Tony Coult Radio Plays
Tony Coult is a teacher and writer living in London. He has written many radio plays for BBC Education and BBC Drama, and some of his Theatre Workshops have been broadcast. He has also done adaptations for overseas broadcasts. He has taught in the English and Drama Department at Loughborough University, and writes for the E-Mag produced by the English and Media Centre, London, for school students of literature. Topics include "The Freedom of the City" (Friel), "Top Girls" (Churchill), "Death of a Salesman" (Miller) and "The Glass Menagerie" (Williams).
BBC EDUCATION
1977 Changes, 20m
1978 Always in Trouble, 20m
1979 Gypsies, 20m
1984 Incidents at Cobbings Mill, 20m
1986 Running Away, 20m
1987 Siege at Kangaroo Hill*, 20m
1987 In the firing line*, 20m
1988 The Mural*, 20m
1986 Battle Lines, 15m
1986 Stand up and be counted, 15m
All of the above produced by Dan Garrett.
BBC RADIO DRAMA
1996 United States*: Chang and Eng Bunker, Siamese twins
2001 Isabella, the real Mrs. Beeton*, 60m
2001 The "Just William" Lady* - Richmal Crompton
2002 St. Brice's Day*
2003 Nostradamus*
2003 The strange affair of the brown dog* (Peter Mason), dram.
BBC/OVERSEAS CO-PRODUCTIONS
Death of a Salesman (Miller), Swedish Educational Radio
The fishing-boat picture (Sillitoe),25m, NRK, Norway
The Coup (Boyd), 25m, NRK, Norway
Like all other men (McGahern), 20m, Swedish Educational Radio
Marriage is a Private Affair (Achebe), 20m, Swedish Educational Radio
Overseas co-productions all directed by Dan Garrett/
Asterisked plays known to exist in VRPCC collections.
NOTES
Schools: Drama Resources - 4 x 20m. stereo.
(1) 7thDec87. ROUGH PASSAGE by Warick Dobson & Max Roberts.
(2) 8thDec87. SIEGE AT KANGAROO HILL by Tony Coult.
(3) 9thDec87. IN THE FIRING LINE by Tony Coult.
Schools: Drama Resources
(1) 29thNov88. THE MURAL BY Tony Coult. 20m.
(2) 30thNov88. IDENTIKIT by Richard Pinner. 20m.
United States....1996
The remarkable story of Chang and Eng Bunker,
Siamese twins, born into 19th century feudal Siam, and dying as gentleman
farmers in North Carolina, USA. R4, 90m, 17.6.96. Starring Bert Kwok, Ossie Yule, Glen Gwie, Richard Rees,
Buffy Davis, Alice Arnold, Stuart Milligan, Claire Benedict, Justine
Middar, Pix-en Lin, Geoffrey Whitehead, Stephen Critchlow, Kim Wall,
Keith Drinkel, Dennis Hawthorne, David Timpson, Jane Whittenshaw,
Colleen Prendergast, Elaine Hyke. "Speculations on the life of
Chang and Eng Bunker" was directed by Andy Jordan.
The Just William Lady....2001
R4, 1415, 12 Apr 01. A play about the creator of the wonderful
William stories. Based on the stage play by Alison Neal. Elizabeth
Spriggs played Richmal Crompton, the boy was Oliver Cookson. With
Joyce Gibbs, Rachel Atkins, Kaye Wragg, David Holt. Directed by
Turan Ali - a "Bona Lattie" production for Radio 4.
Isabella-The Real Mrs. Beeton....2001
R4, 27 Jan 01, 60m, Saturday play. Interesting biographical play about the
famous gardening and cooking expert Mrs. Beeton; her life and
marriage, and the way she compiled her books. Her books of "Gardening
Management" and "Household Management" are still in print. They still give
reliable information and a view of the
world of the well-off Victorian lady. Based on the stage play
by Alison Neal. With Michael Maloney as Sam Beeton, Natasha Little as
Isabella Beeton, mother Dawling by Joan Walker, mother Beeton by
Carolyn Jones, also stars David Glover, Poppy Miller, Mark Straker,
Oliver Cookson. Directed by
Nandita Ghose - a "Bona Lattie" production for Radio 4.
and notes on a related play..............
An interesting biographical play went out recently: Before Beeton - The Eliza Acton Story (R4, 1415, 11 Dec 01), by J. Bradley. Eliza Acton was England's finest cook; Isabella Beeton included over a hundred of Acton's recipes in her book on household management. Beeton herself had virtually no experience of cooking; employing someone else to do it. Nevertheless she tried out every recipe in her own household before deciding whether to print it. The recipes appeared in periodicals published by her husband over a period of several years. She was the Delia Smith of her day; after her early death, her recipes were collected together and published in the single volume which is now so well-known, being marketed with tremendous Victorian hype. Millions of copies were sold, in contrast to the few thousand sold by Eliza Acton of her own book. A biography of Beeton herself was broadcast in January this year, written by Tony Coult. (ND, VRPCC newsletter, Dec 01)
St. Brice's Day....2002
R4, 13 Nov 02. Set in England in the year 1002...."ethnic cleansing" is
nothing new; here's how Anglo-Saxons dealt with "The Danish Problem"
in one village all those years ago. With Rachel Stirling, Andrew
Wincott, Chris Pavloe, Simon Treves, Jonathan Tafler, Tricia Kelly,
Debbie Chasen; historical advisers Richard and Fiona Ganeson. Director
Turan Ali. Bona Lattie production for R4.
The Strange Affair of the Brown Dog....2003
23 Oct 03, 1415. By Peter Mason, dramatised by Tony Coult.
True story of one of the most intriguing controversies of Edwardian
Britain. In 1903 a dog was cruelly experimented on in University
College London. Thanks to Louise Lind-Af-Hageby, a Swedish woman
medical student, this led to eight years of riots, libel trials,
24-hour police protection, a controversial statue, and gave a
kick-start to Britain's animal rights movement. With Maggie Steed,
Nerys Hughes, Mark Straker, Andrew Wincott, and Jinny Keatinge.
Director Turan Ali.
Nostradamus....2003
R4, 1415, 5 Dec 03. Nostradamus - seer or charlatan? Like all
real-life stories, the truth isn't as simple as that. He lived in
dangerous times, and was hounded by the Inquisition. He had a
formidable reputation as a medical man; it was even rumoured he
could cure the pox (pox proper, that is) and the plague. The play
is set on his deathbed, and has interesting use of flashbacks to
highlight key points in his life. With Michael Maloney as Nostradamus, Rula Lenska as Catherine
de Medici; also stars Rachel Atkins, David Holt, Simon Treves and Tricia
Kelly; Director Turan Ali.
Tony's website is at
http://www.tony3ts.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
where more details of his work can be found.
Nigel Deacon / Diversity Website
