A discussion of The Homecoming and a continuation of a series of personal essays about the playwright Harold Pinter who died in December 2008:
Philip Dodd presents a Night Waves Landmarks edition devoted to Harold Pinter's play The Homecoming, which first opened in 1965 and, in the eyes of many, confirmed him as Britain's foremost dramatist.
It tells the story of an East End family's reaction to the eldest's son's return from America with his wife, and contains the menacing atmosphere and dark comedy often associated with Pinter's work. The play was first produced on BBC Radio in 1977, and 30 years later in 2007, Harold Pinter himself took on the role of the domineering patriarch Max in a new Radio 3 production.
Philip is joined by Thea Sharrock, Dominic Dromgoole, Roger Michell and Dominic Sandbrook to explore the play and discuss its themes.
Night Waves Landmark: The Homecoming
This special edition of Night Waves Landmarks is devoted to Harold Pinter’s play, The Homecoming, which first opened in 1965 and confirmed him as Britain’s foremost dramatist.
It tells the story of a East End family’s reaction to the eldest son’s return from America with his wife, and contains the menacing atmosphere and dark comedy often associated with Pinter’s work.
The play was first produced on BBC Radio in 1977. Then, thirty years later in 2007, Harold Pinter himself took on the role of the domineering patriarch Max in a new Radio 3 production.
Philip Dodd and guests Thea Sharrock, Dominic Drumgoole, Dominic Sandbrook, and Roger Michell explore the play and discuss how its themes open a window on the writer’s long-standing pre-occupations.
The programme includes extracts from the interview which Pinter gave to Philip Dodd on the eve of the 2007 recording.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00hld83
The continuation of a series of personal essays about the playwright:
3. Lisa Appignanesi, writer and deputy president of literature charity English PEN, reflects on Pinter's political activism and involvement in the struggles of other writers such as Orhan Pamuk and Hrant Dink in Turkey. (Through Feb. 24)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00hld7v
4. Film historian Ian Christie explores Pinter's work as a screenwriter, from his films with director Joseph Losey, such as Accident and The Servant, to his adaptation of John Fowles' novel The French Lieutenant's Woman. (Through Feb. 25)