David Hare takes to the South Bank

Tonight The South Bank Show meets with acclaimed stage and screen writer David Hare as he gives his first major TV interview in 30 years.

David discusses some of his most ground-breaking plays as he chats with Melvyn Bragg in his London home, Hare reveals why, after five commercially-successful West End and Broadway productions, he made a major transition in his scriptwriting.

Uncomfortable making up stories when the world was so fascinating and eventful, he tells Bragg how he turned his attention
to current affairs, and discusses his research behind plays including Stuff Happens, a drama based on the road to the Iraq war.

He also discusses Racing Demons, Murmuring Judges and The Absence of War, his trilogy focusing on British institutions that provided scathing attacks on the Church of England and British legal system and inside observations on the Labour Party.

He also opens up about Wall, a credit-crunch drama about Britain’s banking meltdown. Hare reveals why, consequently, he gets more invitations to appear on Newsnight than to write plays. However, speaking with Bragg, he underlines the difference between being an artist and a commentator, and talks about the messages and metaphors that make his plays art rather than documentaries.

Alongside clips of rehearsal footage, Hare also offers an insight in the preparations behind his current West End play The Judas Kiss, a restaging of his 1998 drama about Oscar Wilde at Trafalgar Studios, which stars Rupert Everett.

The South Bank Show: David Hare, tonight on Sky Arts 1 at 9.30pm