REVIEWS 2025
RADIO DRAMA REVIEW, April 2025
Firstly, the 'official business'. The severe cuts in radio drama since 2017 (fifty percent in commissioning hours) were followed late last year by a decision by the BBC that the radio 3 drama slot would be axed. The BBC confidentially informed three creative unions (Equity, Writers Guild of Great Britain and the Society of Authors) that it would be cutting all drama programming on BBC Radio 3. The BBC stated that it is rebranding Radio 3 as a classical music network.
In a letter to the unions, the BBC acknowledged that BBC Radio 3 was a place for fostering new writing and acting talent. Shannon Sailing of Equity said that removing audio drama from Radio 3 with no accountable commitment to moving the commissions elsewhere was a devastating blow to the creative community.
My own view, as I said in December, was that this latest cut marked a significant reduction in the scope and breadth of what BBC Radio Drama could offer. 20 fewer opportunities for new writers to shine and a cultural disaster.
A petition was organized by the three organizations mentioned above, and it soon attracted about 10,000 signatures asking that the decision be reversed. Many writers and actors expressed their views forcefully. Theo Jones of the Society of Authors compiled an interesting 45-minute piece with colleague Johanna Clarke featuring some well-known radio writers talking about what makes the form so special, and why abandoning full-length drama was seriously unwise. The podcast was funded by the ALCS and featured Linda Marshall Griffiths, Paterson Joseph, Nell Leyson, Andrew MacCaldon and others. Roger Bolton (late presenter of 'Feedback') put together a piece on his 'Beeb Watch' page along similar lines, and the two podcasts attracted significant attention.
These efforts, along with the radio 3 petition, had some success. At the Audio Drama Awards in March, Charlotte Moore, the chief content officer of the BBC, indicated that they'd had a re-think, prompted by the unexpectedly high level of support for the radio 3 slot, and that some action would be taken.
The result was that a new slot of twelve longer-form dramas per year (ie one a month) would be introduced. This would feature new 90m original work and adaptations as well as classics.
In view of the financial pressures being experienced by the BBC, this seems to me to be about the best outcome that could have been expected. Thank you to all of those who expressed their support by writing letters to Tim Davie, for signing the petition, and to all those who helped in other ways.
The first of these longer dramas went out last Saturday and was a new production of Wallace Shawn's play THE FEVER, where a middle - class woman feeling disconnected from her privileged life (played by Cate Blanchett) decides to travel to a country torn by civil war; highly relevant in these troubled times. We hope for further interesting full-length
work in these twelve new slots.
The International Audio Drama Festival took place in Canterbury again, 24-28 Mar, with face-to-face and online audiences listening simultaneously. There were 134 entries from 23 countries in 24 languages. This year there were more entries from America and slightly fewer from Eastern Europe. There were some excellent dramas from Iran and for the first time there were plays from Uganda. Just over 60 dramas were selected for listening during the five-day event.
First prize for the long-form drama (8-60 minutes) was shared between
THE VOICES OF A SHIMMERING STREAM, by Pietr Skotnicki, from Poland and UTOPIA MORE AND MORE by Gabriele Heller, from Newcastle.
Pietr Skotnicki's play was based on the experiences of his Polish-Jewish refugee family, and was part 3 of a story about a family expelled from Lithuania by the Soviets. It was in Polish and was set in the period 1933-1945. The play is a tribute to his grandmother; the experiences related were discovered only when she died recently and the house was being cleared. Numerous papers were discovered relating to these terrible events.
Gabriele Heller's play, in English, was a 60m audio piece combining new and old ideas about 'Utopia' with a dazzling musical soundtrack. This came from a collaboration between musicians John Garner, John Pope, Tobias Illingworth and Gabriele.
There were other highlights. NOTHING IS, SAYS THE WISE, by Ulrike Haage was a musical-biographical piece based on the later part of the life of the poet Masha Kaleko, and was in German. It drew on her poems, letters and lesser-known papers from her estate. The music used piano, harmonium, celesta and vocals.
I HAVE DREAMED OF YOU SO MUCH, by Roxane Ca'Zorzi, Belgium, was an other-wordly reunion of Ondine and her spiritual soulmate, the French poet Robert Desnos. Ondine writes a letter to the radio programme where he used to analyse dreams, 80 years earlier. Much against the odds, time shifts, and they meet. This
play was in French.
