THE 30th anniversary of the death of Berry Hill-born and raised writer Dennis Potter will be marked by a screening of one of his most popular TV dramas.
His acclaimed series The Singing Detective will be screened at The Palace Cinema in Cinderford this Sunday, June 9 over two sessions.
Organisers the Dean Heritage Centre and the University of Gloucestershire are asking fans to turn up in 1940s-themed costumes.
The screening will be introduced via video by world-renowned Dennis Potter expert and author Professor John Cook, a consultant to the Potter Archive which is housed at the heritage centre in Soudley.
The writer was born in Berry Hill in 1935 and became one of the most significant and controversial figures in television.
Dr Jason Griffiths, from the University’s School of Creative Arts, said: “Large parts of the drama were filmed in the Forest, and as with Dennis Potter’s other locally filmed works, local people were employed as extras.
“He was a hugely important figure in the development of British television, but he never forgot the people and places where he grew up.”
The drama tells the story of Marlow mentally re-writing his book The Singing Detective while confined to bed by a crippling illness.
The screening forms part of the university’s work with the Dean Heritage Centre that saw the Forest museum secure the late writer’s literary papers to set up the archive and the permanent Dennis Potter exhibition.
Researchers and students at the university worked with the Dean Heritage Centre to catalogue the collection and to create the exhibition, and experts from the university manage the Potters Matters website.
Ongoing work by the University and the Dean Heritage Centre has produced several events and exhibitions highlighting how Dennis Potter set and filmed elements of his work in his native Forest of Dean, including The Singing Detective.
The unique screening of all six episodes of The Singing Detective is from 10am and 6pm on Sunday.
Fans wanting to see all six episodes will have to book for both sessions.
Tickets are available at https://cinderpal.com/cinderford/soon/