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BROKEN COLOURS....2022
Matthew Broughton's new 5-part thriller serial BROKEN COLOURS began in late February (R4, 1415, 22 Feb 22). Jess meets Daniel at an environmental protest which gets out of hand. It changes both of their lives. RT described this as a story of conflicting perception. Aside from the story line, which rattled along quite nicely, there was an interesting subtext. Our regular reviewer Harry Turnbull had this to say about it:
"A psychedelic curiosity appeared in the shape of Broken Colours where we have a protagonist who has a condition known as synesthesia. It made me wonder: do we dream in colour? I know the question has been asked before but it’s one I can’t answer. The last dream I had was fleeting fragments of places, people and shadows but no discernible colour, not even black and white.
With synesthesia some sounds are experienced as colours. It sounds surreal but enables a bit of philosophical introspection from Jess played by Holli Dempsey... Difficult to sum this up but there are definite echoes of techniques used in the long running conspiracy thriller Tracks, and little wonder - as writer Matthew Broughton is involved with both.
But what is this actually about? Too little suspense to be a thriller. Is it a love story? Not really, as you aren’t invested in why an artistic young woman would take up with a drug dealing gangster just because he happens to appear to be vulnerable. Girl meets boy and is soon ensconced in a whole heap of trouble."
Dan was played by Josef Altin, Johnny by Tom Byrne and Melissa by Alexandra Riley. Sound design was by Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis and the producers were John Norton and Emma Harding for BBC Wales. (....ND, Diversity website review, Apr 2022)
26 Oct 20: Tracks, series 5, 1
By Matthew Broughton. Final series of the conspiracy thriller. Dr Helen Ash is coming to terms with the fact she has just 9 months to live, when she’s emailed a video of a boat mysteriously sinking in stormy seas. The email is from her dead father. Tracks won 'Best Sound' at the BBC Audio Drama Award and Best Fiction at the British Podcast Awards. This series is in 9 45m parts. The four previous series of Tracks are available now on BBC Sounds.
Helen… Olivia Poulet,
Freddy…. Jonathan Forbes,
Eddy…. Mark Bonnar,
Lucy…. Kiran Sonia Sawar,
Yvonne…. Bettrys Jones,
Cancer Specialist…. Finlay Robertson.
Producer: James Robinson.
BBC Wales.
28 Oct 19: Tracks, Series 4: Indigo, Indigo, 1
15m-drama slot. It started with Dr Helen Ash being involved in a road accident. 10 episodes.
Helen.. Romola Garai,
Freddy.. Jonathan Forbes,
Luke.. Andrew Gower,
Doctor. Lucy Reynolds,
Frances. Juno Robinson,
Produced by James Robinson.
BBC Wales.
1 Nov 18: Tracks, series 3: Chimera, 1
By Matthew Broughton; new nine-part series. This follows the two previous series, Tracks: Strata (prequel), broadcast 2017, and Tracks: Chimera (2016). It's a new conspiracy thriller. Helen Ash discovers she's pregnant but has had no sexual partner in the last 18 months. Helen: Hattie Morahan, Freddy: Jonathan Forbes, Megan: Zahra Ahmadi, Dr. Grace: Claire Cage, Mr. D: Marc Danbury. Producer: James Robinson; BBC Wales.
8 Nov 18: Chimera, 2
In the aftermath of the Slate disaster, Helen investigates another building which collapsed thirty years ago: a fertility clinic in Snowdonia run by medical pioneers Mayflower. Helen: Hattie Morahan, Freddy: Jonathan Forbes, Mark: Rhodri Meilir, Claire: Eiry Thomas, Tim: Stewart Wright. Producer: James Robinson.
(other 7 episodes: details not shown)
7 Dec 17: Tracks, series 2: Strata
By Matthew Broughton. A two-part prequel to the 'Tracks' conspiracy thriller, set 36 years earlier, also available as a podcast. In 1980 in Snowdonia, Rachel is looking for fossils with her young son. When a freak earthquake strikes, he goes missing. There is a desperate search. Conclusion on 8 Dec. Rachel: Fiona O'Shaughnessy, Ifan: Kal Owen, Sam: Robert Pugh, Afa: Betsan Llwyd, Charlotte: Shelly Rees, Dafydd Emyr, Dr. Green: Sudha Bhuchar. Producer: James Robinson; BBC Wales.
8 Dec 17: Strata, 2
Second part of the story which began yesterday. The search continues. However something very odd is happening: an 80-year old woman is giving birth to a baby. Production details - as yesterday.
2016-08-09
Tracks, series 1: The Nervus Vagus
A new nine-part conspiracy thriller by Matthew Broughton.
When Dr Helen Ash witnesses the brutal and disturbing crash of the plane
carrying her father, the incident sets her on a conspiracy investigation.
Florian Chauvin was flying to Wales to tell his daughter something important, but his plane fell
out of the sky.
BBC Wales, producer James Robinson.