There was also a chilling play drawing parallels between the Covid experience of 2020 and childhood memories of iron lungs and polio: POLIOVUOSKI, written by David Mairowitz (in Finnish, produced in Helsinki), and an effective piece about Julian of Norwich, walled up in a cell for years and spreading good advice whenever she could: THE GLAD GIVER, by Jill Korn (in English).
The Young Producer Award went to Melania Vesalu, for her adaptation and production of MY BRILLIANT FRIEND, a 60-minute drama based on the first two novels of the same title by Elena Ferrante. The story is set in Naples during the 1950s. It's about the friendship between Elena Greco (Lenu) and Raffaella Cerullo (Lila). The novel opens in 2010 with Elena, now in her sixties, learning of Lila's recent disappearance. It prompts her to begin writing their shared history from childhood. There is a longer summary of this play on the Festival 2025 page. It was interesting that the BBC also broadcast a version of this story in their 'Classic Serial' slot quite recently.
These 'international' plays are all online, along with clear English translations.
The Audio Drama Awards ceremony took place in the Radio Theatre at the BBC on Sunday 31 March 2025. Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s Chief Content Officer, introduced the proceedings. She welcomed the audience to the radio drama evening, and commented that it's a unique and powerful craft. The BBC was the biggest commissioner of audio drama in the world. She thanked those who made it for their hard work and commitment. Radio drama was a launch pad for many writers.
Charlotte thanked the judges for their efforts and said 'we must continue to champion new writers of radio drama and other new talent: directors and producers and the production teams'. There was palpable tension in the air at this point because recent 'support' seems to have consisted of reducing commissioning by 50%, making people redundant and axing radio 3 drama, and I thought for a moment that a member of the audience was going to stand up and say something. But Charlotte continued quickly: 'We acknowledge that there is a demand for longer form drama and have decided to introduce a monthly 90-minute drama slot on radio 4, for new original work and for classic plays'. The moment passed; there was a surprised silence, and the atmosphere became a little more relaxed. A result of sorts; the best we could have have hoped for in the circumstances.
Charlotte then handed over to MC for the evening, Miles Jupp. He worked to a witty and carefully-worded script, which was well-received by the audience. There were a number of waspish references to the BBC commissioning process, especially the recent reductions in drama output on radio 4; extremely relevant in these days of savage cuts. 'Audio drama is the soundtrack to our lives. Where would audio drama be without sound?' (laughter) 'There are no limitations - you can go anywhere, do anything, with perhaps the single biggest hurdle to good radio drama being the BBC commissioning process'. (more laughter).
I always have mixed feelings about awards. It's a case of apples and oranges - how can a person decide which is better than the other? And those interested in the winners can find the list easily enough. Here instead are my highlights of the evening:
Firstly, a posthumous Outstanding Contribution Award for the late Bill Dare, in recognition of his huge influence on comedy, especially on Radio 4, after his tragic death in an accident the previous month. Jon Culshawe and Jan Ravens gave a heartfelt tribute to Bill during the Audio Drama Awards. It was a devastating shock to lose him. He had a stunning creative talent, especially for radio, and he devised many comedy shows including The Now Show, Secret World and Dead Ringers.
He channelled his sense of outrage into his comedy, to make it bite. He also devised the popular radio show 'I've Never Seen Star Wars', where the guest has missed an experience familiar to the rest of us. In Jon Culshaw's words: "We salute you, Bill. Taken from us much too soon; our wisest comic alchemist."
My second highlight was Charlotte Moore presenting an Outstanding Achievement Award to John Dryden and the Goldhawk Productions team for their series 'Central Intelligence'; an in-depth look at the CIA. She added - "We need to future-proof Audio Drama and enhance digital growth. We are proud of our 'Limelight' drama strand, which is hugely popular on BBC Sounds; over two and a half million plays. Our view is that if we expand podcast production, we'd better make sure that BBC podcasts are the best available".
John responded by saying that Central Intelligence was a complex project, and that special mentions needed to go to Sacha Puttnam who composed and provided the excellent musical soundtrack; the writer, Greg Haddrick, and Mike Walker, expert script editor, for his invaluable contribution.
