A BBC Radio 4 Crime Drama

Inappropriate Relationships

A gripping psychological BBC drama series about a probation officer who uncovers an abuse scandal 
 
When the body of 17-year-old Jackie Shaw is found in a shallow grave, it sends shockwaves through her small West Yorkshire community. Rumours of murder and systematic sexual abuse are rife, and the town's MP, Samuel Stokes, is adding fuel to the fire with his campaign against a so-called 'Asian grooming gang'. 
 
Probation officer Rachel Collier deals with paedophiles on a daily basis: so when she hears that her teenage daughter, Chloe, has become friendly with 24-year-old Tariq, she's concerned where it might lead. But that's not her only worry: she's also struggling to deal with her husband's adultery, her feelings for her Catholic priest, Father Fitzgerald, and her new client, Peter, a sex offender whose victim was Jackie's best friend. 
 
Then three local men, the Jamali brothers, are arrested for murder. The police are confident that the gang's ringleaders are behind bars - but Peter insists that the trio are innocent, and the real perpetrators are being protected. As Rachel investigates what seems to be an establishment cover-up, she places herself and her family in danger - and discovers that nothing, and no-one, is what they seem... 
 
Written by award-winning dramatist Christopher Reason, this intriguing thriller stars Rosie Cavaliero as Rachel, with a star cast including Shaun Dooley, Shannon Flynn and Sacha Dhawan. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Christopher Reason 
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko 
 
Cast 
Rachel - Rosie Cavaliero 
Paul - Shaun Dooley 
Chloe - Shannon Flynn 
Peter - Nicholas Murchie 
Father Fitzgerald - Finlay Robertson 
Leo - Martin Savage 
Stokes - John Dougall 
Mrs Monroe/Samantha - Karen Bartke 
DJ - Catriona McFarlane 
Reporters - John Bowler &amp; Alison Belbin 
Tariq - Sacha Dhawan 
Lydia - Elizabeth Berrington 
Bishop - John Bowler 
Moz - Jayson Benovichi-Dicken 
Nikki - Katherine Rose Morley 
Newsreaders - Alison Belbin, Catriona McFarlane, John Bowler &amp; Karen Bartke 
Waiter - Gavi Singh Chera 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 23 February-23 March 2017 
 
 
©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

A BBC Radio 4 drama series

Fault Lines: Money, Sex and Blood

Glenda Jackson stars in this compelling drama series inspired by Émile Zola's Rougon-Macquart series, highlighting different aspects of contemporary Britain 
 
In 2015, double Oscar winner Glenda Jackson made a triumphant return to acting in Radio 4's Blood, Sex and Money, a radical reimagining of Émile Zola's Rougon-Macquart cycle. Now, she reprises her role as matriarch/narrator in this eclectic mix of dramas inspired by Zola's novels, but set in modern Britain. 
 
Constance is confined to her sick bed and dying of motor neurone disease. Her body is paralysed, but her mind runs free, seeking out stories from the extended family she has long refused to acknowledge. As she delves into their lives, she uncovers dark secrets, lies and deceit. Has bad blood seeped down through the generations to corrupt them all, or is there a chink of light in the familial fault lines, where love and hope can flourish? 
 
In these three series, exploring British society through the lens of money, sex and blood, we meet the members of her flawed clan - from her son Miles, born into wealth and privilege, to her great-great-cousin Hannah and great-niece Natalie, struggling to survive in a world of zero-hours contracts, foodbanks and precarious social housing. Whether rich or poor, all have been shaped by the powerful driving forces of capitalism, desire and DNA... 
 
Written by a host of top dramatists including the award-winning Christopher Reason, Roy Williams, Eve Steele and Michael Symmons Roberts, these intimate, immersive dramas are performed by a stellar cast including Robert Glenister, Gillian Kearney, Don Gilet, Siobhan Finneran, Eleanor Bron and Rudolph Walker. 
 
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris and Gary Brown 
Sound design by Steve Brooke, Sharon Hughes and Simon Highfield 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 16-21 February 2020 (Money), 10-17 October 2020 (Sex), 18-26 January 2022 (Blood) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Glenda Jackson stars in this compelling drama series inspired by Émile Zola's Rougon-Macquart series, highlighting different aspects of contemporary Britain 
 
In 2015, double Oscar winner Glenda Jackson made a triumphant return to acting in Radio 4's Blood, Sex and Money, a radical reimagining of Émile Zola's Rougon-Macquart cycle. Now, she reprises her role as matriarch/narrator in this eclectic mix of dramas inspired by Zola's novels, but set in modern Britain. 
 
Constance is confined to her sick bed and dying of motor neurone disease. Her body is paralysed, but her mind runs free, seeking out stories from the extended family she has long refused to acknowledge. As she delves into their lives, she uncovers dark secrets, lies and deceit. Has bad blood seeped down through the generations to corrupt them all, or is there a chink of light in the familial fault lines, where love and hope can flourish? 
 
