Another First World War Play - 'Dead Wood'

Dead Wood was produced by the Watermill Theatre September 1997...

Summer 1918 - a battle scarred soldier returns from the horrors of the trenches to his family, and a hero's welcome.

But who is the stranger he has in tow and what is the terrible secret that the two of them share?

This superb new play belies the myth of war as a gallant adventure and reveals a raw emotion that seeks both reconciliation and revenge.

Click here for reviews

Don't be anal - get arsey!

While I was at the gym last week one of the TV’s that morning was screening the breakfast news programme, ‘Lorraine’, and one of the presenter’s guests was the actress and ‘Loose Women’ panellist, Lynda Bellingham, who was talking about her battle with colon cancer, commenting that she had decided not to brave any more chemotherapy treatment as it was so debilitating; she had accepted that the end of her life was approaching and was I guess preparing herself for it.  She talked very openly and honestly about her disease and about dying, hoping that she would survive long enough to spend one last Christmas with her family.  So I was shocked to hear yesterday that she had sadly passed away so soon.  She was a familiar face on our TV screens, and I will always remember seeing her in those oxo adverts when I was a kid, playing ‘everybody’s mum’.  Later on that day, a few commentators on other news programmes when paying tribute to Lynda discussed bowel cancer, and how if it is spotted and diagnosed early there is a good chance of surviving it; but as it is associated with an area of the body that we are somewhat squeamish of discussing, its symptoms are still sadly left too late for some people to be able to survive.  It’s because it’s our anus, our arse, and it’s associated with going to the toilet and with shitting and as a society we are still too (pardon the pun) ‘anal’ to discuss it and to go to the doctor with our worries before the physical implications of those worries becomes something too substantial to ignore any longer.  Well I had to really battle to get my treatment, and for the medical services to take my case seriously, but if I hadn’t, well I just wouldn’t be here.  So when symptoms of bowel cancer present, however unsure you are, my advice is – ‘don’t be anal, get arsey!’  Might be a useful phrase for the campaign? 

Caring

Once again in the news this week we hear of the horrific consequences of paedophile Pakistani gangs grooming and abusing over 1,400 young girls.  I work in care homes and know that this stuff goes on and have had to deal with the consequences, and I reckon Birmingham will be the next city to be implicated as some of the girls I have worked with have indeed been abused and raped by Asian gangs there.  I did of course write a stage play about that very subject called The Girl In The Box, but whilst on the channel 4 screenwriting scheme I also developed a hard hitting drama series called Caring, which alongside the abuse of girls by gangs also tackled the issue of historic abuse that has also recently been uncovered in former care homes from some years ago.  But I was advised to change the perpetrators of the drama from Asian to white characters, as it might appear to be ‘racial stereotyping’.  This is of course was what was happening in Rochdale and Oxford; the social workers and agencies involved were afraid of being seen to be racist by singling out a particular racial group; but the truth however unpalatable is that it is mostly Pakistani gangs who are exploiting vulnerable white girls; and particularly those in care.  As a writer I do tread very carefully when approaching these kind of subjects, and do my best to write positive roles with a good racial mix wherever possible, but as I said as far as this subject matter goes I know first hand the truth of it, and I do feel that someone should be brave and honest enough to stand up for these poor kids who have suffered the most appalling sexual and physical abuse anyone could imagine.  With this in mind, I will have another go at trying to find a home for my drama as I have had nothing but positive responses from every producer who has read it so far, but they pretty much all admit that the subject matter is just too challenging and risky for them to consider taking any further.  Below is a synopsis of the series…

CARING

Grace spent her entire childhood in care, now she herself is a care worker and in spite of her difficult circumstances has just been selected to manage a children's home that is in imminent danger of closing.  She is determined to make a difference for the kids there, and more particularly for Monique, a challenging girl whose life somewhat mirrors her own.  Monique has been absconding regularly, putting herself at risk and is getting seriously close to being housed in 'secure accommodation'; a distressing establishment that Grace has experience of herself.  Similarly, Monique is seen as easy prey to adult sexual predators and is already being groomed.  But Grace's battle to save a vulnerable fifteen-year-old girl is further complicated by an affair with a co-worker and explosive revelations of horrific abuse at her former secure care home.  Following suicides of other residents there, the pressure is on for Grace to testify, and the past for her is just too painful to face up to.  Two human stories intertwine in a breakneck journey to save souls, and a deep longing just to be 'normal' - A modern day parable tackling the worrying trend of sexual exploitation of vulnerable girls in care by Asian gangs, and the dark consequences of drug crime.

