2. Mutatis Mutandis
Poet Lemn Sissay鈥檚 comic and poetic look at the treatment of children raised in care, based on his own experiences. From 2016.
Batman was an orphan; Lisbeth Salander, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was an orphan; Superman was an orphan and a foundling. Cinderella was a foster child. Darth Vader - well, they can't all be winners.
Taking a comic and poetic angle, Lemn Sissay compares reality against the treatment of children raised in care, orphans and foster children in popular culture. Because it surely says something about how we view them that we create so many for fiction?
In this episode, Lemn looks at the children at Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, otherwise known as The X-Men Academy.
More specifically, Rogue and Wolverine, whose dark and tragic origins lie long before either of them reached the School. But there, Xavier - Professor X - sought to teach the children how to control their powers and make the most of them.
Lemn's experiences in children's homes in Wigan was not the same. What difference would it have made if it had been?
Lemn also talks to comedian and care leaver Sophie Willan, who spent most of her childhood in foster care and assisted accommodation.
What superpowers did she discover she had, removed from the security of family?
Written and performed by Lemn Sissay.
Producer: Ed Morrish
First broadcast on 麻豆社 Radio 4 in October 2016.
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- Mon 10 Oct 2016 11:30麻豆社 Radio 4
- Thu 19 Oct 2017 18:30麻豆社 Radio 4
- Thu 26 Oct 2017 07:30麻豆社 Radio 4 Extra
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- Fri 27 Oct 2017 05:30麻豆社 Radio 4 Extra
- Wed 13 Nov 2019 22:30麻豆社 Radio 4 Extra
- Thu 1 Jul 2021 07:00麻豆社 Radio 4 Extra
- Thu 1 Jul 2021 17:00麻豆社 Radio 4 Extra
- Fri 2 Jul 2021 05:00麻豆社 Radio 4 Extra
- Sun 9 Apr 2023 23:30麻豆社 Radio 4 Extra
- Sat 14 Dec 2024 23:00麻豆社 Radio 4 Extra
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