Bloody Knuckles/ The Trade EO1: 'Pilot'

By Harry Clapman

Johnny has blood on his hands and a weight on his chest. A tremble in his leg and a chill in his spine. It’s cold in Chicago, as cold as London. Though Johnny doesn’t know the place, he finds the people all too familiar crooks, thieves and pricks. He finds himself in the company of some bad men, tough men. But no one is as tough as Johnny.

This story is based on a family legend, about a cousin who killed a man in the 1930s and fled to the United States.

He fell in with Al Capone’s gang and the rest is a mystery. This is fun and I like to think it has real heart. It pays homage to the genre’s greats while trying to keep as true as I can to the stories my Nana would tell me as she sat in her armchair.

Editors Notes-

I feel this piece has an excellent heart to it. Suspense and soul. I thoroughly enjoyed this piece being read at the degree show by talented actors who gave life to this excellent script.

Edited by Izzy Judd