Radio Plays: Votes
VOTES
This page lists plays mainly related to elections - electing the Master of a Cambridge College, a new Pope, a new Prime Minister .....
More political plays here ...
THE GRUDGE....2012
24 May 12. By James Graham. A story about the buildup to the 1997 election. In Norfolk, the sitting candidate (surname Bellingham) is pitted against a Labour candidate and also a 'referendum' candidate, surname Perceval. It turns out that two hundred years ago, Prime Minister Perceval was assassinated by John Bellingham, ancestor of the present Tory MP. Cast: Robert Bathurst, Stephen Critchlow, Christine Absalom, Lizzy McInnerney. Producer Peter Kavanagh.
SEA CHANGE....2012
By John Fletcher. R3, 29 Jan 12. This was a fascinating bit of social history; the story of the appeasers versus the anti-appeasers during the buildup to the Second World War. Eventually the people of the UK realised that their P.M. could no longer continue to turn a blind eye to what was happening in and around Germany. When Poland was invaded, Neville Chamberlain had no choice but to declare war. A Coalition government was rapidly formed, where politicians of all parties temporarily suspended their differences to defend the UK, with Churchill as P.M.
Cast: Charles Edwards as Harold Nicolson (of Sissinghurst), Kim Wall, John Rowe, Richard Dillane, Carl Prekopp as Guy Burgess, Adam Billington, Gerard McDermott,, James Lailey, Adjoa Andoh, Christopher Webster and Rikki Lawton. Producer Marc Beeby.
FIVE DAYS IN MAY....2010
Nov 2010, Saturday Play, 60m. Fictionalised reconstruction of the events just before the formation of the first coalition government in Britain for 70 years. Goldhawk Essential for R4. Script by Matthew Solon; directed by John Dryden.
A FAMILY AFFAIR....2009
28 11 2009 Saturday Play;on 22nd November 1990; following dissention in the Conservative ranks and an equivocal leadership ballot; Margaret Thatcher made the dramatic decision to offer her resignation as prime minister. Michael Dobbs' play follows Thatcher's last traumatic days in power; seen from the perspective of her husband; Denis; and her family. Margaret Thatcher ...... Clare Higgins Denis Thatcher ...... Stephen Moore Carol Thatcher ...... Monica Dolan Mark Thatcher ...... William McGeogh Bill ...... Benjamin Whitrow Sir Geoffrey Howe ...... John McEnery Anthony ...... Kevin Doyle Minister ...... Sean Campion Christine ...... Sara Stewart Directed by Roland Jaquerello A Fiction Factory production for BBC Radio 4. Broadcast Sat 28 Nov 2009 14:30 BBC Radio 4 .
HOW ARE YOU FEELING, ALF?....2009
8 Jun 09. By James Graham. Political play about the last days of the Callaghan government and the beginning of the Labour Party's years in the wilderness under the shadow of Mrs. Thatcher. The main character in the play is 'Alf', an elderly MP in poor health who is almost too ill to attend the House for crucial votes. With Geraldine McEwen, Julia Ford, Laura Mowat, Robert Lonsdale, Philip Jackson, Janice Aqua, Jonathan Tafler. Producer Claire Grove. Afternoon play, 45m.
NUMBER TEN ....2008
28 10 2008 - Series of fictional plays by Jonathan Myerson depicting life inside Downing Street. 5/5. Following the tragic death of his Personal Private Secretary; the Prime Minister has called an election. With four weeks until the country votes; the polls do not look promising. Adam ...... Antony Sher Steve ...... Julian Rhind-Tutt Monica ...... Sasha Behar Polly ...... Deborah Findlay Lord Rudolph ...... Paul Jesson Sheila Larwood ...... Clare Perkins Robert Wintour ...... Nigel Lindsay Greg Spender ...... John Warnaby Barry Hornsea ...... Connor McIntyre Reporter ...... Christopher Obi.
CONCLAVE....2008
11 10 2008 Gripping drama by Hugh Costello. After the short reign and mysterious death of Pope John Paul I; the election of a new Pope takes place in an atmosphere of high tension between opposing factions within the Vatican; including those who want to elect the first non-Italian Pope for over four hundred years. Cardinal Franz Koenig ...... David Calder, Hannah Popper ...... Alison Reid, Cardinal Giovanni Benelli ...... Nicholas Le Prevost, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla ...... Andrew Hilton, Cardinal Jean Villot ...... Nigel Anthony, Cardinal Aloisio Lorscheider ......Paul Humpoletz, Cardinal Giuseppe Siri ...... Paul Nicholson, Cardinal John Krol ...... Christian Rodska, Monsignor Virgilio Noe ...... Jonathan Nibbs, Cardinal Johannes Willebrands ...... Bill Wallis, Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns ...... David Collins, Uli Melzer ...... Paul Dodgson. With John Sandeman and Kristian Phillips.