I was pleased to see Dan Rebellato's play 'Orwell v Kafka: Restless Dreams' reaching the last three for the Tinniswood Award; I wrote about the play a while back and commended it for its suitability for radio (and unsuitability for any other medium); a first-class script and a high-quality production.
It was also good to see Rosie Cavaliero getting recognition for her performance as the pressurised train manager in the comedy-drama series "The Train at Platform Four" by Hugh Dennis and Steve Punt, produced by James Robinson. This is the best new comedy series I've heard in a long time, with intelligent scripts made even better by Rosie's character's exasperation that passengers and colleagues can be so infuriatingly dense. And something which is becoming less common amoungst female radio actors - I can hear every word she says.
Returning to recent BBC output:
After last year's drama-free New Year's Day it was good to see an interesting play timetabled for the afternoon. SOLOMON BROWNE, by Callum Mitchell (R4, 1415, 1 Jan 2025) was the story of the Penlee lifeboat disaster. The setting is Mousehole, 19th December 1981. The famous Christmas harbour lights illuminate the fishing village in a quiet corner of Cornwall. But a storm is coming and the events of this night will leave an indelible mark on the community. This was a poetic drama-documentary, with monologue, recorded testimonies and actual radio communications from the disaster. It was written by Newlyn resident Callum Mitchell, and the programme was made in Cornwall, with the help of some of the family members of the men lost. Callum narrated; sound design was by Nigel Lewis and music by Edward Norris; a BBC Wales production.
THE BOLT (R4, 1415, 2 Jan 2025) was about a controversy in the climbing world. Tensions flare in the North Wales climbing community when a steel bolt appears on a sea cliff in Anglesey. Rhodri, a keen adventure climber is totally against using bolts, but he's desperate to get the first ascent on a new climbing route, so he succumbs to temptation. It doesn't turn out well. Rhodri was played by Sion Eifion, Matilde by Norah Lopez Holden and Gwion by Dion Lloyd. Sound Design was by Catherine Robinson and the director was John Norton, for BBC Wales.
SITUATION TRAGEDY (R4, 1415, 4 x 30m, beginning 27 Jan 2025) marked the return of the actor-cum-amateur sleuth Charles Paris. This was dramatised for radio by Jeremy Front from a story by Simon Brett. Charles gets a part in a rather unfunny sitcom, and the cast and crew begin to die in a series of grisly accidents. Charles looks for the perpetrator. Bill Nighy played Charles and Suzanne Burden his wife; Jon Glover was his agent. This entertaining romp was directed by Sally Avens, assisted by SMs Peter Ringrose and Alison Craig.
I eagerly awaited the new series of EXEMPLAR (R4, 1415 beginning 31 Jan 2025, 5 x 30m) and was not disappointed. It's written by Ben & Max Ringham with Dan Rebellato and is a modern-day thriller set in the world of audio forensics. The plots are ingenious, and it's fascinating to listen to the surprising ways in which information can be extracted from innocent-sounding audio recordings. As a scientist I have some slight knowledge of Physics and a couple of months earlier I'd contacted one of the writers pointing out that sound travels at about one foot per millisecond, and that this might possibly be used in one of their stories to work out distances between people or objects. To my surprise, this appeared in episode 4 - though I suspect the writers may have thought of it themselves or got it from their advisers at the Forensic Voice Centre. Jess and Maya, the audio specialists, were played by Gina McKee and Shvorne Marks. Ben and Max provided the music, sound was by Alisdair McGregor and the directors were Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis; an Indie production by Reduced Listening.
Marcy Kahan's latest play FUSION CONFIDENTIAL (R4, 1500, 1 Feb 2025) was a comedy about nuclear science - and opera. A young physicist, Jane, makes a discovery that she believes will enable nuclear fusion to be made practicable and give the world the opportinity for unlimited clean energy. She tells her opera-singer flatmate, Elvira, about it. But Elvira realises that her clever friend is not worldly -wise and needs protecting; not just from herself but from vested interests. This was a highly enjoyable ride through the worlds of Physics and Opera. Elvira was played by Charlotte Ritchie, Jane by Cecilia Appiah and Alex by Adam Fitzgerald; the producer was Emma Harding.
