Eileen Horne – författare

London, 1888: Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of Whitechapel; national strikes and social unrest threaten the status quo; a grave economic crisis is spreading across the Atlantic . . . Yet Her Majesty''s government is preoccupied with "a mere book" - or rather, a series of books: new translations of the Rougon-Macquart saga by French literary giant Émile Zola.In his time, Zola made his British contemporaries look positively pastoral; much of his work is considered shocking and transgressive even now. But it was his English publisher who bore the brunt of the Victorians'' moral outrage at Zola''s "realistic" depictions of striking miners, society courtesans and priapic, feuding farmers.Seventy years before Lady Chatterley''s Lover broke the back of British censorship, Henry Vizetelly''s commitment to publishing Zola, and to the nascent principle of free speech, not only landed him in the dock and thereafter in prison, but brought to ruin to the publishing house he had founded. Meanwhile, Zola was going from strength to strength, establishing his reputation as a literary legend and falling in love with a woman half his age.This lively, humorous and ultimately tragic tale is an exploration of the consequences of translation and censorship which remains relevant today for readers, publishers and authors everywhere.

“They charged you with murder David. Why is that?... David? Why do the police think you murdered your son?”Jamie was 19. He was an ambitious personal trainer who wanted to be a social media influencer. But now his hopes and dreams will never be realised. Jamie was found killed at the family home, discovered by his dad – who’s now been charged with his own son’s murder.In this gripping crime drama, revealed through recordings of sessions led by forensic psychiatrist Dr Alex Bridges (Lolita Chakrabarti), we hear from those closest to Jamie and find out more about the family’s secrets. David, a photographer, describes a picture-perfect life, his “beautiful” son and a happy home. But is he hiding something?Will the truth about Jamie’s murder finally be revealed?Also featuring bonus content from real-life forensic psychiatrist Dr Gwen Adshead, who was series consultant for This Thing of Darkness. Her appearance on BBC show The Life Scientific is presented as part of this audio release, where she reveals how she treats the minds of real-life violent offenders.CastAlex … Lolita Chakrabarti David … Robin LaingLaura… Shauna MacdonaldHannah … Jessica HardwickLiam/Dougie … Simon Donaldson Kyle/Tyler … Reuben Joseph Frankie … Brian VernelKaren … Victoria LiddelleSeries created by Audrey Gillan, Lucia Haynes, Eileen Horne, Gaynor Macfarlane, Anita Vettesse and Kirsty Williams. Series consultant: Dr Gwen AdsheadWritten by Lucia Haynes (episodes 1, 2 and 4) and Anita Vettesse (episodes 3, 5, 6 and 7), with monologues by Eileen Horne Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane and Kirsty Williams A BBC Scotland Production directed by Gaynor Macfarlane