REVIEWS 2026
RADIO DRAMA REVIEW, April 2026
You will remember that last year there was a petition protesting about the axing of radio 3 drama and in the process, removing the opportunity for listeners to hear dramas lasting longer than one hour. At last year's Audio Drama Awards, 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 twelve extra dramas per year (ie one a month) would be commissioned by Radio 4. They would include new 90m original work and adaptations as well as classics.
These have been instigated as promised; some of these new commissions have been the usual one-hour plays but there have been longer items too, such as a new 90-minute version of Euripedes' "The Bacchae" and Katie Farr's "400 Strangers". We have also had a celebration of Tom Stoppard recently where we heard archive material of Tom talking about his work for radio, and repeats of some of his plays, including earlier works: "The Dissolution of Dominic Boot (1960s)" and "Albert's Bridge"(1988).
After the recent round of redundancies in radio drama at the BBC, and the closure of some of its studios, the proportion of plays commissioned from indie companies continues to go up, though the increase is masked because there are now many more repeats, the majority of which are BBC productions from a year or two ago. 'Preachy' plays are still occurring more frequently than I would like; they rarely reach these review pages, though our reviewer Harry Turnbull has a few things to say about certain productions where ideology trumps art.
The International Audio Drama Festival took place in Canterbury again, 30 Mar - 3 Apr, with face-to-face and online audiences listening simultaneously. There were 100 entries from 26 countries in 16 languages. This year there were more entries from Iran, including a drama shockingly critical of the IRGC regime; justly so. This is currently online and deserves to go viral.
If you've only ever listened to BBC or RTE radio plays, you'll be familiar with the style. You expect a plot with a beginning, middle and an end; any soundscape is determined by the words, and you know where you are. It's storytelling within clearly-defined limits; much like a mainstream film.
Radio plays from Europe and the rest of the world are often different. They use a much wider definition of 'radio drama'. The festival illustrates this, with an amazing variety of work coming from different countries. Art pieces consisting of spectacular soundscapes and little dialogue; plays written like a musical fugue with developments and recapitulations in related 'keys'; plays where modern sensibilities are swept aside, where difficult topics are not regarded as taboo. There are plays expressing anger against the regimes under which they are written; drama-documentaries made with archive footage, audio 'tableaux' of great ingenuity and originality; children's dramas which conjure up cartoons in the mind; plays written in the style of DC comics; moral fables, audio versions of ancient myths and legends; and audio collage, where there's no plot, but a series of superimposed sound images, one after the other ...
There were some excellent entries for the long-form play category. Two of my favourites were CLAMBERCAT, a children's tale where a cat attempts to stage a revolution in the farmyard by learning to fly, and THIS FIRE, about Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb. He lies, dying, in his hospital bed. He is attended by a nurse, with whom he shares a dialogue about his life. This is a highly stylised account of influences and key moments in his career, with a stunning soundscape.
But the winner of the category was MOTHER OF GOD, BANISH PUTIN, by Jiri Adamek Austerlitz, of the Czech Republic. It was a powerful piece about the the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, and their activism against Putin, highlighting the rigged election of 2011. They went to trial, were imprisoned , and then did time in a penal colony. Their reaction to this denial of democracy is highlighted by the pulsing music, which expresses their anger much more than words alone; a remarkable production.
I must also give an honourable mention to THIRTY ACRES, which was runner-up, an Irish entry by Colm Tobin and Aidan O'Donovan. This was part 1 of a comedy 'mockumentary' set in a failed housing project in Ireland. The series follows the lives of the three remaining inhabitants, as they go to remarkable lengths to resist eviction. It was hilarious, and reminded me of the early Stephen Fry / Stephen Sheridan comedy series 'Delve Special' from forty years ago.
Winner of the short form category was Cristina Marras from Sardinia and her lovely 6-minute piece A STEP-TO-STEP GUIDE TO CARVING WOODEN SPOONS. The play is called a guide, but there's a lot more to it than how you make the spoons, as our narrator explains. This was performed by the writer, and was a nicely understated piece of comic writing.
These 'international' plays are all online, along with clear English translations where needed.
The Audio Drama Awards were announced in the Radio Theatre of the BBC on Sunday 1st March 2026. The event was introduced by the BBC's new chief content officer, Kate Philipps. She welcomed the audience to the radio drama evening, and thanked those present for their contributions; British radio drama was the envy of the world, with many broadcasts of classics and of new works. The BBC was (still) the biggest producer of audio drama globally: she mentioned The Archers (now been on air for 75 years); serials, one-off plays. The craft of the BBC and others would tonight be celebrated. She drew attention to the Government Green paper on the BBC and encouraged the audience to contribute and have their say. "We need the BBC, and without it the UK would be a much crappier place".
Kate then handed over to Miles Jupp, MC for the evening, back by popular demand.
