An Interview with Dennis Potter

You can not fail to be moved by this interview with one of the greatest screenwriters of our times. Melvyn Bragg (Now Lord Bragg) interviewed Dennis Potter in the last few weeks of his life. The interview is punctuated by obvious moments of Dennis' pain in which he swigs from a hip flask of drugs to releive it. He discusses his last works, Kareoke, (the story of a dying screenwriter who's screenplay is becoming real) and it's companion piece, Cold Lazarus (the dead screenwriter's head is reanimated in the future in order to extract memories).

It is fascinating to see how he feels about these obviously very personal pieces.

Recorded shortly before Potter's death, Melvyn Bragg allows Potter to discuss his life and work freely.

What is particularly unusual about this interview is that everyone knows at the outset that Potter has been diagnosed with a terminal cancer and is expected to live for only a few more weeks. Despite this crushing knowledge, the interview is both funny and enlightening. Potter never indulges in self-pity. He is clearly immensely grateful for the opportunities that have come his way. In particular, the support he has received from television companies (where much of his work was produced).

He discusses his final works (Cold Lazarus and Karaoke), not yet released that he strove to complete before his illness prevented him from writing.

Potter punctuates the interview by lighting cigarettes and drinking wine, two of his life-long pleasures that mean so much to him now.

The interview is not depressing and one is left with the impression of a wonderful man who has written for the public, using the medium that they most readily watch, television.