Lesley Clive Radio Plays
Branwell Johnson writes …My mother Lesley Johnson wrote under the pen name Lesley Clive and was a housewife for a long period of time looking after my sister and me; she never went to university until her sixties. But she wrote a number of stage and radio plays in the 1970s and 1980s that won local competitions and were adapted for local and national radio. She was a genuine regional voice with a unique ear for speech and strong narrative.
(Click on any of the thumbnails for better pictures)
RADIO PLAYS
Tie Up* – BBC Radio 3 (1976)
The Daisy Chain – Radio Merseyside (1977) – winner of BBC Radio Northwest Playwright’s Competition 1977, Thirty Minute Theatre, BBC Radio 4 (1979 featuring June Barry)
Back Step* - Thirty Minute Theatre, BBC Radio 4 June (1980)
Shadow Tick - Thirty Minute Theatre, BBC Radio (1980 featuring Julie Walters)
Wheelbrace – Radio Merseyside (1979)
RADIO DRAMA DOCUMENTARIES
Sea Of Trouble (story of H.M.S. Thetis) – Radio City (1979)
King Steam (4-part series, George Stephenson) – Radio City (1980)
Who Killed Julie (The Julia Wallace Case) – Radio City (1981)
Coppers Out! (Police Strike, 1919) – Radio City (1982)
STAGE PLAYS
Eye – Liverpool Everyman Theatre (1972)
Can’t You See My Face Is Sad – Gateway Theatre Studio, Chester 1972). Prizewinner
Next of Kin – Gateway Theatre Studio, Chester (1973). Prizewinner
Dov - Gateway Theatre Studio, Chester (1973), Prizewinner
Tie Up – London Fringe Production, Playhouse Upstairs (1976)
Any Way You Want Me - King’s Head, London, Birmingham, Liverpool Everyman Theatre, Manchester, Buxton Festival (1981 featuring Linda Beckett) and Edinburgh Festival (1982)
Jam Side Down – Liverpool Playhouse (1983)
A Basket Of Stars – children’s play, Wirral Youth Theatre (1978)
NOTES ON THE RADIO PLAYS
Tie Up .... 1976
6 Jan 1976. By Lesley Clive. R3; Drama Now. 'Fail the 11-plus and it's factory. I began in canned fruit and veg. Worked in Woolies' for a bit. Then I tried modellin' at the art college and I realised if I charged for what I was givin' away I could double my income.'
Don: Kenneth Farrington,
Shirley: June Barry,
Wally: Paul Webster,
Producer: Alfred Bradley. BBC Manchester.
... 
1979-09-11, 11-00am The Daisy Chain
By Lesley Clive. Thirty-Minute Theatre. Whilst young Catherine Howard awaits execution, she reflects on her past life and on her love affair with Thomas Culpeper.
Catherine: June Barry,
Tom: Andrew Branch,
Henry VIII: Robert Lang,
Archbishop Cranmer: Philip Voss,
Producer: Martin Jenkins. (Note- RT says that Reg Brookes produced it, not Martin J; not sure which is correct)
... 
1980-06-17, 11-05 Back Step
By Lesley Clive. Thirty-Minute Theatre. When Pat goes home to Liverpool to attend a funeral, she is forced to examine her new life away from her own grass roots.
Eunice: June Barry,
Pat: Maureen O'Brien,
Arthur: Ken Jones,
Ruth: Sheila Fay,
Keith: Brian Carroll,
Producer: Martin Jenkins.
1980-11-18, 11-05 Shadow Tick
By Lesley Clive. Thirty-Minute Theatre. On her first-ever holiday, Mavis, a 17-year-old girl from Liverpool, meets a young man who seems to offer her hope for the future. They enjoy an idyllic week. but what will happen when she has to go home? (LW only)
Madge: Sheila Fay,
Mavis: Julie Walters,
Doreen: Nona Shepphard,
Paul: Andrew Branch,
Producer: Martin Jenkins.
Asterisked plays known to exist in VRPCC collections.
Nigel Deacon, Diversity website.