I had sometimes wondered about how the comedy writing partnership of Ray Galton and Alan Simpson began, after hearing years ago of how they met: in a tuberculosis sanatorium, before the days of easily available antibiotics. WHEN ALAN MET RAY (R4, 1415, 12 Feb 2025), by Ian Pearce and Andrew McGibbon, told the story in detail. It was set in 1948 in Milford Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Surrey, where 18-year-old Ray Galton is told he has only six weeks to live. He begins painful treatment to limit the spread of the infection. By chance he meets Alan Simpson, the same age, who is in a similar state. They become friends and discover shared interests - football, girls, watching comedy films and listening to the hospital radio. They're surrounded by a range of characters trapped with them: fellow patients, compassionate nurses and an uncooperative head doctor who is a stickler for rules. Alan and Ray start writing comedy sketches which they aim to perform on the sanatorium hospital radio. But first they have to get past the radio committee - headed, of course, by the Chief Physician and the presenter of the dismal hospital radio service, Alastair McGuire. Alan Simpson was played by Paul Whitehouse and Ray Galton by Harry Enfield, with Don Gilet and Less Ross as their younger selves. The producer was Andrew McGibbon, for Indie company Curtains for Radio.
ONLY ONE WORD FOR LOVE (R4, 1415, 13 Feb 2025) by Peter Souter and Susie Dent was an unusual romance set on a river. A lexicologist, Daisy, decides to learn how to scull: to propel a small boat with a pair of oars. She's had a mastectomy, and this is part of her recovery programme. She is garrulous but her coach is not; Dylan hardly says a word. Over ten lessons, Daisy swaps some of her knowledge of words for tips on sculling, and we eventually discover why Dylan is so monosyllabic. Daisy was played by Jessica Raine and her coach by Rupert Evans; SMs were Andrew Garratt and Alison Craig and the producer was Sally Avens.
WHEN MAGGIE MET LARRY, by Tim Walker (R4, 1500, 15 Feb 2025) was a fascinating piece about an encounter between Margaret Thatcher and Laurence Olivier. No-one quite knows exactly what they talked about, but Tim Walker surmises the way the meeting might have gone. Before Margaret became leader of the Conservative Party in 1975, she discreetly turned to Laurence Olivier to prepare her for the greatest role of her life. In the play, Tim imagines how Olivier gave some pointers to transform Margaret into the formidable character so many people remember today. The meeting was kept secret because the Tory leader had a reputation as a down-to-earth housewife who empathised with the problems of ordinary people. However, Lord Tim Bell, one of her image advisers, said in a newspaper interview just before his death that the two had met. Olivier subsequently put Margaret Thatcher in touch with Catherine Fleming, the National Theatre's voice coach who had helped him perfect the deep voice he needed to play Othello. Invoices Fleming submitted to the Conservative Party for work with Thatcher between 1972 and 1976 are in the National's archive. Laurence Olivier was played by Derek Jacobi and Margaret Thatcher by Frances Barber; the producer was Richard Clifford. This was an Indie production by Catherine Bailey Productions, in association with the Michael Grandage Company.
MOORGATE, by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran (R4, 1415, 26-27 Feb 2025) looked at the disaster which happened in the London Underground on 28 Feb 1975. On that day, a packed rush-hour tube train smashed into a dead-end tunnel at Moorgate station. The front carriage was forced upwards into the tunnel roof, killing the driver, Les Newson. Forty-two passengers also died and, to this day, nobody knows why Les Newson acted as he did. On that wintry morning, Chief Inspector Brian Fisher worked on rescuing the survivors, all trapped in the dark. It was to be the biggest call out since the Blitz for London's emergency services. In 1975, Laurence Marks was a young journalist working for the Sunday Times, investigating how the disaster occurred. He had more than just a professional desire to discover the facts - his father had been a passenger in the second carriage and was among the dead. The two episodes, broadcast on successive days, were entitled 'Outside' and 'Inside', which says it all. The Chief Inspector was played by Jonathan Aris, with Lorne MacFadyen, Lizzy Watts, and Tyger Drew-Honey. The producer was Liz Anstee, for Indie company CPL Productions.
FRAN AND JOE - WORLD BOOK DATE, by Katie Redford (R4, 1415, 6 Mar 2025) was a charming sequel to 'Christmas Wings', a drama from 2022 where Fran and Joe, two teachers involved in a Nativity play, suddenly get closer than they expected. Listeners wanted to know what happened next. Katie obliges with this play, 'World Book Date'. Fran and Joe were played by Fiona Button and Nikesh Patel, with Joanna Monro and Lena Paymen. The producer was Tracey Neale. A further play in the series will be broadcast in June.
