In this episode, we look at some of the incredible ways we can commemorate our dead and find out how we can conduct our own unique funeral celebrations, to better reflect the lives our loved ones have lived. Narrated by Jo Brand.
What drives us to wear black, have a wooden coffin and to give our loved ones what we consider to be a “dignified” funeral at staggering expense? Before Queen Victoria, we used to bury our own – now it is almost the exclusive domain of the funeral industry and with an average funeral costing £3,500, perhaps it’s time we looked for alternatives?
Life At Death’s Door, episode 2, by Ann Theato and Steve Spence.
Narrated by Jo Brand, Directed by Jack Bowman
Starring: David Beck, Grace Bishop, Jonathan Broke, Chike Chan, James Duckworth, Simon Fielder, Marie Fortune, Shazia Nicholls, Ekow Quartey, Joccoaa Théato and Joseph Théato and Brian Blessed.
Editing and sound design by Malcolm Thorp
Engineered by Carlos Zicarelli at Unity Studios, London.
Original music by Polly Haynes
With many thanks to University of the Arts, London
”Narrated with dry wit by Jo Brand, ‘Life at Death’s Door’ is an entertaining piece, ingeniously combin(ing) interviews with dramatized extracts, (which) contribut(e) greatly to our understanding of death across cultures”
Laurence Raw, Radio Drama Reviews
