Alan Bleasdale

Alan Bleasdale

Author: BBC Radio 4 June 1, 2024 Duration: 15:33

Alan Bleasdale, the Liverpudlian screenwriter and playwright, is in the spotlight this week as a stage version of his iconic 1980's TV series 'Boys from the Blackstuff' opened at the National Theatre. Born in Liverpool, an only child who first went into teaching, his first public work was 'Scully' for Radio Merseyside, a kind of Liverpudlian Adrian Mole, which he wrote whilst he was still teaching.

But it was 'Boys from the Blackstuff' that made him a household name with one of the characters, Yosser Hughes' line 'Gissa job' providing a chant on the stands of his beloved Liverpool Football Club.

His work has courted controversy with successive governments, although he says he's not political, only voting for the first time at the age of 38. Now in his late 70's and 40 years on from the original television series, he's back in the spotlight. Stephen Smith talks to friends and colleagues about his work, phobias and how to tell if you're having a heart attack.

CONTRIBUTORS Peter Ansorge, former Script Producer, BBC Drama and Commissioning Editor James Graham, Playwright and Screenwriter Robert Lindsay, Actor Sir Michael Palin, Actor and Author Tony Schumacher, Author and Screenwriter Trevor Stent, former teaching colleague

PRODUCTION TEAM Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Julie Ball, Diane Richardson Researcher: Marianna Brain Editor: Bridget Harney Sound: Neil Churchill Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

CREDITS Boys from the Blackstuff, BBC Drama GBH, Channel 4 Scully's New Years Eve, BBC


Each week, Profile from BBC Radio 4 takes a single name from the global conversation and builds a detailed portrait, moving far beyond the headlines. This isn't a simple biography or a news recap. Instead, through careful documentary storytelling and personal journal excerpts where available, the podcast constructs a nuanced examination of character and motive. You’ll hear from colleagues, critics, and sometimes the subjects themselves, piecing together what drives and defines the people shaping our world. The focus rests firmly on influence, whether in politics, the arts, science, or social movements, exploring how an individual's background and choices ripple through society and culture. Listening to this podcast feels like gaining a deeper, more textured understanding of the figures you think you know, revealing the contradictions and convictions behind the public image. It’s a thoughtful half-hour that challenges first impressions, asking what truly lies behind a name in the news.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Profile
Podcast Episodes
Gaga [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:10
She’s a girl from New York's Lower East Side whom grew up to a life of stardom and is now known by just one name.Gaga, a classically trained pianist, has secured Grammy-winning songs like Poker Face and Rain on Me. While…
David Lammy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:37
He’s not yet completed a hundred days in his new job, but David Lammy finds himself overseeing the UK’s response to rising tensions in the Middle East.Born to Guyanese parents in north London, and raised by his mother fr…
Eben Upton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:21
It’s a tiny computer with a catchy name: Raspberry Pi. But what's the story behind the man who thought up this affordable device?His name is Eben Upton. He has gone from being a child desperate to make computer games, to…
Martin Hewitt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:23
Some call it one of the trickiest jobs in the country. How do you stop the small boats trying to cross the English Channel and smash the smuggling gangs? The government has appointed Martin Hewitt to the role- he’s leadi…
Eluned Morgan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:38
This week we delve into the life of the First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan, the first woman to hold the position. Morgan was introduced to politics at a very young age by her parents, who were both councillors. Her ea…
Lee Carsley [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:30
Some of world football's biggest names have been linked to England's top job since Gareth Southgate hung up his waistcoat. But, for now at least, it is Lee Carsley who takes over as England's interim manager.The modest,…
James Graham [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:29
James Graham’s writing obsession started at the age of six in the shadow of Nottinghamshire's former coalmines. Equipped with a typewriter from his mother he created hundreds of stories from the family home in Kirkby-in-…
JD Vance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:50
From ‘hillbilly’ roots to becoming Donald Trump’s nominee for vice-president. At 39, if JD Vance is elected, he would be one of America’s youngest ever Vice-Presidents. A lot has been laid bare in his own words, in ‘Hill…
Shabana Mahmood [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:23
Shabana Mahmood is the new Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. Born in Birmingham in a Kashmiri Pakistani family, she has three siblings, one of whom is her twin. From an early age her father ensured that…
Evan Gershkovich [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:55
Evan Gershkovich is the Wall Street Journal's Moscow reporter. He's been imprisoned in Russia since March last year, and has just gone on trial there - the first American journalist to be jailed in Russia since the Cold…