By Hattie Naylor. Can psychedelic drugs really have a use in the treatment of depression? Pete has tried every other treatment on offer and is now about to find out.

Pete has been suffering from depression for many years but no therapy or medicine has had any lasting benefit. Now he is considering taking part in a clinical trial that is testing a new treatment that uses Psilocybin, the psychoactive chemical found in magic mushrooms.

The Liberty Cap is written by Hattie Naylor (award winning playwright whose many plays include Ivan and the Dogs and The Diary of Samuel Pepys) and made in consultation with Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, a psycho-pharmacologist at Imperial College London, who is conducting research into psychedelic drugs and their potential therapeutic uses.

Scientific research into psychedelic drugs has been effectively shut down for decades but is now becoming more widespread. The action of this drama is inspired by clinical trials that are currently taking place and the ethical questions they raise, although all characters portrayed are entirely fictional.

The Liberty Cap was developed through the Wellcome Trust Experimental Stories scheme.

Written by Hattie Naylor

Programme consultant: Dr Robin Carhart-Harris

Music consultant: Mark Jackson

Sound design by Alisdair McGregor

Produced and directed by Boz Temple-Morris

A Holy Mountain production for BBC Radio 4.