Karen Rose Radio Plays

After working in theatre publicity, Karen spent ten years at the BBC in promotions and casting before moving to Radio 4 presentation. Between 1997 and 2000 she worked as a freelance producer making programmes for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5. In 2000, Karen co-founded Sweet Talk Productions. Her award-winning productions include the dramas: Henry’s Demons; An Angel At My Table; Fugue State, Bad Memories and 'End of Transmission'. Karen is also a trustee for the charity Anno’s Africa. ( ...taken from the Sweet Talk website, 2024, with some additions by ND)

SOME OF THE PLAYS:
2024-03-22 Silo 625, by Anita Sullivan
2023-12-25 Christmas Miracle on Brighton Pier: J. Holloway
2023-03-24 Who Killed Alrich Kemp? By Julian Simpson
2022-07-02 End of Transmission, by Anita Sullivan
2022-02-18 Who is Aldrich Kemp? By Julian Simpson.
2021-12-11, 14-45, Drama, Lola vs Powerman
2021-05-24, 14-00, Drama, The Not Knowing
2021-01-19, 14-15, Drama, Breaking Blake
2020-11-24, 14-15, Drama, Billy Ruffian
2020-05-19, 14-15, Drama, Mythos Albion
2020-05-18, 14-15, Drama, Mythos Glamis
2019-11-02, 14-45, Drama, Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
2019-07-16, 14-15, Drama, Making Plans with Nigel
2019-05-29, 14-15, Drama, The Not Knowing
2019-02-22, 14-15, Drama, Sick
2018-11-02, 10-45, 15m, Pan Horror Stories The Judge's House
2018-11-01, 10-45, 15m, Pan Horror Stories Leiningen Versus The Ants
2018-10-31, 10-41, 15m, Pan Horror Stories The Black Cat
2018-10-30, 10-45, 15m, Pan Horror Stories The Speciality of the House
2018-10-29, 10-45, 15m, Pan Horror Stories The Vertical Ladder
2018-09-07, 14-15, Drama, Billy Ruffian
2018-09-02, 00-30, Short Works, Deep Space Death Cruise
2018-09-01, 00-30, Short Works, Deep Space Death Cruise
2018-08-31, 15-45, Short Works, Deep Space Death Cruise
2018-05-21, 14-15, Drama, From Marginal to Mainstream
2018-04-26, 14-15, Drama, Mythos Albion
2018-04-25, 14-15, Drama, Mythos Glamis
2018-04-24, 14-15, Drama, Mythos Mythos
2018-03-23, 14-15, Drama, Suggs, My Mad-Life Crisis
2017-05-12, 14-15, Drama, Mama Courage
2017-04-05, 14-15, Drama, Mythos
2017-02-19, 00-30, The Revenge of the First King of Mars, Fear and Dread
2017-02-18, 00-30, The Revenge of the First King of Mars, Fear and Dread
2015-11-05, 14-15, Afternoon Drama, The Man in the Lift
2015-10-29, 14-15, Drama, Fugue State
2015-09-11, 15-45, Angielski, Fox Season
2015-08-12, 14-15, Drama, Gull Therapy
2015-07-01, 14-15, Afternoon Drama, The Silence at the Song's End
2015-04-14, 14-15, Afternoon Drama, The Last Breath
2014-11-06, 14-15, Afternoon Drama, The Man Who Fell to Earth
2014-06-27, 14-15, Afternoon Drama, A Time To Dance
2013-12-23, 14-15, Afternoon Drama, The Christmas of Inspector Steine
2013-11-25, 14-15, Afternoon Drama, Countrysides
2013-10-18, 14-15, Afternoon Drama, The Man in the Lift
2013-07-19, 15-45, Latido, Episode 2
2013-07-12, 15-45, Latido, Episode 1
2013-06-05, 14-15, Afternoon Drama, Kokomo
2013-03-06, 14-15, Afternoon Drama, The Silence at the Song's End
2013-02-07, 14-15, Afternoon Drama, Lifecoach
2013-01-26, 21-00, Classic Serial, An Angel at My Table Episode 2
2013-01-20, 15-00, Classic Serial, An Angel at My Table Episode 2
2013-01-19, 21-00, Classic Serial, An Angel at My Table Episode 1
2013-01-13, 15-00, Classic Serial, An Angel at My Table Episode 1