Miles thanked the band and then moved on, saying "we are all passionately fond of radio drama ..............or of presenting an award ... (laughter). "We are here to celebrate audio drama in a changing world... if Starmer was nominated to play a prime minister in a radio play he probably wouldn't be nominated for an award ... (.. more laughter). We represent one of the parts of the BBC that the people don't despise................ BBC Governors regards Audio Drama as number 1 ................whenever they're considering cuts! And this evening sees the new Radio Times Drama Award, for the first time. "
Miles handed the mike to Bill Nighy, who gave a short and moving tribute to the late Tom Stoppard, in whose plays he frequently appeared....... Tom died late in 2025, aged 88. Bill pointed out that Tom loved radio plays; he always stressed the importance of radio drama in his work, encouraged as he was by producers John Tydeman and Richard Imison. Tom regarded radio drama as 'this magical medium'. He loved the freedom of form that radio provides, and it upset Tom very much when his radio work was overlooked.
As for my highlights of the evening -Best Single Drama was awarded for the play 'One Hundred and Fifty Days' by the late Oliver Emanuel, produced by Kirsty Williams for BBC Scotland. Best adaptation was given to Kramer versus Kramer by Avery Korman, adapted by Sarah Wooley and produced by Gaynor Macfarlane & Carl Prekopp, again for BBC Scotland. Two other high spots were the award for best use of sound: The Girl of the Sea of Cortez, an unusual sea story, with sound by Adam Woodhams for Afonica, and best original series - Life and Time by James Fritz, all about life in today's prisons, produced by Tracey Neale for the BBC.
Full details of the event and the other awards are on the Audio Drama Awards page.
Returning to recent BBC output: There was a cluster of good short plays in the Christmas - New Year period:
On 23 Dec (R4, 1415, 23 Dec 26) we had a new play by Dan Rebellato: PLUM IN PRISON - about P.G.Wodehouse and a foolish mistake he made in WW2 when he made a series of broadcasts. It was written with a very light touch, in the style of a Wodehouse story, and was produced by Polly Thomas.
On the next day (R4, 1415, 24 Dec 26) we heard THE TRUTH ABOUT PHYLLIS TWIGG, the first person to write a radio drama, one hundred years ago. Richard Hughes was credited with this achievement, but she did it first - a year earlier. This is a light-hearted drama about giving credit where it's due, even if it's 100 years late. It was written by Paul Kerensa and was produced by Andrew Mark Sewell; Helen Quigley directed. Paul has given talks about the early history of the BBC in various venues around the country and I attended one in Leicester earlier this year. It was fascinating.
On Christmas day we had REGIFTED, by Martin Jameson (R4, 1415, 25 Dec 26) This was a superb 'radio' piece which woulldn't fit any other medium. A lonely 40-year old woman fears that her hopes of finding friendship are fading fast. The story follows the fate of an unwanted gift. This is one of those rare plays where inanimate objects have speaking parts.
On New Year's Eve (R4, 1415, 31 Dec 26) we had SNOW WHITE'S RADIO DRAMA ROMANCE, by Gordon House, former head of BBC Radio Drama. This follows on from his first radio play, Rumpelstiltskin Radio Drama Romance, broadcast on 31 Dec last year, with more or less the same cast. The story is again illustrated with incidents inspired by those which Gordon encountered in his work in 30+ years as a drama producer. Gordon directed the play and the producer was Lucinda Mason Brown. He tells me this will be his final radio play.
The Saturday Play on Valentine's Day was I REMEMBER YOU, by John Burrows. (R4, 1500, 14 Feb 26). Three men in their 70s meet at the funeral of a woman they've all been married to - the first when she was an actress, the second when she was a barrister, and the third when she was a novelist. After the other mourners have gone, the three men compare memories of the woman they loved. This was a rather moving piece; well worth a listen. It starred Jonathan Pryce, Bill Paterson amd Nicholas le Prevost. The director was Jessica Dromgoole, for Catherine Bailey Productions.
THE PROMPT, by Hugh Costello (R4, 1415, 18 Mar 26), looked at the possible consequences of a new development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) being released too early. AI is designed to detect and refuse to answer questions which might have dangerous effects either on the population or the on the person making the inquiry; the 'prompt'. The play imagines behind-the-scenes events prior to a new AI model being made available to the public. The UK’s Online Safety Act came into force in July 2025. It is intended to make internet use as safe for children, but the rapid pace of AI development makes enforcement of the Act very difficult. AI developer Aggie was played by Lucy Doyle, her partner Vince by Ian Conningham
THE COUNSELLOR (R4, 1415, 17 Mar 26) by Abby Walker was an unusual thriller. This was Abby's first radio play. When Miss Alexander, a counsellor in a school, looks like losing her job, she meets Connor. He is a teenager who seems to exert undue influence over the other pupils. She tries to work out why. The counsellor was played by Chelsea Halfpenny and Connor by Lewis Bowes; the producer was Nadia Molinari. The play won the Alfred Bradley Award (q.v.) in 2025.
