The Shell Seekers

The next play at Saddleworth Players is the Shell Seekers, a stage play adapted from the novel of the same name by Rosamunde Pilcher. First performaed in 2005, it tells the story of Penelope Keeling, whose father painted 'The Shell Seekers', the painting which acts as the backdrop to the play – a touching, romantic, family drama.

It has been adapted twice for the small screen; the first version, starring Angela Lansbury won an Emmy – although it took considerable liberties with the storyline – the second version was a mini-series starring Vanessa Redgrave.

The novel was first published in 1988, and was phenomenally successful, selling over five million copies worlwide. Told through a combination of flashbacks and scenes from the present day, it shows what life was like for everyday people during the second world war – Pilcher herself served with the Women's Naval Service for three years towards the end of the war.

But it also tells the story of a family, the relationships that intertwine within it, and of the unexpected directions that life takes us within them.