Mary Dogood is a black comedy following the heroine from the time when, as a young girl, she is incarcerated for trying to blow up her cruel father and, possibly, for murdering a fellow schoolgirl. While in Riverdale secure hospital, Mary develops into womanhood and comes to the attention of oafish guard Claude McBean, and creepy psychiatrist Doctor Templeton Lightbody. Both sexually abuse her, but our Mary cleverly uses the noxious pair to escape and obtain a completely new identity. Having obtained two degrees while in Riverdale, Mary successfully applies for a lecturing post at the Nigel Baird College of Further Education in Manchester. There she meets and falls deeply in love with Assistant Principal Harry Clark. Life is blissful for Mary Dogood. She has a job she loves, she has a man she loves, and she even has a house of her own. But things start to go wrong when powerful forces in the college begin to perceive Mary as a threat to their lucrative, and fraudulent, activities. They try to blackmail Harry into becoming their creature, and they try to frame Mary for theft so as to be rid of her. Mary knows who the perpetrators are and is enraged by their actions. But what to do about it?As usual, when Mary suffers at the hands of others, The Blue Lady, a ghostly being who dogs her footsteps in times of crises, is wont to demand the ultimate penalty for the wrongdoers. It was she who urged Mary to blow her father up, and who may, or may not, have been present when the schoolgirl perished.Mary tries to resist The Blue Lady's commands. But when one of her enemies disappears and the other is found hanged, it seems that The Blue Lady has had her way once more.But with one set of enemies vanquished, others fill the breach. These are Jock McKnutt, crazed member of The Nigel Baird's Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, and Tommy Dangerfield, the college's Writer In Residence.With the unwitting assistance of Sports Science student Jerome P. Nugent, whose bizarre sexual proclivities have drawn him to Mary (violently at first, but then subserviently) Dangerfield and McKnutt stumble upon Mary's true identity.They interview Claude McBean, who Mary has ingeniously framed for her own murder, and who now languishes in prison. McBean directs them to the isolated cottage of Doctor Templeton Lightbody, where Mary spent the weeks and months immediately after her escape, but Lightbodyis nowhere to be found. They do, however, find conclusive proof that Mary is very much alive and teaching in The Nigel Baird.But the pair do not go immediately to the police. Dangerfiled believes he has a 'best seller' on his hands, and maybe even a Hollywood movie, with Sean Connery playing the part of McKnutt in the celluloid unmasking of Mary.They decide, for maximum effect to expose Mary at the college's annual barbecue, by which time Dangerfiled will have written the story and prepared a 'selling document' to take to the Hollywood moguls.Come the day of the barbecue, the scene is set for the unmasking of Mary Dogood. But will it happen? Will Mary, be sent back to Riverdale? Or will there be a saving twist in the tale?Daniel Boyle has been a successful scriptwriter for twenty five years: 'Inspector Morse, ' 'Rebus', 'Taggart', 'Hamish Macbeth', 'Lewis'. He has also penned four original films for TV. (see www.imbd.com) for full credits. He is currently under commission to Rooster Film and TV Ltd., to adapt Mary Dogood for the screen.