Stephen Wyatt Radio Plays

Stephen Wyatt was born in Kent and lived as a child in London. He was educated at Latymer Upper School and then Clare College, Cambridge.

He writes for theatre, radio, television and screen. I recently discovered on an old reel of tape that he directed the 'Cambridge Footlights' Revue way back in 1973, entitled 'Every Packet carries a Government Health Warning' (1).

His original radio drama includes: Fairest Isle which gained a Sony Award; Party Animal and A Game of Marbles, a comedy about the Elgin Marbles broadcast to coincide with the Athens Olympics. In 2007 he wrote Memorials to the Missing, a play about the establishment of an Imperial War Graves Commission to record the graves of those killed in action.. He has dramatised two series of Sketches By Boz for Radio 4 and one series of Tales by Thackeray. He has written many radio adaptations including The Old Wives’ Tale, Gilbert Without Sullivan, Vanity Fair (in 20 parts) and Tales The Countess Told, a 90’ special with Eleanor Bron.

Stephen’s television credits include Doctor Who, Casualty, House of Elliott and a comedy, Claws, for Screen One.

Stephen’s theatrical plays have been professionally performed across the country in venues ranging from the West End’s Apollo Theatre to the Bubble Theatre’s touring tent. Recent work includes R.I.P., Maria Callas (Hen and Chickens) and The Ladies’ Paradise (LAMDA).

Stephen has also scripted a large number of audio guides; for example, for the Elizabeth I exhibition at Greenwich Maritime Museum, for the Royal Photographic Society, for Baconsthorpe Castle in Norfolk, Maiden Castle, and Tichfield House. He delivered an interesting speech on radio drama at the AGM of the ALCS in December 2014.

He is the only person to have won the Tinniswood Award (best radio drama script of the year) twice.

Plays for Radio:
2024 A House Called Insanity
2023 The Song of the Cossacks
2017 The Shadow of Dorian Gray
2015 *Finlandia, R3: Sibelius
2014 *Poodle Springs (Chandler, adap)
2014 *The Divine Comedy (Dante, adap)
2013 *The Organist's Daughter
2012 *Alice through the Looking Glass, adap.
2011 Beware of Pity (adap from Stefan Zweig), 2-episode classic serial
2011 *The Little Sister (adap. from Raymond Chandler)
2011 *The Long Goodbye (adap. from Raymond Chandler)
2011 *Playback (adap. from Raymond Chandler)
2011 *The Lady in the Lake (adap. from Raymond Chandler)
2011 *Double Jeopardy (Radio 4; about Raymond Chandler/Billy Wilder))
2010 *Gerontius (Radio 4) TINNISWOOD AWARD WINNER
2009 *Farewell Symphony (Radio 3)
2009 *Ripley Under Water (adap. from Patricia Highsmith)
2009 *The Boy who Followed Ripley (adap. from Patricia Highsmith)
2009 *The Talented Mr. Ripley (adap. from Patricia Highsmith)
2008 The Yellowplush Papers (Thackeray)
2008 The Iceman Returneth (R4 '80 not out')
2008 Black Narcissus (adap. from Rumer Godden)
2007 Ho! Ho! Ho! (Cribbins at Christmas)
2007 *Memorials to the Missing TINNISWOOD AWARD WINNER
2007 *Tom Jones (from Fielding, Classic serial)
2006 Tinkling the Ivories
2005 *Oblomov (from Goncharov, Classic Serial)
04.07.05 *Dr. Brighton and Mr. Harding (Gilbert Harding biog)
06.08.04 *A game of marbles
08.07.04 Agnes Beaumont, by herself, rpt
2004-5 *Gilbert without Sullivan (adap. from W.S.Gilbert) series 2
2004 Vanity Fair (from Thackeray, 20 episodes)
2004 The Old Wives' Tale (from Arnold Bennett. 15 episodes)
2003 Sour Beer for Soldier, Sailor (drama-doc)
2003 The Blotting Book (from Fred Benson, Sat. play)
2003 *Gilbert without Sullivan (adap. from W.S.Gilbert) series 1
2003 *Party Animal (nominated for Tinniswood Award)
2002 Agnes Beaumont, by herself
2002 Over the Hills for Soldier, Soldier (drama-doc)
2001 Tales from Thackeray
2001 Tales the Countess told
2000 Gray's Elegy (with Pier Productions)
1999 Sketches by Boz, series 2 (adapted from Dickens)
1998 Sketches by Boz, series 1 (adapted from Dickens)
1997 The Speculator (after Balzac. World Service)
1997 *Net Suicide (Fear on Four)
1997 The Ladies' Paradise (from Zola, Classic Serial)
1995 Christmas Eve (from Gogol)
1995 Deal Souls (Classic Serial. Writers' Guild Award nominee)
1995 Fairest Isle (R3) Sony Award Winner: Purcell
1993 Memoirs of a Midget (from de la Mare, Classic Serial)
1990 *The Organgrinder's Monkey: Rossini
1989 Piglaw
1986 Siren Song
1980 The Wise Woman of Bayswater
1977 Help Stamp Out Quicksand

