Posted by Duncan on April 25, 2003 at 14:30:25 from 152.163.188.167 user Duncan.
In Reply to: Arthur Ransom posted by andy bolger on April 24, 2003 at 22:22:56:
Hi,
Yes, I have to confess that kind of a simple-yet-effect nom-de-plume idea had occurred to me as well. Although that would mean AR inventing their meeting - not impossible, but it could get us worrying about all sorts!
I don't see any reason why you can't have a read of the radio play as, with the BBC rejecting it out of hand, I don't suppose it'll ever be developed now. It's quite an episodic thing and some of it doesn't exist (!) so it would be a case of sending you a synopsis and a couple of scenes if you were interested.
The imaginary bits were fun, but trying to ground it in reality probably made it a bit boring in places (the discussion between AR and Lenin keeps on coming back to the New Economic Policy, which is what they were supposed to be discussing for a Guardian article). The reader at the BBC wanted more informality and personal details about the characters, but I didn't think AR and Lenin swopping bawdy or racy tales about their youth over a game of chess was particularly realistic...