 However, the job went to Peter James.After an absence of many years, Blakemore returned to the National to direct Frayn's play "Copenhagen" in May 1998, prior to its transfer to the Duchess Theatre in February 1999.This was followed by "Alarms and Excursions" (Gielgud, September 1998), "Democracy" (National, Cottesloe, September 2003; Wyndham's, April 2004), and "Afterlife" (National, Lyttelton, June 2008).