Fighting for Life and improved care at the end of life

Brian Daniels is no ordinary playwright. His stories don’t just entertain — they challenge, confront, and compel audiences to think deeply about the kind of society we are, and the kind of care we offer to those who need it most.

Fighting for Life, one of his most powerful and enduring works, returns to the stage on 7 May at Keech Hospice, as part of their work on Dying Matters Awareness Week. More than eight  years after it was first commissioned by Hospice UK, the play remains as urgent and relevant as ever.

At the heart of Fighting for Life are the real-life experiences of Joan and James Findlay, both war veterans, whose later years were marked not by peace and comfort, but by a painful struggle to access the care they desperately needed. Their story was brought to Brian by their daughter, Dr Helen Findlay, whose firsthand account of her parents’ ordeal struck a deep chord with him.

Joan lived with dementia; James, with motor neurone disease. Despite being devoted partners for a lifetime, the care system offered them no place to grow frail together. There were no facilities offering shared end-of-life rooms for couples. So, after decades of marriage, they faced their final chapter alone — scared, separated, and isolated.

Brian saw in their experience not just a personal tragedy, but a systemic failure. Fighting for Life was his way of holding up a mirror to health and care services — and to government — urging them to confront the realities they too often overlook. His goal was simple but profound: to humanise policy through storytelling, and to inspire decision-makers to understand care from the perspectives of the people who live it.

Fighting for Life was performed in the House of Commons and in hospices around the country, but almost a decade on, Brian reflects with frustration that little has changed. Hospice care remains difficult to access, and choice at the end of life is still a privilege, not a right. Yet he remains steadfast in his belief in the power of theatre to bring about change.

Storytelling has always been at the core of Brian’s work, but his journey to becoming a playwright was anything but traditional. His early career began in entrepreneurship, running a successful HR consultancy. Everything changed on his thirtieth Birthday, when he met the legendary screenwriter Kay Mellor — creator of ITV hits like Band of Gold. She asked him to produce a screenplay. That meeting changed the course of his life.

Inspired and energised, Brian sold his business and bought the New End Theatre in Hampstead, where he spent 14 vibrant years producing musicals and plays. The stage became his canvas for transformation, with performances from icons such as Dionne Warwick, Eartha Kitt, Gloria Gaynor, and Boy George.

Art mirrored life more closely than ever with Where’s Your Mamma Gone, a play about the Yorkshire Ripper that received glowing 4-star reviews. That success marked the start of a new chapter, as Brian increasingly turned his attention to stories rooted in real-life social issues — especially within health and care.

Over the past 15 years, Brian has worked closely with the NHS and other organisations to bring untold stories to light. One such project called Voices Amplified focuses on the experiences of NHS staff from different ethnic backgrounds and explores the microaggressions and covert discriminatory practice they face in the workplace. The play, which deeply resonates with audiences, has helped catalyse change, and prompted some organisations to adopt anti-racist policies to better support their staff.

Brian also collaborated on Hello My Name Is, a poignant production about Dr Kate Granger, the doctor who, even while dying of cancer, became a champion for compassionate, personalised care.

In total, Brian has written 28 plays, many of which focus on healthcare improvement. Most recently, he wrote the play Unforgettable – telling the care home story, which looks at the challenges faced by those engaged in social care during the Covid pandemic, and how they became palliative care nurses with little training for this specialist work.  

Through all these plays, Brian has maintained a singular belief: storytelling is a vehicle for change. He cites ITV’s 2024 drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office as a powerful example of how drama can break through years of injustice and bring hidden scandals to national attention.

So what draws Brian to stories of death and dying? For him, it’s simple. End-of-life stories are also stories about life — and how we choose to live it. “We all get to that point at some stage,” he says, “so why not talk about it?”

Brian knows how difficult those conversations can be. But he believes art can help bridge the gap. “Sometimes it’s hard to sit down and talk to people we love about a difficult subject — but a play can start the conversation for us,” he says. “If one of my plays can make a difference, help someone open up, or even lead to better care at the end of someone’s life — then it’s a job well done.”

For more information visit www.plutoplayproductions.co.uk or contact Brian Daniels briandaniels@plutoplayproductions.co.uk.