2012-07-06, 14-15, Afternoon Drama - The Last Breath
2012-03-13, 14-15, Afternoon Drama - Apple Jelly - Austerity Britain
2011/2012 2012-01-23, 14-15, Afternoon Drama - The Great Swim
2011-10-24, 11-30, The Return of Inspector Steine
2011-10-10, 14-15, Afternoon Drama - A Time To Dance, In July 1518 a plague...
2011-09-26, 14-15, Afternoon Drama - Henry's Demons
2011-07-13, 23-00, The Adventures of Inspector Steine
2011-04-27, 14-15, Afternoon Drama - Countrysides
2011-01-26, 14-15, Afternoon Drama - My Year Off - Robert McCrum
2011-01-07, 21-00, Friday Drama - Bad Memories
2010-12-22, 14-15, Afternoon Drama - Shakespeare a la Carte
2010-10-04, 14-15, Afternoon Drama - Mandrake
2010-09-01, 14-15, Afternoon Drama - The Great Swim, ad. Anita Sullivan
2010-04-26, 14-15, Afternoon Drama - Lifecoach
2009-10-09, 11-30, The Adventures of Inspector Steine
2009-04-13, 14-15, Afternoon Drama, Shakespeare a la Carte
2007-11-16, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Black Out
2007-11-07, 14-15, Afternoon Play, The Lost Boys of Africa
2007-09-12, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Cold Calling
2007-08-31, 21-00, Friday Play, Fragments
2007-08-17, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Dude Who Stole My Title?
2007-07-06, 21-00, Friday Play, All American Boys
2007-03-30, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Envy
2007-03-02, 11-30, Inspector Steine, 6/6. The Anniversary.
2007-01-21, 19-45, Cornish Tales, 5/5. Mermaids Standing Stones and Demons
2006-11-09, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Esterhazy
2006-09-13, 14-15, Afternoon Play, The Lost Boys
2006-08-22, 14-15, Afternoon Play, London Pride
2006-08-17, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Black Out
2006-06-01, 14-15, Afternoon Play, The Disappearing Island
2006-05-15, 19-45, Beach Huts, 1/5. The Pet.
2006-02-03, 21-00, Friday Play, Fragments
2005-11-04, 21-00, Friday Play, Full-Blown, By Anita Sullivan.
2005-10-21, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Trafalgar
2005-07-20, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Chacabuco
2004-12-30, 14-15, Afternoon Play, The Disappearing Island
2004-11-03, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Dancing with Mr D
2004-07-09, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Mango
2004-04-15, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Beside the Seaside
2003-12-31, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Cold Calling, By Lynne Truss
2003-12-29, 19-45, Honey from a Weed, Patience Gray's Journey
2003-11-28, 21-00, Friday Play, Full-Blown
2003-09-05, 21-00, Friday Play, The Long Farewell
2003-02-17, 19-45, Gateways Club
2002-11-22, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Beside the Seaside
2002-07-12, 21-00, Friday Play, The Long Farewell
2001-07-18, 14-15, Afternoon Play, The Last Days of Desire
2001-01-02, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Little Words
2000-12-27, 14-15, Afternoon Play, The Hunting of the Snark
2000-09-13, 14-15, Afternoon Play, Breakfast in Brighton
1998-07-24, 21-00, Friday Play, TheTruman Capote Talk Show
1998-06-22, 14-15, Afternoon Play, The Strange Petitioner, by Joe Dunlop.
1997-07-28, 14-00, Pilgrimage, dramatised in two parts by Catherine Czerkawska.
1993-03-22, 14-00, A Clergyman's Daughter, ad. from George Orwell 's novel

