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Press Releases
91Èȱ¬ marks centenary of Daphne du Maurier
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Daphne du Maurier is one of the most well-loved women writers of all time, a defining author who,
in Rebecca, created one of the most beguiling characters in English literature.
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The 91Èȱ¬ is celebrating the life and works of Daphne du Maurier, unveiling
two new commissions, and regional programming to mark her centenary in 2007.
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Daphne, a brand new drama staring Geraldine Somerville (Gosford Park, Harry
Potter), Elizabeth McGovern (Freezing), and Janet McTeer (Five Days,
Tumbleweeds) brings the secret love life of this renowned storyteller to 91Èȱ¬
Two.
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Based on the acclaimed biography by Margaret Forster, Daphne charts the
story of du Maurier's unrequited passion and shows how Daphne's inner struggles
with her sexuality informed the writing of her compelling stories.
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The 90-minute drama focuses on the most emotionally fraught yet creatively fertile
period of the author's life - the years between the Rebecca trial and the
writing of her short story The Birds.
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During this time Daphne met the beautiful
and glamorous American heiress Ellen Doubleday, and the play she wrote about
her forbidden love for Ellen 'the Rebecca of Barberrys' led her to a life-changing and ultimately doomed real life affair with the irreverent fun-loving
actress Gertrude Lawrence.
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Du Maurier once said: "Everything I write comes from some sort of emotional
inner life."
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Daphne could easily have been the central character in one of her
own novels, and the conflict between her real world and her inner world
inspired her compelling fiction and is revealed in this revealing and intimate
drama.
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Amy Jenkins, creator of This Life, takes a fresh look at this fascinating
writer's life in her first period drama.
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She says: "Daphne du Maurier was not what you
would expect. She was irreverent, reclusive, funny, and tortured during this
period of her life.
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"I always want to write about strong, interesting women and
Daphne's story is both tragic and illuminating. You'll never read Rebecca in
the same way again."
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The Road to Manderley on 91Èȱ¬ Two brings Rick Stein closer to one of his
literary heroines as he sets off in search of the author's world in his beloved
Cornwall.
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Daphne has been a firm favourite of Rick Stein for a long time.
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He says: "I
grew up with those amazing locations in Cornwall that fed her imagination.
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"I
love the way she'd soak up the folklore of a place - the myths and legends that
local people in those times really believed in. Like a skilful chef nothing is
wasted on her.
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"If she had spent her working life in Hampstead would Rebecca and
Jamaica Inn have come to life? I suspect not."
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The world of Daphne du Maurier still exists in Cornwall, mostly unchanged, and
in a 50-minute programme Rick sets out to find those special timeless places
that made her lay awake at night weaving her thoughts together.
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Du Maurier absorbed the landscape, the folklore, and the history of Cornwall
and used it to tremendous effect in her work.
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Throughout the month of May, the
afternoon programme on 91Èȱ¬ Radio Cornwall will be celebrating the life and
works of one of its most famous residents.
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Presenter Emma Lloyd will be
discovering the influence Cornwall had on the author's life and will be
inviting the afternoon Book Club to re-visit du Maurier's novels.
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Daphne, 1 x 90 minutes is a 91Èȱ¬ Arts production for 91Èȱ¬ Two. The Executive Producer is Kim
Thomas.
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The Road To Manderley, 1 x 50 minutes, is a Denham Production for 91Èȱ¬ Two. The Executive
Producer is Jacquie Hughes.
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The 91Èȱ¬ Radio Cornwall afternoon show is broadcast weekdays between 2.30 and
5pm. Ìý
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