Sting to star in Radio 4 drama which follows a young singer in search of success

Multi-platinum singer, songwriter and actor Sting is to star in a BBC Radio 4 drama, I Must Have Loved You, a play he co-created with writer Michael Chaplin.

The story follows Jess Doyle (Fran McNamee), a young singer compelled to leave Newcastle, to escape an overbearing blues singing father (Sting) and to find her own voice. Yet somewhere inside Fran knows that success may be the unmaking of her and all of those who love her.

The play explores the wins and losses as a result of turning your back on the things that made you.

Sting is no stranger to acting, he has appeared on Broadway stages, in films such as Quadrophenia and Dune, and in previous Radio 4 adaptations of Mervyn Peak’s novels Titus Groan and Gormenghast.

I Must Have Loved You features music by Sting and he plays the role of Vince, the father of the family.

Writer Michael Chaplin says: “It’s been a deeply rewarding pleasure to work with Sting in fashioning a song-strewn story about a musical family in Newcastle. The play travels as far as the Grand Canyon but is rooted in the city where we grew up and which remains an inspiration.”

Alison Hindell, Radio 4 Commissioning Editor for Drama and Fiction, adds: “I’m delighted that Sting and Michael have brought us such a powerful story, and one which is informed by first-hand observations of the music industry. It’s fantastic to hear it so firmly rooted in the Northeast of England, with the largely local cast adding to its authenticity, and the whole production is enriched by Sting’s evocative songs and music.”

I Must Have Loved You will be broadcast on Radio 4 and available on BBC Sounds from 2.45pm, Saturday 19 March.