NOTES ON A FEW OF THE PLAYS

22 Mar 24: Silos, 1: Silo 605
By Anita Sullivan. 'Take a deep sleep vacation. No work, no stress. Guaranteed sweet dreams.' But weather patterns are changing. Ill-equipped governments and flawed technology try to meet the challenges. Nat, a newly qualified lawyer in stasis law, must deal with the fallout. This new drama is set on Lanza, a fictional island, possibly a few years from now. Nat - Anastasia Hille, Riv - Paul Bazely, Rozmay - Rakie Ayola, Carol - Rebekah Staton, Barry - Ben Crowe, Honour - Raad Rawi, Jodie - Anna Fenton-Garvey, Infovert Voice - Teresa Gallagher, Director: Karen Rose. Producer: Sarah Tombling. Sound Designer: David Thomas. Composer: Simon Slater. Indie (Sweet Talk). 30m.

25 Dec 23 Christmas Miracle on Brighton Pier
By Jonathan Holloway, based on Philip Van Doren Stern’s short story, The Greatest Gift, which became the basis for the film 'It's a Wonderful Life'. It’s Christmas Eve and God (The Boss) and his angels are remembering 2023, when the fate of mankind depended on an undistinguished angel on his last day of service. His final task was to attempt to save a man who decided he no longer wanted to live. The Boss - Tim McInnerny, Eustace, the angel - Mark Benton, William McFadden, the man - Paul Ready, Ellen - Emma Cunniffe, Bob - Ben Crowe. Other parts were played by members of the cast. Producer: Karen Rose. Sound design: David Thomas. Production coordinator: Sarah Tombling. Executive producer: Rosalynd Ward. Recorded on location in Brighton and Hove. Indie (Sweet Talk).

24 Mar 23: Who Killed Aldrich Kemp? 1- Funeral in London
By Julian Simpson. Aldridge Kemp series 2. Heroine Clara Page returns. And this time - the question is in the title. Another rollercoaster ride taking us from the Italian Riviera to the Malaysian jungle - via afternoon tea at Themis House. Clara Page - Phoebe Fox, Aldrich Kemp – Ferdinand Kingsley, Mrs Boone – Nicola Walker, Sebastian Harcourt – Kyle Soller, Nakesha Kemp – Karla Crome, Aunt Lily – Susan Jameson, The Underwood Sisters – Jana Carpenter, Sabine Seah – Rebecca Boey, Mrs Bartholomew – Kate Isitt, Blue 2/Novak - Ben Crowe, Winslow/Blue 1 - James Joyce. Recorded on location in Hove and at the Brighton Conference Centre. Music composed by Tim Elsenburg. Sound Design: David Thomas. Director: Julian Simpson. Producer: Sarah Tombling. Executive Producer: Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk). 30m.

2 Jul 22: Saturday Play - End of Transmission
Today is Jude’s 50th birthday. She has lived with HIV for over 20 years and has unresolved questions. Only the virus knows the answers. The virus takes her on a transmission journey skipping across continents, centuries, decades and diverse hosts to meet the person who gave her HIV. The play includes Positive Voices speakers from the Terence Higgins Trust. Niamh, Stephen, Allan, Tim, Roland, Ese, Jess and Mary are people living with HIV who share their stories to help end stigma and HIV transmission. Playwright Anita Sullivan has been living well with HIV since 2000. 'On effective medication; we can’t pass it on'. The Virus.......David Haig, Jude.......Louise Brealey, Kenny......David Carlyle, Vince.......Don Gilet, Marcel/Jojo......Peter Bankole, Ruth.......Madeleine Potter, Elliot.........Richard Laing, Jim/Mark/William....Joel MacCormack, Devina.........Martina Laird. Sound.........David Thomas, Production Coordinators....Jacob Tombling and Sarah Tombling, Producer............Karen Rose Exec Producer.........Rosalynd Ward. Indie (Sweet Talk).
( .......Note from ND - this play won the Tinniswood Award in 2023. I'm sure Karen would be first to point out that the Tinniswood is judged by the script, not the performance of the producer - but that doesn't prevent my mentioning that the production team did an excellent job .... )

