A Lady of Letters by Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett’s masterful piece about a lonely meddlesome pensioner played in the TV series so beautifully by Patricia Routledge. Irene Ruddock is not afraid to speak, or rather write, her mind: she writes letters to her MP the police, the chemist – everyone she can – to remedy the social ills she sees around her. After one too many accusations of misconduct from Irene’s pen, she is sent to prison where, for the first time in her life, she truly feels free.
The Substitute by Duncan Battman
An ex footballer in a wheel chair is tidying his cell on the day of his release from a long jail sentence. Frank remembers the glory days at Leeds United in the early seventies when he shared a room with Paul Madely but he also remembers the end of his career playing on mud baths for Crewe Alexandra. How did he end up in a wheel chair? How did he end up in prison? The story unfolds like a football game with a ninetieth minute twist.
