Saturday 30 July 2011

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

If you missed, 'Titus Discovers', the third part of my play cycle, The History of Titus Groan, based on the novels of Mervyn Peake, you can catch it tonight on BBC Radio 4 at 21:00.

And you can hear Part 4, 'Titus Departs', also on Radio 4, tomorrow, Sunday 31 July, at 15:00, described in the latest issue of Radio Times as: "An absolute triumph."

Here's another snap from the recording session with Luke Treadaway and Hugo Docking (left and right as grown up and young Titus) and David Warner who plays the Artist.

Instead of saying "Cheese!", the photographer asked us to say "Gormenghast!" which explains why three of us have rather strange expressions. Luke, however, was too smart to get caught like that!

Titus, Artist, Brian and Young Titus

Among the events that are chronicled in the fourth play tomorrow are the developments in the brother sister relationships between Titus and Fuchsia played by Olivia Hallinan...

Titus and Fuchsia

There is also a growing awareness of Steerpike's perfidy by Titus' mother, the Countess Gertrude, and Doctor Alfred Prunesquallor, played by Miranda Richardson and James Fleet...

Lady Gertrude and Dr Prunesquallor

And, lightening the mood, there are the comic events surrounding the courtship and marriage of Miss Irma Prunesquallor and Professor Bellgrove, played by Tamsin Greig and William Gaunt...

Irma and Bellgrove

All of the episodes, as they are broadcast, will remain accessible via the BBC iPlayer until the series is complete. Then, eight days later, it will be possible to download and purchase all six hours of drama.

Photos: David Hunter and Islay Bell-Webb


3 comments:

elizabethanne said...

Oh bother. I'd written a full comment, then lost it when I realized I was signed on as Jan and not as myself (the perils of using someone else's laptop on a journey).

I'd said...

Love your expression when saying "Gormenghast"! That's even better than my cousin's injunction to "Say fuzzy pickles."

Somehow, our traveling schedule has not allowed for radio-listening, but I'd already decided to do the purchase-and-download option, as I want a permanent record of this! I shall look forward to listening to the entire play then.

My initial word verification was slightly more interesting than the current one, so I'm repeating the previous one...

CONSTSKI: A British Bobby on vacation in Gstaad.

SCB

Andy Latham said...

How long does it take to write six hours of play Brian? That's quite a feat! Congratulations on doing it!

Do you think writing a radio play is better or worse than writing for any other medium? I imagine that it's a really fun thing to do because you have to create an image in the audience's heads like a book.

Brian Sibley said...

elizabethanne - Do you know A A Milne's poem (from Now We Are Six) 'Explained'?

"Elizabeth Ann
Had a wonderful plan
She would run round the world till she found a man
Who knew exactly how God began..."


Andy – How long for six one hours? Just about six months, give or take a day or two.

Yes, I love it as a medium, but it has a great many challenges when you are trying to show not tell and only have words and sounds with which to do that!