Todmorden News

Poet’s Pennine Childhood Brought Back To Life

The late poet laureate Ted Hughes would have been 80 this month and to mark the occasion a ground-breaking new drama has been made about his Yorkshire childhood. Recorded entirely on location at his former house in Heptonstall, near Hebden Bridge, it is based loosely on a true story.

In Dreaming of Foxes, the Poet Laureate is reunited with a long lost schoolboy friend after almost fifty years but what do these men have in common now except memories of old haunts and the landscape around Mytholmroyd which inspired them both?

It was penned by Pennine-born writer Aelish Michael and directed by renowned stage director Joyce Branagh, who also lives in West Yorkshire.

But rather than getting its first mainstream outing via TV, radio or film, it is, instead, being premiered via the internet.

It has been produced by award-winning radio production company, Made in Manchester, which makes programmes for BBC Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4, 5Live and the World Service.

Executive Producer Ashley Byrne says: “This is audio drama at its very best but delivered in a different way. It’s easily accessible, free to listen to and you can even download and keep it forever.”

Dreaming of Foxes stars Calderdale-based theatre, TV and radio actor Robert Garrett as Ted Hughes and seasoned stage and screen actor Ian Blower as Douglas Greenwood. The drama includes flashbacks to Ted Hughes’ childhood – and young Ted and his friends are played by three teenage actors from Hebden Bridge – Joe Cotton, Joseph Moorhead and Kieran Bell.

Dreaming of Foxes is the latest drama from Made in Manchester who teamed up with post-production company Dark Smile and The Independent newspaper, to introduce audio drama to new audiences. Since the project started, tens of thousands of people have been downloading audio dramas which have included new plays starring the likes of Simon Callow and History Boys actor Samuel Barnett. Supporters include Reggie Perrin creator David Nobbs and Emmerdale director Ade Bean.

Ashley Byrne adds: “What’s brilliant about radio drama is that you can turn things round so quickly. You can commission something one week, get it written the next, record it in a few hours, edit it in a week and get it out to an audience the next! Film and TV takes weeks and lots and lots of money. Theatre takes even more commitment.

“The scandal is that actors/writers don’t often get the chance to experience it and it’s been scandalously under-promoted as a genre to the public at large. Through dramas like Dreaming of Foxes, we hope to do our best to rectify that,” says Ashley.

You can listen to/download Dreaming of Foxes for free now at www.independent.co.uk/drama

For more details about the writer, go to www.aelishmichael.com

For further information about Made in Manchester, go to www.madeinmanchester.tv

Photo © Carol Hughes