Unidentified Radio Plays
A second page of unidentified plays ...I am often contacted by listeners of radio plays who ask me to identify something they heard
years ago from a description (which they supply) of the plot, and ask whether a recording
is available.
By definition, these plays are exceptional - otherwise they wouldn't have been remembered so vividly.
Here are some of the queries which have arrived. I am stumped by a few of them ... please email if you can help. New material is at the top.
Nigel Deacon, Diversity website
From 'sarahmiddleton'
.... I am probably searching for the impossible: it was a radio drama from probably 2001, in several parts. Most likely R4. I remember listening on consecutive weekends, and that it may have had a repeat, weekly.
The story told of an eponymous 18th century individual who had been framed in a really Dreyfusian manner, by a vindictive male jealous of the love interest. Eventually, after numerous trials and sadistic turns, he was transported to Australia on one of the notorious prison ships where he suffered yet more physical torment. On arrival he was to find that the Governor or whoever administered the territory was somehow connected to the original injustice and embarked on more torture and unthinkable acts.
This rang a faint bell with me, but it was Austin who again came to the rescue... this is "His Natural Life" by Marcus Clarke, dramatised in three parts by Joe Dunlop; R4; 8, 15 & 22 Oct 2000. "The epic story of a man falsely accused of murder and sentenced to be transported to Van Diemen 's land."
- ....Brilliant - so fast - how do you do it? - Sarah
.... (not me this time; it was Austin! - ND )
From Sean D
....Could I pick your brain about a radio show I heard on radio 4 extra? .......
A man is sent to an island to investigate grisly murders. The army cut the island off and tell everyone it’s an outbreak of a contagious disease . I know there is a farmer's wife who kills her husband. And the local sergeant helps him.
I know it’s not much info but it’s driving me insane. Any help would be appreciated.
-
....This one had me stumped because of the 'island' reference, but my friend Austin Day supplied the answer: it's probably Outbreak of Fear, by R.D.Wingfield. It's not set on an island but a fishing village by the sea. It was in several instalments.
It dates from the 1980s.
Outbreak of Fear: Episode 1: The Body on the Beach
First broadcast: Sun 29th Aug 1982, 19:02 on BBC Radio 4 FM
A thriller serial in five parts by R.D. Wingfield
with Leslie Sands as Sergeant Fowler
Until Beaumont came to Polford, fresh from Police Training College,
he had never seen a dead body. But in this sleepy fishing village in
the West Country he was about to complete his education...
....Many thanks .... now I can sleep again!
Sean
From N.D.
....I remember there was a very entertaining comedy serial, total length about 5 x 30m, some years ago, featuring one of the 'Hinge and Bracket' team as a very strong eccentric female character guiding the life of a young boy. His parents have died and she becomess the boy's guardian. She moves in theatrical circles.
Anyone any ideas? I think it was probably 1990-ish.
It sounds very much like "Travels with My Aunt".
First broadcast: Thu 22nd May 1997, 10:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM
By Graham Greene , dramatised in five parts by Rene Basilico. Starring Dame Hilda Bracket as Aunt Augusta and Charles Kay as Henry Pulling. 1: In a London crematorium, a meeting transforms the life of a retired suburban bank manager. Music Jim Parker. Producer John Fawcett Wilson. (....answered by Don Craig; thanks Don)
From O.B.
... a radio drama, broadcast supposedly on BBC Radio 4 in the 1980s. Any insight you may have would be most appreciated.
The drama is based on a real-life tragedy which took place in Winkleigh, Devon in the 1970s. Three members of a farming family (two brothers and a sister) were discovered around the grounds of their home having died from shotgun wounds. They had lived and worked on that land their whole lives, none of them having married or had children. With the spectre of old age approaching, and beset with worry and uncertainty over the sale of their farm, it seems the pressure became unbearable for them.
I'm not sure if the drama focuses on the siblings themselves, or the investigation and aftermath of the incident. I never heard the broadcast myself, I have only heard vague recollections of it from other people.
The event took place in 1975, and the earliest reference I've seen to the drama is in an article written in 1987, so the window for the plays' broadcast can be no wider than this. I suspect the broadcast date to be sometime between 1980-1985. As a side note, this drama is not to be confused with a book about the incident named 'Earth to Earth', which was read and broadcast in 15 minute installments on Radio 4 in 1987.
Dear O.B. - This is an interesting question. I think the play which was triggered by this was probably 'Inheritance', by Don Haworth, broadcast on R3 in 1985. It tells the story of a farmer and his brother and sister working a farm; none of them had any partner or children and they are worried about what will happen to it when they grow old. However, there the similarity with your outline ends. No unexplained deaths, no shotguns; he rounds the story off with a less unhappy ending.
It is common for a real-life event to trigger a dramatic response - it doesn't matter that it is significantly different from what actually happened. It still airs the issues and offers solutions. I can't trace any play or drama-doc with the outline you mention, so I think this may be what has occurred.
....Dear ND - Many thanks for your prompt reply. I think you've hit the nail on the head! ....O.B.
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