Woman's Hour Drama - So Much For That - Episode 1

A dramatisation of Lionel Shriver's unflinching new novel which portrays the economic and emotional fall-out of serious illness. Shep Knacker has been saving all his working life for 'the Afterlife' - his retirement escape route from Brooklyn to a remote island off the coast of Zanzibar. But just as the Afterlife is about to become a reality, his wife Glynis reveals that she has cancer. They soon discover that their health insurance won't cover anything like the total cost of the treatment Glynis needs, and this once well-off couple are sent hurtling towards bankruptcy. They are both forced to face the uncomfortable question: how much money is one life worth? Narrator ..... Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio Shep ..... Henry Goodman Glynis ..... Debora Weston Carol ..... Elizabeth McGovern Jackson ..... Stuart Milligan Flicka ..... Sasha Pick Dr Knox/Gabe ..... Peter Marinker Adapted for radio by Penny Leicester Directed by Emma Harding Lionel Shriver won the 2005 Orange Prize for her novel We Need to Talk About Kevin. Other novels include The Post-Birthday World and Double Fault. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's work in film includes The Color of Money, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Abyss; TV includes Law & Order: Criminal Intent and on Stage: A View From the Bridge at the Duke of York's, London. Henry Goodman is currently playing Sir Humphrey Appleby in Yes, Prime Minister in the West End. Other stage work includes Duet for One, with Juliet Stevenson, Fiddler on the Roof and Chicago. Recent film includes The Damned United and Taking Woodstock. Elizabeth McGovern is currently starring in Julian Fellowes' new ITV drama series, Downtown Abbey. Her film work includes Ragtime, Once Upon a Time in America and The Wings of the Dove.