A radio play which went out on 26 April 2010 as one of BBC Radio 4’s Afternoon Play.
Life coach Derby Anderson gets the job of a lifetime, but is she up to it? It takes Derby Anderson forty-three minutes and fifty-nine seconds to get from her car to the hotel room where the Secretary General of the United Nations is waiting for a life-coaching session. And Derby needs to get her own life sorted out in those forty-three minutes or she won’t be of any help to anyone.
We hear a real-time journey where we weave in and around Derby and the security aide, Jack, who accompanies her, and whose lives we get to know intimately as they get closer to the door of the hotel suite.
Lifecoach is a new play in John Dryden’s occasional series, Forty-Three Fifty-Nine, which follows one person’s perspective in what plays out as one continuous take. It was recorded on location in Broadcasting House, Portland Place and an underground car park.
Writer and director Nick Walker has two published novels on bookshelves worldwide, has written and performed stories, plays and comedy for BBC Radio 4 and toured internationally with some of the nation’s finest experimental theatre companies.
Cast:
Derby – Nicola Walker
Jack – Stephen Tompkinson
Secretary General – Patrice Naiambana
Other Parts – Paul Panting
Written by Nick Walker.
Directed and Produced by Karen Rose.
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.
Update : 31 January 2013
BBC Radio 4 to repeat this programme
This programme will be repeated at the Afternoon Drama slot on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday, 7 February 2013 at 14:15 GMT. There’s more information about this repeat on this BBC Radio 4 page. If you missed it when the programme first went on air in 2010, try not to miss it again. Its a wonderful story and both Nicola and Stephen Tompkinson gave top notch performances in it. If you cannot tune at the relevant time, the show will be available on the BBC Radio iPlayer for 7 days thereafter. There is no geographic restriction on using the BBC Radio iPlayer, in other words, you can listen in wherever you are in the world!
Big thanks to Ana from Oz for the heads up about this repeat! 😀
Update : 17 December 2014
BBC Radio 4 is repeating this programme. You have four weeks to listen to this show. Tune in via BBC Radio iPlayer. There is no geographic restriction on programmes on the BBC Radio iPlayer, so listen in from anywhere in the world.
Six degrees
Stephen Tompkinson was Nicola’s co-star in another radio series, The Big Town All Stars.
Nick Walker the writer of this show, also wrote Annika Stranded [Audio] which Nicola stars in. Nicola is not related to Nick Walker.
If any one ever hears of a re-broadcast of this show on BBC Radio, please Contact Us so that a Post will be logged on the Home Page to let other fans know.
Availability on Audible
The show is not currently available to buy from Audible.
Absolutely brilliant and so funny. Mongoose… hilarious
Please do let me know when this show is to be repeated so the information can be shared on our coaching and mentoring community website.
Sorry to disappoint you, Pauline, but this radio show actually doesn’t have a lot to do with coaching and mentoring. Nicola’s character describes herself as a “Life Coach”, that’s all.
I had heard ‘Lifecoach’ before but enjoyed it all the more this second time around. It is funny and very poingant. I was moved by this story and thank you for it Nick.
Fantastic performances and clever plot – really enjoyed it. Thanks for replaying this.
Just listened to Life Coach. The FUNNIEST thing I’ve heard on the radio for years. Absolutely smashing – and I listen to a LOT of radio! Great script and performances from all. I giggled from start to finish. – And this is the first time I’ve been moved to comment on any programme. Thank you