Other noteworthy items, listed by producer, included a new production of Antigone (Pauline Harris), Southall Uprising (Nadia Molinari), a new production of a classic from the past: Brat Farrar (Gemma Jenkins) and Kramer versus Kramer in the Sunday afternoon slot (Carl Prekopp). I only heard two of these and look forward to hearing the others on BBC Sounds.
ND / 26 Apr 2025
RADIO DRAMA REVIEW, Sep 2025
A lot of interesting plays since April. The proportion of drama made by independent producers continues to increase; not surprising after last year's redundancies at the BBC, who now only have 2.5 (I am told) FTE radio drama producers. The number of full time SMs has been similarly reduced. The quality remains high so far; we shall see whether or not it can be maintained. Of the 22 plays reviewed here, 11 are from BBC studios and the producers of 4 of them (all very experienced) are no longer there.
AN INSPECTOR CALLS ON MOSCOW (R4, 1415, 15 Apr 25) by Mark Burgess marked the 80th anniversary of J.B.Priestley's most popular play, An Inspector Calls. This was written during the last part of World War Two, as a call for post-war social change, and to help encourage a Labour victory in the 1945 General Election. Priestley was considered a ‘dangerous leftie’ by the Conservative government, and was unable to get it performed whilst Churchill was in power, so he tried to get it performed in Russia. This caused political discomfort. His outspoken views on the war were expressed via his popular 'Postscripts' BBC radio broadcasts between 1940 and 1941, until prime minister Winston Churchill made it clear to Broadcasting House that he disagreed with Priestley's views, and the broadcasts were stopped. This play looks at the events leading up to the writing and staging of An Inspector Calls in Russia, where it was well-received. Priestley was played by Rory Kinnear, Jane Priestley by Karen Ascoe, and Archie Clark by Nigel Anthony. The producer was David Blount, for Pier Productions.
A new series of THE INTERROGATION began in late April (R4, 1415, 23 Apr 25), written by Roy Williams. There have been seven previous series, and the programmes are invariably absorbing. In the first programme of the series, friends Tanya and Natalie are the prime suspects after a spate of muggings including an attack on an elderly man. Max and Sean try to find out if these young women are capable of such brutality. Kenneth Cranham and Alex Lanipekun play the leads, the music was composed by Divid Pickvance and the producer was Jessica Dromgoole, with Mary Peate as director.
A day later we had ALL CHANGE AT LLANFAIRPRLLGWYNGYLLGOGERY CHWYRNDROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH (R4, 1415 24 Apr 25). The play was by Neil Williams and was about Enid's (fictional) dead husband Oscar, famed for his quirky train announcements. It's decided that his voice should be replaced by an automatic system, which prompts the station cafe assistants to mount a protest. It escalates. Enid was played by Siw Hughes, Cadi by Angharad Phillips and Oscar by Richard Elfyn; the sound designer was Nigel Lewis and the producer Fay Lomas.
In early May we had an interesting prequel to The Archers during two Sunday afternoon drama slots: VICTORY AT AMBRIDGE (beginning R4, 1500, 4 May 25), by Catherine Miller, dramatised by Tim Stimpson from the novel. We go back in time to 1944. At Brookfield Farm, Jack is away in the army; Dan and Doris Archer worry about Jack's pregnant wife Peggy, stuck in bomb-stricken London. Should they invite her to Ambridge? Some of the present cast took part; Tim Bentinck played Dan Archer and Felicity Finch was Doris; they are better known to listeners as David and Ruth Archer. The producer was Kim Greengrass, for BBC Birmingham.
FOUR GAMMONS AND A UNICORN (R4, 1415, 13 May 25) was an amusing satire on woke culture by Katie Sayer. Imogen is a classic left-wing student. War is bad, minorities are good, and political correctness is all that matters. But when she falls foul of campus orthodoxy, she finds herself alone, dejected and friendless, until an anti-woke news channel offers some assistance. Then things start to escalate. Imogen was played by Alyth Ross, Mick by Daniel Mays and Theo by Rufus Jones. Sound design was by Charlie Brandon-King and the producer was David Tyler, for Pozzitive Productions.
