1 Davidd Calcutt The Last Of England

Afternoon Play: Beyond the Canvas Tue 21st Jan 2003, 14:15 on BBC Radio 4 FM A series of three plays inspired by great paintings. 1: The Last of England by David Calcutt. This oval-shaped, Pre-Raphaelite masterpiece by Ford Madox Brown depicts emigrants on a boat bound for Australia. In the foreground is an artist and his wife, who holds a young child under her shawl. Against a background of interviews with visitors and staff at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, who give their own personal responses to the painting, Calcutt's play imagines what happened to these characters once the ship set sail. Contributors Graham Allen, Debbie Arkinstall. Jane Farrington., Professor David Home and Jack Reid. Producers Rosie Boulton and Peter Leslie Wild Artist:.........Simon Chandler Wife:..........Julia Hills Maggs:..........Christopher Ashley Musician:.......Christopher Ashley

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.