18 Feb 22: Limelight - Who is Aldrich Kemp? Chapter 1: Clara
By Julian Simpson. 30m. On a heightened and fun journey, which takes us to glamourous and sometimes improbable locations, we encounter Euro-villains and murderous housekeepers. In this first episode, the washed-up body of a man presumed dead 7 years earlier marks the beginning of Clara's mission to find the elusive Aldrich Kemp. Clara Page ..........Phoebe Fo,x Mister Bartholomew .........Tim McInnerny, Aldrich Kemp ........... Ferdinand Kingsley, Mrs Boone.............Nicola Walker, Sebastian Harcourt ............Kyle Soller, Nakesha Kemp ..........Karla Crome, Aunt Lily ............Susan Jameson, Secretary ...........Louise Brealey, Howlett .........Ben Crowe, Tom ...........James Joyce. Recorded on location in Hove, London and at The Royal Pavilion in Brighton. Music composed by Tim Elsenburg. Sound Design: David Thomas. Director: Julian Simpson. Producer: Sarah Tombling. Executive Producer: Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk).

11 Dec 21: Saturday Play slot: Lola vs Powerman
By Ray Davies and Paul Sirett. The title is from an album by the Kinks, released in 1970 when the band's songwriter, Ray Davies, was in the middle of a legal struggle for the rights to his songs. The album's blunt appraisal of the music industry had a big impact and was a commercial success.Ray and Paul have now adapted the album into a 90-minute radio drama, with songs. Songwriter ..... Lee Ross, Lola ..... Emma Frankland, Everyman ..... Ben Norris, Mammon ..... Tim McInnerny, Satan ..... Kyle Soller, Lust ..... Sharon D Clarke, Dad ..... Harry Myers, Brother/Sound Engineer ..... Carl Prekopp, Mum/Wife ..... Becky Wright. Songs by Ray Davies. New versions produced by Ray. Piano & Organ: Harvey Brough, Guitar: Bill Shanley, Sound engineer music, Matt Jaggar. Drama producer: Karen Rose. Sound engineer and designer: David Thomas. Production coordinator: Sarah Tombling. Indie (Sweet Talk? - Ed)

19 Jan 21: Breaking Blake
By Barnaby Kay, rpt. George Blake, a member of MI6, passed secrets to the Russians and was sentenced to 42 years imprisonment. But after four years, he escaped from from Wormwood Scrubs. Many assumed, incorrectly, that the KGB was behind the break-out. George Blake.........Michael Maloney, Michael Randle..........Elliot Levey, Anne Randle...........Claire Rushbrook, Pat Pottle.........Tony Gardner, Sean Bourke...........Lloyd Hutchinson, Alim/Doctor............Walles Hamonde, Hawkins/Nice Barry........Ben Crowe, Boys............Kellan & Merryn Dowley, News reports..........David Holt, Secretary/Mum.......Freya James, Director .......Barnaby Kay, Sound Recordist and Designer ......David Thomas, Production Coordinator ........Sarah Tombling, Producer.......Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk).

24 Nov 20: Billy Ruffian
By Lisa Osborne, and directed by her; rpt. In June 1815, Napoleon had been beaten at Waterloo and had fled to Paris. As the royalists took control of the city, Napoleon went to the coast hoping to escape to America. Captain Frederick Maitland, in charge of HMS Bellerophon, was given the job of observing events and of stopping him from getting away. Napoleon: Adrian Scarborough, Maitland: Arthur Darvill, Bertrand: Adam James, Mott: Sam Alexander, Madame Bertrand: Emerald O'Hanrahan, Baker Hawkins: Sam Dale, Lord Liverpool: Hugh Ross. Producer Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk)

18 May 20: Mythos, 2: Glamis
Rpt of two stories in the 'Mythos' series by Julian Simpson. Mary Lairre, the ghost of a sixteenth century French nun murdered at Borley Rectory and rendered corporeal by the mysterious Department, is joined by Parker, a character with magical abilities. Lairre and Parker accompany their boss Johnson to Glamis Castle in Scotland, where a secret door has been discovered. The door leads into a folkloric dimension, where monster hunter Libby Ward is tracking a dangerous monster and has kidnapped an innocent American tourist to use as bait. Lairre: Nicola Walker, Parker: Phoebe Fox, Johnson: Tim McInnerny, Libby: Jana Carpenter. Sound Designer: David Thomas, Producer: Karen Rose, director: Julian Simpson. Indie (Sweet Talk).

