We mentioned this project when we first saw it on Damien's Spotllight profile, but I am delighted to have heard back from Gemma McMullan exec producer for BBC Radio Belfast today, who officially confirmed that Damien will indeed be returning to our radios with BBC Radio 4 drama 'The Hill Bachelors', with an air date of 10 May 2012!
(edit: this date has been rescheduled to 3 June)
It looks like we are not the only ones who appreciate Damien's talent!
For anyone interested, a new 'The Hill Bachelors' feature on the fansite:
Gemma McMullan, Exec producer for BBC Radio in Belfast told us today,
I had the delight of working with Damien on The Hill Bachelors by William Trevor just before Christmas. It will broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 10th May at 2:15pm. Damien plays the lead role of “Paulie” alongside Fionnula Flanagan (“Lost”, “The Others”, The Guard”.)
Damien is an incredible talent and we very much hope he will do more radio work with us…and we hope to work with him much more in the future!”
We are guessing this rather lovely drawing tweeted by Damien 3 December last year is an artist’s impression of him in the Belfast recording studio!
In Belfast again, just been given an artist's impression of my job today pic.twitter.com/ZhOSq3kU
The Hill Bachelors is a collection of classic short stories written by multi award winning irish author and playwright William Trevor, who has been described as ‘Ireland’s modern Chekov’.[1] Damien’s character ‘Paulie’ is the protagonist in the title story.
The unrequited love of “A Friend in the Trade”, the rejection of heroism in “The Mourning” or the renunciation of personal fulfilment, for familial or even national interests in “The Hill Bachelors” combine to establish pathos as the key tone of the collection. In the title story, 29-year-old Paulie returns to work the land of his fathers on a desolate hillside to the west of Ireland, full-knowing that this means he will never marry: “Enduring, unchanging, the hills had waited for him, claiming one of their own.”
Huge thanks to Gemma McMullan for confirming and for the broadcast info!
May does seem a way off, but we will have Being Human and subsequent rewatches until then so it is perfect timing!
Oh agree fifi, Damien doing some poetry readings perhaps? Anything at all in fact... (that nearly rhymed and everything.)
The Hill Bachelors is the titular short story in a compilation, about 20 pages long, a combination of prose and dialogue. Whether this will be an adaptation or a direct reading I am not sure, but Gemma said that Damien is in the lead role alongside Fionnula Flanagan, so will there be a narrator? It is an interesting question. I can certainly ask nearer the time.
Yes Gemma was really complimentary about Damien's work, in my email to her I mentioned that after Student Stories we felt Damien had a voice made for radio and that we hoped he would do more radio work in the future. She certainly agreed!
I'm so pleased that we'll get some more radio Damien. Although may seems such a long way away!
I have now proved that I really can listen to that voice all day! I used to have a cassette of Richard Burton reading 'under milk wood' which I played until it died. I now need a recording of Damien reading something lyrical........and nice and long.....and he can murmer in my ear all day......!!
Sorry...got a bit distracted! So this will be a drama, rather that a reading?
I love the extract from Gemma's email;
"Damien is an incredible talent and we very much hope he will do more radio work with us…and we hope to work with him much more in the future!”
I can't wait to hear him on the radio again. I really really enjoyed the other reading he did and he told the story really well. I find it hard to get into radio 'plays' as i have a useless imagination lol but I'm sure where damien is concerned I could make an exception! I would love to have an audio book of damien reading poetry or something....I'd have it on repeat......
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Sooner or later, we all go back to being the monsters we truly are!
Damien does have a gorgeous voice to listen too, but it is also what is behind the voice - his natural ability to tell stories with colour and shades - I have always admired people who have that natural ability, they make it seem very easy! It is the actor and the voice in combination, not just transmitting the words off the page, but interpreting and delivering them in such a way. Undeniable talent!
I just ordered the paperback from a Amazon marketplace seller ( want to try & understand the story & Damien's character ) before it airs ! I'm getting used to Damien's real voice/accent , i find it even more intoxicating than Hal's! (If that's the right word to use).
@HalGal Yes not long now until Mr Radio 4 returns! thank you for bumping this topic up
@Sherrie yes, all BBC Radio 4 programmes are available live and after broadcast on the BBC iplayer, unlike the tv shows, internationally too!
@J-B I have the book too, this is the titular story..it will be interesting to hear how it is translated to the radio, there is far more narration than dialogue. oh and...sounds like the perfect word to me!
I just ordered this book too.....my consolation for not going to see the recording of the Colin Hoult show. Seems somehow ironic that this is being broadcast 2 days after that recording. Although I guess the two won't have much in common!
One of those amazing synchronicities the universe delivers fifi! I have the short story collection too, curious to see, or hear rather, how it will be adapted.
My copy arrived this morning and as I felt in need of some distraction I sat down to read it straight away.
It will be interesting to see/hear how it's adapted - there's not much dialogue in the text, so if it's 'performed' as a short story it'll mostly be narration. (Do we know if there is a narrator?) But it has definately....whetted my appetite! I think he'll be perfect. "He was serious the way he told things, his expression intent....". All very still and hushed...plenty of opportunity for a bit of murmuring...lol!
But now I need to find a distraction that is a bit more frivolous and light-hearted.
I wonder if I can record it. I will be in Southampton watching Daniel Boys and Michael Praed in the musical High Society on that very day! If someone can capture it I would be very grateful.
All BBC Radio 4 (and other BBC channels) are available live and afterwards on the BBC iplayer Pearl...so you will be able to listen to it later on and repeatedly!
some programmes then go on to be come podcasts that are downloadable, admittedly not usually plays. hope that helps!
Really looking forward to this. It sounds as if it's completely dramatised....which is interesting in itself. If it was filmed I would expect there to be lots of quiet - that doesn't quite work on the radio!