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Episode details

Radio 3,12 Apr 2016,45 mins

Jonathan Coe and Richard Cameron on Stage at Birmingham Rep

Free Thinking

Available for over a year

Jonathan Coe, author of books including The Rotters' Club, What a Carve Up and his most recent novel Number 11, joins playwright Richard Cameron and presenter Matthew Sweet in a programme recorded in front of an audience at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Jonathan Coe's 2001 novel, The Rotters' Club, depicts teenage life in Birmingham in the 1970s, against a backdrop of strikes at the local car factories. It's been adapted for the stage by Richard Cameron - whose other plays include The Glee Club and Can't Stand Up For Falling Down. They discuss the difference between page and stage, assess the sexual and racial politics of the time and consider the cultural influence of Britain's second city. Producer: Craig Templeton Smith.

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