In the 1930s, a young poet and patriot, Richard Jameson, falls in love with the socialist daughter of Sir Henry Exton, a powerful media mogul. But in courting her, he finds himself embroiled in a fascist struggle for influence over the heart of the establishment. After Thatcher sweeps to victory during the 1980s, Jameson is on the verge of being rescued from literary obscurity but finds the ghosts of his fascist past have not been laid to rest.

Keepers of the Flame premiered at Live Theatre, Newcastle, in October 2003.

Sean O'Brien's new play dramatizes the literary history and politics of the 1930s and 1980s and asks chilling questions about the historical possibility of a fascist Britain.