Exploring the culture of B-list celebrities, it is a comedy about the rise and fall of Charlie Conrad, a man apparently famous for being a failure.

One notable quote was his opinion that a dangerous mistake celebrities can make is to believe all the good things said about them, both in publicity and what other people (particularly agents) say.

The three scenes occur over a period of about ten weeks towards the end of Charlie's celebrity career and his sudden descent into obscurity.

Until the last moment of the performance, the location for all three scenes is a Victorian architectural folly (obvious suggestions of symbolic value acknowledged) [4] in the grounds of Charlie Conrad's vast Home Counties mansion.

The play opens with Linzi telling Marsha what she wants for her small son's birthday party, but she also drops hints that all is not well between her and her husband Charlie.

When Charlie arrives they quarrel, escalating to abuse, but the moment the journalist, Gale, appears they embrace as a happy celebrity couple.

Before the interview begins, Gale explores the folly, going through one doorway and emerging from the other, back where she started, thanks to an optical illusion that fools one into thinking one is ascending to a higher level.

He meets his solicitor, Hugo, to arrange a settlement with Marsha, pressing charges for sexual intimidation and indecent assault.

Before leaving in his helicopter, Hugo promises a favourable out-of-court settlement and, as an afterthought, mentions that Linzi is starting divorce proceedings.

Looking for the last time at the house and grounds he has sold, he meets Jason, who gives him the news that (boosted by media attention from the thigh-signing scandal) Marsha is doing well as Mr. Chortles.

Having previously played significant roles in The Bill and Coronation Street, he had his own experience of celebrity-driven media attention to draw on, thereby causing some speculation that the character was based on him.

Although he was not drawn in specially for his role (he had appeared in Stephen Joseph Theatre productions before), Alan Ayckbourn reportedly said there was an instinct of Charlie that was like him.

(The first parts written specifically as black characters were Winnie and Laverne in My Wonderful Day, played by Ayesha Antoine and Petra Letang.

London was not included in the tour, partly due to the West End's treatment of Damsels in Distress two years previously.

[8] Six of the seven adult actors (Stuart Fox being the exception) also appeared in Private Fears in Public Places — a play inspired during the rehearsals for Drowning on Dry Land — during the run at the Stephen Joseph Theatre.

[12] Drowning on Dry Land drew a fair amount of attention owing to the stories dominating the press at the time of production.

For The Independent, Lynne Walker wrote: "Our most prolific and popular playwright seems to have forgotten that the twists and turns in a storyline do need to be plausible rather than just the vehicle for a sequence of ideas, no matter how cunning they are in themselves",[15] while Sam Marlowe for The Times concluded: "Drowning on Dry Land is like its hapless anti-hero: there's not much more to it than meets the eye".