In these three series, exploring British society through the lens of money, sex and blood, we meet the members of her flawed clan - from her son Miles, born into wealth and privilege, to her great-great-cousin Hannah and great-niece Natalie, struggling to survive in a world of zero-hours contracts, foodbanks and precarious social housing. Whether rich or poor, all have been shaped by the powerful driving forces of capitalism, desire and DNA... 
 
Written by a host of top dramatists including the award-winning Christopher Reason, Roy Williams, Eve Steele and Michael Symmons Roberts, these intimate, immersive dramas are performed by a stellar cast including Robert Glenister, Gillian Kearney, Don Gilet, Siobhan Finneran, Eleanor Bron and Rudolph Walker. 
 
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris and Gary Brown 
Sound design by Steve Brooke, Sharon Hughes and Simon Highfield 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 16-21 February 2020 (Money), 10-17 October 2020 (Sex), 18-26 January 2022 (Blood) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

Every Child Matters

The second linked drama dealing with the fall out of the case of Debbie Hurst who was vilified as the most repulsive woman in Britain for allowing her ten year old daughter to dance semi-naked on the internet for paedophiles. It is six months since the case exploded on to the red tops and Joanne was the social worker who took the flak. She feels as though she was hung out to dry and wants to know why.



Christopher Reason

Maxine Peake

Neil Dudgeon

Sarah Lancashire

George Costigan

Two BBC Radio Dramas

Sarah Lancashire and Maxine Peake star in this hard hitting, two-part drama 
 
What sort of mother would allow her child to perform online for paedophiles? And how could the family's social worker let it happen? Told in two parts, This Repulsive Woman and Every Child Matters, is a real-time drama that follows the stories of the two women at the centre of a fictional high profile court case and national scandal. 
 
This Repulsive Woman stars Maxine Peake as Deborah Hurst, a woman tried and convicted of an offence under the Protection of Children Act 1978 after allowing her ten year old daughter, Paige to dance semi-naked on the internet for paedophiles. The most vilified woman in the UK, she is interviewed by probation officer, Tony Jukes (played by Neil Dudgeon) who must draw up a pre-sentence report fo the Court to consider. Tony digs deep, trying to uncover what would cause a mother to commit such an appalling crime. For Deborah, "It were nowt" - is she a depraved monster, or the cruel victim of circumstance? 
 
In part two, Sarah Lancashire plays Joanne, Deborah Hurst's social worker, who failed to protect Deborah's daughter. It's six months since the case caused an outcry, and in Every Child Matters Joanne tells how her life has been destroyed by the leaking of her personal details to the tabloid press. Suspended from her job and waiting for a disciplinary tribunal, she decides to take a huge risk in the hope of seeking justice for Paige and closure for herself. Why was she victimised by the press and was she really to blame for what happened? 
 
Sarah Lancashire shot to stardom as Coronation Street's Raquel Watts. She went on to star in such dramas as Clocking Off, Five Daughters and Last Tango in Halifax. She is perhaps best known for her role as Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley. 
 
Maxine Peake played Myra Hindley in See No Evil and Veronica in three series of Shameless. George Costigan is best known for the cult movie Rita, Sue And Bob Too. He has also appeared in Shirley Valentine and Calendar Girls, and television shows Doctor Who and Happy Valley. Neil Dudgeon plays DCI John Barnaby in the hugely popular Midsomer Murders. Writer Christopher Reason's television credits include Eastenders, The Golden Hour and The Bill. His writing for radio includes The Good Soldier Svejk, A Second to Midnight, and The Age of Innocence. 
 
Content Warning: This drama deals with adult themes 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Christopher Reason 
Directed by Stefan Escreet 
Produced by Gary Brown 
 
This Repulsive Woman 
 
Deborah Hurst - Maxine Peake 
Tony Jukes - Neil Dudgeon 
 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 February 2009 
 
Every Child Matters 
 
Joanne - Sarah Lancashire 
David - George Costigan 
 
First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 October 2010 
 
©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

This Repulsive Woman and Every Child Matters

About us

About Us (Header 4)

Best-Jane-Austen-quotes_Online-Desktop_Penguin

James-Baldwin

Marian-Keyes

haruki-murakami-320×320-1

Richard-Osman

Malorie Blackman

Lisa-Jewell

Charlie-Mackesy

Authors (Header 3)

Children&#039;s

Company

Discover

Fiction

Non-fiction

Penguin Classics

Penguin Shop (Header 5)

Useful links

Work with us

sectionTitle

isEnabled

anchor

anchorLabel

prhuk/featured-book

prhuk/praise-section

maxBooks

showViewMore

prhuk/books-section

hideAuthorAlert

formName

iterableDivision

iterableBrand

buttonText

description

heading

legalText

successHeading

successText

image

alignment

variation

prhuk/email-section

prhuk/series-section

prhuk/biography-section

prhuk/articles-section

prhuk-authors

The perfect gift? A Penguin Shop gift card

East of Eden

Wuthering Heights

White Nights

Fyodor Dostoyevsky Boxed Set: Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Brothers Karamazov

Christopher Reason

Books by Christopher Reason

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter