He Was Going Mad

Hayley Atwell reads Sadie Jones' acclaimed new novel set during the birth of radical theatre in 1970s London; a world in which the four central characters swirl, ambitious, eager yet all facing their own demons.

Luke aspires to be a playwright and, after meeting would-be producer Paul and the feisty Leigh, the three end up flatmates in London. There, they plan to revolutionise the face of theatre, but when they encounter Nina, a damaged young actress, emotions get in the way.

Today: From different ends of the country, Luke and Nina are both looking for a way out.

Reader: Hayley Atwell is an acclaimed stage and screen actor, who has been nominated for Olivier Awards for her roles in A View from the Bridge, and most recently for Pride at the Trafalgar Studios in London. Her screen roles include Cassandra's Dream, The Duchess, Captain America: The First Avenger and The Pillars of the Earth.

Producer: Justine Willett
Abridger: Sally Marmion

Written by Sadie Jones' whose debut, The Outcast, the story of a broken young man set in the repressed 50s, won a Costa Book Award and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2008. This is her fourth novel.