A new five-part series set in the Cumbrian woodland proves a real thriller for critics.


The Treehouse, written by Ulverston-based Zosia Wand, was named as the Radio Times’ Pick of the Week.


Currently being aired on BBC Radio 4, the plot explores the workings of psychopathic tendancies and questions the common notion of right and wrong.


Speaking about her inspiration for the radio-thriller, Zosia said: “The landscape here has a huge impact on my writing.

"It’s a beautiful place with everything you could need for somewhere to live - it’s a different quality of life.

"The actual treehouse in the play is in Ulverston and was built by local children.

"I’ve even included some lines in The Treehouse that are about the town: ‘This place is like a watermark running through me’ and ‘the landscape is engrained within me’."

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The author, who lives on Greenbank with her two daughters, also takes a lot of inspiration from her own life.


As the daughter of a Polish mother and London-based father she felt ‘very foreign and alien’ growing up which she believes allowed her to ‘stand back from the crowd and observe’.


She came into writing at the age of 30 after a dramatic career change.


She said: “I got to a point where I had nothing left to lose. I just wasn’t happy.

"I was too afraid of failing to follow my dreams but actually I was failing in what I was doing so I gave it a shot.”


It proved to be a decision that changed her life, and Zosia has a simple message to anyone currently leading an unfulfilled life.


“If you’ve got a passion then go for it,” she said, “you only get one life.”


The Treehouse culminates on Friday, May 16, on BBC Radio 4.