Aden Gillett plays a father who holds the family together. By coincidence he looks the part. A tall man with ruggedly handsome good looks, also kind and fatherly. When the script was first written, he played the same part in a five-minute live action reading at the Tricycle Theatre, and the audience thundered applause. The chemistry between Frances and Aden is vital.
Radio is a cruel medium to actors, because it sniffs out the slightest trace of insincerity.
They play two parents who love each other deeply, and have endured ten years of Charley's destructiveness. They also love him, and their other children. The bond between these parents is profound, and the actors hit it immediately. Producer Tim Crook is making coffee at the studio when I arrive at 9.30 am. Tim and director Richard Shannon empty out their pockets to see who can pay for one of the taxis - you may recognise this moment, as I did.