The sparky and touching tale of a working-class student and her alcohol-fuelled tutor. From BBC Radio 4 Extra. Written and Adapted by Willy Russell. Full-cast dramatisation starring Laura Dos Santos and Bill Nighy. Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes First broadcast: Saturday 08 October 2011 Rita feels trapped by both her marriage and her life, which seems mapped out by her friends and family into motherhood and settling for what she's got.

Wanting to broaden her horizons, she joins the Open University to study English Literature. This is where she meets Dr Frank Bryant. 'Educating Rita' portrays a working-class Liverpool woman's hunger for education. It premiered in London, in 1980 and won the Society for West End Theatres (SWET) award for Best Comedy of the Year. It was made into a highly successful film with Michael Caine and Julie Walters and won the 1983 BAFTA award for Best Film.