STRANGERS & BROTHERS....2003
3) 'The Masters - Part 1' (Sunday 2nd February 2003 , 3:00 p.m.)
It is January 1937 and Cambridge lies muffled under a blanket of deep snow. The quad is empty and quiet while Eliot sits enjoying the fireside. He and his wife have become use to living apart - in fact they had grown comfortable with separation. Ten years previously, Lewis had started out on the difficult road to being a barrister in London. But ill health and his ill-judged marriage had pushed his career in a different direction. He is teaching in a Cambridge college when an election is called for a new Master.
Dramatised by Jonathan Holloway from C. P. Snow's 1951 novel, "The Masters".
With Adam Godley [Lewis Eliot], Philip Franks [Arthur Brown], Matthew Marsh [C. P. Chrystal], David Calder [Paul Jago], Adam Levy [Roy Calvert], Ian Hogg [Sir Horace Timberlake], Clive Merrison [Godfrey Winslow], Andy Taylor [Francis Getliffe], Hugh Quarshie [R. T. A. Crawford], Jeremy Child [R. E. A. Nightingale], Joanna Monro [Mrs. Alice Jago] and David Haig [The Narrator]. 60 minutes.
4) 'The Masters - Part 2' (Sunday 9th February 2003 , 3:00 p.m.)
It was December 1937. It had been a dismal year. The Germans and Japanese had started up their war machines and the Master at the Cambridge college where Lewis was a Fellow of Law had just passed away. His death threw the college into turmoil and ranker as his colleagues plotted and counter-plotted the succession. There were two candidates: Crawford, a brilliant scientist, ambitious, and in Eliot's view, vain but associated with the anti-appeasement faction against Hitler; and Jago, Eliot's man, a good teacher but an undistinguished academic, unconcerned with the world outside their cloister. The election was to be immediately before Votes and neither candidate had a majority of the 12 Fellows. They needed both the Returning Officer's vote and a defection from Crawford's camp. Against all his rational instincts Eliot promised to chase down one of the imbittered old-guard to see if he couldn't secure them a turncoat at the last innings. The Reverend Despard-Smith, at 70 years, the most lonely and resentful of all the 'rightists' in college, seemed most worth a try.
Dramatised by Jonathan Holloway from C. P. Snow's 1951 novel, "The Masters".
With Adam Godley [Lewis Eliot], Anastasia Hille [Sheila Eliot née Knight], Adam Levy [Roy Calvert], Philip Franks [Arthur Brown], Matthew Marsh [C. P. Chrystal], David Calder [Paul Jago], Joanna Monro [Mrs. Alice Jago], Clive Merrison [Godfrey Winslow], Hugh Quarshie [R. T. A. Crawford], Jeremy Child [R. E. A. Nightingale], Andy Taylor [Francis Getliffe], Peter Howell [Reverend A. E. Despard-Smith], Patrick Godfrey [R. S. Robinson], Carla Simpson [Betty Vane] and David Haig [The Narrator].
THE FALKLANDS PLAY - 2002
It is now nearly twenty years since our conflict with Argentina, and fifteen years after they pulled the plug, the BBC broadcast The Falklands Play, by Ian Curteis (R4, 1430, 6 Apr 02). A quality production, good dialogue (close to the truth?) and a vivid portrayal of our ex Prime Minister, along with the mediocrity of some of her ministers, whose names we have forgotten. Mrs. Thatcher was accused afterwards in the House of fighting an unnecessary war, and her reply is worth quoting: " Tragic this war may have been, but may I point out to the Right Honourable gentleman that he would not enjoy the freedom of speech which he puts to such excellent use unless people had been prepared to fight for it". Patricia Hodge played Mrs. Thatcher, and there was a strong supporting cast, including John Standing, Patrick Godfrey and Clive Merrison. (Nigel Deacon, VRPCC newsletter, Apr 02)
DEATH OF AN UNIMPORTANT POPE....1997
Was Pope John Paul I murdered? With Geoffrey Whitehead, Keith Drinkel, Stephen Thorne, Bernard Hepton. By Wally K. Daly; 75 min.
PATRICIA'S POLICY....1997
18 6 1997;
The first of a new four-part drama by Tony Mulholland. `Poison Pens'. Patricia Brown has been selected as the Tory candidate for King's Meadow; a marginal seat. John Major has not yet named the date of the general election; but the party machine has already started to swing into action. There is a tough fight ahead. With Lucy Treager; Kim Wall and Hilary MacLean. Director Brian Lighthill. Afternoon Play 14:00
compiled by Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
Above plays known to exist in vrpcc collections.
