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MAKING ASTRONAUTS - SYNOPSIS

Synopsis

It’s 2008 and Adam and Martin are looking forward to becoming parents. Their friend, Susannah, will be the carrier of the child, and they choose an American company new to the UK, Proteus, who will oversee the process. In addition to finding a suitable egg donor, the company offers a new service of genetic screening. Adam, an actor who grew up on a tough council estate, wants the best for his unborn child and convinces Martin they should opt for the "Omega package".

This, he explains to Martin, will screen the embryos for a set of gene clusters which might indicate not only the propensity for certain diseases like cancer but also levels of intelligence or dexterity. Martin is sceptical as to the benefits of such testing but decides to go along with Adam. However, there is something else the Omega package offers which Adam is making every effort to keep from his partner.

Adam continues to deceive Martin and arranges a meeting with Proteus to find out the results of the testing, on a day when Martin is busy at work. When Martin appears at the meeting having been tipped off by Adam’s mother, Margaret, it is not only Adam who gets a shock.
Having uncovered Adam’s deception, Martin is furious. He can no longer trust Adam, let alone contemplate having a child with him. Frustrated and angry, Adam goes to visit his mother. Whilst not condoning her son’s behaviour, she wants to see him happy. Attempting to engineer a reconciliation, Margaret intervenes once more and calls Martin.