Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20121015 | A brilliant exploration of the corrosive impact of tabloid journalism on one young woman. The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum is dissects the power of the press and it's impact on individual freedom. Told in the form of an unofficial report, this intelligent and pacy story from the 1970s tackles issues of press freedom, responsibility and police tactics. It's based on a real incident in the author's own life, when he was publicly accused of being a terrorist sympathiser and hounded by the German press. The subtitle of the book is how violence develops and where it can lead. Recorded on location in Berlin, The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum also features a soundtrack of 1970s Krautrock from bands such as Can, Neu, La Dusseldorf and Ash Ra Tempel. Episode 1: The narrator sets the scene - Katharina Blum was taken in four days ago for questioning about her relationship with a young man she met at a party, who is in fact a suspected criminal on the run. A chain of chaotic and ever more pressurised events builds up, culminating in Katharina shooting Totges, a tabloid press journalist. We meet the police interrogation team and Katharina herself, whose resolute refusal to confess sends Inspector Beizmenne out of the interview room in a fury. Sound design ..... Eloise Whitmore Broadcast assistant ..... Kath Willgress Executive producer ..... Joby Waldman Abridged by Helen Meller Produced and directed by Polly Thomas A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4. A forensic insight into the corrosive impact of tabloid press journalism on one woman. Classic and contemporary original drama and book dramatisations |
| 02 | 20121016 | A brilliant exploration of the corrosive impact of tabloid journalism on one young woman. The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum is dissects the power of the press and it's impact on individual freedom. Told in the form of an unofficial report, this intelligent and pacy story from the 1970s tackles issues of press freedom, responsibility and police tactics. It's based on a real incident in the author's own life, when he was publicly accused of being a terrorist sympathiser and hounded by the German press. The subtitle of the book is how violence develops and where it can lead. Recorded on location in Berlin, The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum also features a soundtrack of 1970s Krautrock from bands such as Can, Neu, La Dusseldorf and Ash Ra Tempel. Episode 2: Katharina's employers, Mr and Mrs. Blorna, become involved and are agitated by the lurid tabloid headlines about Katharina. She is taken back in for questioning and continues to deny knowledge of the whereabouts of Ludwig, the suspected criminal she met at a party. She also refuses to explain the origin of a valuable ring found in her flat, which is clearly far too expensive for Katharina to have bought herself. Sound design ..... Eloise Whitmore Broadcast assistant .... Kath Willgress Executive producer ..... Joby Waldman Abridged by Helen Meller Produced and directed by Polly Thomas A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4. Katharina's employers are agitated by lurid tabloid headlines, but she remains defensive. Classic and contemporary original drama and book dramatisations |
| 03 | 20121017 | A brilliant exploration of the corrosive impact of tabloid journalism on one young woman. The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum is dissects the power of the press and it's impact on individual freedom. Told in the form of an unofficial report, this intelligent and pacy story from the 1970s tackles issues of press freedom, responsibility and police tactics. It's based on a real incident in the author's own life, when he was publicly accused of being a terrorist sympathiser and hounded by the German press. The subtitle of the book is how violence develops and where it can lead. Recorded on location in Berlin, The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum also features a soundtrack of 1970s Krautrock from bands such as Can, Neu, La Dusseldorf and Ash Ra Tempel. Heinrich Boll is a Nobel Prize winning writer, a giant of German 20th century literature. Episode 3: Katharina is the subject of ever more lurid tabloid headlines. Her family and friends are interrogated and we find out more about Katharina's upright moral character, at odds with the press portrayal. She is becoming more distressed by the press intrusion, and the deluge of abusive letters and phone calls she is receiving. Sound design: Eloise Whitmore Broadcast assistant: Kath Willgress Executive producer: Joby Waldman Abridged by Helen Meller Produced and directed by Polly Thomas A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4. Katharina is even more distressed by press intrusion and a deluge of abusive letters. Classic and contemporary original drama and book dramatisations |
| 04 | 20121018 | A brilliant exploration of the corrosive impact of tabloid journalism on one young woman. The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum is dissects the power of the press and it's impact on individual freedom. Told in the form of an unofficial report, this intelligent and pacy story from the 1970s tackles issues of press freedom, responsibility and police tactics. It's based on a real incident in the author's own life, when he was publicly accused of being a terrorist sympathiser and hounded by the German press. The subtitle of the book is how violence develops and where it can lead. Recorded on location in Berlin, The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum also features a soundtrack of 1970s Krautrock from bands such as Can, Neu, La Dusseldorf and Ash Ra Tempel. Heinrich Boll is a Nobel Prize winning writer, a giant of German 20th century literature. Episode 4: The Blornas discover their high ranking politician friend Alois Straubleder is in love with their housekeeper Katharina, even though she has refused his advances. He is terrified as he has given Katharina a key for his country home, where he suspects the fugitive Ludwig is hiding. Meanwhile, tabloid journalist Totges sneaks into the hospital to interview Katharina's dying mother. Sound design: Eloise Whitmore Broadcast assistant: Kath Willgress Executive producer: Joby Waldman Abridged by Helen Meller Produced and directed by Polly Thomas A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4. Politician Alois loves Katharina, but is terrified that Ludwig is hiding out at his home. Classic and contemporary original drama and book dramatisations |
| 05 | 20121019 | A brilliant exploration of the corrosive impact of tabloid journalism on one young woman. The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum is dissects the power of the press and it's impact on individual freedom. Told in the form of an unofficial report, this intelligent and pacy story from the 1970s tackles issues of press freedom, responsibility and police tactics. It's based on a real incident in the author's own life, when he was publicly accused of being a terrorist sympathiser and hounded by the German press. The subtitle of the book is how violence develops and where it can lead. Recorded on location in Berlin, The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum also features a soundtrack of 1970s Krautrock from bands such as Can, Neu, La Dusseldorf and Ash Ra Tempel. Heinrich Boll is a Nobel Prize winning writer, a giant of German 20th century literature. Episode 5: The fugitive Ludwig is captured and Katharina is proved innocent of any involvement with his crime. However, this does not deter the press and their headlines grow ever more lurid, blaming her for her mother's death. At last, she cracks under the pressure and reveals exactly how and why she shot Totges, the journalist responsible for the tabloid campaign against her. Sound design: Eloise Whitmore Broadcast assistant: Kath Willgress Executive producer: Joby Waldman Abridged by Helen Meller Produced and directed by Polly Thomas A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4. Ludwig is captured and Katharina is proven innocent, but the tabloid press won't give up. Classic and contemporary original drama and book dramatisations |