Drama of the Week

Ros Turnbull is a junior doctor in A&E, working in a system which leaves little time for empathy, but then a diagnosis changes everything. Al Smith's two-part drama examines the NHS from the viewpoint of a doctor who becomes a patient. Inspired by the writer's own experience. Ros ..... Lucy Phelps Ranya ..... Taj Atwal Mike ..... Samuel James Dan ..... Sam Swann Grace/Tash ..... Heather Bleasdale Mr Blake ..... Ewan Bailey Rita/Becca ..... Melissa Vaughan Kate/Lia ..... Leah Marks Tariq ..... Hasan Dixon Director ...... Sally Avens Writer ..... Al Smith Al Smith is the award winning writer of 'Life Lines'. Part Two is available now on BBC Sounds.

An audio drama series about memory and trauma. After a traumatic car crash, Mary joins a clinical drug trial that promises a cure for PTSD. The medication triggers intense flashbacks of the accident that left her fiancée comatose. But is Mary simply remembering the event, or reliving it? And if she is actually returning to the past, does that mean she can change her future? Cast: Mary ….. Séainín Brennan Jackie ….. Charlotte McCurry Carl ……. Shaun Blaney Barista ….. Christopher Grant Board Member ….. Richard Croxford Warren ….. Martin McCann All other roles were played by the cast and crew. Writers ….. Michael Patrick & Oisín Kearney Producer ….. Michael Shannon Executive Editor ….. Andy Martin Music composed by Denis Clohessy. Sound Design by Bill Maul. A BBC Northern Ireland production.

Turning Point: Wasps in a Jam Jar by Jonathan Maitland. Elspeth was married to Geoffrey Howe. She was the complete opposite of the other woman in his life, Margaret Thatcher. Elspeth was Chair of the Broadcasting Standards Commission and a vocal supporter of the homeless. She was a feminist, whereas Mrs Thatcher thought a woman's place was in the home. This rivalry played a substantial part in Geoffrey Howe's famous resignation speech in 1990. Arguably the speech was a major turning point in contemporary history. It meant the end of Mrs Thatcher. But most significant of all, the European battle lines in the Conservative Party were indelibly drawn that day. There's a straight line from that speech to the Brexit referendum. This comedy drama by journalist Jonathan Maitland dramatises the events leading up to the speech. Elspeth Howe...................................Penelope Wilton Margaret Thatcher.........................Harriet Walter Geoffrey Howe................................James Fleet Alan Clark/Nigel Lawson.............Jonty Stephens Ian Gow/Brian Walden.................Simon Greenall Journalist...........................................Jonathan Maitland Commons Speaker.........................Hamilton Berstock Production Co-Ordinator - Pippa Day Tech Team - Keith Graham & Jenni Burnett Sound Design - Sue Stonestreet Director/Producer -Gary Brown A BBC Audio Drama North Production. This drama is an adaptation of Jonathan Maitland's stage play 'Dead Sheep'. Jonathan Maitland is a well known broadcast journalist who has worked extensively for BBC, ITV and Radio 4. He is now a playwright with several plays already produced. His new play 'The Interview' will premiere at the Park Theatre in Oct 2023.Turning Point: Wasps in a Jam Jar by Jonathan Maitland. Elspeth was married to Geoffrey Howe. She was the complete opposite of the other woman in his life, Margaret Thatcher. Elspeth was Chair of the Broadcasting Standards Commission and a vocal supporter of the homeless. She was a feminist, whereas Mrs Thatcher thought a woman's place was in the home. This rivalry played a substantial part in Geoffrey Howe's famous resignation speech in 1990. Arguably the speech was a major turning point in contemporary history. It meant the end of Mrs Thatcher. But most significant of all, the European battle lines in the Conservative Party were indelibly drawn that day. There's a straight line from that speech to the Brexit referendum. This comedy drama by journalist Jonathan Maitland dramatises the events leading up to the speech. Elspeth Howe...................................Penelope Wilton Margaret Thatcher.........................Harriet Walter Geoffrey Howe................................James Fleet Alan Clark/Nigel Lawson.............Jonty Stephens Ian Gow/Brian Walden.................Simon Greenall Journalist...........................................Jonathan Maitland Commons Speaker.........................Hamilton Berstock Production Co-Ordinator - Pippa Day Tech Team - Keith Graham & Jenni Burnett Sound Design - Sue Stonestreet Director/Producer -Gary Brown A BBC Audio Drama North Production. This drama is an adaptation of Jonathan Maitland's stage play 'Dead Sheep'. Jonathan Maitland is a well known broadcast journalist who has worked extensively for BBC, ITV and Radio 4. He is now a playwright with several plays already produced. His new play 'The Interview' will premiere at the Park Theatre in Oct 2023.

Grace Monroe goes undercover as a live-in nanny at the home of Ben Curtis whose wife Lydia has been missing for a year. Making herself indispensable in the intimacy of the family home, Grace hunts for clues as to what befell the mother of two. It’s a game of cat and mouse with Grace prepared to do whatever she must to win Ben’s trust. GRACE.....Ntombizodwa Ndlovu HARRY.....Esh Alladi BEN.....Matthew McNulty PENNY.....Bebe Massey JONAH.....Tareq Al-Jeddal UNA.....Christine Bottomley NATALIE.....Emma Cunniffe POLICE OFFICER/ OPERATOR.....Kymberley Cochrane Written by Cath Staincliffe Directed by Nadia Molinari A BBC Audio Drama North Production. This was originally aired on R4. You can find the next episode on BBC Sounds.

