PI Week 6 February 4 - February Billy s Back BBC Northern Ireland celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Billy plays

Transcription

1 PI Week 6 February 4 - February Billy s Back BBC Northern Ireland celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Billy plays

2 Programme Information New this week Billy s Back Page 3 BBC Northern Ireland celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Billy plays Lives In A Day Page 6 In a new BBC Radio Ulster series, Natasha Sayee meets four inspirational individuals who have battled against the odds to make a difference It s William Caulfield, So It Is Page 8 Comedian William Caulfield provides the laughs in his new BBC Radio Ulster series 2

3 Billy s Back BBC Northern Ireland celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Billy plays Talking To Billy on Sunday, February 05, BBC Two NI at 9pm Too Late To Talk To Billy on Sunday, February 05, BBC Two NI at 9.30pm A Matter Of Choice For Billy, Sunday, February 12, BBC Two NI at 9pm A Coming To Terms For Billy, Sunday, February 19, BBC Two NI at 9pm Let s Talk About Billy starts Monday, February 6 on BBC Radio Ulster at 11.55am Too Late To Talk To Billy first aired in 1982 (left to right) characters Anne (Tracey Lynch), Norman (James Ellis), Maureen (Aine Gorman), Billy (Kenneth Branagh) & Lorna (Brid Brennan). To celebrate the 30th to see three of some of the most and crew who brought the Martin anniversary of the first broadcast popular dramas ever produced on family to life on our television of Graham Reid s Too Late To Talk to Billy BBC Northern Ireland is giving audiences another chance these shores. A documentary will also precede the first play which will hear directly from the cast screens in the 1980s. The documentary, Talking To Billy, on Sunday, February 05 on BBC Two NI at 9pm 3

4 (left to right) Uncle Andy, Lorna, Norman, Anne & Maureen sees actors including Kenneth Branagh, Jimmy Ellis and Brid Brennan reminiscing about the time they spent filming back in the early 1980s. The plays, Too Late To Talk to Billy, A Matter Of Choice For Billy and A Coming To Terms For Billy were the first time a national audience had heard the authentic voice of working class Ulster Protestants from Northern Ireland. With the help of writer Graham Reid and cast, BBC NI re-tells the story of Billy and explores what it was that turned this simple tale into one of the most successful dramas ever produced by BBC Northern Ireland. When Too Late To Talk To Billy was first broadcast nationally in February 1982 it revealed a foreign landscape unknown except to those who lived here. It was a significant television moment for the In the documentary we once again meet the Martin family who were the beating heart of the Billy plays. There was people of Belfast and a significant moment for young actor Kenneth Branagh fresh out of drama school. bullying father Norman played by Jimmy Ellis; son Billy played by Kenneth Following the documentary BBC NI is Branagh; Brid Brennan the long suffering sister Lorna; and twins Anne and Maureen played by Tracey Lynch and Aine Gorman. Cast in supporting roles were some of the greatest actors of a generation Mark Mulholland, John Hewitt and Colm Convey. giving audiences another chance to see Too Late To Talk To Billy on Sunday, February 5 on BBC Two NI at 9.30pm. Too Late To Talk To Billy, first shown on Tuesday, February 16, 1982 introduced audiences to the Martin family. In the play the family are split: Billy s parents are estranged and he and his father, Norman, find it particularly difficult living under the same roof in Belfast. A Matter Of Choice For Billy was the second of the three plays originally shown on Tuesday, May It portrays Belfast in 1978 and the Martin family a year on from the previous play. Norman is now living in England and his eldest son Billy and daughter Lorna are in charge of their younger sisters, Ann and Maureen. This play also sees the introduction of Uncle Andy and impact that he brings to the family dynamic. A Coming To Terms For Billy, first shown on Tuesday, February 21, 1984 is the third in the trilogy of plays. It tells the story two years on from the previous. Norman 4

5 Norman (James Ellis), left, and Billy (Kenneth Branagh) returns home from working in England and his return is met with mixed reactions. On BBC Radio Ulster, starting on Monday, February 06 at 11.55am, Let s Talk About Billy invites five viewers from across Northern Ireland and the UK to share their memories of the Billy plays, and assess their impact and lasting legacy. One of the contributors, Anne, grew up in Belfast, but now lives in West Yorkshire. She recognised the characters in the play as people in her own life, and was proud to see her people on television, Michael in Fermanagh loved the Ulster humour amidst the tragedy, and Eric from Glasgow saw his own childhood on screen and felt the plays had a universal message about the struggles of domestic life. Each day we hear from a different contributor on whom the Billy plays made a lasting impression, and in Let s Talk About Billy, they share their memories with us. James Ellis played Norman Martin in the Billy plays 5

