Takin' Over the Asylum

David Blair, a producer at BBC Scotland, suggested to writer Donna Franceschild that she develop a minor character into one of her plays.

"[1] Franceschild's motivation for writing the series, Birch notes, "originated from personal experience, her intention to critically challenge accepted views about mental illness.

However, in the mid 2000s, the show was illegally uploaded to YouTube, a move which delighted Franceschild as it brought her work to a wider audience.

[citation needed] These were dubbed on the original worldwide television transmissions (excluding UK) and also on the series BBC DVD.

This stage version is set in a world of mobile phones, the internet and zillions of channels of digital television.

[9] In May 2022, Takin’ Over the Asylum was performed by BA Acting students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, also directed by Mark Thomson.