The first of a collection of dramas illuminating historical turning points. Inspired by true events, writer Ryan Craig tells the story behind the pioneering science that led to the birth of the first IVF baby. At the heart of a story which celebrates the science and people involved is the working relationship between Physiologist, Robert Edwards and Obstetrician, Patrick Steptoe. Both mavericks who came into conflict with the establishment they conducted much of their ground-breaking research in a make-shift laboratory at the Oldham hospital where Steptoe worked and where John and Lesley Brown were finally to become parents. Robert Edwards ….. Vincent Franklin Patrick Steptoe ….. Pip Torrens Lesley Brown ….. Katy Sobey John Brown ….. Luke Allen-Gale The Writer ….. Ryan Whittle Ruth Edwards and Louise Brown ….. Katherine Press Barry Bavister ….. Hasan Dixon The Cambridge Master ….. Roger Ringrose Jean Purdy ….. Kymberley Cochrane Professor Höög ….. Ewan Bailey Dr Hinton ….. Georgie Glen The Vicar ….. Samuel James Fiona ….. Leah Marks Directed by Gemma Jenkins This factually-based drama includes some imagined characters and scenes. This drama was orignially broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

by Tessa Gibbs A darkly funny family drama about love, loss and legacy - and why doing the right thing can seem like the wrong thing to do. Part One. Catriona ..... Georgie Glen Isla ..... Anita Vettesse Drew ..... Robin Laing Esme ..... Anneika Rose DS Wallace ..... Kyle Gardiner Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane

Welcome to hell. The true story of Scotland’s notorious serial killers, Burke and Hare. On Christmas Eve in 1828, William Burke is on trial for murder at the High Court in Edinburgh. He’s accused of killing an old woman, Madgy Docherty. In the witness box is his accuser – William Hare - who is Burke’s accomplice in 16 murders. What started these two former canal labourers on a mass killing spree? Money and medicine. In 1828, Edinburgh is a world-leading centre of medical training and dissection. The anatomists need cadavers on which to demonstrate and practice – but the supply of bodies from hospitals and prisons isn’t enough to meet the demand. Burke and Hare discover they can earn £10 by selling a dead body and decide they will lure victims to their lodging house and murder them. Powerful five-part drama-documentary series from BBC Radio 4 with bonus scenes on BBC Sounds. Written and dramatised by Colin MacDonald. Narrator ….. Jack Lowden Burke ….. Gavin Mitchell Hare ….. James Boal John Fisher ….. Robert Jack Mary Paterson ….. Helen Mackay Janet Brown ….. Nicola Roy Madgy Docherty ….. Maureen Carr Jamie ….. Kyle Gardiner Sheriff Tait ….. Ron Donachie Sir William Rae ….. Stuart McQuarrie Robert Knox ….. Simon Donaldson Other parts played by the cast. Producer/director: Bruce Young

We Should Definitely Have More Dancing by Clara Darcy and Ian Kershaw Clara Darcy is a healthy young actor. She’s also (almost) care-free, (kind of) happily single and joyously dancing through life. But, little does she know her world is about to be turned upside down thanks to the arrival of a tumour, like a big fist - slap-bang in the middle of her head. Set in a radio studio in Manchester, Clara tells her astonishing real-life story. A poignant, yet life-affirming postcard from the edge. Clara ..... Clara Darcy Mum ..... Suzanna Hamilton Laura ..... Shamia Chalabi Omar .....Esh Alladi Oncologist ..... Rupert Hill Kersh ..... Ian Kershaw Gary ..... Gary Brown Sue ..... Sue Stonestreet Production Co-ordinators - Vicky Moseley & Lorna Newman Studio Manager - Simon Highfield Sound Design - Sue Stonestreet Director/Producer - Gary Brown The stage version of this drama was presented at the famous and much missed Oldham Coliseum.

An English-language production of the Winner of the Best European Drama Award at the Audio Drama Awards 2022. The Lion tells a compelling and thought-provoking story about a community's response to an escaped lion in a city. A host of characters, including the town's Chief Constable and an Economist, are forced to face the unprecedented crisis. Their differing - often conflicted - responses speak to a nation coming to grips with a new dawn. This high-octane satire about the restoration of Estonian independence has resonance far beyond Estonia's national events of 1991, and speaks to collective responses to all manner of global and community crises. Chief Constable . . . . . Mark Benton Valter Saarniit . . . . . James Northcote Commissioner . . . . . Ewan Bailey Mayor . . . . . Georgie Glen Heinz . . . . . Samuel James Heli . . . . . Leah Marks Secretary . . . . . Kymberley Cochrane Makishev . . . . . Hasan Dixon Meelis . . . . . Connor Curren The drama is based on Martin Algus's short story The Lion. It was adapted for ERR, Estonian Public Radio, by Andres Noormets. Original sound design was by Külli Tüli. This English-language version was translated by Adam Cullen, edited by Peter Ringrose, and directed and produced for BBC Radio 4 by Andres Noormets and Sasha Yevtushenko.

By Edson Burton. The enigmatic drifter is back to help a troubled soul. James Persad has lost his wife Mavis, and he too seems lost. Can Deacon help? New supernatural drama starring Don Warrington and Ram John Holder. CAST Deacon - Don Warrington James Persad - Ram John Holder Mavis - Sutara Gayle Michael - Lee Mengo Ryan - Tristan Slowley Youth - Hasan Dixon Sound Design - Nigel Lewis Producer - John Norton A BBC Audio Drama Wales Production