NOTES

27 Jul 24: Saturday Play - A House Called Insanity
By Stephen Wyatt. Elsy Borders became a national figure in the late 1930s, but no play celebrating her achievements has been written until now. She was working-class but in spite of that, she was determined to expose the poor quality of workmanship in house-building which continues to resonate today with scandals such as Grenfell Tower. She took the unprecedented step of refusing to pay her mortgage because of the the dire state of their new, poorly-built house on an estate in Kent. When the building society sued for repossession, Elsy counter-claimed for damages. The play includes contributions from Stella Etheridge, Jeremy Tagg and Phillipa Tagg who are current residents of the Coney Hall Estate where Elsy lived. Elsy Borders .........Anne-Marie Duff, Jim Borders......Karl Davies, Roxburgh......Sam Dale, Librarian.....Jenny Funnell, Judge.......Nigel Anthony, Agent......Andrew Branch Michael.......Harry Myers, Pamela .....Betsy Horsfall, Directed by Martin Jenkins. Sound Design by David Thomas. Production Co-ordinator: Sarah Tombling. Production Manager: Sarah Wright Indie (Pier).

25 Mar 23: Saturday Play - The Song of the Cossacks
At the end of the war in 1945, the Yalta agreement provided that Prisoners of War were returned to their home country. The Cossacks, bitterly opposed to Stalin, had joined the German forces to fight against him. Stalin insisted they be returned to their “homeland” in the USSR. All parties knew this would mean certain death.

In this fictional dramatisation of true events, Major Christopher Graham and Sergeant Wilson are in charge of a Cossack prisoner of war camp. The prisoners comprise whole families including women, children and young babies. The two officers, struggling with a lack of resources and manpower, work with the Cossack generals to run an orderly camp. The Cossack generals believe the British to be trustworthy and, although deeply concerned at the prospect of a forced return to the Soviet Union, accept the two officers’ assurances that this will not happen. The play examines the dilemma of ordinary army officers ordered to betray the people whose trust they had gained and whose welfare they had been in charge of. Running through this play is the 2022 testimony of survivors, voiced by actors from the Teatr Napadoli in Kyiv, and the testimony provided to the subsequent enquiry by Major Rusty Davies, the British Liaison office of the time. Major Christopher Graham: Finlay Robertson, Sergeant Wilson: Phil Carriera, Sir William Temple: David Acton, John Pelham: Lawrence Russell, Colonel Wensley: Jonathan Keeble, General Dorov: Christopher Douglas, General Skiro: Geoffrey Kirkness, Captain Andrei Rostov: Ivantiy Novak, Katya Dorov: Amrita Acharia, And Mikhaila Rostov: Jilly Bond. The testimony of Rusty Davies performed by Christopher Ettridge. Verbatim testimonies performed by actors from Teatr Napodoli, Kyiv. Dramatised for radio by Stephen Wyatt from the original stage-play by Jean Binnie, with additional material by Kit Hesketh-Harvey. Recorded in London and Kyiv, and on location. Sound Design: David Thomas. Director: Jonathan Banatvala. Producers: Jonathan Banatvala and Melanie Nock. Indie (International Arts Partnership). 90m.

THE SONG OF THE COSSACKS (R4, 1445, 25 Mar 23) was a 90-minuter; a mind-blowing production of a stage play documenting events in 1945. Harry Turnbull had this to say about it:

"A solemn lament to the thousands of Cossacks Britain consigned to death in another shameful episode in this country’s history. Jean Binnie’s stage play has been reconstructed for radio to retell the story of the fate of Cossacks following the end of WWll hostilities. Fighters along with civilians, women and children were held in camps, hoping the fair-minded Brits would allow them to go on their way. However, Churchill had already sold them out in an agreement with Stalin at Yalta.

This radio production was severely jolted when writer Kit Hesketh Harvey suddenly passed away, but in true ‘the show must go on’ fashion, producers Jonanthan Banatvala and Melanie Nock engaged Stephen Wyatt to complete the project in double-quick time. It is of course a bleak story and the mood is reflected in sombre choral music throughout. In addition, there are real-life testimonies from those who were involved, portrayed by actors. Wyatt confers a human element in the story by creating fictional characters in the shape of British officers appalled when they discover their task is to hand people over for execution or gulags.

