'Now That You've Died'

2013 Aug 9

Play by Patrick Ness

Directors: Hector Harkness & Kate Hargreaves

Role: Narrator

Venue: The Roundhouse, London

Support RNIB and make more books available to the blind and partially sighted

 

Audio:

Listen to the audio of the show (save link as to download) - more info - please support RNIB by way of thanks.

Also part of The Guardian's podcast (including discussion with Patrick Ness).

 

Video:

Interview with Christopher Eccleston

Behind the scenes

Extras:

Insight Radio podcast

"Every year RNIB hammers home the message that more books need to be made accessible to blind people. The campaign is called Read For RNIB. This year the charity pulled out all the stops to raise awareness – as Insight Radio's Leeanne Coyle found out."

Includes extracts and the after the show message. 

Here's the video script of the latter, kindly provided by RNIB.

Congratulations, you made it.

I'm Chris Eccleston. I am sure all you want to do now is sit down, relax and have a nice cup of tea. And don't worry; you will have that opportunity in just a few minutes time.

But first I need you to listen for just a while longer to understand why you've been invited here today by Royal National Institute of Blind People.

You've just experienced something quite unique, a book without words, a story without reading, a play performed in total darkness. The point is that a story is about much more than just the words on a page. Today you have experienced reading in a whole new way.

In the UK there are almost two million people who are blind or partially sighted, and the sad fact is, their choice of books is significantly more limited than it is for sighted people. Just seven per cent of all books are fully accessible for them.

I find it hard to imagine what my life would be like without being able to access books and scripts or enjoy a bedtime story with my little boy. For many blind and partially sighted people, reading is even more important, it can be a lifeline. It's the key to helping them live independently as part of an inclusive society.

You probably aren't aware but RNIB's National Library Service sends out millions of books every year in braille, giant print and in talking book audio format.

But it's not just about Talking Books – RNIB provides so much more. It has a team which transcribes everything from newspapers and magazines such as OK! Magazine and National Geographic. It even provides sheet music and instructions for game boards.

RNIB works with the publishing industry to increase the number of books that are accessible, and with the eBook industry to make sure that new technology isn’t limited to people who can see.

And that's what Read for RNIB Day is all about. Raising money and awareness to help RNIB continue this important work and to provide guidance to the 100 people who today will have embarked on their own sight loss journey.

Now is your opportunity to take action and support Read for RNIB Day on Friday October 11. We need you to use your influence today to help us spread the word; tweet about this experience, share with your friends, colleagues and audiences, blog to your hearts content, encourage everyone across Britain to visit the website and get involved.

RNIB can currently only reach one in three people who need it most – help us change that story and open up a world of reading for blind and partially sighted people.

Thank you.

Help Us Change The Story. Read For RNIB Day. 11th October.

 

Articles:

From Read for RNIB site:
• Hollywood support for Read for RNIB Day
• Read for RNIB Day with Patrick Ness and Christopher Eccleston [recap]

• Article on tickets

• Working with Patrick Ness and Christopher Eccleston

• The Bolton News - Dr Who star Christopher Eccleston: 'Reading books should be for everyone'

• The Independent - Patrick Ness interview: Night of the living dead 

• Review by Frances Hardinge [blog]

'Give an Hour' Campaign

2011-10-21 BBC has launched the 'Give an Hour' campaign (press release) that "encourages everyone to give just one hour to help someone you know get online." Find more information, guides and inspiration on the campaign's site where you can also pledge your hour.

Celebrities tell who they will be getting online and what they hope to show them:

More from Christopher Eccleston on who he'd give his hour to and what Internet means for him:

Download via iTunes off BBC England's Audioboo.

Radio 4 Appeal for Chance UK

Christopher Eccleston to present an appeal on behalf of Chance UK - Sun 4 Sep, 07:55 & 21:26, Thu 8 Sep 15:27.
Programme info | iPlayer

Oct 25 Further update - £11,360 has been raised.
Sep 23 Update on the outcome:

"Chance UK would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated following our recent BBC Radio 4 appeal, which has now raised £9,193.10. We are delighted to be still receiving donations and we're hoping to reach £10,000 from the appeal to invest in our early intervention mentoring programme. [ETA: Sep 28 The goal has been reached.]

