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Drama on 4: Justin Butcher - The Patience of Mr Job

The Patience of Mr Job

16/08/2010

Justin Butcher - The Patience of Mr Job

BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, Justin Butcher - The Patience of Mr Job

4 Extra Debut. A serious comedy set in Africa about globalisation and climate change.

4 Extra Debut. A serious comedy set in Africa about globalisation and climate change. The Bible story with a new twist. Stars Jude Akuwudike, Adjoa Andoh.

Mr Job is an African farmer with an unshakeable faith in the benevolence of the West. There's a flurry of excitement in the village. Mr Kismet, from the World Development Agency, has sent a letter offering rich rewards if the region sells its timber and moves to cut-flower production. Mr Job obeys the WDA scrupulously, even when the instructions prove extremely inconvenient, but as they wait for Mr Kismet's arrival, a series of disasters strike. A satire about globalisation and climate change. 

Mr Job ..... Jude Akuwudike
Mrs Job ..... Adjoa Andoh
Mr Eliphaz ..... Danny Sapani
Mr Bildad ..... Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
Mr Achebe ..... Lloyd Thomas
Mr Lucy ..... Paul Courtney Hyu

Directed by Claire Grove 


This is the Job story from the Old Testament with a new twist - a dark comedy set in Africa about the topical subjects of globalisation and climate change. We are in the fictional West African country of Ghanzania. Mr Job (Jude Akuwudike) is the unofficial head of his village. He trusts the West's promises of rich rewards if they give up traditional farming in favour of large scale production of cash crops. Mrs Job (Adjoa Andoh) is less certain. So the villagers cut down their forests, sell their goats and pour chemicals into the soil, but their children get sick, the hill slides into the lake, a hurricane floods the coast, and Mr Job is left clinging to the roof of his house. As the waters close over his head he hears the voice of God. Will his patience be rewarded?

Justin Butcher wrote the brilliant 'Seven White Masks of Scaramouche Jones' for Radio 4 which became an award-winning one-man show for Pete Postlethwaite. Justin also wrote the enormously successful satirical stage play 'The Madness of George Dubya', following it up with 'A Weapons Inspector Calls'.

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