The Singing Detective was written by Dennis Potter, the UK playwright, who had life-long psoriais(P) and psoriatic arthritis (PA). Although a piece of fiction, and a very good story, the play/film also shows the nightmare life that chronic P and PA can cause, including mental health problems such as low esteem, depression, anxiety attacks, etc.
The play was originally produced for TV in the 1970s by the BBC, with Sir Michael Gambon (himself a PA sufferer) in the starring role. In the late 1990s, a Hollywood movie of the Singing Detective was released after Dennis Potter's death. Both versions are worth seeing.
If you want to see a copy, I suggest you visit www.bbc.co.uk for the 1970's version. Also www.paalliance.org.uk (David Chandler) may have some copies available, as Michael Gambon is a member of this organisation, and made some copies available.
For the Hollywood version, I suggest you do an internet search.
Regards, Tiff.