Charlotte Keatley

Lesley Nicol

Siobhan Finneran

Cecilia Appiah

Full Cast

A landmark play, the theatrical equivalent of breaking the four-minute mile

A BBC Radio Full-Cast Production

Charlotte Keatley's powerful, poignant drama follows four generations of mothers and daughters through the sweeping societal changes of the 20th century 
 
&lsquo;A landmark play, the theatrical equivalent of breaking the four-minute mile&rsquo; Guardian 
 
Written in 1985, this groundbreaking play premiered at Contact Theatre, Manchester, in 1987. It subsequently won the Royal Court/George Devine Award and the Manchester Evening News Best New Play Award, and in 2000, the National Theatre included it in their list of the 100 &lsquo;Significant Plays of the 20th Century&rsquo;. Translated into 33 languages, it has been performed worldwide and is acknowledged as a contemporary classic. 
 
Set in Manchester and London and moving back and forth in time between 1923 and 1987, it focuses on four women from one working-class family, bound together by entanglement and estrangement. Born at the turn of the century, matriarch Doris sacrifices her teaching career to become a wife and mother. Her daughter Margaret believes &lsquo;women can do anything&rsquo;, but finds herself in &lsquo;50s suburbia juggling work and domesticity. When Margaret&rsquo;s daughter Jackie, an art student and 1970s hippy, falls pregnant at 18 and has baby Rosie, a decision is made that will have profound and lasting effects on them all&hellip; 
 
As they navigate the highs and lows of their lives, balancing the complexities of motherhood, education, career and self-expression, we witness how each new generation is able to push further than their parents &ndash; and how the choices of one generation affect the potential of the next. 
 
Adapted for audio by Keatley herself, this moving, funny and bittersweet drama features an all-female cast, and stars Lesley Nicol, Siobhan Finneran, Cecilia Appiah and Bebe Massey. 
 
Production credits 
Written and adapted by Charlotte Keatley 
Produced and Directed by Nadia Molinari 
Pianist: Adam Hutchins 
Sound Design by Sharon Hughes 
Production Co-ordinator: Pippa Day 
This production is dedicated to the memory of Wyllie Longmore 
 
Cast 
Doris &ndash; Lesley Nicol 
Margaret &ndash; Siobhan Finneran 
Jackie &ndash; Cecilia Appiah 
Rosie &ndash; Bebe Massey 
Child Doris &ndash; Matilda Kent 
Child Margaret &ndash; Isla Pritchard 
Child Jackie &ndash; Mimi-Raie Mhlanga 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 April-5 May 2024 
 
&copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Charlotte Keatley

Praise for My Mother Said I Never Should

A landmark play, the theatrical equivalent of breaking the four-minute mile

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