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Drama on 4: Philip and Sydney

Drama: Biographical

Philip and Sydney

11/06/2010

BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, Philip and Sydney

By Alan Pollock. Philip Larkin and his father holiday in Germany in 1937.

By Alan Pollock. In 1937 Philip Larkin's father took him on holiday to Germany. Philip never spoke of the trip. Alan Pollock's drama imagines what might have happened there.

In 'This Be The Verse', Philip Larkin famously bemoans the impact parents have on their children. In Philip and Sydney, playwright Alan Pollock uncovers some of the reasons why Larkin may have had such a profound sense of anguish.

In 1937, Philip Larkin's father took him on holiday to Germany. Sydney was Coventry's City Treasurer and had a keen interest in the Nazi regime.

It was a holiday that Philip never spoke of. But, taking inspiration from Sydney's diaries, Philip and Sydney imagines what might have happened during their trip. 

A witty and powerful coming of age drama starring Tim McInnerny as Sydney and Pip Carter as Philip. 


Alan Pollock is a playwright, translator and screenwriter. Plays include One Night in November, Pigs, and All Tomorrow's Parties.

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