I saw this Wednesday Play on TV in 1970. As a 12/13 year old it was captivating. My parents were out and I watched it alone.
A young teenager finds stolen bank money in a school basement in Glasgow. The boy is a dreamer and a loner, made fun of by his by his parents. He's a failure at school and yet he dreams of being a poet. He befriends the younger infants and sees himself as a Jesus figure, carefully rationing out the money to young ones. He believes that the money is a gift from the God 'L' from LSD (pounds, shillings and pence in old money) because the school is located in Bethel St which he sees as the sacred 'birth' of 'L'. He buys a leather jacket and a motorcycle, and even tries to take a girl out, but he fails. Eventually the school and the police catch up with him. There was something really moving about the play - and the book (which I found on ebay.) It's a bit like the film 'Kes', which features the sorry life of a young teenager up against the odds and a harsh world.
The book has more detail and is well worth reading. It would be great to see this play again if anyone knows if there is a copy or a screening anywhere..
A young teenager finds stolen bank money in a school basement in Glasgow. The boy is a dreamer and a loner, made fun of by his by his parents. He's a failure at school and yet he dreams of being a poet. He befriends the younger infants and sees himself as a Jesus figure, carefully rationing out the money to young ones. He believes that the money is a gift from the God 'L' from LSD (pounds, shillings and pence in old money) because the school is located in Bethel St which he sees as the sacred 'birth' of 'L'. He buys a leather jacket and a motorcycle, and even tries to take a girl out, but he fails. Eventually the school and the police catch up with him. There was something really moving about the play - and the book (which I found on ebay.) It's a bit like the film 'Kes', which features the sorry life of a young teenager up against the odds and a harsh world.
The book has more detail and is well worth reading. It would be great to see this play again if anyone knows if there is a copy or a screening anywhere..
