"There are all these channels, but you end up watching nothing because most of it's just crap, terrible programmes," says Jamie Martin.

"I'm addressing that and the impact it is having on society and families. I think television's really irresponsible now."

Having spent the summer filming a television drama with Sir David Jason, the Brighton actor returns to playwriting with Tramp TV, an apocalyptic black comedy starring Richard Hawley about a family whose lives revolve around television.

Centred on an aimless pair of twin brothers who are visited by the fiancee of their imprisoned father, the premiere of Martin's latest play should provide plenty of food for thought.

"Look at these programmes like Celebrity Love Island," he complains.

"I've never seen a celebrity on there. You've got these people who are nonentities. It's just junk, absolute junk."

The piece repeatedly explores the banal, futile content consuming most channels, inviting audiences to form their own interpretations of the intriguing tale.

"I'm not interested in making statements," Martin insists, having completed the script on a typewriter in his shed on New Year's Day.

"It's quite mad but it's also realistic. It's almost like a dream in parts, very disjointed and fragmented. I've been working on it for two years, and I think it will say different things to different people."

Hawley and his co-stars have had only a fortnight to perfect their performances, but Martin remains convinced the show will disturb and delight in equal measure.

"I'm quite confident about the piece," says the former Portobello Film Festival winner, who was inspired to write the piece by his childhood memories of walking past muted television screens in shop windows.

"I've cut it down a lot and it's now quite lean.

"It deals with some serious issues but it's also got some very funny bits in it."

Symbolised by the constant presence of a silent television, Martin's exasperation with the state of popular culture promises a sharp script.

"Why are these people famous?" he asks. "Where are the real heroes when people can get famous for going on television wearing nothing and acting like idiots?"

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