‘HEARTH’ at The Lyric presents: Paul Dodgson with Ian Harris

Hope is the Horizon is the fulfilment of a long musical journey by indie folk singer-songwriter Paul Dodgson. Released on vinyl + streaming on 2^nd May 2025,  it is an album of 10 acoustic songs about  love, loss and getting older, with a range of influences from Laura Marling, Leonard Cohen to Richard Thompson.
It is the work of a songwriter who finds unusual angles from which to look at familiar things but always retains a sense of hope.
The record was produced by Frank Naughton in Ty Dwrg Studio in Cardiff and features collaborations with long term musical partners, Ian Harris (violin) and Fred Gregory (Mandolin).
There are also contributions from Pete Judge (flugelhorn), Sarah Moody (cello) and Cara Ludlow (additional vocals).  One song, The River and the Sea, features Men are Singing, a Cornish male voice choir.

Like so many teenagers, Paul fell in love with music, spending hours locked in his bedroom playing a small collection of LPs on a Dansette record player.
He learned to play the guitar, wrote songs and sang on his own and in bands.
Then, at the age of 19, he became self-conscious and stopped singing in public.
The longer he didn’t sing, the harder it was to start again and yet the more he wanted to do it.
Years passed. Paul became a successful TV and radio scriptwriter, at one point introducing Kat Slater to Albert Square on Eastenders. He also worked as a theatre musician, writing songs for hit shows, like The Nutcracker at Theatre Royal Bath.  But these were always songs for other people to sing; the longing to sing his own songs remained as strong as ever.

Eventually, in 2016, he stepped on stage at Bristol Old Vic Theatre and sang to an audience of 500 people.
Paul then embarked on a tour that took him to pubs, clubs, festivals and theatres around the UK and Europe.
This became the subject of a play on BBC Radio 4 and the acclaimed memoir On the Road Not Taken (“Rammed with the thrills of recognition” Mark  Ellen), telling the story of  his childhood passion for  music and all the things that had got in the way ever since.

In 2019 Paul released his debut EP Fire In the Darkness, which has achieved more than 100k streaming listeners and made friends around the world.
But there was still one thing missing, and that was to make a full-length album and for that to be released on vinyl. Hope is the Horizon is the fulfilment of that dream and the next step on an incredible journey.

This show songs brings together songs from Hope is the Horizon with other material from Paul’s songwriting life alongside stories from On The Road Not Taken.

TICKETS ARE £12
Available from Bridport Tourist Information Centre – pop in or call 01308 424901, or click below to book.