Mr Larkin's Awkward Day
Encyclopedia
Mr Larkin's Awkward Day is a comedy radio play by Chris Harrald, broadcast on BBC Radio 4
on Tuesday, 29 April 2008 as the Afternoon Play
, repeated on 25 January 2010. The producer was Steven Canny
. It won the Gold Award for Drama at the Sony Radio Academy Awards
in 2009.
In 1957 Philip Larkin
's friend Robert Conquest
, of the group known as The Movement
, played a practical joke
on him. Mr Larkin's Awkward Day tells the true story of the joke, one that had Larkin fearing he might be sent to prison.
. The letter reveals that there is an ongoing investigation into him, conducted under the 'Pornographic Materials Act of 1921'. The letter informs Larkin that he might have to appear in court since it is alleged he has been buying pornography—and he knows all too well that he has. Larkin begins to fret about what to do—should he destroy the evidence under the gaze of a watchful landlady before the police arrive? Eventually, he goes to his librarian job. As he leaves the library he freezes when Inspector Clough introduces himself and says that he is very interested in Larkin's literary tastes. Larkin begins to defend himself until it transpires that the men have crossed wires—one fears he is being quizzed about purchasing dubious magazines, the other thinks he is having a friendly chat about literature. Finally, Larkin prises himself free from the Inspector to dash off to a meeting with his solicitors, who ask him what journals he has been buying. After he returns to his lodgings his landlady knocks on Larkin's door—someone wants him on the 'phone. It's Larkin's historian friend, Bob Conquest, and he is laughing. He asks Larkin about the silly joke he played on him, the embossed envelope and so on. When it becomes clear that Larkin was completely taken in, Conquest offers to pay his solicitors' costs.
Producer: Steven Canny.
Writer: Chris Harrald.
Broadcast Assistant: Luke Fresle.
Actors: Adrian Scarborough, Anne Reid, Lynne Verrall, Alan Williams, Stephen Critchlow, John Rowe, Dan Starkey, Helen Longworth, Ben Crowe & Chris Pavlo.
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
on Tuesday, 29 April 2008 as the Afternoon Play
Afternoon Play
The Afternoon Play is a long-running drama programming strand, broadcast every weekday at 2.15pm on BBC Radio 4. Each play lasts for 45 minutes, and roughly 190 new Afternoon Plays are broadcast each year....
, repeated on 25 January 2010. The producer was Steven Canny
Steven Canny
Steven Canny is a BBC Executive Producer in Radio Comedy and a writer of plays for the stage.Canny began his career as a theatre director and writer...
. It won the Gold Award for Drama at the Sony Radio Academy Awards
Sony Radio Academy Awards
The Sony Radio Academy Awards , started in 1983, are some of the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. They are run by ZAFER Associates in association with the Radio Academy...
in 2009.
In 1957 Philip Larkin
Philip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin, CH, CBE, FRSL is widely regarded as one of the great English poets of the latter half of the twentieth century...
's friend Robert Conquest
Robert Conquest
George Robert Ackworth Conquest CMG is a British historian who became a well-known writer and researcher on the Soviet Union with the publication in 1968 of The Great Terror, an account of Stalin's purges of the 1930s...
, of the group known as The Movement
The Movement (literature)
The Movement was a term coined by J. D. Scott, literary editor of The Spectator, in 1954 to describe a group of writers including Kingsley Amis, Philip Larkin, Donald Davie, D.J. Enright, John Wain, Elizabeth Jennings, Thom Gunn, and Robert Conquest...
, played a practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
on him. Mr Larkin's Awkward Day tells the true story of the joke, one that had Larkin fearing he might be sent to prison.
The plot
In September 1957, a pre-fame Larkin prepares for another ordinary day and picks up his post. But one letter stands out: an official-looking envelope embossed with the words Scotland YardScotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
. The letter reveals that there is an ongoing investigation into him, conducted under the 'Pornographic Materials Act of 1921'. The letter informs Larkin that he might have to appear in court since it is alleged he has been buying pornography—and he knows all too well that he has. Larkin begins to fret about what to do—should he destroy the evidence under the gaze of a watchful landlady before the police arrive? Eventually, he goes to his librarian job. As he leaves the library he freezes when Inspector Clough introduces himself and says that he is very interested in Larkin's literary tastes. Larkin begins to defend himself until it transpires that the men have crossed wires—one fears he is being quizzed about purchasing dubious magazines, the other thinks he is having a friendly chat about literature. Finally, Larkin prises himself free from the Inspector to dash off to a meeting with his solicitors, who ask him what journals he has been buying. After he returns to his lodgings his landlady knocks on Larkin's door—someone wants him on the 'phone. It's Larkin's historian friend, Bob Conquest, and he is laughing. He asks Larkin about the silly joke he played on him, the embossed envelope and so on. When it becomes clear that Larkin was completely taken in, Conquest offers to pay his solicitors' costs.
The award
The Sony Gold citation said: "Assured direction, excellent performances and concise, skilfully-researched writing all made this deceptively straightforward story a masterpiece. Funny and touching by turns, a single, seemingly insignificant incident in the life of Philip Larkin brought out the humanity and humour of a poet whose personal life is not commonly associated with either."Producer: Steven Canny.
Writer: Chris Harrald.
Broadcast Assistant: Luke Fresle.
Actors: Adrian Scarborough, Anne Reid, Lynne Verrall, Alan Williams, Stephen Critchlow, John Rowe, Dan Starkey, Helen Longworth, Ben Crowe & Chris Pavlo.