David Ashton Radio Plays
David Ashton is a familiar name to lovers of radio drama, though he also works for television, writes novels, and acts. He has written a large number of radio plays for the BBC, including the well-known "McLevy", now in its fifth series, documenting the adventures of an Edinburgh police inspector around a hundred years ago. The sixth series will appear in Dec 2009 and a seventh is commissioned. The programmes attract a million listeners.
David won the Radio Times Drama award way back in 1985 with " The Old Ladies at the Zoo,” a hilarious two-hander with Peggy Mount and Liz Smith. "The Wind Bear", another fine comedy, starring Bernard Hepton and Norman Jones, is a firm favourite with drama fans. He has adapted Sherlock Holmes stories and had plays accepted by R.T.E. in Dublin, and Norwegian and Icelandic radio. He wrote the pilot episode of a potential new series, Doctor Johnson’s Dictionary of Crime with Timothy West for Radio 4.
Television work includes very early East Enders, Casualty (Set up and main writer on series 3), The Hello Girls (Second series), Badger, Murder Rooms and Dalziel and Pascoe. His original television film, The Other Side with Richard E. Grant and Frank Finlay, was shown on BBC2. He has co-written a full length animated feature film with world wide distribution shown in 1993, " Freddie", and his other film work is Man In The Moon for HTV. and God On The Rocks with Minnie Driver and Bill Paterson, for Channel 4. He is working on a commissioned film script, Tale for Peter Chelsom, the director of Hear My Song, and Funny Bones. Projects in development include a film on Degas, The Little Dancer, starring Ben Kingsley. At the moment he has completed a film script Django, an adventure based on the life of the great gypsy jazz guitarist, Django Reinhardt. Immediate projects are REGAN, a television series for Portman Films, and DONAL Q, a film for TV starring Brian Cox and Billy Connelly for BBC Scotland.
His first novel, Shadow of the Serpent, commissioned by Birlinn/Polygon was published in May 2006 and the second, A Fall from Grace, was published in spring 2007. A third Behind the Curtain is commissioned for 2009.
David's work for the London theatre includes Passing By at the Old Red Lion, A Bright Light Shining, The Chinese Wolf at the Bush Theatre, The Mark at the Cockpit Theatre, Buried Treasure at the Lyric, Hammersmith, and has just finished a new piece, Couchsong. He has had plays performed in Belfast, Dublin, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Isle of Mull, Stratford and Skibbereen. A children’s play, The Golden Door, has been commissioned and performed at the National Theatre.
He studied at Central Drama School, London, 1964-67, and has a certificate which says he can act. He still does this, when asked; his latest part was the hero’s father in Last King of Scotland. He has also played main parts in Brass, Hamish MacBeth, Waking the Dead and The Voyage of Charles Darwin.
Click here for the text of a McLevy story, A Child is Born, reproduced by permission.
N.D, 2009
BBC Radio Plays
Old Ladies at the Zoo....1986
9 Sep 86, R4...Two grumpy old ladies meet at the zoo to discuss the
animals, only occasionally letting a truth or two slip
out. Repeated on BBC7. With Peggy Mount and Liz Smith; producer Jane Morgan. The play was recorded in a studio but David Greenwood, the SM, and Jane spent the day at the zoo getting the animals to make the right noises. The play won an RT award, and rightly so; it is a treat. 45m, afternoon play.
The Wind Bear*....1986, rpt. 1988
R4, 30 Apr 1986, SNT. A wonderful comic detective story, with an absent-minded taxidermist
as the main character. Has he murdered his wife, or hasn't he?
And is he really as dozy as he appears to be? An experienced police
inspector and his assistant (not over-endowed with brains) try to
prove him guilty - they don't have any other suspects- but as the
plot twists and turns, and the police excavate a bowl of five-year-old
buried tripe from the garden, the plot is gradually revealed.
Excellent writing and casting throughout. With Bernard Hepton and
Norman Jones.
Death of a Fly*....1989
R4, 16 Dec 1989, SNT. Rather odd title of a well-written thriller.
With Alexander Morton, Siobhan Redmond, Tom Fleming, Russell Hunter.
TWO SISTERS....1996
4 Apr 96, 60m. Escaping from a jealous husband, a carpet fitter calls on two eccentric elderly sisters....
McLevy* , by David Ashton (R4, 1415, Thursdays, ending 11 Jan 01) chronicled some cases of a Victorian police inspector from Edinburgh, and is based on a policeman's diary from that time. There is a nice sub-plot running through the plays: his affection for a lady who runs the local brothel. This is a highly entertaining series....... ND, VRPCC newsletter, Apr 01.
David Ashton has found a winning formula with his entertaining tales of McLevy*, Inspector of Crime. Another series began with A Good Walk Spoilt (R4, 1415, 18 Jun 02), where a body is found on Leith golf links on the eve of a major golf championship. The casting here is excellent; Brian Cox is the indomitable McLevy, Michael Perceval- Maxwell his sidekick Mulholland, and Siobhan Redmond the brothel- keeper Jean Brash. The series is purportedly based on the memoirs of a Victorian Inspector, but one sometimes wonders if his journal was quite so full of entertaining tales.........ND, VRPCC newsletter, Sep 02
Asterisked items known to exist in VRPCC collections.
SNT
denotes Saturday Night Theatre.
McLEVY EPISODES
26-07-99 title nk
28-11-00 The trophy club
07-12-00 title nk
14-12-00 title nk
21-12-00 For unto us
28-12-01 title nk
04-01-01 title nk
11-01-01 title nk
24-05-02 For unto us
31-05-02 The trophy club
07-06-02 The second shadow
14-06-02 The burning question
19-06-02 A good walk spoilt
26-06-02 Wild justice
03-07-02 The wild spark
10-07-02 Stab in the back
27-08-03 A good walk spoilt
03-09-03 Wild justice
10-09-03 The wild spark
17-09-03 Stab in the back
01-12.03 Behind the curtain
08-12-03 A voice from the grave
15-12-03 The dark shadow
22-12-03 Servant of the Crown
EPISODE NOTES
Behind the Curtain....2003
A death threat written in blood is found pinned to the wall
of a dressing room at the Parade Theatre. With Brian Cox,
Siobhan Redmond, David Ashton, Michael Perceval-Maxwell, Gabriel Quigley,
Alan Cox, Struan Rodger, Colette O'Neill, Simon Donaldson,
Clare McCarron. Director Patrick Rayner.
A Voice from the Grave....2003
Jean Brash has a mystery lover. Does he know anything of
the brutal murder which has been committed nearby?
With Brian Cox,
Siobhan Redmond, David Ashton, Michael Perceval-Maxwell,
Forbes Masson, Sean Scanlon, Colette O'Neill,
Tom Smith, Sandra Clark, Rovert McIntosh. Director Patrick Rayner.
The dark shadow....2003
A jewel theft brings an infamous
criminal within range of McLevy. With Brian Cox, Siobhan Redmond,
Stella Gonet, Jimmy Yuill, Tom Smith, Michael Perceval-Maxwell, David
Aston, Colette O'Neill, Kananu Kirimi, Robin Laing, Frances Thorburn.
Director Patrick Rayner.
Behind the curtain....2003
The Queen is visiting Edinburgh. But the recent
Crimean War has stirred up the political extremists. A protection
squad is needed. With Brian Cox, Siobhan Redmond, Patrick Malahide, Tom
Goodman-Hill, Michael Perceval-Maxwell, David Ashton, Colette O'Neill,
Tom Smith, Tom Cotcher; director Patrick Rayner.
Nigel Deacon / Diversity Website
