This week we feature a spectacular original story of three lived intertwined by cheap labor in India… an exploration of the undertow of modern globalism and a test of the theory of degrees of separation… Penned by seasoned radio dramatist John Dryden, here is Severed Threads, originally commissioned by BBC Radio 4.
Play write-up:
Jim Nostrand, proprietor of Cheap Threads, a church-owned clothing firm in Minnesota, becomes the scapegoat when news-reports implicate the company in a child-labour scandal.
Four thousand miles away, in a boarding school in the British countryside, troubled twelve-year-old loner Ben, seems obsessed with school-shootings and vengeance.
In India, British/Asian journalist Prem Sharma is making a radio documentary for the BBC about children working in factories. But after rescuing a young boy and taking him back to his village, the reception he gets there is not what he expected.
Over three episodes, these three stories interweave and revolve around each other revealing connections and layers as they build to one climatic resolution.
Cast:
Jim ….. Brian d’Arcy James
Prem ….. Ameet Chana
Ben ….. Hugo DockingUS Cast:
Ruth ….. Marsha Dietlein
Faith ….. Amanda Scot Ellis
Pastor McGiven ….. Tom Tammi
Kyle ….. Matt Bennett
Sheila ….. Janet Foster
News Anchor ….. John Leonard Thompson
Billy ….. Jacob Knoll
Harry ….. Craig Bockhorn
Casey/Waitress ….. Felicity Jones
Prison Priest ….. Miles ChapinIndia Cast:
Rahul ….. Ankur Vikal
Amit …..Vijay Yadav
Amit’s mother ….. Ayesha Raza
Amit’s brother ….. Sagar Shinde
Welfare Officers ….. Veruschka Menon, Pushan Kripalani
Dr Khunna …… Shaikh Sami Usman
Factory Owner ….. Kenneth Desai
Factory Workers ….. Rupa Kasbe, Jyoti Reddy, Shabana Sheikh,
Rita John, Neeta Chavan, Eisy T. John, Pramod Yedkeand children from the Akanksa Foundation, Mumbai
UK Cast:
Fiona …. Natasha Little
Timms ….. Henry Goodman
Elgood ….. Francois Testory
Jones ….. Gethin Anthony
Psychologist ….. Kate Fitzgerald
Travel Agent ….. Joanne Ferguson
Heyward ….. Daniel Bridle
Boy …..Callum FrancisProduction Team:
India Line Producer ….. Nadir Khan
Assistant Director ….. Tasneem Fatehi
India Sound ….. Ayush AhujaUS Producer ….. David Rapkin
US Line Producer ….. Kim Moarefi
US Casting ….. Janet Foster
US Sound ….. Frederick GreenhaighUK Broadcast Assistant ….. Sarah Tombling
UK Production Assistant ….. Lucy Howe
Music ….. Sacha PuttnamWritten and Directed by John Dryden
A Goldhawk Essential production for BBC Radio 4.
We also have Captain Radio again with a review of Cat Whackers by Washington Audio Theater, a new audio podcast so outrageous you have to listen to believe it.