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Cyrano for Hire

Factual: Families & Relationships

BBC Radio 4 - Cyrano for Hire

Cathy FitzGerald tries her hand at ghostwriting love letters.

Cathy FitzGerald hears what it's like to be a love letter ghostwriter - and sets up Cyrano for Hire to try it for herself.

It's hard to think of a more intimate, personal form of communication than the love letter. We seal them with our kisses, salt them with our tears, are present in every inky smudge. So it's a truth universally acknowledged that we usually write them ourselves. 

But not necessarily...

Cathy FitzGerald hears what it's like to be a love-letter ghostwriter from Rebecca L. Pierce, who runs Love Letter for Hire. Whether you need a letter to make up or a letter to break up, Rebekah can help - but she'll ask you some searching questions along the way.

Author and former ghostwriter Samara O'Shea introduces one of her clients, Steven, and together they share the story of a letter written in despair. And we hear about Vida Select, a company that offers "virtual dating assistants" who'll write flirty messages to potential matches for you on Tinder, Plenty of Fish and other online dating websites. 

Cathy decides to have a go for herself and sets up Cyrano for Hire. Her first client is Jason from Brooklyn - what will his girlfriend, Elke, make of her ghostwritten love letter? 

Presenter and Producer: Cathy FitzGerald
Executive Producer: Steven Rajam
Photo: David Gochfeld
Interviewees: Rebekah L Pierce, Samara O'Shea, Steven, Chloe Rose Stuart Ulin, Scott Valdez, Jason Nunes, Elke Dehner

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