2 Nov 19: Saturday Play: Arthur
By Kinks lead singer Ray Davies and Paul Sirett. 75m. This is a musical drama based on the Kinks' LP from 1969 entitled 'Arthur' (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empir)e. On pages 114 and 115 of RT is a two-page article about this production. A close-knit working family trying to come to terms with postwar Britain is torn apart when Ray's brother-in-law, Arthur, decides to emigrate to Australia. Arthur: Lee Ross, Rose: Rosie Cavaliero, Ray: Stephen Lloyd, Dave: Mark Newnham, Terry: Ben Norris, Bobby: Arthur Hughes, Julie and Sally: Emerald O'Hanrahan, Mr. Henderson: David Holt, Mum: Karen Spicer, Dad and Jones: Wayne Norman. Producers: Karen Rose and Ray Davies; director: Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk)

16 Jul 19: Making Plans with Nigel
By Stuart Houghton. A 45-year-old writer and IT man finds a lump in his left breast. Semi-autobiographical, set in the run-up to the EU referendum. Stuart: Mark Benton, Natalie: Sally Lindsay, Nigel Farage: Lewis Macleod, Ben: John Ramm, with Becky Wright, Paul Bazeley, Cherrelle Skeete, Emma Fielding and Ben Crowe. Producer: Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk).

29 May 19: The Not Knowing
By Daniel Maier. Harriet's four-year-old son goes missing. Her imagination takes over ... Harriet: Louise Brealey, Therapist: Pippa Haywood, Alex: Mark Bazeley, Tina: Rebecca Stanton, Sophie: Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Rosie: Kathryn Drysdale, Supermarket manager: David Holt, PC Hobbes: Ben Crowe, Rosie's date: Tom Glenister. Producer: Karen Rose.

22 Feb 19: Sick
By Annalise D'Innella. A play about extreme morning sickness in pregnancy. Kate: Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Dr. Manning and the Smart Phone: Teresa Gallagher, Naomi: Cariad Lloyd, Dan and Nurse Craig: Alex Lowe, Evelyn: Alison Steadman, John: Sean Baker, Young Kate: Kathleen Keaney, Young Naomi: Lola Page, Sophie: Xu. Producer: Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk).

2018-03-23 Suggs: My Mad-Life Crisis
By Graham McPherson & Toby Follet, ad. Owen Lewis. Biographical drama of Suggs. The death of Suggs' beloved cat on his fiftieth birthday triggered a personal quest to discover what happened to the father he never knew. Suggs takes us back to his childhood and his first appearance on Top Of The Pops at the age of eighteen. With: Suggs, Ewan Bailey, Philippa Stanton. Director ...... Owen Lewis; producer ... Karen Rose. Other parts played by Ewan Bailey and Philippa Stanton. Indie (Sweet Talk).

Julian Simpson's play FUGUE STATE (R4, 29 Oct 17) was another drama from this fine writer where sound recordings have a key part in the story; this also occurs in BAD MEMORIES (2011) and FRAGMENTS (2006). A man in hospital in a fugue state holds the key to strange events which have occurred in a remote village. Fugue state is a type of reversible amnesia; onset is sudden, usually following severe psychological stress. Can sound recordings prompt his brain into remembering what has happened? The amnesiac is played by Steven Mackintosh, with Nicola Walker as Doctor Fallon, Tim McInnerney as Johnson and Ferdinand Kingsley as Simon. The play was produced by Karen Rose for Indie company Sweet Talk. (....ND, Diversity website review, Dec 2017)

2017-04-05, Mythos
By Julian Simpson. Incidents of death from heart failure have spiked at seven times the national average in a small village in Essex. Agent Lairre investigates. Lairre ........ Nicola Walker, Johnson ....... Tim McInnerny, Hicks ...... Jonathan Bailey, Neboad ..... Steven Mackintosh, Seth ..... David Calder, Kate ....... Emma Fielding, Aubrey ...... Hugh Ross, Director ....... Julian Simpson, Producer ..... Karen Rose. Sound design & original music: David Thomas. Published music: Olafur Arnalds & Kronos Quartet. Indie (Sweet Talk).