It should be pointed out that many of the Communist-hating cavalry warriors had fought on the side of the Nazis and therefore did not get universal sympathy. The production demonstrates that people are often the forgotten victims of global geopolitics." (...Diversity Website review, April 2023)

23 June 17: The Shadow of Dorian Gray
By Stephen Wyatt. The finding of Oscar Wilde guilty of gross indecency in 1895 spells trouble for John Gray, the poet who probably inspired "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Gray is summoned to the Cafe Royal and the evening changes his life. John Gray: Blake Ritson, Lord Henry: Nicholas Farrell, Andre Raffalovich: Joshua McGuire, Waiter: Chris Pavlo, voice of the novel: Mark Edel-Hunt. Producer: Abigail le Fleming.

FINLANDIA....2015
R3 publicity, ND summary:
8 Dec 2015, R3, 90m. It is 1945. Sibelius - national hero, then aged 80 - is about to burn his manuscripts despite the protests of his wife, Aino. He had not composed any music for 20 years.

Finland had come to regret its bargain with Nazi Germany - it had warded off Russia, but at what cost? And for how long? In 1899, Sibelius had written Finlandia, expressing defiance of Russian hegemony and a belief in an independent future. Finland is once again struggling for its identity. Could Sibelius do it again with an Eighth Symphony? Closely bound with the Finnish identity he had helped to create, he now finds himself in a moment of creative and national despair. The fate of his long-anticipated Eighth Symphony is in the balance.

The play interweaves a conflict between husband and wife about burning the manuscripts, with scenes from The Kalevala, the national epic of Finland. The Kalevala morphs in Sibelius' agitated mind until it embodies his internal conflicts and the historical forces at work on Finland. The excerpts from The Kalevala weave in and out of the drama to shine a light into the composer's mind; they are underscored with the music which The Kalevala inspired Sibelius to write.

The argument between Aino and Sibelius illuminates parts of Sibelius' past and his attitude towards his work and his country, but at its heart the play is an examination of the psyche of Sibelius - artist, national symbol, husband and father - at a crucial juncture in his life and that of Finland.

Jean Sibelius….Tim Pigott-Smith, Aino….Barbara Flynn, Reporter….Mark Edel-Hunt, Female Voice….Alex Tregear, Male Voice….Chris Pavlo, Producer:Tracey Neale.

Fatima Hasan (RT), ND summary:
Knowing little about the Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius, I was intrigued by Stephen Wyatt's drama. What a beautifully crafted story. It's 1945 and the octogenarian Sibelius (played with crotchety verve by Tim Pigott-Smith) is harangued about the delivery of the Eighth Symphony. Finland awaits his opus, he's told to help lift the country's collective spirit. That's not my problem, he protests. But the one person he can't bear to disappoint is his wife, Aino (Barbara Flynn). It's a detailed exploration into the psyche of the Finlandia composer, embittered by his own creativity.

DANTE'S DIVINE COMEDY, lasting three hours (R4, Classic Serial, 1500, beginning 30 Mar 14) tells of Dante's imaginary journey through hell, purgatory and paradise. It was published seven hundred years ago. The imagined 35-year-old Dante finds himself in the middle of a dark wood, in crisis and on the verge of suicide. Hope of rescue comes when he encounters the shade of the Roman poet Virgil, who offers to lead him through the afterlife, beginning in the depths of hell. He proceeds to Mount Purgatory, where he meets some souls on their journeys of spiritual salvation. Finally he is led to the different levels of Paradise by Beatrice, a woman he loved when he was a young man. The word 'comedy' in the classical sense refers to a work which reflects belief in an ordered universe, in which events resolve to a conclusion, influenced by Providence which steers events in the direction of ultimate good. Paradise, for example, begins with the traveller's moral confusion and ends with the vision of God.

The rhyming structures of the original have been replaced by a flowing narrative which gives an evocative, visual feel to the story. There are clear descriptions of what can be seen as the traveller makes his journey. The three central characters - Dante the younger, Dante the elder, and Virgil, are played by Blake Ritson, John Hurt and David Warner. Beatrice, his companion at the end of the story, was played by Hattie Morahan and the producers were Emma Harding and Marc Beeby. ND, 'Diversity' review, Apr 2014

Extract from Moira Petty's review, in 'The Stage':
Cal Knightley’s sound design, ethereal and yet precise (the gales of Limbo, the relentless, cruel rain) is crucial to the drama’s success. Directed by Emma Harding and Marc Beeby, this production delivers the goriest and most brilliant of Renaissance images of damnation, of limbs writhing in agony and eyes filled with painful knowledge. It’s straight to the confessional box for me.

