In this comedy-drama, a housewife becomes the centre of a local miracle after baking a cake with a holy image.
Elaine (Sarah Lancashire), a housewife on a northern housing estate, finds her mundane life turned upside down. After baking a batch of rock cakes, she discovers that one of them bears the unmistakable image of the Virgin Mary. The confection appears to possess miraculous powers, bringing sudden good fortune and apparent cures to her family and neighbours, including her mother Millie (Rita Tushingham). The unexpected event tests the faith and credulity of the entire community, transforming Elaine’s kitchen into an unlikely shrine.
This single drama from production company Celador is an example of modern magical realism. Keith Temple’s teleplay locates the miraculous not in a grand setting, but within the four walls of a northern council house kitchen. The story of a divine rock cake serves as a vehicle to examine community, belief, and the quiet desire for meaning in ordinary life. Sarah Lancashire anchors the production with a performance that gives the whimsical premise a core of emotional truth.
Broadcast: BBC One, 1 Episode, 15 September 2006
Written by: Keith Temple
Director: Simon Delaney
Producer: Stephen Garwood
Main Cast: Sarah Lancashire (Elaine), Vicky Hall (Jax), Dean Stobbart (Todd), Laura Norton (Izzie), Joseph Grieves (Stuart), Michael Hodgson (Ed), Simon Slater (Jeff), Julie Dawn Cole (Judith), Rita Tushingham (Millie), Robin Kermode (Paul)