MYTHOS, by Julian Simpson (R4, three plays beginning 24 Apr 18; a repeat from 2017) were broadcast on successive days. They were highly original; described in RT as paranormal fantasy thrillers. In play 1, there's an investigation into an unusually high number of deaths from heart failure in a small village. Play 2 sees the paranormal expert taking her boss to Glamis castle and investigating a secret room, 50 miles wide. The third play sees an enormous sink-hole opening up beneath London. Lairre, the investigator, was played by Nicola Walker, Johnson by Tim McInnerney and Parker by Phoebe Fox, with an excellent varied cast making up the rest. The producer was Karen Rose, for the Indie company Sweet Talk. This was weird, strange and very listenable radio; I hope there are more episodes in the pipeline. (....ND, Diversity website review, Apr 2018)

2013-12-23, The Christmas of Inspector Steine
By Lynne Truss. Brighton, Christmas 1957 was memorable in all sorts of ways. It was the year of the Queen's first Christmas broadcast, and it was also Mrs Groynes' first Christmas married to Captain Hoagland of the Royal Engineers. Comedy! Inspector Steine ..... Michael Fenton Stevens, Mrs Groynes ........ Samantha Spiro, Captain Hoagland ....... Robert Bathurst, Constable Twitten ...... Matt Green, Sergeant Brunswick ....... John Ramm, Gloria's mother ..... Janet Ellis, Producer ....... Karen Rose, Music by Anthony May. Sound design by David Thomas. Producer: Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk).

2013-01-20, Classic Serial - An Angel at My Table, 2
The autobiography of Janet Frame, dramatised for radio by Anita Sullivan.Frame was New Zealand's best known but least public writer. She wrote 12 novels, four story collections, one book of poetry and three volumes of autobiography. She disliked publicity. In her twenties she spent four and a half years in mental hospitals and was wrongly diagnosed with schizophrenia. Her writing saved her; it convinced doctors that she did not need a lobotomy. In this episode, after a failed suicide attempt, Janet agrees to a short period in hospital. With thanks to Houghton Valley School and Wellington High School, New Zealand. Janet Frame, the narrator ........ Lorraine Ashbourne, Janet Frame 22-38 ........ Anna Skellen, Mother ...... Barbara Ewing, Father ........ Denis Lill, Miss Botting ..... Federay Holmes, June ....... Celeste Wong, John Forrest ........ Mike Sengelow, Patrick Riley ....... Ruairi Conaghan, Edwin and Doctor Cawley ....... Richard Laing, El Vici and Femin ..... Daniel Philpott, Catalina ...... Celia Meiras, Bruddie ........ William Alexander, Doctor Cump ....... William Alexander, Producer ...... Karen Rose, Music - Simon Russell, Sound design - David Thomas. Production assistants -Sarah Tombling and Kath Caton. Associate producer - Andrew Foster (New Zealand). Producer - Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk).

2011-01-26, My Year Off
By Robert McCrum. In 1995 Robert was an admired novelist and editorial director at Faber and Faber. He was also a reporter who had travelled to some of the most dangerous war-torn places in the world. 42 and married barely two months to New York Times journalist Sarah Lyall, the future looked great. But overnight his world shifted. With a war correspondent's intrepidness and a writer's desire to communicate his experience to others, Robert chose to chronicle what what happened to him next - experiencing a stroke. In the adaptation, his narrative is interpolated with extracts from diaries that he and Sarah Lyall kept during his long and difficult convalescence. What follows is terrifying, heartbreaking, intimate, funny and ultimately life affirming. Cast:Robert McCrum ..... Alex Jennings. Sarah Lyall ..... Madeline Potter. Doctor/Dentist/Occupational Therapist ...... Richard Laing. Paramedic/Speech Physiotherapist ..... Rachel Atkins. Sound Design ..... David Thomas. Adapted and produced by Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk).

