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Writer and director David Hare is one of England's leading political dramatists, celebrated for his many award-winning plays analysing the morality of contemporary Britain. This collection comprises BBC Radio dramatisations of some of his most acclaimed pieces.


It opens with his two acknowledged masterpieces: Plenty and Amy's View. These mesmerising dramas, both spanning several decades, present vivid portraits of strong women diminished by circumstance, metaphorically evoking the changing values and collapsing ideals of the post-war period. These are followed by Knuckle, a fast-paced parody of the American hardboiled thriller set in the Home Counties; and Pravda, co-written with Howard Brenton, a satirical comedy about a monstrous media tycoon.


Also included are South Downs, the much acclaimed Chichester Festival production of his play brought to radio, plus the play in which Hare made his acting debut: the powerful monologue Via Dolorosa, a meditation on his extraordinary 1997 trip to Israel and Palestine.


Plenty
Susan Traherne returns to Britain haunted by her experiences as a Resistance fighter in Occupied France. Post-war life seems dull, but Susan's rage against mediocrity and her attempts to find fulfilment not only damage her own life, but alter the lives of those around her.
Susan Traherne .... Miranda Richardson
Alice .... Hattie Morahan
Brock .... Ben Miles
Lazar .... Michael Gould
Frenchman 1/Begley .... Jonathan Cullen
Darwin .... Geoffrey Palmer
Mick ....Paul Anderson
Louise .... Emilie-Kate Owen
Aung .... Chooi Beh
Priest/Announcer .... Dale Rapley
Dorcas .... Ellie Beaven
Charleson .... Angus Wright
Frenchman 2 .... Sylvester Morand
Directed by John Dove
Producer Catherine Bailey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2006


Amy's View
The play takes place in Pangbourne and in London, from 1979 to 1995. Over the course of these years, "a running argument about the respective virtues of traditional theatre and the media arts weaves its way through espoused opinions on marriage, love, fame, fidelity, betrayal, personal and artistic integrity, and the sometimes elusive ethics of the corporate world.
Amy Thomas .... Judi Dench
Esme Allen .... Samantha Bond
Dominic Tyghe .... David Hare
Frank Oddie .... Ronald Pickup
Evelyn Thomas .... Joyce Redman
Toby Cole .... Alexander Hanson
Written by David Hare
Directed by Richard Eyre
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 2000


Knuckle
It's the 1920s and Curly Delafield, a young arms merchant, is determined to discover the secret behind the disappearance of his sister Sarah. Delafield's investigations uncover a web of corruption under the placid setting of Guildford, where his father lives in suspicious circumstances with his housekeeper, Mrs Dunning. Will Delafield unfold the mystery of his sister's disappearance .... and is his father involved?
Curly Delafield .... James Laurenson
Jenny Wilbur .... Kika Markham
Grace Dunning .... Sheila Grant
Patrick Delafield .... Charles Gray
Max Dupree .... Nigel Anthony
Barman .... Walter Hall
Porter .... Sian Probert
Compere (Lomax) .... Alan Dudley
Written by David Hare
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 1981


Pravda
Lambert Le Roux is a media tycoon of tremendous power. He's also a monster manipulating all, including Fleet Street.
Lambert Le Roux .... Anthony Hopkins
Eaton Sylvester .... Bill Nighy
Andrew Lay .... Robert Glenister
Rebecca Foley .... Suzanne Burden
Eliot Fruit Norton .... Frederick Treves
Sir Stamford Foley .... Garard Green
Bill Smiley .... Stephen Tompkinson
Hany Morrison .... David Ling
Michael Quince MP .... Christopher Good
Dennis Payne .... Vincent Brimble
Bishop of Putney .... James Greene
Leander Scroop .... Simon Treves
Doug Fanton .... Danny Schiller
Larry Punt .... Nicholas Gilbrook
Written by David Hare and Howard Brenton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 1990


South Downs
A pin sharp young pupil (an astonishing professional debut from Alex Lawther) is cut off from his fellow boys by virtue of his own intellect, background and questioning spirit. The school, with its unyielding and rigid outlook on life, leaves the boy isolated and confused. In an unlikely meeting with the free-spirited mother of another pupil (Anna Chancellor) her generosity and sound advice offers the boy a world of kindness and possibility.
Rev Eric Dewley .... Nicholas Farrell
John Blakemore .... Alex Lawther
Jeremy Duffield .... Jonathan Bailey
Basil Spear .... Andrew Woodall
Colin Jenkins .... Bradley Hall
Tommy Gunter .... Jack Elliott
Roger Sprule .... Liam Morton
Belinda Duffield .... Anna Chancellor
The voice of Sheila Blakemore .... Stella Gonet
Written by David Hare
Directed by Jeremy Herrin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2012


Via Dolorosa
In the form of a monologue, the play deals with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through Hare's own 1997 journey through Israel and Palestine, and the 33 people whom he met. He describes the extremism he found, between warring political-philosophical-religious diehards within each populace, Israeli and Palestinian alike: 'people who seek religious justification for excessive behaviour on either side'.
Written and performed by David Hare
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 1998

1. Plenty (79.6Mb)
2. Amy's View (224.7Mb)
3. Knuckle (82.4Mb)
4. Pravda (109.8Mb)
5. South Downs (50.2Mb)
6. Via Dolorosa (71.5Mb)

MP3 files hosted by archive.org.