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15 Minute Drama: Alison Lurie - Imaginary Friends

15 Minute Drama: Alison Lurie - Imaginary Friends: Episode 1

Imaginary Friends

Episode 1

Alison Lurie - Imaginary Friends

BBC Radio 4 - 15 Minute Drama, Alison Lurie - Imaginary Friends, Episode 1

New York, 1968. Naive young sociologist Roger Zimmern gets his first job at university.

4 Extra Debut. New York, 1968: Naive young sociologist Roger Zimmern has just got his first job at university. Stars Jonathan Forbes.

Alison Lurie's comic novel of academia and alien gurus, dramatised by Melissa Murray. 
New York in 1968, and naive young sociology graduate, Roger Zimmern, has just got his first job at a university.

1/10

Roger ... Jonathan Forbes
McCann ... Nathan Osgood
Elsie ... Barbara Barnes
Verena ... Alex Tregear
Bob ... Simon Bubb

Directed by Marc Beeby


1968. New York State. Newly graduated sociologist Roger Zimmern is delighted to be asked work with his academic hero Tom McCann. They are to investigate the Truth Seekers, a small cult group who believe they are receiving spiritual guidance from the planet Varna. The group is run by middle-aged Elsie and her beautiful niece, Verena. Under cover, the two academics join the Truth Seekers. But things quickly begin to go wrong. Roger's objectivity is tested when he begins to fall in love with Verena. And what is happening to Tom McCann? Why is he behaving so strangely? Poor Roger, desperate to be a success, desperate to be noticed, doesn't know who to trust..

Imaginary Friends is a devastatingly funny look at the foibles of modern times. It's driven by a story that works brilliantly on a number of levels - in part a sharp social satire of the academic profession, in part a witty exploration of the wilder reaches of ' spirituality'. It is also a tender - if slightly skewed - love story, and a touching take on a young man's coming of age.

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Alison Lurie's comic novel of academia and alien gurus, dramatised by Melissa Murray

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Alison Lurie - Imaginary Friends

Episode 1

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