2011-01-07 Friday Play - Bad Memories
By Julian Simpson. In 2004, a successful architect and his family mysteriously disappear from their home. Six years later five bodies are found in the cellar of their house. They are identified as Jonathan and Imogen Blake and their son, Matthew; Philip Gibson, who was on the missing person's register and a woman, identity unknown. Forensics determine that not only were they murdered, but the time of death was 1926. Can audio files found with the bodies solve the mystery? Rachel Weir ..... Nicola Walker, Jim Marquez ..... Rupert Graves, Phillip Gibson ..... Steven Mackintosh, Jonathan Blake ..... Anthony Calf, Imogen Blake ..... Jana Carpenter, Matthew Blake ..... Oscar Richardson, Mary Marston ..... Imogen McCurdy, Boy 1 ...... Ashley Cook, Boy 2 ...... Marcus Webb. Produced by Julian Simpson. Recorded by Lucinda Mason Brown and David Chilton at Stanmer House in Brighton. Sound design by David Chilton. Producer: Karen Rose. Indie (Sweet Talk).

HOMESICK (R4, 1415, 11 Mar 2009) was part of the BBC's celebration of science fiction during March. Anita Sullivan's play concerned a stranded alien and his relationship with a human in the face of his inability to return home. It reminded me of the famous short story “Meteor” by John Wyndham.The were some remarkable sounds effects as the alien first tried to communicate, completely incoherent at the beginning, gradually becoming intelligible; the SMs did an excellent job. It starred Mark Heap, Paul Ritter, Maxine Peake, Susan Jameson, Ewan Bailey and Mia Soteriou. The producer was Karen Rose, and the author directed. (....ND, Diversity website review, Apr 2009)

Julian Simpson was the author of another repeated Friday Play, FRAGMENTS (R4, 2102, 31 Aug 07) in which a teenage girl is accused of the murder of a retired Royal Marine. There seems to be no motive; the evidence is circumstantial, and the convoluted plot flicks between police interviews, recordings from electronic "bugs", and uncomfortable conversations between the girl and her mother. John Carlisle played the 70-year-old Grant, Lesley Sharp was mother, and Sarah Smart was Kelly, indistinguishable from a genuine spoilt teenager. The producer was Karen Rose, and the author directed. (....ND, Diversity website review, Sep 2007)

2007-07-06, Friday Play: All American Boys
By Paul Brodrick; drama-documentary reconstructing the events of the My Lai massacre and its aftermath, told through court transcripts, letters and personal testimonies of those who were there. Ron Ridenhour: Kerry Shale, Lt Calley: Ryan McCluskey, Col Wilson: Robert Gsiade, Sgt Hodges: Ben Onwukwe, Capt Medina: Ramon Camln, Fred: Martin T Sherman, Gregor: Ronan Summers, Michael: Mikey O'Connor, Varnado: Jimmy Akingbola, Larry: Nathan Osqood, Hugh: Colin Stinton, Producer: Karen Rose.

2006-06-01, The Disappearing Island
By Nigel Richardson. A lakeland fantasy about mid-life crisis and the romantic imagination. London schoolteacher Tom Quincey is in disgrace after being caught in possession of drugs on school premises. He flees to the heart of the Lake District, where he sets about rethinking his life and troubled marriage. Tom: Mark Heap, Mr Wilson: Paul Copley, Catherine: Becky Hindley, Johnny, Gordon & Landlord: Daniel Ryan, Headmaster: Ian Masters, AA reporter and weatherman: Peter Jefferson. John Humphrys: Himself.

