{"product_id":"book-kene","title":"Hilda Tablet: The Complete Plays","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA series of vintage mockumentaries about fictional experimental composer Hilda Tablet\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten by poet Henry Reed and first broadcast on the Third Programme between 1953 and 1959, these spoof radio plays follow his alter ego, fictional biographer Herbert Reeve, as he goes in search of the truth about his hero, the equally fictional novelist Richard Shewin. But he is led down the garden path by Shewin’s friends and relatives, who would much rather talk about themselves than the great man. And when Reeve’s scholarly research leads him to the gifted avant-garde composeress Hilda Tablet, he finds himself inescapably enmeshed in her world of wild eccentricity...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Very Great Man Indeed \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003esees Reeve trying to extract information about the late Richard Shewin from a variety of oddball interviewees, including Shewin’s brother, Stephen; fellow author T. H. Powers and the formidable Miss Tablet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Private Life of Hilda Tablet\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, he is persuaded to write the biography of the ‘lady music writer’, renowned for her groundbreaking ‘musique concrète renforcée' (or ‘music for reinforced concrete’). Luckily, it need not be lengthy – ‘not more than twelve volumes’.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEmily Butter \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003erecalls the Covent Garden premiere of Hilda Tablet’s opera, an all-female parody of Billy Budd set in a department store.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Hedge, Backwards \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003ecentres around the posthumous production of Richard Shewin's only play.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Primal Scene, as it were…\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, Hilda and her companions are transported (on a millionaire’s yacht) to the isles of Greece; and General Gland establishes himself as a major figure in her entourage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNot a Drum Was Heard \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003efinds the General recounting his war memoirs to the BBC – and inadvertently revealing his less-than-heroic record.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFinally, \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMusique Discrète\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e is a request programme of music by Dame Hilda Tablet, celebrating her appearance in the Honours List and revolving around her long and celebrated career.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStarring \u003cb\u003eHugh Burden\u003c\/b\u003e as Herbert Reeve, \u003cb\u003eMary O’Farrell\u003c\/b\u003e as Hilda Tablet, \u003cb\u003eCarleton Hobbs\u003c\/b\u003e as Stephen Shewin and\u003cb\u003e Deryck Guyler \u003c\/b\u003eas General Gland, this sparkling seven-part saga features a host of well-known actors including\u003cb\u003e Marjorie Westbury,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eGwen Cherrell\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eNorman Shelley\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eDennis Quilley\u003c\/b\u003e, and music composed by \u003cb\u003eDonald Swann\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNB: Due to their age, these recordings contain some dated attitudes and language.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eProduction credits\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten by Henry Reed\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Douglas Cleverdon\u003cbr\u003eMusic by Donald Swann\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin UK","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49854569906480,"sku":"BDkene","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/682532-kene-Square.jpg?v=1748435616","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-kene","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}