Secrets and Words | |
---|---|
Genre | Drama |
Written by | Various |
Starring | See below |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 5 |
Production | |
Location(s) | Liverpool |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 44 mins |
Production company(s) | LA Productions |
Release | |
Original network | BBC One |
Picture format | 16:9 |
Original release | 26 March | – 30 March 2012
Secrets and Words is a British drama television series shown on BBC One. Each episode is a story on the theme of adult literacy.
JJ Roscoe (Tony Maudsley) is a painter and decorator who cannot read. He finds a series of letters addressed to his wife Lisa (Susan Cookson). He assumes they are from his workmate Anthony (Neil Bell). He asks his daughter Abby's (Sophie Coward) teacher Fiona Taylor (Julie Graham) to read them to him. Instead she teaches him to read and he discovers the truth about the content of the letters and who they are from. Music composed and performed by Steve Wright http://www.stevewrightcomposer.com
Single mother-of-three Valerie King (Christine Bottomley) starts a job as a dispenser at a pharmacy, working for pharmacist Ray Collins (Phil Davis). He has a drink problem and is struggling to cope after the death of his wife a year ago, who did the job that Valerie now does. When customer Billy Cooper becomes seriously ill, Valerie and Ray think they gave the wrong medication to Billy. Ray is unaware that Valerie is semi-literate; Ray was too drunk at the time he signed the prescription to remember if Billy was given the correct medication. Music composed and performed by Steve Wright
Manual worker Sam (Anthony Welsh), despite having no formal qualifications, successfully gets a job as a teacher through his persuasive interview but, whilst celebrating, falls down and bangs his head. After waking in hospital he finds he has lost the power of literacy. Determined no one should know about his literacy problem, Sam becomes impossible to live with and snaps at his young nephew Adam (Ki'Juan Whitton) when he unintentionally discovers Sam's problem. Anxious to get the job, Sam eventually gets girlfriend Naomi (Sarah Smart) to help him begin to learn to read again. Paranoid that people will find out his secret he lashes out, causing Naomi to leave him. However, after a family dinner he realises his priorities and reconciles with Naomi, putting the job on hold. Music composed and performed by Steve Wright.