We believe that the success of this appeal was mainly due to the fantastic case study presented by Christopher Eccleston. There have already been 213 individual donations made, with each one gratefully received.

Our appeal was broadcast to a combined audience to over 1.9 million listeners and as well as donations, has also secured numerous volunteer enquiries and media articles.

So thank you to the BBC Radio 4 listeners for your generosity and interest.

You can still listen to Chance UK's BBC Radio 4 appeal by clicking here or go to our donations page here."

"Chance UK is an early intervention organisation that prevents crime and anti social behaviour by providing mentors to children with behavioural difficulties. Our mentors meet with a child for 2-4 hours, once a week, for a year.
They do activities together such as sports, visiting museums, exploring new interests, art projects, anything that will enthuse and engage the child. The mentor will use solution focused techniques to build the child's self esteem, so that their confidence, education and family life all change for the better.
Not only does this change the child's life and their prospects, but their parent / carer, teacher, siblings and classmates also benefit from the positive changes the child makes."

Reg Charity: 1046947
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal, mark the back of the envelope Chance UK
- Give Online www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/appeal.

Chance UK:

Chance UK has been awarded a BBC Radio 4 Appeal, which is scheduled to be broadcast this weekend - Sunday 4th September at 7.55am & 9.26pm.

Last month our CEO, Gracia McGrath OBE, had the opportunity to meet popular TV and film actor Christopher Eccleston at BBC Broadcasting House for the recording of our appeal in the BBC studios.

The internationally renowned actor recorded the appeal to help raise funds for our vital work in providing early intervention to prevent crime and anti social behaviour developing in children, a subject very much in the media and under much discussion after the recent riots across the country.

Christopher was delighted to lend his support: "All Chance UK's mentors are volunteers, but their careful selection, training and support throughout the year are vital. Anything you give will help Chance UK train more mentors and change the lives of more children."

Chance UK is an early intervention organisation that prevents crime and anti-social behaviour by providing mentors to children with behavioural difficulties. The mentors deliver an intensive and individually tailored programme for each child, which builds their confidence and self esteem. The vital funds we raise can change the lives of children, so remember to tune in and support our appeal!

Tune in to the Chance UK appeal on BBC Radio 4 (92-95 FM) on Sunday 4th September at 7.55am and 9.26pm, and also repeated on Thursday 8th September at 3.27pm.

Can you help us spread the word? Share this article with your friends, or visit us on Facebook and Twitter and share our updates with your followers. Your support could change the life of a young person, so remember to tune in and listen and donate to our appeal!

Also earlier news article.

Christopher Eccleston for Amnesty's Burma Campaign

[By Leo Cackett. Also see the photo at Enigma Images]

UPDATE Oct 12, 2011

Burma amnesty brings release of hundreds of prisoners, including about 200 political ones. Democratic Voice of Burma:

"Zarganar, a prominent comedian and vocal government critic, was among those released on Wednesday as part of a pardon of more than 6,300 prisoners by the new leadership, his family said."

Also BBC News article.


Christopher Eccleston (The Observer, Oct 3, 2010):

"Burma is a country of horrors. Torture is commonplace, dissent is not tolerated, and censorship is almost total. It is unbelievable that such regime can continue to exist. Take the case of popular comedian Zarganar. He is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence for criticising the junta's handling of the cyclone relief efforts in 2008. Nothing short of ridiculous. The global community needs to wake up and act as one to condemn the country's ruling military junta and their appalling human rights record."

The Observer gallery of the campaign.

From Enigma Images site:

Leading celebrities are being asked to join people from all over the world, including politicians and leading exiled Burmese activists, to stand in solidarity with Burma's former political prisoners to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners currently incarcerated in Burma's notorious prisons.

Full details of the campaign can be seen on the Amnesty website
The campaign is based on the documentary project Even Though I'm Free I Am Not which can be viewed in full on this website

People are being asked to write the name on the palm of their hand of one of the 9 political prisoner cases that Amnesty International are highlighting. They will then have their photo taken and be able to stand in solidarity with Burma's former political prisoners who are leading this campaign.