THE ORGANIST'S DAUGHTER....2013
14 Oct 2013; afternoon play, 45m. When the well-known German composer, Dieterich Buxtehude, wishes to retire from his post as organist at Lübeck Cathedral he faces a major problem. Tradition dictates that his successor must marry his eldest daughter, Anna Margreta, who, although caring and intelligent, is not renowned for her beauty. Buxtehude informs Anna Margreta that it is his express wish that she marries his successor but he agrees that she will be the one to inform any possible candidates of this arrangement.

Among the potential successors are the young musicians, Händel and Bach. Still in their early twenties, neither is willing to contemplate settling down to a life at Lübeck. They simply wish to learn from the great maestro. Each one clearly admires Anna Margreta for her devotion to her father, her love for the Cathedral, her knowledge of music and her plain speaking - but each also has his own clear vision for the future.

Buxtehude and his other daughters become increasingly frustrated until an unexpected solution is found.

Simon Russell Beale plays Buxtehude. He was especially interested in the role as he had visited Lübeck Cathedral (and played the organ) during the making of his recent series of television programmes devoted to the development of classical musical.

The play was produced by Martin Jenkins. Independent (Pier Productions). Cast: S.R.Beale (Buxtehude), Emma Fielding (his daughter), Matthew Watson (Johann Schieferdecker), Naomi Frederick (Anna Sophia), Joesph Kloska (Handel), Karl Davies (Bach).

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS....2012
22 Dec: Saturday Drama. By Lewis Carroll, dramatised by Stephen Wyatt. It's mid-winter, the snow is falling against the window, and Alice is learning how to play chess but then, on a whim, she goes to the mirror and pretends her black kitten is the Red Queen and suddenly everything changes ... she crashes through the looking glass and enters a world set out like a giant chess board, where she has to work out the rules of the game. Lewis Carroll sets everything out for her, but there's a twist; Radio 4 can be found on the other side of the glass. Mathematician Carroll prefaced his book with a chess problem. It is claimed the game is a part of a sequence of numbers - that Alice's journey is code - that Carroll was flirting with numerology and esotericism. Carroll loved number games and puzzles. He was extremely bright; he regularly invented things. He was the Mark Zuckerberg of his time.

With Jim Al-Khalili, Roger McGough, Jenni Murray, Jane Garvey, Eric Robson, Pippa Greenwood, Peter Donaldson, Kirsty Young, Andrew Marr, Evan Davies, Garry Richardson & Melvyn Bragg, along with some actors: Alice ....... Lauren Mote, Lewis Carroll ....... Julian Rhind-Tutt, The Red Queen ....... Carole Boyd, The White Queen ....... Sally Phillips, Humpty Dumpty ....... Nicholas Parsons, Tweedledee ....... Alistair McGowan, Tweedledum ....... Alistair McGowan, The White Knight ....... John Rowe, The White King ....... Robert Blythe, Messenger ....... Ben Crowe, Guard ....... Patrick Brennan, Pudding ....... Stephanie Racine. Not sure who produced this one...


BEWARE OF PITY....2011
27 Nov 11, 2-part Classic Serial, adapted from Stefan Zweig's story (the Clare McIntyre stage production).
RT blurb: A soldier takes pity on a crippled girl, but their relationship changes both their lives in unexpected ways.

Cast: Piers Wehner as Anton, Bryony Hannah as Edith; with Ronald Pickup, Jasper Britton, Michael Jayston, Mabel Clements, Jack Chedburn, Tai Lawrence, Jason Devoy.


THE LITTLE SISTER....2011
15 Oct 11. Third in a series of four Chandler adaptations (nos. 2 and 4 were done by Robin Brooks). Marlowe finds himself in a Hollywood film studio when he investigates the disappearance of a client's brother.

Toby Stephens, Kelly Burke, Fenella Woolgar, Peter Polycarpou, Ginita Jimenez, John Guerrasio, Jonathan Forbes. Produced by Claire Grove.


THE LONG GOODBYE....2011
1 Oct 11. First in a new series of Raymond Chandler stories, dram. by Stephen Wyatt. 90 min. Marlowe helps a drunk outside a clubone night and thinks no more about it. But several days later the man finds Marlowe and asks him for a favour.

Cast: Toby Stephens, Trevor White, Saskia Reeves, Peter Polycarpou, James Lailey, Simon Bubb, Alan Raglan. Producer Claire Grove.


STRANGERS ON A FILM....2011
29 Sep 11, R4 afternoon play. The collaboration of Raymond Chandler and Alfred Hitchcock on the film 'Strangers on a Train', based on a story by Patricia Highsmith. They don't get on too well....

Cast: Patrick Stewart as Raymond Chandler; Clive Swift as Hitchcock. Produced by Claire Grove.


