Log on to see the last days of tortured Turing
Latest in Features
On Facebook
Arts & Ents blogs
Review of Being Human ‘Being Human 1955’
Following on from an episode tinged with tragedy, this week lifted the mood with something lighter.
Motek’s creators speak about their intimate London shindigs
One of the few resolutions I made this year was to try and avoid larger club nights in favour of sma...
Tyrannosaur and Drive: The difference between loneliness and being alone
The prospect of loneliness is probably one of the biggest fears that humans have to contend with. Mo...
A fictionalised account of the final moments in the life of Alan Turing is to be premiered via The Independent website from today. In the first collaboration of its kind between a national newspaper and an independent production company, the radio drama features Samuel Barnett, star of History Boys and Desperate Romantics, as the Bletchley Park code breaker. He died in 1954, eating an apple laced with cyanide after being convicted of gross indecency. The shame meant Turing was dropped from sensitive government work.
Turing's Test, a Made In Manchester (MIM) production, examines the scientist's legacy in the field of artificial intelligence and the personal tragedy of his suicide through a deathbed dialogue with a "machine", played by the actor Paul Kendrick.
There has been mounting concern within the independent sector that the continued domination of the BBC is thwarting creativity in genres such as radio drama and comedy which have long enjoyed reputations for innovation both among performers and audiences.
Ashley Byrne, creative director of MIM, said the newspaper website was the ideal outlet for topical short-form content and would reach out to new audiences. "Writers, actors and directors are frustrated by the conventional commissioning processes in TV and radio and want the chance to take risks on new work," he said.
Roger Alton, editor of The Independent, said Turing was a fitting subject for the play. "He was one of the great British heroes of the 20th century whose death is a terrible scar on British justice. It is a great privilege to make this new drama available on The Independent website, and is part of the great tradition of innovation which has always characterised The Independent."
An internet campaign to persuade the British Government to issue a posthumous pardon to Turing, who underwent brutal chemical castration "treatment" for his homosexuality, was signed by thousands of supporters across the world, including the scientist Richard Dawkins, the actor Stephen Fry and the novelist Ian McEwan. Gordon Brown issued a statement in September condemning the official treatment of Turing as "appalling".
- 1 I was born to be a killer. Every night I see the Devil in my dreams
- 2 Rothschild loses libel case, and reveals secret world of money and politics
- 3 Lightning kills an entire football team
- 4 BBC to issue global apology for documentaries that broke rules
- 5 The Top 50 Independent Schools at A-level*
- 6 Mona Lisa's 'twin sister' is discovered – 500 years late
- 7 The artist vandalising advertising with poetry
- 8 Younger Castro steers Cuba to a new revolution
- 9 Scottish town where green is beyond the pale
- 10 Cambridge students' twin tragedy
- 1 BANNED: The most controversial films
- 2 Boos in Berlin for Jolie's war drama
- 3 The artist vandalising advertising with poetry
- 4 How to pick a Bafta winner! Don't miss the vital clues
- 5 Mona Lisa's 'twin sister' is discovered – 500 years late
- 6 Spotify: 1 million plays, £108 return
- 7 The Ten Best History Books
Free trial of new Independent iPad app
Get your daily dose of the best of British journalism, sponsored by American Airlines
Win a three-week coastal jaunt
Spend three weeks exploring every nook and cranny of gorgeous Atlantic Canada.
Amazing restaurant offers
Three glasses of free champagne and a special menu at 46 top London restaurants.
Latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Day In a Page
Silent revolution at the Baftas
The diva who had – and lost – it all
How Picasso won over (some of) the British


Comments