Ron Perry

I had been toying with the idea of writing ‘something’ one day.

Several ideas had been going through my mind, none of which seemed right or feasible. Then a thought struck me, “write about something you know”. Miss Read has been part of my life for more than fifty years and I have always enjoyed the Thrush Green series and know them well. Living in a village, I know just a little of something about village people and village life too! So, I put the two things together, contacted Miss Read’s daughter (Jill Saint) and made a start on bringing the people of Thrush Green to life. I would like to thank Jill, and Jenny Dereham, Miss Read’s editor, for their generosity, help, support, guidance, and tolerance! The challenge, with an adaptation of another person’s work, is to remain faithful to the original. With all three adaptations of the Thrush Green novels I have tried to be true to the spirit and essence of Miss Read’s Thrush Green. I am fully aware that Miss Read is a well-loved author with hundreds of loyal fans across the world! I will never forget the first performance of Thrush Green in 2017, the characters did come to life and the world premiere received excellent reviews. There was a sequel, Return to Thrush Green, and a third play, Miss Read Remembered, this tells the story of how Miss Read (Dora Saint) became a published novelist, and includes an excerpt from the original Thrush Green play. Miss Read Remembered included a performance by Jill Saint, playing herself and was performed at Wood Green, Oxfordshire, the real Thrush Green as well as in The New Forest.

I have just read Let’s do it, The Authorised Biography of the late Victoria Wood, written by Jasper Rees. It is clear from this book and conversations with Jill that Victoria was a confirmed Miss Read fan.

Jasper Rees notes that it is likely that Victoria would have likely gone on to adapt the Miss Read books for television. It is such a shame that this did not happen. However, though not for television, my three plays have been adapted for the stage and performed, I hope that Victoria and indeed Dora would have approved!