“I’ve Fallen In Love With Care” Says Actor And Scriptwriter Keeping Residents Entertained At Hastings Home

Saturday, 26 March 2022 07:00

By Dominic Kureen @WriteOnDom

A role in social care may be a long way from ‘The Young Ones’ but actor, scriptwriter and director, Daniel Peacock, says working at a Hastings care home has captured his heart.

Dan became a lifestyles co-ordinator at Hastings Court on The Ridge two-and-a-half years ago and has found the work more inspiring than anything he’s ever done.

Dan had just finished writing the second series of his UK TV comedy ‘Marley’s Ghosts’ and was writing his book ‘Skeleton Man’ when his son, Charlie, spotted the vacancy.

“I was spending eight hours writing, eight hours sleeping and eight hours watching TV,” remembers Dan. “Charlie wanted me off the sofa, suggesting I invest my TV viewing time in something real, something positive.

"The job advert invited 'enthusiastic, creative types' to join the Hastings Court Lifestyles team. My application proved successful and within days I was hooked.”

Dan’s career has seen appearances in the ‘Kenny Everett Show’, ‘Only Fool and Horses’, ‘The Comic Strip Presents’, ‘One Foot in the Grave’, ‘Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves’ and ‘Quadrophenia’.

He’s also written more than 200 broadcast episodes including ‘Harry and Cosh’, ‘Cavegirl’, ‘Teenage Health Freak’ and ‘Marley’s Ghosts’.

Together with the lifestyles team, Dan has developed a range of activities giving residents the chance to express, debate, create - and even write and perform songs, the videos of which have been watched by thousands on the Hastings Court Facebook page.

“We have a book club, a poetry club, we compile a residents’ newspaper and our ‘League of Residents’ gives people here a chance to discuss the issues important to them, and take action on those they feel most strongly about,” Dan says.

“We’ve brought politicians into the home so the residents can quiz them on their views, we’ve raised money for charity and we’ve run mock court cases to really get their brains working."