2/4 THE LADY IN THE LAKE....2011
12 Feb R4, 90m. Dram. Stephen Wyatt. Another adaptation from Raymond Chandler's famous series of Philip Marlowe stories. Being a Chandler story, the lady in the lake is dead.....

Toby Stephens, Sam Dale, Barbara Barnes, Steve Toussaint, Nathan Osgood, Claire Harry, Lloyd Thomas, Sean Baker. Producer Claire Grove.


DOUBLE JEOPARDY....2011
4 Feb 2011; by Stephen Wyatt. Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler working on the film adaptation of "Double Indemnity" by James M. Cain. They don't like each other very much, but Chandler is a master of the classic one-liner, and Wilder knows exactly what will work on screen. They eventually manage to find a way of working together and their screenplay turns out to be a classic. Excellent writing, casting and production.

Cast: Patrick Stewart, Adrian Scarborough. Producer Claire Grove.

A season of new Raymond Chandler begins soon, dramatised by Stephen Wyatt and Robin Brooks......

UPDATE....more about these new adaptations, including some audience reaction, on the 2011 plays page.

DOUBLE JEOPARDY....2011
4 Feb 2011; Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler working on the film adaptation of "Double Indemnity" by James M. Cain. They don't like each other very much, but they eventually manage to work together and their screenplay is truly memorable.

Cast: Patrick Stewart, Adrian Scarborough. Producer Claire Grove.

GERONTIUS (R4, 8 Jul 10, rpt 8 Feb 12), by Stephen Wyatt, examined the thirty-year relationship of Cardinal Newman and Friar Ambrose St. John, his mentor and friend. Newman insisted in his will that he was to be buried in the same grave.

Partway through the play we hear a gay rights protestor calling the Catholic Church homophobic.

This is one of three modern perspectives offered late in the play on the controversy over the deep love between Newman and St John.

A second sees the inscription on Newman's tomb as an expression of a belief that intense human love foreshadows our experience of divine love.

The third offers the Catholic perspective that we should focus on what Newman has to tell us, rather than bring in unhistorical ideas about gay love.

The play is a meditation of what the intense love between these two men actually meant; it's not about shoe-horning that love (for which the documentary evidence is very clear) into anybody's convenient category.

Derek Jacobi played Newman, and Friar Ambrose was Nicholas Boulton, supported by Geoffrey Whitehead, Karl Davies, Michael Jayston, Ben Warwick and Jane Whittenshaw. The director was Martin Jenkins, working for Pier Productions.

As I write this (19 Sept) the Pope, on his visit to London, is presiding at the ceremony of Cardinal Newman's Beatification, in front of 50,000 spectators, at a park near Birmingham; a step towards the Victorian theologian becoming a saint. Apparently there have been two recently verified miracles associated with Newman. It's a strange world.


THE RIPLEY NOVELS....2009
Dramatisation of the thrillers by Patricia Highsmith about the chameleon-like antihero, Ripley. Ian Hart, Helen Longworth, Caroline Guthrie, William Hope. Producer Stephen Canny. Tiles- The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Boy Who Followed Ripley & Ripley Under Water.

BLACK NARCISSUS....2008
By Rumer Godden, ad. Stephen Wyatt. Woman's Hour drama, 5 x 12m. beginning 25 Feb 08. A group of nuns sets up a remote mission in the Himalayas. Produced by Claire Grove.

MEMORIALS TO THE MISSING....2007
8 Nov 07,Thursday,Radio 4,14:15:00, afternoon play. Stephen Wyatt's play follows moves during the First World War to establish an Imperial War Graves Commission to record the graves of those killed in action. Fabian Ware ...... Anton Lesser, Edwin Lutyens ...... Michael Maloney, Macready ...... Keith Drinkel, Florence Cecil ...... Theresa Gallagher, Alice/nurse ...... Sophie Roberts, Soldiers ...... Karl Davies; Alex Wyndham; Ben Crowe; directed by Martin Jenkins. Excellent play showing how persistence can overcome bureaucracy.

This play won a silver Sony Drama Award, and the 2008 Tinniswood Award. Details from the Sony site are shown below. Details of the Tinniswood Award are shown on that page. Click on the RADIO PLAYS link above to find it.

Actuality Producer: Angela Hind, Production Assistants: Joanna Green & Emma Davis, Production Manager: Jane Ellison, Studio Manager: David Thomas, Commissioning Editor: Jeremy Howe, Executive Producer: Peter Hoare.

" Powerful, moving, informative and uplifting were just some of the adjectives used to describe this beautifully assured production. The various strands of the drama were masterfully woven together, forming an utterly original treatment of an unjustly-neglected aspect of Remembrance Day".

