The Otherworld Child (Suspense!) by David Calcutt

"It was only when she got back to her cottage and the candles were lit, that she saw what a strange creature it was she'd found..."

To ease her granddaughter’s concerns over disfiguring marks on her baby’s face, Gran shares the unlikely tale of Alice Proudfoot. Stars Mary Wimbush (The Archers’ Julia Pargetter) as Gran, Rebecca Wright as Alice, and Alex Jones as Joe.

David Calcutt's play is based on the traditional story of lonely Alice Proudfoot and her curious discovery in a moonlit wood. First broadcast in Thirty-Minute Theatre on BBC Radio 4 in January 1995.

Gran ...... Mary Wimbush
Alice ...... Rebecca Wright
Joe ...... Alex Jones
Peggy ...... Sheila Kelley
Kitty ...... Kimberley Hope
Abraham ...... Jonathan Wyatt
Director: Nigel Bryant

Told in flashback, David Calcutt's play is based on the traditional story of Alice Proudfoot and her curious discovery of a far from ordinary human child in a moonlit wood. After taking it home and lavishing it with care, Alice wakes up in the morning to find no child, but instead her reward – a gold coin. Alice makes good use of her fortune, and the more the ‘child’ returns to her door, the more times she’s rewarded for her care and kindness. Attracted by her wealth, Joe begins to woo Alice, but pays the price by ending up hideously facially disfigured. Despite everything, all the pain and injury ultimately brings happiness to both Alice and Joe. But as Gran concludes to her granddaughter, the otherworld still has a claim on us all. Recorded at BBC Pebble Mill in Birmingham.