The Twilight Journey of the Strolling Conjuror

This first podcast in the 2nd series of 'Changing Lives' is a tribute to a truly remarkable man.  Richard Jameson was a brilliant scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford, a fêted young actor and President of the Oxford Experimental Theatre Club when he was struck down with extraordinary hallucinations up at the Edinburgh Festival where, instead of acting his character, he became that character: 'Ask a man to play a raving lunatic with
method acting and you are asking for trouble. It is so close to the real thing
that it becomes the real thing.'  Treatment for schizophrenia in those days was primitive and he went in and out of hospital until finally the right drug regime was found.  Richard was the subject of a BBC television series 'The Human Brain' and he wrote and broadcast extensively on the subject of his illness.  His autobiographical play 'Is It A Crime To Be Happy?' was performed by Samuel West in London and he carried on until the end of his life performing his cherished magic show to cheer up the infirm and elderly.  These are some precious dictaphone tapes which were left, with his suitcase of tricks, to his nephew, Mark Jameson, also known as Mr. Squash, an inspirational teacher and entertainer himself.  We hear Richard's bravery and vulnerability, his indomitable spirit, the wisdom of knowing what is reality and what is delusion....a wistfulness for a life without pain.  The last word on the tape is the last word he left.  Below are some links to articles written by Richard and one by Esther Rantzen describing the man she knew at Oxford.  
Piano by Henrietta Faire (Richard's niece):  Enrique Granados' Twelve Spanish Dances Op. 37 No. 5.

'No Longer On The Fringes'. https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2002/01/10/no-longer-on-the-fringes/
British Medical Journal 'Personal View' by Richard Jameson https://www.bmj.com/content/291/6494/541
'Survival is Magical'  https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2002/06/13/survival-is-magical/
'A Direct Line To Sanity'  https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2002/04/17/a-direct-line-to-sanity/
'The Bliss of Madness' https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4997178/?page=1
'Schizophrenia Experienced First Hand.' by Esther Rantzen https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/theatre/schizophrenia-experienced-first-hand-6331992.html