Musician Paul Sirett has written a play about the problems he experienced after a freak accident which affected his hearing. MELANOPHOBIA (R4, 1415, 22 May 25) describes in detail what happened when he suddenly found music distorted beyond recognition. Playing herself is Jenny Sealey, artistic director of Graeae Theatre Company. (pronounced Grey Eye). Sound was by David Thomas and the producer Karen Rose, for Indie producer Sweet Talk.
Jonathan Tafler's play NEXT SEASON (R4, 1500, beginning 25 May) went out on two successive Sundays. It was a dramatization the novel by Michael Blakemore, based on his personal experience. It's set in 1959, and actor Sam Beresford has his first big opportunity when he's asked to join Braddington Rep. The story is about the early days of this new company seen through Sam's eyes. Sam was played by Luke Thallon and Ivan Spears by Roger Allam. Jonathan took part as Fred Bell, sound was by Sharon Hughes and the producer was Nadia Molinari.
SHED, by Paolo Chianta (R4, 1415, 5 Jun 25) was about a father and daughter who, after many years of hardly speaking to each other, attempt to reconnect. They decide to build a garden shed together. They have little experience of DIY, but they have the materials and a booklet of instructions. Off they go ... Amber was played by Sacha Parkinson and her dad Jim by Pearce Quigley; the narrator was Jonathan Keeble. Sound design was by Sharon Hughes and the producer was Lorna Newman.
A very unusual visit to the White House: in CHURCHILL'S BUST (R4, 1415, 12 Jun 25) by David Morley, Donald Trump has returned the bust of Winston Churchill to the Oval Office, so Britain's wartime leader now has a ringside seat for the first hundred days of the new President's turbulent second term (it had been removed at the beginning of the Biden presidency). After several years absence, Winston becomes increasingly disturbed at what he sees. Donald Trump was played by Jon Culshaw; Sarah Lawrie was Lady Churchill, and Daniel Weyman was Winston. Music was by Chris O'Shaughnessy, sound was by Tom Maggs and the producer was Richard Clemmow, for Indie company Perfectly Normal.
It was a real treat to hear MONA BEST AND THE BEATLES (R4, 1500, 14 Jun 25), broadcast as the Saturday Play, written by Norman Hull and Stewart Richards. Before The Beatles officially formed, they were just a bunch of teenagers playing in the basement of Mona’s large house in Liverpool. Pete Best was the drummer, and his Mum Mona did the organizing in the early days. Without the immense amount of work she did on their behalf, they might never have become well known. The drama is largely about her, her role in the band’s early years, and her relationship with their teenage roadie Neil. Mona was played by Jodie McNee, Neil Aspinall by Sam Denia, and Pete Best by Alex Farrell. Sound design was by Lucinda Mason Brown and David Chilton and the director was Carl Prekopp, who also assisted with some of the guitar playing. The producers were Lucinda Mason Brown and Stewart Richards; an Indie drama by Essential Productions. (Same company as Goldhawk, as far as I know).
SUMMER FATE (R4, 17 Jun 25) was the third in a series of 'Fran and Joe' stories by Katie Redford, produced by Tracey Neale. Following on from World Book Date, Katie picks up the story of Fran and Joe, two teachers who shared a kiss in the first part of this trilogy, Christmas Wings. Now it's the Summer Fete and Fran and Joe are on the ice lolly stall. Fran and Joe are played by Fiona Button and Nikesh Patel, and the annoying Miss Pear by Joanna Monro.
Goldhawk Essential have suppled another 10-episode series by Greg Haddrick about the CIA, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE (R4, 1415, beginning 20 Jun 25). This is in the 30-minute 'Limelight' slot on Friday afternoons. We start in 1954; the Cold War is intensifying with American involvement in South Vietnam. Colonel Ed Lansdale, former advertising executive and the CIA’s maverick agent in South-East Asia, a pioneer in clandestine operations and psychological warfare, is given the task of creating dissension in the North to stop the advance of the communists. The story develops as seen through the eyes of an insider, CIA agent Eloise Page. In the 2025 Audio Drama Awards, the first series received an Outstanding Achievement Award and was shortlisted for Best Podcast; Ed Harris, who plays Allen Dulles, reached the last five for best actor. On receiving the award on behalf of Goldhawk, John Dryden said that Central Intelligence was a complex project (you can see this by looking at the size of the production team), and that special mentions needed to go to Sacha Puttnam who composed and provided the excellent musical soundtrack; the writer, Greg Haddrick, and Mike Walker, expert script editor, for his invaluable contribution. Eloise was played by Kim Cattrall; Emma Hearn produced and John directed.
