By Ayeesha Menon
Convinced his relatives are after his money, miserly old recluse Martin Chuzzlewit (Roshan Seth), adopts orphan girl, Mary (Nimrat Kaur), to be his carer. As she will inherit nothing upon his death, he believes she will do her utmost to keep him in good health. But when his grandson Mickey (Zafar Karachiwala) falls in love with her, Martin's plans are thrown into disarray. Disinheriting him, Martin triggers a complex web of deceit, betrayal and manipulation as the extended family and hangers-on close in, in pursuit of his fortune.
Told from the point of view of orphan Thomas (Karqn Pandit), an observer into the world of the Chuzzlewits, this is a fast-paced drama full of intrigue, romance, suspense and murder...
Mickey returns to India determined to show his grandfather he is a changed man and to marry Mary, the love of his life. But, in his absence, things have changed; the old man now appears to be under the control of the scheming Pinto who will not let Mickey near him. And Thomas has fallen in love with Mary... Meanwhile the hapless Joseph loses all his money in a Ponzi scheme. With his debtors closing in, murder seems to be the only way out...
Ayeesha Menon is an award-winning writer who works extensively in film and radio. For BBC Radio 4 she has written several outstanding adaptations including: Q & A (Slumdog Millionaire) which won Gold for Best Drama at the Sony Radio Academy Awards; The Cairo Trilogy, starring Omar Sharif, which won a Bronze at the Sony Awards; My Name Is Red from the novel by Orhan Pamuk; and Six Suspects from the novel by Vikas Swarup.
Cast:
Martin ..... Roshan Seth
Thomas ..... Karan Pandit
Mickey ..... Zafar Karachiwala
Pinto ..... Rajit Kapur
Mercy ..... Preetika Chawla
Charity ..... Ayeesha Menon
Anthony ..... Sohrab Ardeshir
Joseph ..... Nadir Khan
Mary ..... Nimrat Kaur
Mrs. Gomes ..... Radhika Mital
Louis ..... Rohit Malkani
Doctor ..... Shernaz Patel
Monty ..... Arghya Lahiri
Manek ..... Vivek Madan
Young Mickey ..... Zaal Madon
Young Thomas ..... Nominath Ginsburg
Sound Recordist: Ayush Ahuja
Sound Design: David Chilton
Music: Sacha Puttnam
Producer and Casting: Nadir Khan
Producer: John Dryden
A Goldhawk Essential Production for BBC Radio 4. Show less