TOM JONES....2007
The well-known story by Fielding, dramatised by Stephen Wyatt in three one-hour episodes. Classic Serial. I would have liked it over a few more weeks, but it worked well. Produced by Claire Grove. With Simon Russell Beale and Michael Legge, and Margaret Tyzack as Miss Western.

OBLOMOV....2005
By Ivan Goncharov, ad. Stephen Wyatt. Classic serial, 2 x 55m, 7 and 14 Aug. This is the story of Oblomov, who lives in a flat in St Petersburg. Nothing wrong with his intelligence, but he is slothful. Everything can wait until tomorrow. Agafya..........Fiona Clarke, Doctor..........Clive Swift, Nicolai.........Harry Myers, Oblomov........Toby Jones, Olga...........Claire Skinner, Olgas Aunt.....Richenda Carey, Pianist........Helen Crayford, Singer.........Olivia Robinson, Stoltz.........Nicholas Boulton, Tarantyev......Gerard McDermott, Zahar..........Trevor Peacock. Music by Helen Crayford and Olivia Robinson. Produced by Claire Grove.

GILBERT HARDING....2005
Biographical play about Gilbert Harding, the outspoken, irascible broadcaster of the 1950s. He became famous for his unpredictable appearances on What's My Line, Twenty Questions and The Brains Trust. He was famous for insulting people, too (including my old tutor at Cambridge, Sydney Smith) and being contrite and remorseful afterwards. With Roger Allam, Ben Crowe, Keith Drinkel, Carl Prekopp, Jenny Funnell, Ian Masters, Jean Trend. Producer Martin Jenkins. 45m, afternoon play, 4 Jul 05, 1415.


GILBERT WITHOUT SULLIVAN....2004-5
Another series of humorous stories by W.S.Gilbert, dramatised by Stephen Wyatt.

AGNES BEAUMONT....2004, rpt
08 July 2004,14:15,Kay Cavanagh/Paul Ritter/Adrian Scarborough/Becky Hindley/Jon Strickland/Ben Crowe. A 22 year old Puritan, a friend of John Bunyan, is accused of murder. A true story based on The Narrative of Mrs. Agnes Beaumont, published in 1674.

VANITY FAIR....2004
By Thackeray, dram. Stephen Wyatt. Woman's Hour drama beginning 13 Sep 04, 20 x 12m. Narrated by Stephen Fry. Cast: Amelia Sedley....Katy Cavanagh, Auctioneer....Jon Glover, Becky Sharp....Emma Fielding, Captain MacMurdo....Mark Bonnar, Ensign Stubble....Stephen Hogan, George Osborne....Nicholas Boulton, Jos Sedley....Toby Jones, Lady Jane....Jemma Churchill, Lord Steyne....David Calder, Miss Briggs....Kate Buffery Miss Crawley....Margaret Tyzack, Miss Jemima....Joanna McCallum, Miss Pinkerton....Sandy Walsh, Mr Moss....Ian Masters, Mr Osborne....Geoffrey Whitehead, Mr Sedley....Ian Masters, Mr Wenham....Philip Fox, Peggy O'Dowd....Monica Dolan, Pit Crawley....Jon Glover, Polly the Maid....Joanna McCallum, Rawden Crawley...Ray Coulthard, Sir Pitt Crawley....Trevor Peacock, William Dobbin....Tom Smith. Producers Claire Grove and Marc Beeby.

THE OLD WIVES' TALE....2004
By Arnold Bennett, dram. Stephen Wyatt.Woman's Hour drama, beginning 19 Jan 04. 15 x 12m. Narrated by Philip Jackson. Amy .... Lydia Leonard, Auctioneer/Guard .... Declan Wilson, Aunt Harriet .... Frances Jeater, Chirac .... Tom Smith, Constance .... Gillian Kearney, Constance .... Marcia Warren, Cyril .... Jim Pyke, Dr Stirling .... Andrew Harrison, Englishman .... Chris Moran, Foucault .... Rachel Atkins, Gerald Scales .... Nicholas Boulton, Lewis Mardon .... John Rowe, Maria Critchlow .... Rachel Atkins, Maria Inshull .... Rachel Atkins, Mary .... Jaimi Barbakoff, Matthew Peel-Swynnerton .... Carl Prekopp, Miss Chetwynd .... Rachel Atkins, Mr Baines .... John Rowe, Mr Bodero .... Declan Wilson, Mr Critchlow .... Stephen Critchlow, Mr Povey .... Ian Dunn, Mrs Baines .... Barbara Marten, Saleswoman .... Rachel Atkins, Samuel Povey .... Ian Dunn, Sophia .... Katy Cavanagh & Penelope Wilton. Produced by Claire Grove.

