Cuckoo

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15 Minute Drama: Cuckoo: Episode 2

Episode 2

BBC Radio 4 - 15 Minute Drama, Cuckoo, Episode 2

Writer Jeremy Raison explores the mystery of his late mother's childhood.

Set between the 1920s and 1940s, writer Jeremy Raison tries to discover why his mother was kept at home until she was a teenager and brought up by a nurse instead of her mother.

Cuckoo
by Jeremy Raison

After the death of his mother, Jennifer, in November 2017, the writer Jeremy Raison found letters, diaries, divorce transcripts and an unpublished manuscript. It was to be the beginning of an unexpected journey that would unravel some of the mystery of his late mother's troubled childhood. The youngest of four children, Jennifer was kept away from school until she was a teenager, and educated by a nurse who would gradually take the place of her mother.
 
Set between the late 1920s and early 1940s, Cuckoo explores the story of Jennifer and her mother Theo. Married at nineteen to a wealthy politician, Harold Eastleigh, Theo was said to be suffering from anxiety after the birth of her fourth child. After a period in hospital, Theo returned to the family home accompanied by one of the nurses, Miss Land. In the years to follow Miss Land would become a permanent feature in the family home, eventually leading to Theo and her husband divorcing. Miss Land become the second Mrs. Eastleigh and young Jennifer's stepmother.

Did Theo suffer from post-natal depression before it was widely acknowledged as a condition? Was Harold simply unable to cope with an illness he knew little about, or was he under pressure to keep his family trouble out of the public eye? Brought up in this unsettling environment what effect would it have on young Jennifer?

Although some names and details have been changed this drama is based on a true story. 

Cast:
Jeremy ..................................................................EWAN BAILEY
Theo .................................................................MELODY GROVE
Harold ................................................CHRISTOPHER HARPER
Dr Gilroy/Photographer ............MICHAEL BERTENSHAW
Jennifer .........................................................SUSAN JAMESON
Miss Land ....................................................ROSIE CAVALIERO 

Producer/director: David Ian Neville

15 Minute Drama: Cuckoo

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Set between the 1920s and 1940s writer Jeremy Raison tries to discover why his mother was kept at home until she was a teenager and brought up by a nurse instead of her mother.

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