Lyndam Gregory - a good friend

Just heard that a friend of mine Lyndam Gregory has sadly passed away following his long battle with lung cancer.  I met Lyndam while recording The Archers, but he was also an actor on Coronation Street and East Enders.  But I really got to know him well while on an ‘Archers Cruise’, where we spent three weeks together onboard a ship that travelled to various ports of call on its way to West Africa.  We were inseparable mates, both on the ship and exploring the various stops on our journey, and we both talked our heads off, setting the world to right and all that kind of stuff.  He was a talented actor, but more than that he was a wonderful human being; sensitive and caring of other people, especially his family.  He was always talking fondly about his wife and daughter, and had some pictures his little girl had drawn for him proudly pinned up in his cabin.  We kept in touch over the years mainly by email, and we both meant to get together again sometime and catch up, but life I guess kept getting in the way and now it’s too late.  Lyndam sent me a video though he made while on that cruise, so I can still remember what an amazing time we spent together then.  I’ll miss him.

Great War plays - 'A Miracle In No Man's Land'

Today is the centenary of the Great War; a seemingly purposeless conflict that saw for the first time mechanised slaughter on an epic scale.  The stories of the suffering and the bravery of the people who fought and suffered then are now a part of our national consciousness.  I have always been moved by the event and particularly the poetry of that time; particularly, Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, and I did in fact write two plays about that war – Dead Wood and A Miracle In No Man’s Land.  The latter play was commissioned by the late, great Peter Cheeseman of the New Victoria Theatre in Stoke, but as it was such a large cast, he tried in vain to try and get a joint production with other regional theatres in the Midlands.  The radio producer, Sue Wilson loved the play and decided to lend a hand by staging a reading of it at the BBC studios in Pebble Mill, and when no representatives from local theatres showed up, she commissioned a radio version, in which I played the lead role and gleaned fantastic reviews from the national press.  I tried in vain to interest theatres and TV/film companies in these two plays leading up to the centenary year and sent them all over the place – when I did actually get a reply it was generally positive, but mostly I didn’t even receive an acknowledgement, and it seemed most theatre companies and broadcasters had already planned ahead too, commissioning new plays and such like, including Red Planet Pictures, who have a major series on our screens soon, which given their previous track record, I am sure will be brilliant.  But as I am so passionate about that subject matter I did try really hard to try and get some interest; I even sent Jeremy Paxman the play as he had made a few programmes about the conflict!  Anyhow, if anyone would like to hear a small segment, here is a link to a minute or two of the play on my website together with a few other voice clips:  http://www.alex-jones.org/alex_jones_listen.html    And below is a short synopsis of A Miracle In No Man’s Land, plus some reviews…  

Play Synopsis

Radio play and unproduced stage play - Radio 4, 15.12.97. Repeat, Radio 7, December 2006.

A soldier on the Western Front accused of desertion claims a vision of Christ commanded him to lay down his arms and abandon the war... Joseph Taylor, an army deserter during the First World War is ridiculed when he tells his court martial that a vision of Jesus Christ caused him to walk from the foul carnage of the battlefield. His chaplain, Captain Simpson believes him however and eagerly defends him with the result that Taylor is miraculously spared the death sentence, but as Simpson discovers, Taylor is not the innocent he seems. A play that is dramatic and moving, both about the brutalities of war and the nature of faith - contributing to the debate on pardons for deserters and the effects of prolonged battle on the health of ordinary soldiers, that is sadly still something of an issue today.

Play Reviews

Radio 4, 15.12.97. Repeat, Radio 7, December 06.

Radio Times - Radio Choice: Accused of desertion on the Western Front in 1917. Joseph Taylor faces a mandatory death sentence. But at his court martial, he claims he was commanded to lay down his arms after seeing a vision of Jesus Christ in no-man's land. The drama's author, Alex Jones stars as the accused man.

Daily Mail - Radio Choice: Loosely speaking, Alex Jones's A Miracle In No Man's Land is a Christmas play, because it is set on the Western Front in December 1917 when carols softened the rattle of the machine guns. Jones himself plays the army volunteer accused of desertion after claiming that he met Christ on the battlefield and was commanded by him to lay down his arms - a super performance in a super play, I don't believe Sue Wilson's direction has been equalled in radio drama during 1997. Peter Davalle.

The Express - Radio choice: Alex Jones's play about a deserter who claims to have seen Christ on the First World War battlefield starts slowly, but builds to a compulsive drama about faith and killing from a soldier's point of view.

The Stage - Radio Choice: The nature of theological belief versus the acrid stench of war was powerfully examined in A Miracle In No Man's Land for Radio 4. Alex Jones co-starred with Christopher Scott.

The Guardian - Radio Choice: It's hard to understand Radio 4's decision to abandon 90 minute dramas. What, after next spring, will the network do with splendid productions like Alex Jones's A Miracle In No Man's Land? The author plays the war-weary First World War private who tells a disbelieving court martial he deserted because Christ appeared on the battlefield bidding him stop the war. The text brilliantly captures the mood of the period and the performances are first-rate. Harold Jackson.

