Ruth Rendell - People Don't Do Such Things
4 Extra Debut. 1979: Hapless accountant Arthur and wife Gwen's new friendship with Reeve takes a very sinister turn. Stars Reece Shearsmith.
It is 1979 and hapless accountant Arthur (a winning Reece Shearsmith) and his wife Gwen (Laura Pyper) have made a new friend.
Flashy novelist Reeve (Michael Maloney) is everything they're not - carefree, charismatic and seemingly irresistible. At first, his friendship seems to offer an enticing window into a world beyond their cloistered suburban existence, but it doesn't take long for the relationship to slip into rather more sinister territory. With unfussy performances and a rumbling documentary-style soundscape, the grimness of late-70s suburbia is palpable throughout.
From the moment colossal egotist Reeve arrives on the scene, it's clear that Arthur and Gwen don't stand a chance, and it's this festering inevitability, lurking in awkward pauses and fidgety middle-class tics, that gives this play its most haunting moments.
Dramatised by Mike Walker from a short story by Ruth Rendell.
Sound Design: Steve Bond
Directed by John Dryden
A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4.
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Clip
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Arthur | Reece Shearsmith |
| Gwen | Laura Pyper |
| Reeve | Michael Maloney |
| Actor | Rachel Atkins |
| Actor | David Holt |
| Director | John Dryden |
| Author | Ruth Rendell |
| Adaptor | Mike Walker |
Broadcasts
Fri 8 Jun 201214:15BBC Radio 4- Tue 10 Mar 201514:15BBC Radio 4
- Mon 6 Mar 201711:15BBC Radio 4 Extra
- Mon 6 Mar 201721:15BBC Radio 4 Extra
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