Sting will star in the upcoming BBC radio drama I Must Have Loved You, which will begin broadcasting on March 19.
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Running on BBC Radio 4, the series is based in Newcastle, where the artist grew up and follows the story of Jess Doyle, a young singer who wants to leave the city to pursue a music career. Sting plays Vince, an overbearing blues-singing father.
Co-created by Sting and Michael Chaplin, who worked on the BBC series Robin Hood and ITV’s Wild At Heart, the drama will also feature Sting’s music.
“It’s been a deeply rewarding pleasure to work with Sting in fashioning a song-strewn story about a musical family in Newcastle,” said Chaplin in a statement. “The play travels as far as the Grand Canyon, but is rooted in the city where we grew up and which remains an inspiration.”
Sting is no stranger to tapping into his acting, previously appearing in the 1979 film Quadrophenia, loosely based on The Who’s 1973 rock opera of the same name and the David Lynch sci-fi classic Dune in 1984, along with previous Radio 4 adaptations of Mervyn Peake’s novels “Titus Groan” and “Gormenghast.”
“I’m delighted that Sting and Michael have brought us such a powerful story, and one which is informed by first-hand observations of the music industry,” said Alison Hindell, commissioning editor for drama and fiction at Radio 4. “It’s fantastic to hear it so firmly rooted in the northeast of England, with the largely local cast adding to its authenticity, and the whole production is enriched by Sting’s evocative songs and music.”
Photo: Martin Kierszenbaum
