''In By The Half'' is yet another humorous yet immensely touching play from the pen of Jimmie Chinn. Madam, once a distinguished actress, lives in seclusion in a cottage in West London, looked after by her housekeeper and ex-dresser, Doris. Their peaceful routine includes regular visits from the doctor and the insipid Sylvia, who takes acting lessons from Madam. Life for these ladies has become a well-regulated, quiet experience. One day, however, a surprise visitor arrives - Ursula, Madam's estranged daughter, who is nursing a bitter secret. The initial acerbic comedy of the play gives way to the poignant drama of familial anguish -as Madam and Ursula are forced to confront several unhappy truths and to move towards some kind of understanding. Madam, left alone at the close, relinqishes her long-held theatrical pretensions, aware that they are now completely meaningless.
The play was first presented by Teddington Theatre Club Audio in 1993.
Later that year it was performed on Radio 4.