Nicola Sturgeon spreads calm after alien attack in BBC Radio 4 adaptation…
Scottish first minister and SNP leader will play herself in crime writer Val McDermid’s take on John Wyndham’s science fiction novel The Kraken Wakes.
Val McDermid, the Scottish independence-supporting author, has put Scotland in charge of the remains of the UK in a new adaptation for the BBC which gives first minister Nicola Sturgeon a role playing herself.
It’s a wee bit of fun, but it’s rooted in the reality of the situation
Val McDermid
Crime writer McDermid moved the action of John Wyndham’s classic 1953 science fiction novel The Kraken Wakes from North Yorkshire to Scotland and gave Sturgeon a part calmly broadcasting instructions to the survivors of an alien invasion in her adaptation for Radio 4.
The BBC insisted that the dramatisation of The Kraken Wakes was delayed until after the Scottish parliamentary elections on 5 May as it feared accusations of bias.
PHIL MILLER / 00:07 Thursday 25 February 2016
Herald Scotland
She has obtained sweeping new powers for Scotland, leads a party poised to dominate Holyrood for years – and is now set to restore order to a UK invaded by aliens.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is to make first foray into radio drama – playing herself as a calming voice of authority as Britain is besieged by extra-terrestrials.
Ms Sturgeon appears in the BBC Radio 4 production, The Kraken Wakes, a modern retelling of John Wyndham’s classic 1953 apocalyptic novel, which has been adapted by the Scottish crime writer and dramatist Val McDermid.
The two-part drama stars Tamsin Greig and Paul Higgins as reporters Mike and Phyllis Watson, who are on a honeymoon cruise when they see strange red lights falling out of the sky and into the sea.
The lights are aliens who are invading the earth and destroying its environment by raising sea levels.
“There’s chaos in London, there’s no police force, and the British Government has collapsed, but its the Scottish government that survives and tries to re-establish civic order,” said Mr Higgins.
The lights are aliens who are invading the earth and destroying its environment by raising sea levels
“So mine and Tamsin’s characters are always twiddling with the radio, trying to get a signal, and they hear Nicola Sturgeon saying the Scottish Government is going to take control.”
Val McDermid, who is a fan of Wyndham’s works, retells the story “in the light of contemporary fears of climate change”.
Join the BBC Philharmonic for a rare chance to see a radio drama recorded for BBC Radio 4!
Join the BBC Philharmonic and BBC Radio 4 for radio drama The Kraken Wakes. This modern retelling of John Wyndham’s 1953 apocalyptic novel is adapted by crime writer and radio dramatist Val McDermid and stars Tamsin Greig, Paul Higgins and Richard Harrington.
This is a rare chance to see a radio drama recorded for Radio 4 with a live orchestral accompaniment from the BBC Philharmonic.
Composer Alan Edward Williams has created a brand new orchestral score that will ‘play the part’ of the great sea monster during the performance.
The Kraken Wakes will be recorded as a live performance in two parts. The drama will then be broadcast later in the year on BBC Radio 4.
Tickets will be allocated via random draw with 30% of the tickets going to Salford postcodes and 70% going to the rest of the UK.
You can register at any time until 11pm on Sunday 27 December.
PHIL MILLER / 00:07 Thursday 25 February 2016