In late June we had an interesting play by Mike Harris about Eric Hebborn: FRAUD VERSUS FRAUD HUNTER (R4, 1500, 21 Jun 25), broadcast as the Saturday Play. Eric was an English painter, draughtsman, art forger and later an author. He was somewhat unpopular with the official art world, deceiving galleries and auction houses with his pictures in the style of masters such as Rubens and Van Dyck. He thought that the Art World was a tissue of corruption and lies and his fake paintings were designed to expose that. It's believed that there are still many of his fakes scattered around the great museums of the world. In Mike Harris' imagined drama, fictional art expert Richard Reynolds believes that genuineness in a work is its essence. His reputation is based on dating and attributing. For Eric, this was tosh designed to keep experts in work. He thought that Art is universal and should be appreciated for what it is, not for who produced it. So, when he painted new works in the style of Renaissance Masters and sold them to dealers, he was not a fraud - just a 'late follower.' Eric was played by Matthew Marsh, Norma Parker by Felicity Dean and Richard by Malcolm Sinclair; the producer was Clive Brill, for Indie company Brill Productions.
I was pleased to learn that McLevy continues to flourish, and series 3 of McLEVY IN THE NEW WORLD (Radio 4, 1415, beginning 24 Jun 25) by David Ashton did not disappoint. It is set in San Francisco in 1849, and some miscreants use explosives to divert a river for their own purposes. McLevy and Jean head into the Wild West to search for the culprits. But things escalate; there is a murder and a kidnap. I was surprised to hear in the credits that Regina Perez, with a thick Spanish accent, was actually played by Rose Caviliero; her voice was completely unrecognizable. Brian Cox played McLevy and Siobhan Redmond Jean; the producer was Bruce Young and the two episodes were recorded at Sonica Studios in London by Indie company 'Absolutely Productions'.
There was a repeat of David Mamet's play OLEANNA (R4, 1500, 28 Jun 25) in the Saturday Play slot; good to see the schedulers being flexible enough to allow an 80-minute drama. Carol is a student worried about her grades so she goes to see her Professor for advice. What follows is a rather gritty series of events between an average but belligerent student and her professor, whom she falsely accuses of sexual misconduct. As the scenes progress, she lies, misrepresents and provokes. It's not an easy listen. The Prof was played by Mark Bonnah and the young woman by Cecilia Appiah; sound was by Sharon Hughes, technical producer was Ali Craig and the producer Gary Brown.
ED REARDON'S WEEK has returned; now entirely written by Christopher Douglas, after the untimely death of Andrew Nickolds. (R4, 1415, beginning 30 Jun 25) This was series 16, and one of the broadcasts was actually the one-hundredth episode; a considerable achievement. In the first story, Ed is still mourning his beloved feline companion Elgar, whilst being bombarded with mail from retirement homes.He continues to look for a new source of income; the writing class is no more. He applies for an ostler's job at The Countrywoman magazine and clears his storage cupboard to sub-let it; he may be lucky and get a human being to live there – or maybe an actor. The show attracts some of the UK’s finest actors; it's featured Jenny Agutter, Jonathan Bailey, Raquel Cassidy and many others. In this series the alumni are joined by Adrian Scarborough, Robert Powell, Stephen Mangan and Joe Thomas. Christopher plays Ed; we also hear regulars Simon Greenall, Barunka O’Shaughnessy and Dan Tetsall; the producer is Dawn Ellis.
I was also interested to discover an interesting podcast interview lasting about an hour in which Christopher is interviewed about some of his failed projects: the scripts that didn't make it and the stories behind them. The title is THE OFFCUTS DRAWER - THE FABULOUS FAILS OF COMEDY WRITER CHRISTOPHER DOUGLAS, and a quick internet search will find it. It's an amusing and informative listen.
There has been a series of plays inspired by Zola: Fault Lines, repeated from 2020. A good one was IN REAL LIFE (R4, 1415, 2 Jul 25) by Tom Fry and Sharon Kelly. Bella is a teacher, but she has a secret life. She gains confidence from it and feels safe. But then she gets rather too close to a client. Glenda Jackson plays the matriarch, with Gillian Kearney as Bella and Jason Done as Jack. The producer was Gary Brown.