Helen .... Romola Garai
Michael .... Alex Beckett
Freddy .... Jonathan Forbes
Rosie .... Susan Jameson
Miranda .... Suzanne Packer
The Policeman .... Matthew Gravelle
The Pilot .... Richard Nichols
Mrs Trewin .... Caroline Berry
Susan .... Claire Cage
Florian .... Sean Baker
Music by Stu Barker.
2016-08-16
Tracks,2:The Broca and Wernicke Areas
What was Florian coming to tell Helen? How is the medical corporation, Mayflower, implicated in the
plane crash?
2016-08-23
Tracks,3:The Pineal Gland
The crash of Flight 259 is declared an accident. As Helen continues investigating Florian's
fellow passengers, she uncovers another disturbing medical mystery.
2016-08-30
Tracks,4:The Bridge of Varolius
When child services become involved,
new information points Helen in the direction of the Iraq war.
2016-09-06
Tracks,5:Hippocampus
Confined to her hospital bed, Helen is desperate to continue her investigation
into the plane crash and find her missing father, Florian. But is
she safe in the hospital?
2016-09-13
Tracks,6:Nociceptors
Helen uncovers disturbing details of a dark and illicit industry.
2016-09-20
Tracks,7:The Nucleus Accumbens
Helen is kidnapped by the organ traffickers she has been investigating. To
make matters worse, so is her mother, Rosie.
2016-09-27
Tracks,8:Amygdala
When the child, K, wakes from his coma, Helen discovers his
identity. And after she finally tracks down the pilot of the crashed plane,
the truth of what happened to flight 259 begins to emerge.
2016-10-04
Tracks,9:Habenula
The final episode.
2014-05-06
Afternoon Drama - Frank Zappa and Me
By Pauline Butcher, ad. Matthew Broughton. In 1967
Pauline Butcher, an English secretary, was sent to a
London hotel on a typing assignment. The client turned out to be
the American musician Frank Zappa. Frank asked Pauline to
type out the lyrics of his album, Absolutely Free, a task she found
extremely baffling. Out of this chance encounter, and unlikely
meeting of minds, a friendship quickly grew, and Pauline was invited
to go and work for Frank in Los Angeles, where the regular visitors
to his log cabin in the Hollywood Hills included Mick Jagger, Eric
Clapton and Captain Beefheart. Pauline wrote about it: 'Freak Out - My
Life with Frank Zappa.'
Produced by Kate McAll. BBC Wales.
Frank Zappa ..... Ronan Summers
Young Pauline ..... Lucy Briggs-Owen
Older Pauline ..... Richenda Carey
Herb Cohen ..... Simon Lee Phillips
Christine ..... Samantha Dakin
Eric Clapton ..... Gareth Pierce
2014-01-23
Afternoon Drama: Demon Brother,Episode 2
By Matthew Broughton.
When Eddie finds out he has an identical twin brother, Jasper, he sees an
opportunity to escape his seedy life of petty crime. He decides to
steal Jasper's life. But as Eddie begins to fall in love with
Jasper's wife, Caitlin, he discovers a side of himself he never knew
existed.
Caitlin ..... Valene Kane
Ricky Paggett ..... Kenneth Cranham
Nancy ..... Vera Filatova
Terry ..... Simon Ludders
Prison Warder ..... John Norton
Waiter ..... John Norton
Producer ..... James Robinson
2014-01-22
Afternoon Drama: Demon Brother,Episode 1
By Matthew Broughton
When Jasper finds his father dead, a dark mystery begins to unfold. His
dad kept a secret - Jasper has a twin brother, Eddie, whom he's never
met. After the funeral the two brothers decide to swap lives. As
Jasper escapes the confines of his faltering marriage and attempts to
track down his father's killer, he soon discovers that with his new
found freedom comes the threat of extreme danger.
A thriller in two parts which reflect each other: The first tells
Jasper's story. The second tells Eddie's. Both are played by Shaun Dingwall.
Produced by James Robinson; BBC Wales.
Ricky Paggett ..... Kenneth Cranham
Nancy ..... Vera Filatova
Terry ..... Simon Ludders
Doctor ..... John Norton
Policeman ..... John Norton
2012-04-10
Afternoon Drama - White Noise
By Matthew Broughton.
A dark hymn to Dagenham in East London by one of its residents. Freddy wants to be an artist.
Danny wants to clean up the streets. And Kath just wants the pictures
to come back to her TV. As the Olympics loom large, something
world-changing is about to happen to one family.
Freddie .. Theo Barklem-Biggs, Danny .. Ricci Harnett, Kath .. Louise
Jameson, Astrid .. Ayesha Antoine, Johnny .. Matthew Gravelle.
Directed by James Robinson. BBC Wales. Rpt. 24 Sep 14.
2012-02-19
Classic Serial - Gulliver's Travels, Episode 3
Ad. Matthew Broughton. Gulliver
finds himself on the floating Island of Laputa, where he encounters
mad scientists and the terrifying ghosts of the great and the good.
