First and Last (Methuen Screenplays) (Modern Plays) Book

One spring morning, a quiet, shy man in his sixties sets out from Land's End to walk the length of his native land. He has never walked more than a dozen miles in his life before, his health is uncertain, his boots are new, and he is too diffident to talk to anyone he meets along the way.

His slow, solitary progress up the spine of Britain is watched by an unseen audience—his family and friends at home. How far will he get before he is forced to give up? Is he being heroic or merely selfish?

As the days of his absence go by, the old alliances and quarrels inside the family shift and alter. What emerges is a story about the arbitrariness of human endeavor, the tenacious complexity of human relationships, one man's glimpse of the country he lives in, courage, and love.

"One of theatre's subtlest, most sophisticated minds."—The Times

First and Last was directed by Alan Dossor in a production for BBC television with Joss Ackland as the walker.