S3·E30 Richard Eyre Remembers… Country

Celebrated theatre, film and television director Richard Eyre has forged links with some of Britain’s finest writers - one of the most notable being Trevor Griffiths, whose landmark piece, Comedians, he directed, as well as this prescient and still relevant production, Country. Set on the night of the Labour Party’s momentous election victory in 1945, Country contains the rage and compassion for which Griffiths was well known. Richard takes us through the genesis of the project and recalls how persuading Leo McKern to play the part of Sir Frederick Carlion unlocked the door to the stellar cast that followed. He talks of Griffiths’s belief in the power of television to make arguments and tells us about the surprising links between Country and The Godfather!