Dame Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) was a complex woman. Her novels are moody with paranormal overtones, and her personal relationships were often fraught. Probably a lesbian, she claimed to have spent her early years convinced she was a boy and invented a male alter ego. She married a hero of both world wars, Lieutenant-General Frederick "Boy" Browning in 1932, and had three children, but was regarded as an aloof mother and the marriage was "chilly", with Browning having affairs. She too was rumoured to have had numerous relationships with women, notably including the actress Gertrude Lawrence, and Ellen Doubleday, the wife of her U.S. publisher, Nelson Doubleday. Browning was knighted in 1947, and she was known for the remainder of her life as Lady Browning; he died in 1965. A long time resident of Cornwall, she spent her later years in a home near Par Beach, with declining mental health. This BBC radio play by Moya O'Shea is set in Cornwall in her last years. To escape the "nagging" of her live-in nurse, Lady Browning goes for a walk along the beach with the dogs. She is joined by a man, keen to discuss with her key moments of her life and literary exploits. Daphne tolerates him, and gradually opens up about some of her frustrations with marriage, love life, and her work. He encourages her to climb a cliff, and at the top tries to get her to jump, suggesting that her demons and concerns would then all be cured. Just at the last moment, he falls instead, and she steps back. The nurse appears, and in discussion it turns out that the man was solely a figment of the imagination. Well done, and a brilliant way of compellingly summarising the life of one of the 20th centuries most admired novelists. Cast included Helena Bonham Carter, Bill Nighy, Alex Tregear and Ian Dunnett Junior. Written by Moya O'Shea and directed by Tracey Neale. First broadcast 6 March 2024.