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Afternoon Drama

Nicola Walker

Ben Fearnside

Anita Sullivan

Karen Rose

Drama on 4: The Last Breath

The Last Breath

06/07/2012

BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, The Last Breath

An artist plans to capture someone's last breath in a jar. But who is the donor?

High-concept drama set in 2018, by Ben Fearnside and Anita Sullivan. An artist plans to capture someone's last breath in a jar. But who is the donor?

The drama is set in 2018. Assisted suicide has been legalised in the UK. 

Ben Fearnside is an abstract expressionist painter. He has had some success with London galleries but his work has now fallen out of fashion. Without an audience his life-work is unwitnessed and 'uncreated'. He decides to make one final piece of art: he will capture a dying breath in a jar and exhibit it. 

Ben invites freelance radio producer Anita Sullivan to profile him and document the process of capturing The Last Breath. But as the date for breath capture approaches, the identity of the donor remains a mystery.

'The Last Breath' is a high-concept piece of drama about a high-concept piece of art. It plays with narrative form by blending documentary and drama, using real people and real names with a fictional story. The play asks some big questions: what is art, what should be sacrificed in the name of art... and what is the price of a soul? 

The Last Breath was created by Ben Fearnside with Anita Sullivan

Nicky is played by Nicola Walker
The interviewees are;
Derek and Mo Fearnside, Ben Fletcher, Professor Emma Jones, Anthony Chopper White, Linda Keenan and Dr Mark Gretason.
The Static State artists are;
Kenny Watson, Alex Allan, Joseph Watts and Robert Perry. 

Music was written and performed by Nick Tettersell.

Producer: Karen Rose 
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.

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