He flees from these intellectual and spiritual horrors, only to
finally find a kind of Eden with the Houyhnhnms, a race of
intelligent and gentle horses. However, in this land, humans - or as
they are called, the 'Yahoos' - are considered vermin. The dark and
traumatizing experiences Gulliver has in this land change his life
(and his wife and family's lives) forever. The satire here is
focused on crazy scientific experimentation, superstition, and
finally spiritual desolation. Arthur Darvill as Gulliver. Other members of the
company are Matthew Gravelle, Sam Dale, Bethan Walker, Judith
Faultless, Richard Nicol, Chris Pavlo, Claire Cage, Lynne Seymour,
Gareth Pierce, Ewan Bailey and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. BBC Wales,
produced by Sam Hoyle.
2012-02-12
Classic Serial - Gulliver's Travels, Episode 2
Ad. Matthew Broughton. Gulliver's
adventures continue when he finds himself in Brobdingnag - a land
where the inhabitants are enormous. Here,
Gulliver must fight for survival against rats the size of dogs, a
dwarf who is 40 foot high, and the ridicule and humiliation of a
scornful court. With his uniquely close-up view, Gulliver sees the people, even the great
beauties, as if under a microscope - and they are dirty, stinking and
disgusting. He becomes increasingly horrified by mankind, stranded
in a frightening land where his only ally is an innocent child.
Arthur Darvill plays Gulliver. Other members of the
company are Matthew Gravelle, Sam Dale, Bethan Walker, Judith
Faultless, Richard Nichols, Chris Pavlo, Claire Cage, Lynne Seymour,
Gareth Pierce, Ewan Bailey and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. BBC Wales, produced
by Sam Hoyle.
2012-02-05
Classic Serial - Gulliver's Travels, Episode 1
Jonathan Swift's classic satire, in a new dramatisation, ad. Matthew Broughton.
Gulliver is shipwrecked on the Island of Lilliput where the natives are tiny
people living in a miniature society. With his unique overview of
this realm, Gulliver discovers a world of petty politics and small
minds. Coerced into a war between two nations who disagree on the
best way to eat boiled eggs, Gulliver finds himself betrayed by
friends and battered by enemies - escape is his only option if he
wants to survive.
BBC Wales production, directed by Sam Hoyle, with Arthur Darvill as Gulliver. Other members of the
company are Matthew Gravelle, Sam Dale, Bethan Walker, Judith
Faultless, Richard Nichols, Chris Pavlo, Claire Cage, Lynne Seymour.
2011-12-08
Afternoon Drama - Burning Both Ends: When Oliver Reed Met Keith Moon
The play tells the story of one of the most infamous and unexpected friendships: between Oliver Reed
and Keith Moon. In the mid-1970s, Oliver was an international movie star, and Keith was
a rock n'roll legend, the drummer for rock band, The Who. Both were
famous for their partying and boozing, as well as their talents.
Then they met, on the film set of The Who's epic rock opera, Tommy. What
followed was a revelation - in each other they found a kindred
spirit. The play is inspired by true events, but scenes and characters have
been created for dramatic effect.
BBC Wales production, directed by Sam Hoyle. Sean Pertwee as Oliver Reed, and Arthur Darvill
as Keith Moon; also stars Matthew Gravelle, Richard Nichols,
Bethan Walker and Claire Cage.
2010-08-24
Afternoon Drama - The Rain Maker
By Matthew Broughton
When a father takes his son on a trip to a cabin in the woods, he has no
idea what terrible horror is to come. (Rpt)
Father ..... Kenneth Cranham, Son ..... Joe Dempsie.
Directed by James Robinson. BBC Wales. Rpt 4 Jul 12.
2010-03-06
14:30 - Saturday Drama - Vincent Price and The Horror of The English Blood Beast
In 1967, Vincent Price came to the UK to make the
horror movie Witchfinder General. It was the best performance of his
career, and the worst few months of his life. This play takes a
light-hearted look behind the scenes of the making of this classic
British film.
Vincent Price ...... Nickolas Grace, Tony Tenser ...... Kenneth Cranham, Michael
Reeves ...... Blake Ritson, Philip Waddilove ...... Richard Nichols, Hilary Dwyer ...... Phoebe Waller, BridgeIan Ogilvy ......
Gareth Pierce.
Other parts played by Simon Ludders and Lynne Seymour.
Produced and directed by Sam Hoyle. Rpt. 8 Mar 13.
2009-10-22
Afternoon Drama - The Decoy
Thriller. Daniel is plucked from the factory floor and
groomed by the state as a body-double.
Daniel ...... Ifan Meredith, Victor ...... Stephen Hogan, Katrina ......Abigail
Hollick, Adam ...... Joseph Cohen Cole, Simon ...... Rhys Jennings.
Other parts played by Kate Layden, Piers Wehner, Rhys Jennings, Emerald
O'Hanrahan, Tessa Nicholson and Melissa Advani.
Directed by Faith Collingwood.
2008-05-02
21:00 - The Friday Play: Wes Bell
Play about a lonely young man who
finds a home amongst eccentric strangers.
Jason ...... Shaun Dooley
Daisy ...... Natalie Press
Wes Bell ...... Jamie Foreman
Lisa Bell ...... Juliet Cowan
Directed by Sam Hoyle.
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