Drama/Thriller (Stephen Warrington)

A few years ago Lynda LaPlante told Richard E. Grant that she was going to write a part that would be perfect for him. When he saw the script for Trial and Retribution and realised that part was Stephen Warrington, a man suffering from a form of manic depression called cyclothymia, he was “completely taken aback, but of course incredibly flattered at the same time”.

“I knew it was a hell of a part. The character has so many facets to his personality and I was extremely fortunate to meet real sufferers of the condition during the research process,” says Grant. He went to the Orpington branch of the Manic Depression Fellowship and talked to people with cyclothymia. “They shared the most amazing stories with me,” he recalls, “and their experiences completely altered any preconceptions I had about the part. There is clearly a terrible and obvious prejudice with mental illness. I just hope I have done the role justice.”

The story is also available in book form.

Best REG line: