BBC Radio 4, August 18, 2021

Why does the wreck of an aircraft have no windows…?

Series creator Martin Jameson returns to pen this middle tale of the Angst! series, with a story that picks up on ideas that may seem familiar to fans of a certain cult TV show from a few decades ago (and indeed the first book spun off from it by its creators), but which would be a major gap if not addressed here. Plastic has a key role to play in our lives, and we’ve all heard (even if we’ve tried to ignore) the comments from scientists that microplastics are everywhere and that the situation can’t continue. Jameson’s play posits that a solution could be found – but what if the result creates a world that’s considerably worse as a result? We get variants of that argument throughout the play, from a quite reasoned one to a fanatical version towards the end… And of course, our friendly neighbourhood Timor Greer is involved, because if something is going to screw up the human race, of course he is.

Reece Shearsmith and Rosie Cavaliero lead the cast – alongside a more threatening than usual performance from Cyril Nri’s Greer – and bring out the nuances in the text, with Jameson providing plenty for Steve Bond and Adam Woodhams’ sound design to illustrate. There are assorted strands, and movements backward and forward in time, but Nicolas Jackson ensures things are clear to the audience when necessary.

Verdict: Although it’s odd to hear an air accident investigator refer to a “plane”*, this ratchets up the stakes – but you do wonder where the series can go from here… 8/10

Paul Simpson

 

 

*I’m aware this is a very niche criticism!