Play for Today Penda's Fen

Set in 1970s England, "Penda's Fen" follows Stephen Franklin (Spencer Banks), a devout Anglican vicar's son struggling to come to terms with his identity and faith as he experiences visions of angels and demons. As he navigates adolescence, including same-sex encounters at school, Stephen begins to question the hypocrisy of his family and society. The play explores themes of paganism, religion, politics, and sexuality through a series of real and imagined encounters that culminate in an apparitional experience with King Penda on the Malvern Hills.