The Media School

'Little Boy' gets big response

15 September 2010

Bournemouth University (BU) hosted an exclusive showing of Screenwriter in Residence John Foster’s latest piece.

BU’s Screenwriter in Residence John Foster, of Emmerdale and The Bill fame, showcased his latest piece at an exclusive Bournemouth University showing last week.

The script, 'Little Boy' is a captivating monologue telling the story of Claude Eatherly, who piloted the weather plane that supported the dropping of the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945, killing 92,000 people and disabling thousands more.

John explains why he penned such a moving and fascinating piece: “Eatherly was a very successful pilot, had been decorated, and was someone who had very much bought into the system and had a glittering career ahead of him. He had flown numerous missions over Tokyo. But Hiroshima got to him in a special way and he could not deal with it, even though he didn't actually drop the bomb. The guilt and remorse totally consumed him.”

‘Little Boy’ brings to life the tragic years that followed, when Claude robbed banks and forged cheques to give money to the victims. He donated his air force pension to the Hiroshima war widows.

John plans to take an expanded version of ‘Little Boy’ to the USA and has a new play coming to the Lighthouse at the end of October as part of the Poole Literary Festival.

John’s impressive screenwriting credits include Z-Cars, Softly Softly, Crown Court, Emmerdale, Juliet Bravo, Rockliffe, Saracen, The Bill. He has published fiction in the Guardian, written for radio and the theatre and also written serials for children, one-off dramas and documentaries.

John has been BU’s Screenwriter in Residence since 1993 and says: “Many very talented students have come through the scriptwriting courses and it is fantastic to see students gradually develop into a really strong imaginative and creative writers […] I feel I have also learnt a huge amount about writing and about movies from working on these courses - I've learnt as much from students as I hope they've learnt from me.”

John continued: “I think Bournemouth University and the Media School have paved the way in excellence in media education, especially in its practical hands-on context. In scriptwriting the University has always been forward thinking and visionary.”