
Writer Graham Reid looks back on his 1996 BBC drama The Precious Blood.\n\nSet in a Belfast trying to secure a lasting peace, The Precious Blood conveys conflicts both practically and emotionally. Billy was a UVF killer but has turned his former political fervour into a new-found religious faith. Rosie is the widow of a man shot at the height of the Troubles. Graham Reid explains how he brought the two stories together - Billy, tormented by his past, trying to find a path to his own atonement; Rosie searching for answers to the unsolved murder of her husband.\n\nGraham tells us how personal issues were key; both main characters struggle with parenting adolescent boys. He also discusses the power of the cast, how his wife had a hand in the casting of Amanda Burton and the chemistry shared on screen between Burton and Kevin McNally.\n\nThe Precious Blood adds to the list of unforgettable dramas Graham has written on this subject, detailing the struggles both within and between contrasting families at the heart of the still-troubled city.
Source: BBC 4
Peter Flannery Remembers Our Friends In The North
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BBC 4
Midge Ure Remembers… The Prince’s Trust Rock Gala 1986
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BBC 4
W Stephen Gilbert Remembers Only Connect
As part of Pride Month, W Stephen Gilbert looks back on the BBC drama Only Connect that he commissioned and produced in 1979. Today, it is considered a landmark but overlooked p ...
17-06-2026
BBC 4
Michael Palin Remembers Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure
Few people have followed in Ernest Hemingway's footsteps quite like Michael Palin. In this fascinating interview, the much-loved broadcaster, writer and traveller reflects on hi ...
14-06-2026
BBC 4
Ken Loach Remembers The Old Oak
Ken Loach reflects on The Old Oak, his deeply moving portrait of solidarity, displacement and community in a former mining village in County Durham. Set against the arrival of S ...
10-06-2026
BBC 4
Laurence Rees Remembers The Nazis: A Warning From History
Laurence Rees' landmark 1997 series explored the reasons why Germany fell in thrall to the Nazis. Combining astonishing archive, storytelling and interviews with figures at the ...
10-06-2026
BBC 4
Ken Loach Remembers Up The Junction
Ken Loach discusses Up the Junction, his landmark 1965 contribution to the BBC’s The Wednesday Play strand, adapted from Nell Dunn’s celebrated stories of working-cl ...
10-06-2026
BBC 4
Andrew Davies Remembers A Very Peculiar Practice
Screenwriter Andrew Davies, best known for his adaptations of classic novels, reflects on one of his own original works - A Very Peculiar Practice - a wickedly funny comedy dram ...
20-05-2026
BBC 4
Stephen Poliakoff Remembers Caught On A Train
Acclaimed screenwriter Stephen Poliakoff shares his memories of the BBC's 1980 television drama Caught on a Train, his Bafta award-winning collaboration with celebrated producer ...
06-05-2026
BBC 4
Alison Steadman Remembers Girl
National treasure Alison Steadman tells the story of one of the most groundbreaking and yet also most overlooked moments in British television. \n\nDespite the popular perceptio ...
17-06-2026
BBC 4
Ruth Wilson And Toby Stephens Remember Jane Eyre
The BBC’s 2006 adaption of Jane Austen’s classic novel Jane Eyre was a hit with critics and viewers alike, and brought together actors Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens ...
19-11-2025
BBC 4
W Stephen Gilbert Remembers Only Connect
As part of Pride Month, W Stephen Gilbert looks back on the BBC drama Only Connect that he commissioned and produced in 1979. Today, it is considered a landmark but overlooked p ...
17-06-2026
BBC 4
Ken Loach Remembers The Old Oak
Ken Loach reflects on The Old Oak, his deeply moving portrait of solidarity, displacement and community in a former mining village in County Durham. Set against the arrival of S ...
10-06-2026
BBC 4
Midge Ure Remembers… The Prince’s Trust Rock Gala 1986
Midge Ure looks back at the 1986 Prince’s Trust Rock Concert, organised to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the charity. As musical director for the event, he is perfect ...
20-06-2026
BBC 4
Ken Loach Remembers Up The Junction
Ken Loach discusses Up the Junction, his landmark 1965 contribution to the BBC’s The Wednesday Play strand, adapted from Nell Dunn’s celebrated stories of working-cl ...
10-06-2026
BBC 4
Jimmy Mcgovern Remembers… Common
Screenwriter Jimmy McGovern remembers his 2014 drama Common, which explores the concept and consequences of the law of joint association through the story of a fictional murder ...
07-05-2025
BBC 4
Amanda Root And Sophie Thompson Remember Persuasion
Actors Amanda Root and Sophie Thompson look back on their roles in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion, a story of missed opportunities and lost love. \ ...
26-06-2025
BBC 4
David Hare Remembers The Absence Of War
Screenwriter David Hare recalls his 1995 drama The Absence of War, adapted from his own successful stage play, a fictional account of a Labour general election campaign.\n\nDavi ...
29-10-2025
BBC 4
Mike Leigh Remembers Nuts In May
Mike Leigh, icon of British TV and film, looks back on one of his most popular and influential television plays, 1976's classic camping comedy Nuts in May. The piece helped put ...
10-01-2026
BBC 4