Arena

Episode Synopsis

In April 1967 at the peak of his career as a dramatist, Joe Orton was murdered by his lover, Kenneth Halliwell... Arena presents a documentary portrait of the author of Loot and Entertaining Mr Sloane, whose daring and sense of style added a new word - Ortonesque - to the English critical vocabulary. Although he was widely attacked for presenting the world as a bizarre and savage place, this film presents the case that Orton's life was, on occasion, quite as curious and extravagant as his work. With contributions among others from Orton's sister Leonte; his close friend Kenneth Williams; his biographer John Lahr; and the librarian whose complaints against Orton and Halliwell finally landed them in prison.