producer: Gaynor MacFarlane.
12 Dec 21 Don Juan
By Lord Byron, ad. Robin Brooks. R3. New production. The story is about young Juan’s adventures as an innocent abroad, moving from the bedroom of a lady of Seville to a love island in the Cyclades, to the harem of the Sultan. Instead of the heartless rake, we have a hapless young innocent, more seduced than seducer. The story opens with young Juan’s seduction, at the hands of a “chaste” married lady. After their exposure, Juan undergoes exile and shipwreck, until he is washed up on a Grecian Isle, where he is nursed by the lovely young nymph Haidee. Robin Brooks introduces the play. Byron.....Edward Bennett, Mephistopheles…..Julian Bleach, Don Juan.....Matthew Tennyson, Donna Julia.....Pippa Nixon, Haidée.....Dolores Carbonari, Gulbeyaz.....Keziah Joseph, Donna Inez.....Kate Paul, Don Alfonso/Johnson/Fletcher.....Nicholas Murchie, Lambro/Sultan/Crony.....Mark Spalding, Baba, a Eunuch.....Cyril Nri, Antonia / Lolah.....Bettrys Jones, Zoe.....Harmony Rose Bremner, Mother of the Maids.....Barbara Dryhurst, Katinka.....Alexandra Ewing, Dudu.....Kate Morgan Jones, Pedro / Crony /Diner/ Slaver.....Charlie Layburn, Margarita.....Eleanor Tata. Producer - Fiona McAlpine. Sound Design - Alisdair McGregor. Indie (Allegra).
Robin Brooks:
"Byron was approaching middle age, world-weary, struggling with his weight, living in self-imnposed exile in Venice, when he started publishing Don Juan in 1818. It caused a sensation; it was comic, satirical, conversational and that was in sharp contrast with what might be described as the much more romantic ironic outpourings tthat made him famous. But something worth bearing in mind about Byron was that he was on the Board of Drury Lane Theatre, and he never missed a first night.
He loved the theatre, was always quoting Restoration comedies in his letters, and this must have something to do with the fact that Don Juan is full of drama. It's got vivid characters and very witty dialogue, which I knew would make good drama.
What I hadn't grasped, I now realize, is how powerful his actual poetry is. When I read poetry, i tend to read it in my head, which is what most people do. It took hearing the actors reading it out loud to bring home to me how beautiful and moving Byron's verse is. I hope you agree."
Asterisked items known to exist within VRPCC
Nigel Deacon, Diversity website
