91Èȱ¬

Jess Doyle, (Frances McNamee) the lead singer with the legendary '80s band Heaton Park is a star, and is not afraid to say it - even to her overbearing and dismissive father, Vince (Sting).

A record deal and a run of chart busting songs launches her into the stratosphere, where it's made plain that if she is going to make it she is going to have to leave Newcastle, jettison her manager (Stephen Tompkinson) and her friend and co-founder of the band (Deka Walmsley).

A move to the USA follows but, as she comes under pressure to complete her second album, Jess, without the support of those who love and support her, crashes and burns and, to the mystification of her record label and her millions of fans, disappears into the Arizona desert never to be seen again - leaving millions of dollars untouched in an LA bank account.

But then a young American called Bonny (Bridget Marumo) pitches up on the door step of Jess’ family in Newcastle. She has some questions she wants to ask. Whether intentionally or not she opens old wounds, and asks painful and often uncomfortable questions - why did Jess abandon everything and everyone who ever loved her, and indeed the place that made her?

The answers Bonny finds aren’t always expected and she and all those who knew Jess are about to find out that her disappearance is stranger than anyone could have imagined.

Written by Michael Chaplin
Featuring the songs of Sting

VINCE ..... Sting
JESS ..... Frances McNamee
TOMMY BRASS ..... Stephen Tompkinson
MALCOLM ..... Deka Walmsley
STELLA ..... Charlie Hardwick
CLODAGH ..... Phillippa Wilson
BONNY ..... Bridget Marumo
SING ..... Farshid Rokey

Directed by Eoin O'Callaghan
A Big Fish Radio production for 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4