Patrick Troughton plays a dying man who ghosted his family for 21 years and suddenly wants back in. Bold.
Gerald has been separated from his wife and children for twenty-one years. Now ailing physically and mentally, he contacts them in the hope of a reunion.
Acting
Troughton's trembling vulnerability masks something colder.
Writing
Every line of dialogue is a small wound.
Direction
Seed lets silences do the screaming.
Director
Paul Seed
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of BBC's 'Play for Today' tradition: single dramas tackling social issues with zero commercial pressure. This aired in 1985 when Thatcherism was dismantling British welfare—Gerald's abandonment reads differently now.
Troughton died two years after filming this. His real frailty bleeds into the performance in ways that feel almost invasive to watch.
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