Iceberg: Bon Voyage - Episode 1
Set in the 1980s, at the start of the A.I.D.S Crisis. A young couple, Joe and Mark are struggling with how to manage in the world and their place in it. How will Joe and Mark put aside their differences and learn to be better together? Only time will tell...
"It's real strength is an ability to infiltrate the mind, to unleash the most powerful dramatic weapon of all: the imagination of the listener."
Richard J Hand and Mary Traynor
About Iceberg
This Project is a big one for me, as it's the very first time that I directed something that wasn't written by myself. It was written by Alex Saddiqi (the actor on the far left), and it was something very important to him as it deals with issues surrounding homosexuality and how they were treated back in the 1980s.
It was with great pride but also great caution that I took the Director's Chair for this project. Being a straight man myself, telling a story about the homosexual experience was something that I found very challenging, but a challenge that I felt I was up to. Alex wrote a terrific script and set the stage for future instalments very nicely, I was incredibly invested in these characters and remain invested throughout the future Episodes 2 and 3.
Iceberg is also a milestone achievement for me, as I was working very closely with the famed Eastenders actor Cheryl Fergison. An experience that I found incredibly daunting but found it was a great way to showcase my abilities to someone of much higher knowledge than myself. I really love this project and hope that everyone who listens to it does as well!
Inspirations
Coming into this, I wanted to be as objective as possible and stick to my vision for the script as much as I could. But there are a number of things that had an influence on me when approaching this project.
Russell T Davies - I realise that he created a very similar piece with It's A Sin but I didn't watch a single minute of that show. In order to remain as objective and unaltered as I could. But Russell himself was someone who was so incredibly passionate about his story and I couldn't help but apply the same passion to my work here.
The Story of John Cancher, a gay man who was amongst the first to sadly pass away during the A.I.D.S Crisis. It's such a hard hitting and terrible loss, this young man lost his life and was stigmatised for it. The reactions from him before he died and his friends around him made it clear to me that this story needs to be told with respect and delicacy, something that I always kept in mind when producing this radio play.
Behind the Scenes
This was recorded in the LIPA Recording Studio
This is the biggest cast I've ever worked with!
It's edited by Alexander Nuttall and Joe Morgan, two absolutely incredible collaborators!