BBC Radio 4 FM

BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

BBC Radio 4

Radio 4

Radio 4 (FM)

15 Minute Drama

Drama

Classic and contemporary original drama and book dramatisations

Woman's Hour Drama: Sarah Siddons: Life in Five Sittings

15 Minute Drama: Sarah Siddons: Life in Five Sittings: Episode 5

Sarah Siddons: Life in Five Sittings

Episode 5

BBC Radio 4 - 15 Minute Drama, Sarah Siddons: Life in Five Sittings, Episode 5

Tom realises his consuming passion for the now ageing Sarah can never be fulfilled.

By David Pownall. Tom realises his consuming passion for the now ageing Sarah can never be fulfilled.

5/5

Clare Higgins and Carl Prekopp star in this brutally honest, passionate true story of the compelling, disturbing and tempestuous love affair between the greatest actress of her time, the legendary Sarah Siddons and the renowned artist, Tom Lawrence. A young teenager when he first paints Siddons, Lawrence falls hopelessly in love with her. Plagued by self-doubts, she resists his advances. To 'escape' her clutches but also to be nearer to her, Tom woos her daughters. When they die, Sarah accuses him of killing them by the demonic force of his adoration. Knowing they should stay apart, over the years they continue to meet and draw strength from each other. Every time she visits, she also sits for Tom enabling him to trace her decline in his art. Theirs is a relationship rich in nuance and subtlety in which two people share intimacies, aspirations, confidences, fears and doubts.

Sarah ..... Clare Higgins
Tom ..... Carl Prekopp

Written by David Pownall.

The director is Martin Jenkins, and this is a Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

15 Minute Drama: Sarah Siddons: Life in Five Sittings

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Drama: Relationships & Romance

By David Pownall. The story of the relationship between Sarah Siddons and Tom Lawrence

David Pownall's story of the tempestuous relationship between the great actress Sarah Siddons and the artist Tom Lawrence, who first painted her aged 13

Accessibility links

Programme Index

15 Minute Drama

Sarah Siddons: Life in Five Sittings

Episode 5

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC Radio 4 FM

About BBC Radio 4