Full-Blown (R4, 2102, 28 Nov 03) was a play about AIDS and its consequences. Roz is 30 years old, middle-class, clean living and healthy; just like you or me. But one day she develops a nasty cough which will not go away. Two weeks later, she is fighting for her life. Make no mistake - AIDS doesn't just affect the promiscuous. The plot sounds dire and depressing; to my surprise, it was anything but, and showed what a good playwright can do with difficult material. Drama has come a long way since its low point in the mid nineties; the SMs, the writing, and the acting have never been better. The cast: Claire Skinner, Charlie Simpson, Clive Wedderburn, Daniel Ryan, David Holt, David Collings, Dona Croll, Joanne Good and Ian Masters; music was by Joe Young and the director was Karen Rose. (....ND, Diversity website review, Dec 2003)

2003-02-17, The Gateways Club, 1
By Nigel Richardson. The five-part story of Britain's most famous lesbian club. 5 x 15m. 1 ... Awakenings. Young Gina .......... Imelda Staunton, Margy .......... Barbara Flynn, Gina, Shirley & Smithy .......... Rachel Atkins, Child Gina and Young Margy .......... Alison Pettitt, Ted, Albert & Priest .......... Ewan Bailey, Sister Perpetua & Margy's Mum .......... Jean Trend, Producer .......... Karen Rose.

2001-01-02, Little Words
By Amy Rosenthal. January 1923. In a sanatorium in the French Alps, 34-year-old Katherine Mansfield died from tuberculosis after a lifelong struggle for her health. In a New York hotel bathroom, Dorothy Parker made her first serious attempt at suicide. One night, years later, the lives of these two people come together. Dorothy: Madeleine Potter, Katherine: Kathryn Pogson, Ida: Julia Ford, Robert: Bob Sherman, John: Will Keen, Harold: Terence Edmond, Charles: Stuart Milligan. Producer: Karen Rose.

2000-12-27, The Hunting of the Snark
By Lewis Carroll , dram. Dylan Ritson. A surreal odyssey in which a bizarre group of characters sets off in search of the elusive and mysterious Snark. Barrister: Nigel Anthony, Bellman: David Bamber, Baker: James Fleet, Banker/Bonett: Jasmine Hyde, Beaver/Boots: Jane Whittenshaw, Butcher/Billmarker: Mark Williams, Producer: Karen Rose.

1998-07-24, Friday Play - TheTruman Capote Talk Show
By Bob Kingdom. A glitzy biographical portrayal of writer, socialite and professional gossip Truman Capote. The actor also takes part. Directed by Richard Wortley; producer Karen Rose.

1998-06-22 The Strange Petitioner
By Joe Dunlop. A dramatisation of the life of Robert K Andrews , whose appeal for world peace made him a familiar petitioner in the House of Commons from 1963 until 1997. But he lived and died on the streets of London. Features Tony Benn , Peter Bottomley , Emma Nicholson and Bernard Weatherill. Robert Andrews (older) ..... John Rowe; (younger) ..... Miles Anderson; with Ian Masters, Carolyn Jones, David Jarvis, Stephen Critchlow, Colin Fisher, Wayne Jackman and Debbie Garvey. Producer Karen Rose. Director Alastair Wilson.

1997-07-28, Pilgrimage
By Zenna Henderson , dramatised in two parts by Catherine Czerkawska. 1: Rescued by Karen from a misjudged suicide attempt, Lea meets people who are strange beyond all comprehension - to humans. Lea: Sybil Wintrope, Karen: Rose McBain, Deon: Raymond Short, with Mark McDonnell, Michael Perceval-Maxwell , Janette Foggo, Maria Miller , Alyxis Daly. Producer: Hamish Wilson.

1993-03-22, A Clergyman's Daughter
Adapted by John Peacock from George Orwell 's novel. The scandal that rocked a small town when the clergyman's daughter suddenly disappeared. Dorothy: Amanda Redman Charles: Hugh Dickson Elkn: Marion Diamond Warburton: Glyn Grain Nobby: John Salthouse Flo: Jane Whittenshaw Charlie: David Bannerman Miss Creavy: Frances Jeater Sir Tom: Stephen Thorn Other parts played by Struan Rodger. Jillie Meers. Charles Simpson. Karen Rose , Tamsin Collison , Joanna Kyle and Melissa Catsoulis. Producer: Celia de Wolff.

...... ND, Diversity website

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