The Ballad of Peckham Rye - post II

Spark has created not just a comical character in Dougal Douglas but also a device that can break with normal conventions. Because the Scotsman is so unusual he can not only do unpredictable things but can open up other characters and take them in different directions.

Dougal's ability to read people is not only used with girls in the typing pool but is deployed against his boss and is even used to try and gain the wily Scotsman a job at a rival where he can keep two jobs going and be carrying out 'research' so neither ever discover he is drawing a double salary.

However his impact on the wider community is being felt and you can feel that a tipping point is not a million miles away when charmed entertainer becomes a source of dislike and a magnet for aggression.

Half way through and Dougal is still getting away with it but there must be more than just Trevor the electrician who dreams of knocking his block off.



More tomorrow...