GILBERT WITHOUT SULLIVAN....2003
A series of very silly stories by W.S.Gilbert, dramatised by Stephen Wyatt, Gilbert without Sullivan, began on R4, 1130, 7 May 03. In one episode an entire village is subjected to a love potion; in another a confirmed bachelor is unable to avoid a large amorous lady, in spite of a shipwreck and other freak incidents. These were harmless entertaining tales, and a pleasant half-hour's listening, all directed by Sue Wilson. ...ND, VRPCC newsletter, Sep 03...

W.S.Gilbert never wrote any radio plays, but he did write a series of quirky short stories which have been dramatised recently for radio by Stephen Wyatt. They are very good; details are below.

1: FINGER OF FATE 7 May 03
Foggerty is a confirmed bachelor. But fate has some plans for him...with Jonathan Coy as Gilbert, Stephen Moore as Foggerty, also starring Alison Steadman, Martin Hyder, Ian Masters. Dir. Sue Wilson.

2:AN ELIXIR OF LOVE 14 May 03
A secret love potion has unexpected results when it's released into the community by a naive vicar...with Jonathan Coy, Paul Downing, Cathy Sera, Gillian Goodman,, Christopher Scott, John Fleming; dir. Sue Wilson.

3:THE BURGLAR'S STORY 21 May 03
Theodore's education is worth any sacrifice by his parents, who are petty crooks. But his career is cut short by a series of unforeseen incidents....with Jonathan Coy, Michael Onslow, John Webb, Amy Tobin, Stephen Boswell, Kim Durham, Alexandra Lilley. Dir. Sue Wilson.

4: WIDE AWAKE 28 May 03
Unworldly Harold Symperson boasts of his fortune until he falls victim to his relatives' plot to engage him to his cousin. With Jonathan Coy as Gilbert, Richard Derrington, Chris Emmett,Julia Hills, Joanna Wake, Jamie Chapman and Tom George; directed by Sue Wilson.

5: MR. FOSTER'S GOOD FAIRY 4 Jun 03
Cyril Foster, a confectioner, is haunted by his past. Then a fairy from one of his cakes offers him an escape. With Jonathan Coy as Gilbert, Ian Brooker as Cyril, also starring Sara Coward, Lennox Greaves and David Bannerman. Dir. Sue Wilson.

Party Animal ....2003
by Stephen Wyatt (shortlisted for Tinniswood Award)

When a nineteen year boy dies of an overdose at a celebrity party his divorced father sets out to find the truth about what happened.

The phone goes as Martin is leaving the house. It is his son, Josh. Martin has hardly seen him since the divorce a few years ago, but he is in a hurry and asks Josh to call back later. Josh never does. A few days later the papers are full of the death of a ‘male escort’ at a celebrity party. The guests are politicians, business men and showbiz personalities. The ‘escort’ is Josh. Martin is stunned. He has lost his son, who was once a clever boy with a bright future. He has apparently been working as a male prostitute, and taking hard drugs. This happens to other people’s children but not to Martin’s. What has gone wrong? Who is responsible?

The inquest and funeral bring encounters with Lesley, Martin’s ex-wife. She refuses to see their son’s gayness as a failure. Martin knows he is on his own. The police are unhelpful, the celebrities keep him at a distance. Josh’s friend and one-time lover, Aaron, tries to help but Martin won’t let him. A contradictory picture of Josh is emerging. He was a good time boy seeking influential friends, and a lonely, depressed young man searching for a way out of an empty life.

This is an ordinary man’s journey into a world he was barely conscious of before the death of his son. He is fuelled by anger, prejudice and the desire to blame anyone and everyone. He wants a simple answer, but in the end the play is about Martin facing his own inadequacies as a parent and a man.

Cast: Cast: Philip Jackson (The Sins), Carl Prekopp (A Certain Smile), Tom Smith (Monarch of the Glen), Lynne Verrall (Auf Wiedersehen Pet), Peter Wight (Vera Darke), Nitin Ganatra (Colour Me Kubrick) and appearances by Tom George and Emma Woolliams.
Producer: Claire Grove
Broadcast: 28/02/2003, BBC Radio 4

(information on this play supplied by Jo Hodder, Society of Authors)


THE BLOTTING BOOK....2003
By Fred Benson. 26 Jul 03; dramatised by Stephen Wyatt.

A savage murder in genteel Edwardian Brighton uncovers a tangled web of uncontrolled passions, lies and deceptions.

Taynton ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Morris ...... James D'Arcy
His Mother ...... Sarah Badel
Madge ...... Abby Ford
Martin ...... Tom Bevan
Mills/defence counsel ...... Sam Kelly
Figgis ...... Alan Leith
Policeman ...... Sidney Sloane
Prosecuting counsel ...... Ian Masters
Producer- Sue Wilson

Soldier, Sailor ....2003
26 Nov 03. Four programmes telling the story of some of the most dramatic naval battles in British history through the voices of ordinary sailors who took part in them - climbing the rigging, sweeping deck, manning the guns.