The photographs will be collected and presented to the summit meeting of political leaders from Asia and Europe, in Brussels in October 2010 - the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). Amnesty will call on these leaders to press for freedom for Burma's political prisoners, and real human rights for Burma.

Amnesty UK:

Amnesty's action this year on Burma was inspired by the work of James Mackay, a London-based freelance documentary photographer who has photographed more than 160 former Burmese political prisoners now located all around the world - some still in Burma.

For the self-funded project, entitled 'Even Though I'm Free I Am Not', James is travelling around the world, including Burma, to photograph and interview former political prisoners who are coming together to raise awareness for their colleagues who remain in jail. He is working in collaboration with the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) and Democratic Voice of Burma.

Read about the photoshoot with Eccleston at Even Though I'm Free I Am Not blog.

Take action - Amnesty International: Human Rights for Burma

Articles:
• Amnesty UK: Leaders of Asia and Europe asked to support call to release all Burma's political prisoners UK
• Guardian.co.uk
• Independent.co.uk

The Christie Appeal

"Salford-born actor Christopher Eccleston, who has starred in a string of movies, has backed the Christie charity and Salford Advertiser appeal to raise £250,000 towards the new £17 million Christie radiotherapy centre being built at Salford Royal.

The former Doctor Who star, who has recently signed up to play Beatle John Lennon in a new BBC drama, is urging fellow Salfordians to get involved in the campaign, which is being backed by Christopher's local newspaper, the Salford Advertiser.

Christopher said: "Having supported The Christie for many years, I am delighted that they are bringing their expert and life-saving care to my home city of Salford.
"Building a Christie radiotherapy centre in Salford will mean vital treatment can be delivered closer to people's homes. This will make a massive difference to the lives of future cancer patients in this area so I am urging everyone to do what they can to support the Salford Advertiser's campaign."

The Christie charity teamed up with the Salford Advertiser newspaper to raise a quarter of million pounds for the centre which will open in 2011.

Community fundraising officer for the Christie charity, Ste Anderson, said: "It is fantastic to have an actor of Christopher's stature lending his support to this appeal.
"We want everyone from the Salford area to get behind the Advertiser's campaign to raise £250,000 towards our new radiotherapy centre being built in Salford.
"This centre will transform the way cancer patients from Salford, Wigan and Bolton are treated and you can help make that happen.
"The people of Salford have always been generous and there has been an excellent response to the appeal so far – but there is still a long way to go. We can provide you with lots of support and fundraising ideas so please get involved."

The Christie charity is also throwing open the challenge to generous readers of the Advertiser to become 'Salford Superstars'. To be a Salford superstar the challenge is to raise £100 within 12 months.

Ste added: "You can raise the money in any way you choose – from offering to wash cars for a donation to hosting a charity night – and we will be here to provide you with all the fundraising support you need.
"Why not get together with friends, family, neighbours, classmates or colleagues and become a galaxy of Salford Superstars? Of course, you are welcome to raise more than £100."

To register call 0161 918 7398 or email community@christie.org and you will receive a free Salford Superstars t-shirt.

As well as treating patients for the most common cancers like breast, bowel and lung, this special development will also be a national centre of excellence for treating brain conditions. It will be equipped to deliver stereotactic radiosurgery, a highly specialised neurosurgical technique for brain cancers – making it one of only a handful of such centres in the UK. Currently patients from Greater Manchester have to travel to Sheffield for this treatment. The first Christie radiotherapy centre is opening in Oldham in 2010.

To make a donation visit our dedicated webpage www.christies.org/salford, ring 0161 446 3988 (mention you are donating in response to the Salford Advertiser appeal) or send a cheque made payable to "The Christie, Salford Advertiser" to Salford Advertiser Christie Appeal, Appeals Office, The Christie, Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 4BX."

Press release

2010-01-26

Amnesty 'Sleepwalk - Say 'No' to 42 days!'

Amnesty video; voice-over (2008).