Peake drama finally gets go-ahead

A BBC Four drama starring Maxine Peake is finally to be shown more than a year after its original air date. Room At the Top is an adaptation of John Braine's classic 1950s novel, and also stars Matthew McNulty from Lark Rise To Candleford and Misfits. It was supposed to be screened in April 2011 but was pulled after a copyright wrangle between Remus Films and the estate of the deceased writer. Production company Green Meadow, said the dispute had now been resolved. The two-part drama will be shown on BBC Four "in the near future", it added. In a statement, Great Meadow said: "The producer of the TV adaptation of Room At The Top, Great Meadow Productions, is pleased to announce that the issue of copyright between Remus Films and the Estate of John Braine, represented by David Higham Associates, has been resolved." David Higham Associates is the literary agency that sold the license to the TV rights in Braine's novel to Green Meadow. This was subsequently challenged by the film company, Remus. The parties involved have declined to comment on the nature of the legal dispute. Braine, one of the "angry young men" of the 1950s, saw his novel published in 1957, and two years later, a film adaptation won lead actress Simone Signoret an Oscar. The drama tells the story of working class boy Joe Lampton, who leaves his village for the affluent mill town of Warley. He takes lodgings at The Top, an area of town where the better-off members of society live, and joins the local amateur dramatic society. His plans to marry into high society hit a stumbling block when he falls for two women, and is unable to choose between them. From: BBC