15 Minute Drama: Not a Love Story

Episode 1 of 5

Next Monday, 10:45 on BBC Radio 4
Synopsis

Madeleine Cook is 24 and, for the last nine months, she's been living back home with her parents whilst she temps and tries to pay off her student loan. Her boyfriend Nick is still living in London, and they see each other whenever they can.

Madeleine still has old friends from school days and a clutch of new ones. They meet up in local pubs most weekends. Like everywhere now the bars are open late, the drinks are cheap and usually most of them get anything between tipsy and very drunk. The sort of normal weekend behaviour you find in every town and city, but it being a small, relatively middle class place, it's less violent and not particularly aggressive.

One Friday night Madeleine leaves the pub and walks home along the seafront in the company of Danny, a boy of her own age, whom she's known for few months, through other friends. On the way and seemingly out of the blue, he jumps on her. At first she thinks it's a bad joke, but in fact he rapes her. We know it happens, because we're with her at the time.

Stunned, shocked, she calls her friend Louise, and together they go to a rape crisis centre. The next day, Louise persuades her to go toBy Shelagh Stephenson

After being violently raped by someone she thought was friend, Maddy Cook is urged by the Police to go Public and prosecute her attacker.

Madeleine Cook is 24 and, for the last nine months, she's been living back home with her parents whilst she temps and tries to pay off her student loan. Her boyfriend Nick is still living in London, and they see each other whenever they can.

Madeleine still has old friends from school days and a clutch of new ones. They meet up in local pubs most weekends. Like everywhere now the bars are open late, the drinks are cheap and usually most of them get anything between tipsy and very drunk. The sort of normal weekend behaviour you find in every town and city, but it being a small, relatively middle class place, it's less violent and not particularly aggressive.

One Friday night Madeleine leaves the pub and walks home along the seafront in the company of Danny, a boy of her own age, whom she's known for few months, through other friends. On the way and seemingly out of the blue, he jumps on her. At first she thinks it's a bad joke, but in fact he rapes her. We know it happens, because we're with her at the time.

Stunned, shocked, she calls her friend Louise, and together they go to a rape crisis centre. The next day, Louise persuades her to go to the police.

It sets in motion a whole chain of events which question our attitudes towards rape, sexuality and sexual assault.

Cast:
Maddy Cook ..... Jasmine Hyde
Danny King ..... Mark Quartley
Meg Harper .....Haydn Gwynne
Nick ..... Leon Ockenden
Janet ..... Jeany Spark
Louise ..... Michele Tate
Paula ..... Margot Leicester
Mike ..... Michael Elwyn
Barry ..... Jonathan Tafler
Ned ..... Jonathan Sayer

Director: Eoin O'Callaghan
A Big Fish Production for BBC Radio 4
the police.

It sets in motion a whole chain of events which question our attitudes towards rape, sexuality and sexual assault.

A Big Fish Production for BBC Radio 4
Director: Eoin O'Callaghan.

Duration
15 minutes

I am finding the way that some of Maddie's family and friends are reacting to her rape quite shocking...and Danny today .....

A compelling 15 minute ...(an hour and a quarter really) drama.

Another one I've missed! Sounds like it's worth the listen.

I would recommend it,Jan, if you can find the time...

I think I will. I'm getting caught up fairly quickly, and I usually listen to the Saturday omnibus anyway. I think I can make that work. Thanks again, Becky

Oh my GOD! I have not been this angry at a program in a very long time. I cannot believe in this day and age, with all the information about rape so easily at hand, that anyone would still have such Neanderthal views.

"It's about sex", "Why didn't you fight back?" or "What did you do to provoke it?" and scores of other archaic, idiotic and offensive questions and statements are positively reprehensible and absolutely unimaginable to me. Especially from her family, not to mention other women friends! Grrrrr!

And how in the h*ll did no one get rape counseling for this woman and her family/boyfriend? My gosh, this was like living in the d*mn dark ages! That's the first thing health care providers recommended after a sexual assault and it was never even mentioned.

Can it truly be that people still react this way? My God I'm really pissed!

I can't speak for anyone else's family, but I know had that been me, they'd never have found that bast*rds body!