Blood on the Dole
1994Alan Bleasdale's touching yet frank drama for Channel 4 about the struggles of a group of young adults leaving school in a deprived area of Liverpool. Starring Stephen Walters, Suzanne Maddock and Amanda Mealing. Based on the acclaimed play by Jim Morris, voted Most Promising Playwright by the Financial Times and Morning Star in 1981. Blood on the Dole shows the lives of four teenagers, two boys and two girls, struggling to cope after being thrust into the real world for the first time after leaving school. Living in deprived Merseyside, the four youths' bright-eyed optimism for their futures and new-found freedom is soon crushed by the realities of unemployment, poverty, and the brutal reality of living and trying to find work in a city in decline. They all soon find themselves in the hopeless situation of facing complete dependence on state handouts, "the dole". The four teenagers instead find themselves turning to each other to find the strength to survive.
Acted in
Stephen Walters
as Joey Jackson
Philip Dowd
as Ricky Jones
Suzanne Maddock
as Cathy Thompson
Rachel Caldwell
as Jean Kavanagh
Aneirin Hughes
as David Williams
Jake Abraham
as Paul Price
Rachel Maxwell
as Tracey Ryan
Amanda Mealing
as Laura
Gill West
as Jobcentre Receptionist
Jodie Draper
as Jobcentre Receptionist
Andrew Schofield
as Post Office Supervisor
Alan Igbon
as Art Gallery Attendant
Kevin Knapman
as Dealer
Dilys Price
as Mrs Williams
Elwyn Hughes
as Mr Williams
Noreen Kershaw
as Aunty Vera
Ray Gravell
as Anton
Dorien Thomas
as Emrys
David Thompson
as Anthony
Simon Fisher
as Glyn
Dicken Ashworth
as Cockler
Clare Welch
as Hill Walker Woman
Paul Williamson
as Hill Walker Man