Daily Telegraph - Radio Choice: Just before Christmas on the Western Front in 1917, Captain Simpson (Christopher Scott) is ordered to defend Joseph Taylor (Alex Jones) a Black Country soldier who says he's had a vision of Christ bidding him to lay down his arms. The court martial doesn't believe him. But a miracle has happened. Gillian Reynolds.

Daily Mail Weekend - Radio Choice: When a World War 1 deserter claims divine guidance, is it A Miracle In No Man's Land? Alex Jones's Monday Play contributes to the debate on pardons for deserters. * Recommended. LO'C.

The Observer - Radio choice: In The Monday Play - A Miracle In No Man's Land, Joseph Taylor, an army deserter during the First World War, is ridiculed when he tells his court martial that a vision of Jesus Christ caused him to walk away from the foul carnage of the battlefield. His chaplain, Captain Simpson (Christopher Scott) believes him however and eagerly defends him with the result that Taylor is 'miraculously' spared the death sentence, but Simpson eventually discovers, Taylor (Alex Jones, who also wrote the play), is not the innocent he seems. Stephanie Billen.

A sample call from BBC Daily Log - Re. A Miracle In No Man's Land: "Absolutely superb. The best thing I've heard in years." Mr. Penton, Poole.

Caring for criminals

I recently did an ‘early late sleep’ shift at a home where I’ve worked quite a bit, and was disturbed to find that there were three young adults there with a vulnerable young girl, who were basically criminals awaiting their trials.  One had a tag and was probably going down for all sorts of crime, including drug dealing and car theft, one was regularly assaulting staff, and another (almost eighteen) was at the scene of a murder which had been reported on TV a couple of weeks before and was facing a prison sentence for possession of a fire arm.  I found myself having to constantly face down confrontational young men, and had to drive one of them to Birmingham for an interview with a criminal solicitor.  All of a sudden this relatively settled care home was more akin to a remand centre and the staff there were bravely maintaining some kind of order in the face of some pretty intimidating behaviour.  It was clear also that the young girl there was under pressure from them too; there was definitely some bullying going on and some inappropriate behaviour too.  The manager and the staff there are a fantastic team, but they should not be expected to baby sit career criminals.  I have worked in the education department at Brinsford Young Offenders Prison and feel that pastoral work within that environment is important, but people like these should not be placed in children’s homes; especially among vulnerable kids, and I question the authority that allowed this to happen. 

Assisted Dying

While I was recovering from my cancer operation in hospital, sometimes the pain was so great; (especially when the epidural drip was removed) that even morphine hardly helped – it was all enveloping, and there was literally no escape from it; pain was me, it was all I could think of, and of course I just wanted it to go away, and thankfully eventually it did.  But there were moments when I thought if this continued I would want my life to end, because it was just so unbearable and defined my every waking moment, so even when Sarah and Lucy visited it was an effort to even speak to them.  I also remember my mum’s last moments on earth, sitting with her in her hospital room while she grimly and bravely faced her end, dying from lung cancer in excruciating pain; it was distressing for us her family, but for her it was truly awful, and I remember too wondering why she had to suffer the indignity of this long drawn out death for so long when there were surely drugs available to help to ease her on her way.  But recently it seems assisted dying is being considered seriously as an option to help us on our final journey, and now that church leaders such as the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey and Desmond Tutu are speaking up in favour of the bill that is facing Parliament there may be an option for the terminally ill to make an informed choice about how they die.  It’s an emotive subject, and of course laws like this should not be rushed into for all sorts of moral reasons, and many safeguards must be put in place to ensure that elderly relatives who may think their lingering illness to be a burden on their carers are not therefore pressured to end their lives before their time.  As I said, this is a subject I have been thinking about for some time for very personal reasons, and following my mum’s death I wrote and acted in a short film inspired by her called Rhubarb And Roses.  Below is some stuff about the film and a link so that you can watch it too if you like…

Short Film funded by Screen West Midlands, screened Bristol Brief Encounters Festival, Birmingham Film Festival, Soho Rushes and was short-listed for a BAFTA nomination and was a finalist in the fujifilm best new writer competition.

Molly has lung cancer and not much longer to live. As her pain increases, her son Ricky tries to give her everything he can to make her comfortable. When nothing seems to be working, she asks him to help her end her life. A last supper is prepared to help her on her way.  Rhubarb And Roses is a tribute to my mom, Jean Jones:  I spent eight months watching her die of lung-cancer, and although I have no firm conviction either way, it's also my informed contribution to the debate on euthanasia for people with terminal illness and in acute pain.  Ged Maguire (the director) lent a sympathetic touch as his father too had recently died of cancer.  It was a challenge to make a short film of life’s final taboo and to do it with dignity.  But I think it’s both funny and moving, and that was how my mom was right up to the end.

Click here to see the film