6 Lives In A Day In a new BBC Radio Ulster series, Natasha Sayee meets four inspirational individuals who have battled against the odds to make a difference Lives In A Day, BBC Radio Ulster, starts Sunday, February 5 at 1.30pm. bbc.co.uk/radioulster Dr Susan Phoenix is one of the four individuals profiled in the new BBC Radio Ulster series Lives In A Day In the new BBC Radio Ulster series, Lives In A Day, Natasha Sayee profiles four individuals who have fought against the odds to make a difference in their own lives and in the lives of others. Starting on Sunday, February 5 at 1.30pm, each programme in this four part series sees Natasha spend time with an inspirational figure who has overcome personal challenges to achieve great things, from the woman who set up a breast cancer charity while battling her own illness to the man who was blinded as a child by a baton round fired by a British soldier and yet went on to set up a charity for endangered children in the developing world. Natasha says: Everyone in Lives In A Day, is a fighter and an inspiration. They ve been through the stuff of nightmares, but with inner steel have managed to pick themselves up and keep going. I think the stories we hear have an underlying message to not sweat the small stuff and, ultimately, they give a sense of hope. Making this series was a roller coaster of emotions, but it leaves you uplifted and with a new found respect for the human spirit. In the first programme of the series, Natasha meets Noleen Adair who, al- 6

7 In, Lives In A Day, starting on BBC Radio Ulster on Sunday, February 5 at 1.30pm, Natasha Sayee meets Noleen Adair, who set up a Northern Ireland breast cancer charity Athlete Mark Pollock is interviewed by Natasha Sayee in Lives In A Day though battling serious illness for a decade has worked tirelessly for other younger women with breast cancer, capturing the NI public s imagination with the Pretty in Pink Charity. The programme follows Noleen while she receives treatment and learns of the personal motivation she uses to keep herself and others full of positivity. In the second programme, Natasha meets Mark Pollock who was destined for sporting greatness from an early age despite losing the sight in one eye at five years old. By the time he was 22 and completely blind, Mark had one of NI s rowing stars at the Commonwealth Games and he then went on to complete marathons and Polar expeditions. An accident two years ago has confined Mark to a wheelchair, and Natasha follows him as he devotes his energies to groundbreaking physiotherapy and finds out how he refuses to allow negativity to take hold. Dr Susan Phoenix, who lived in NI for twenty-five years, is profiled in the third programme in the series. Susan lost her husband in the Chinook helicopter crash of Initially suffering from deep depression, Dr Phoenix embarked on a voyage of self-discovery that has taken her all over the globe, managing workshops and bringing hope to countless people dealing with grief. In the final programme of the series, Natasha meets former businessman Richard Moore, who founded the Children in Crossfire charity to raise money for endangered children in the developing world. At the age of 10 Richard was blinded by a baton round fired by a British soldier. Richard and Charles, the officer who fired the plastic bullet, are now friends and presenter Natasha Sayee hears from both men about their attempts to use their shared story to illustrate that communication and avoiding bitterness can be the key to peace. Lives In A Day can be heard on BBC Radio Ulster on Sunday, February 5 at 1.30pm FM & DAB digital radio, digital TV and online at bbc.co.uk/radioulster 7

8 It s William Caulfield, So It Is Comedian William Caulfield provides the laughs in his new BBC Radio Ulster series It s William Caulfield, So It Is, BBC Radio Ulster, starts Saturday, February 4 at 12pm. bbc.co.uk/radioulster It s William Caulfield, So It Is, starts on BBC Radio Ulster on Saturday, February 4 at 12pm Comedian William Caulfield - and some special friends - star in a new eight-part comedy series on BBC Radio Ulster. It s William Caulfield, So It Is, which starts on Saturday, February 4 at 12pm, not only sees the Lurgan-born funny man entertain a studio audience with his own stand-up routine, giving his own unique slant on everything from modern technology to elderly relatives, but he will also bring his acclaimed tribute to James Young to BBC Radio Ulster listeners with a series of sketches. Among the James Young-inspired characters listeners can look forward to hearing William step into in each jam-packed 30-minute programme are Derek, who loves his mammy, union representative Billy Hulk, Orange Lil, Emily Beattie, Lilly O Condriach and Willy Simpson. These timeless characters will be taking on some timely discussions as William brings them bang up-to-date to discuss everything from the London 2012 Olympics to phone hacking. William says: It s been a fantastic experience recording this series for BBC Radio Ulster in front of a studio audience. Each performance takes on a life of its own as the audience gets involved and, of course, with radio we can let our imagination run riot by painting pictures for the audience at William Caulfield in character as Mrs O Condriach home that we simply wouldn t be able to do on television. I hope listeners get as many laughs as we ve had in the studio and enjoy hearing some classic characters tackling some modern topics. Listeners can also look forward to surprise cameos from some well-known personalities who will be popping up to make a guest appearance in sketches throughout the series. It s William Caulfield, So It Is, starts on BBC Radio Ulster on Saturday, February 4 at 12pm FM & DAB digital radio, digital TV and online at bbc.co.uk/radioulster 8