Jim Allen: A Man of His Words

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BBC Radio 4 Extra - Jim Allen: A Man of His Words

Christopher Eccleston looks at the life and works of the Socialist playwright Jim Allen.

4 Extra Debut. Christopher Eccleston looks at the life of the Socialist playwright Jim Allen. With Ken Loach and Jimmy McGovern. From 2015.

In 1978, actor Christopher Eccleston was inspired to work in TV after watching the BBC Play For Today, The Spongers. 

This was a shattering piece of drama about the impact of welfare cuts. Its devastating ending shocked the viewing public.

Christopher returns to Manchester to discover more about the playwright behind The Spongers - Jim Allen.

Jim was  a man who "wrote beautifully about real people's lives". His many works include Days of Hope, United Kingdom, Raining Stones, Land & Freedom, and the controversial theatre piece, Perdition.
 
With contributions from Ken Loach and Jimmy McGovern, we hear about the life of the former docker, miner and labourer, a lifelong passionate Socialist with an acute ear for the rhythms of working class speech.

Producer: Elizabeth Foster

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2015.

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