Early Works
King of the Castle
‘King of the Castle ‘ was the first of Willy Russell’s works to be made for television. It was produced by BBC Birmingham as part of the Second City Firsts series and broadcast in November 1973.
It was produced by Barry Hanson and directed by Matthew Robinson. ‘King of the Castle’ was one of six productions written by amateur or semi-professional playwrights, for Second City Firsts, an initiative developed to help find new talent.
Written in three weeks, the story line is set in a Liverpool factory and highlights the problems faced by working men in dangerous occupations and focuses on ‘Brocky’ who is considered by his workmates 'King of the Castle', but who develops a fear of his working environment.
Cast
Abby – Robert Putt
Jimmy – David Williams
Brocky – Bill Maxwell
Josie – Mary Healey
Pat – Liz McKenzie
Ronnie – Stanley Dawson
Jackson – Blake Butler
Fitz – John Owens
Break In
Produced for the BBC TV series Scene covering citizenship for secondary school pupils, Break In was broadcast in 1974. It tells the story of three boys who break in to their school during the holidays to retrieve a confiscated football.
The play was never repeated for fear that it might encourage the children who watched it to vandalise their schools.
Scene was edited by Andree Molyneux and directed by Michael Simpson.
“Willy Russell feels that the play is about boredom and frustration - the energy of those young people turned to destructive use. It also describes the author's feelings about some of the failings in the education offered to them - some of the pupils never get a chance to use those musical instruments provided and merely glimpse at the art room”
Scene teacher's notes 1975
Cast
Peter Riley
Gerard Riley
Tony O’Hagen,
Michael Byrne
Bill Dean
The Death of a Young Young Man
The Death of a Young Young Man was Willy Russell’s first TV play for the BBC’s drama series Play For Today. The play is about 15 year old Billy, who after getting suspended from school gets a job on a farm. It was broadcast in 1975.
The cast included Andrew Schofield, who was cast after Willy Russell and the production team from BBC Birmingham visited St Kevin’s school in Kirkby Liverpool and asked a group of kids to read for them, Andrew stood out and was cast in his first acting role, he was later cast as the original narrator in Blood Brothers at the Liverpool Playhouse 1983.
Cast
Billy – Gary Brown
Cazza – Andrew Schofield
Bo – Paul Cahill
Farmer Wilson – Bill McQuirk
Benny – Sebastian Abineri
Politics and Terror
Politics and Terror was originally written for the Granada Arts Magazine entitled Celebration. It was broadcast in 1978 and was performed at the Liverpool Playhouse Studio Theatre in 1981.
Cast
George Costigan
Chris Darwin
Julia North
Lies
Lies was filmed for the BBC schools series Scene in 1978 and broadcast in two parts. It was published by the Hutchinson Publishing Group in an anthology entitled City Life in 1980. It was directed by Andrée Molyneux.
Cast
Sammy Stubbs – Steven Macmanaman
Rolo – Mark Moraghan
Terry – David Bradshaw
Mrs Stubbs – Janet Dale
Mr Derbyshire – Hal Jeayes
Mr Moore – Sean Barrett
store manager – Philip Donaghy
The Boy With The Transistor Radio
The Boy With The Transistor Radio was broadcast by ITV as a part of the English Programme for Schools series in 1980. It was produced by Alan Horrox for Thames Television and directed by John Michael Phillips, the play was first transmitted in September 1980.
The Boy With The Transistor Radio is based upon the same premise as Willy Russell’s earlier radio play Keep Your Eyes Down, written in 1972.
Terry is leaving school with few prospects in his native Liverpool. His father finds him a job in a local warehouse but Terry has other ideas. Living in a dream world promulgated by a radio DJ to whom he listens constantly. Terry is convinced there is something better and he makes an angry escape bid.
Cast
Simon Driver
Tom Georgeson
Diana Davies
Edward Clayton
William Imodore
Arthur Kelly
David Rodigan
Stephen Anderson
Angela Butler
Lynn Griffiths
Robert Guy
Maria Kassim
Paul Stanton
Ian Woods
Sarah Jane Warley.