1/4. Sour Beer, by Stephen Wyatt
Notes for episode 1: Martin Peasgood is the bosun's mate on the 'Elizabeth Jonas' sent out to chase the Spanish Armada in 1588. With commentary from historians Ian Friel and Maria Rodriguez-Salgado. Performed by Nicholas Woodeson.


Soldier, Soldier....2002
Radio 4. Drama- documentary entitled 'Over the Hills'.


AGNES BEAUMONT....2002
6 Dec 02, R4, afternoon play. Kay Cavanagh/Paul Ritter/Adrian Scarborough/Becky Hindley/Jon Strickland/Ben Crowe. A 22 year old Puritan, a friend of John Bunyan, is accused of murder. A true story based on The Narrative of Mrs. Agnes Beaumont, published in 1674.


TALES THE COUNTESS TOLD....2001
Radio 4. 1 Jan 01.


TALES FROM THACKERAY....2001
Radio 4.


GRAY's ELEGY....2000
R4, 8 Jun 00. Interesting play about Gray's Elegy in a Country Churchyard, and the forces which caused him to write it. Done with Pier Productions.


SKETCHES BY BOZ....1999
Adapted from Dickens. Series 2. R4.


SKETCHES BY BOZ....1998
Adapted from Dickens. Series 1. R4.


THE LADIES' PARADISE....1997
From Zola. Classic Serial. R4.


THE SPECULATOR....1997
After Balzac. World Service.


FEAR ON FOUR - SERIES 5 .... 1997 1/5:
Net Suicide (4/9/97)
Gerard McDermott, Tracy Ann Oberman, John Roew, David Brookes
Dir - David Hunter.

Whilst surfing the internet, a man whose life isn't going according to plan stumbles upon a site where you can arrange to be killed as an alternative to suicide. He signs up to the deal they offer, and then finds everything starts going his way. By the time its his turn to pay for his prosperity, with his life, he no longer wants to end it all...but a deal is a deal, and once made cannot be revoked. ...Clive Lever....


CHRISTMAS EVE....1995
From Gogol, R4.


FAIREST ISLE....1995
8 Jan 95. Radio 3; Sony Award winner, commissioned to commemorate the tercentenary of the death of Henry Purcell. The opera King Arthur is a masterpiece. Unfortunately Purcell and John Dryden did not fully understood each other's artistic aims, and their collaboration was frequently tempestuous. Producer: Martin Jenkins.


DEAD SOULS....1995
From Gogol; Classic Serial, radio 4.


MEMOIRS OF A MIDGET....1993
Emma Fielding/John Church/Matthew Morgan/Sylvestra le Touzel. Classic serial. Adaptation of Walter de la Mare.


THE ORGANGRINDER'S MONKEY....1990
Episodes in the early life of Rossini, and a glimpse of some of the non-musical influences which affected him.


PIGLAW....1989
Radio 4. 4 Apr 89. Who would be foolish enough to put a pig on trial? Yet the lawyer Lebrun suggests this is the right thing to do when a crime is committed in a small market town in medieval France. His proposal leads him and the parish priest, Fr Bernard , into deeper waters than either of them could have foreseen. Producer: Peter Fozzard.


SIREN SONG....1986
70m. 8thOct86. R3. Lively 17th century romp. The adventures of Mademoiselle de Maupin, singer, swordswoman and sister of the Sacred Heart. Music by Jenny S. Prince, performed by Edward Beckett, John Dervan and Adrian Levene. Producer: Jeremy Mortimer.


THE WISE WOMAN OF BAYSWATER....1980
Radio 4. 14 Jan 82. A trouble shared is a trouble halved and sometimes the most unlikely people can be the most helpful. When 20-year-old Roger, obsessed with adolescent angst, is introduced to a sprightly woman in her 80s, he discovers to his delighted surprise that he has found a real friend and confidante. With Joyce Carey as Evelyn and Robert Glcnister as Roger. Produced by Cherry Cookson, 14 Jan 82.


HELP STAMP OUT QUICKSAND....1977
Radio 4. 2 Apr 80. What is the Temple of the Higher Thought doing in suburban Byfleet? Will cynical Simon become a worshipper there? Temple music specially realised in the BBC Radiophonic Workshop by Malcolm Clarke. Singer: Caroline Clack; producer Brian Wright.

compiled by Nigel Deacon / Diversity website

(1) Mentioned in passing in Griff Rhys-Jones' autobiographical 'Semi-Detached', ch. 15.

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