In the same series we had LAST CHANCE by Roy Williams and produced by Pauline Harris (R4, 1415, 9 Jul 25); a two-hander for Glenda Jackson and Rudolph Walker, in which two elderly people have an unexpected romantic encounter. Constance meets Ed in a garden centre and it leads to a most unexpected and delightful afternoon. The play challenges the idea that elderly people can't possibly be thinking about sex.
In ACQA ALTA (R4, 2 x 55m, beginning 27 Jul 25) dramatised by Dave Britton, Donna Leon's police investigator Brunetti investigates the savage beating of a well-known art historian. His investigation to uncover a motive for the violent assault takes him to dark, wet corners of Venice and into a sinister web of art theft and fakery. Brunetti was played by Julian Rhind-Tutt and his wife by Jeany Spark; Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong was Sgt. Vianello. This was a bit different from most police procedurals, and a good listen. Music was by Julie Cooper and the producer was Eoin O'Callaghan, for Indie company Big Fish.
A new drama about the infected blood scandal RED GOLD, by Anita Sullivan (R4, 1415, 29 Jul 25) told us about delays in paying compensation to those affected. Between the 1970s and the 1990s, contaminated blood products were part of a billion dollar global industry. Forty years on, people are still dying. Compensation is coming too late; some people have still not been paid. In the play, Byron was given infected blood in the 1980s. He experienced decades of illness, stigma and poverty. Now, after the Langstaff inquiry, he is entitled to a large compensation pay out. But settlements are slow, and he is being evicted from his home. The play is rooted in research. Key details, such as financial sums under the compensation scheme and the nature of relevant medical conditions, are accurate. Byron was played by Mat Fraser, Bernie by Amanda Wilkin and Mary by Christine Bottomley; Jon Nicholls did the sound design and the producer was Polly Thomas. This was an Indie production (Reduced Listening).
MR CAMERON GOES TO UKRAINE (R4, 1415, 2 Sep 25) by Stephen Dinsdale and Jonathan Banatvala was an unusual tale; not many people know that in 2022, David Cameron hired a truck to drive a load of food bank supplies to the Ukraine border. This is a dramatization of that journey. His co-driver is young, female and a Labour councillor. His greatest fear is that everyone he meets will blame him for Brexit. Hers is that he’ll put on a suit and tie and sing the national anthem. But when it comes to it, his main frustration as they drive across borders is that hardly anyone recognizes him. Matt Forde plays Cameron; Shazia Mirza co-stars as Rizvana, stuck in the cab — armed with a timetable and more practical commonsense than her companion. Jemma Redgrave plays Cameron's wife and Sheila Hancock his mother. Sound design was by David Thomas and the producers were Jonathan Banatvala and Melanie Nock, for Indie company International Arts.
HIGH COCKALORUM, by Jeremy Dyson (R4, 1415, 18 Sept 25) was an engaging production billed as a comedy drama, but it was much more than that. It was set in Yorkshire in 1978 and inspired by a true story; an unlikely encounter between a famous film actor and a humble lad from Leeds thrown together by circumstance. James Mason is set for a radio interview; Marty, the humble lad, has to take him by taxi to the studio. James is rather reserved and just wants to be taken calmly and quietly to his interview. But Marty is an incessant chatterbox; he will not shut up. Eventually James can stand it no longer and he tells him to put a sock in it. It's only then that they are able to have a proper conversation. Remarkably, both main parts (James and Marty) were played by Mark Gatiss; in a sense he's actually talking to himself. You can't tell. Sound design was by Sharon Hughes and the producer was Nadia Molinari.
There were other plays too which caught my eye and which await my listening: Hersey's Hiroshima: about the nuclear bomb and its aftermath; a two-hour Saturday special 'Faith Healer' by Brian Friel; a haunting first radio play by Imogen Lea set in remote Norfolk; a second series of The Officers, set in a prison, by James Fritz, and Robert Glenister playing Charles Darwin in another Saturday special: 'Darwin and the Origin of Species' by Sarah Woods.
RADIO DRAMA REVIEW, Dec 2025
ND / Dec 2025