On 1-2 Apr we had THE CITADEL by Mike Harris and Tom Needham (R4, 1415, 1-2 Apr 26); the final two programmes. It is set in a Welsh rural surgery in 1934. International order is breaking down, the economy has crashed and the far right is rising.The government has a majority but has lost direction. In the surgery, Denny and Manson are busy, but they don't have enough funds to treat all their patients. They dream of a National Health Service. Philip was played by Matthew Gravelle. Andrew by Richard Fleeshman, and Christine by Catrin Stewart. The producer was Tracey Neale.
As part of the Tom Stoppard celebration, we had a morning repeat of a radio 15-minute classic: THE DISSOLUTION OF DOMINIC BOOT (R4, 1015, 2 Apr 26) . The play was originally broadcast in the 'Just Before Midnight' series instigated by Richard Imison back in 1964. Dominic needs to pay his taxi fare, but to raise the money he needs to travel across London, in a taxi. The fare keeps rising, and so does the panic. The original production was directed by Michael Bakewell and starred Valerie Kirkbright, John Baddeley and Peter Pratt. This version was broadcast in 1978, with Derek Fowlds, John Junkin and Maria Aitken. The producer was Glyn Dearman.
Immediately afterwards we had (at 10.30) ARTWORKS, a documentary about Tom Stoppard. It looked at what he was like to work with. Actors, producers and others share their experiences of working with him. in development, in rehearsal and in moments of doubt and disapproval. He engaged fully at each stage of the process of bringing his work to audiences. This interesting documentary was put together by Jessica Dromgoole and Mary Peate, for indie company Hooley Productions.
In the evening we had Stoppard's ROCK 'N' ROLL (R4, 1915). The play contrasts life in Soviet-occupied Prague and academic Cambridge, England, between 1968 and 1990. The play follows Jan, a Czech PhD student studying in Cambridge who, following the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia (the Prague Spring), returns to his homeland, taking with him his prized collection of rock albums. The narrative moves between Prague and Cambridge. In Cambridge, Jan’s mentor, Max, a Marxist academic, clings to his communist ideology despite the changing political landscape. In Prague, Jan becomes caught up in the dissident movement, not through political theory, but because he values personal freedom. This was a repeat from 2007.
Next we had Stoppard's adaptation of Kehlman's stage play 'THE VOYAGE OF THE ST. LOUIS (R3, 2030), taken from the book "The Voyage of the Damned". This is based on the true story of of a ship carrying 900 German-Jewish refugees away from Germany hoping to escape persecution. I can't say much more without introducing spoilers. The play brings that awful journey to life.
CELIA'S SECRET, by Michael Frayn (R4, 1415, 7 Apr 26) was a lovely radio piece broadcast on two successive days. I can't do better than to quote our reviewer Harry Turnbull:
" The play explores a real-life prank played on the writer Michael Frayn. While his play Copenhagen (concerning the wartime meeting of physicists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg) was being staged, an actor decided to indulge in a massive hoodwink. In the original story, German physicists were held in an English manor house post-war to see if they’d spill secrets about how near Adolf was to creating a nuclear bomb.
The trick involved a letter from a woman claiming to have found handwritten documents under the floorboards of that very manor house. Frayn was completely reeled in—not because the evidence was foolproof, but because the story was so tantalizing. Instead of nuclear secrets, the documents described the construction of a table tennis table.
Starring Roger Allam and Alex Jennings, this production is a delightful reminder that we are all, at heart, amenable to a tall story. Whether it’s a playwright looking for a lost chapter of history or a critic looking for a refund, we see what we want to see."
Celia was played by Janie Dee, Michael Frayn by Alex Jennings, David Burke by Roger Allam and Michael Blakemore by Peter Forbes. This was an indie production by Jarvis & Ayres.
HOPE BOURNE, by Zalie Burrow (R4, 1415, 9 Apr 26) was a biographical drama written especially for Eileen Atkins (92 in June), about an independent writer and artist who lived and worked on the remote moorlands of Exmoor. A growing friendship develops between her and a London publisher, Anthony Dent, who visits her to discuss turning her journals into a book. He was initially intrigued when, one day out of the blue, he received some writings about nature on scraps of paper, illustrated with striking drawings. The woman who had sent them was Hope Bourne [1918-2010] who lived alone for several decades alone without electricity, surviving by hunting, growing her own food and maintaining an independent way of life. Despite her isolation, she was an accomplished intellectual and artist, once offered a place at the Slade at the age of eleven. Hope Bourne was played by Eileen Atkins, with Alex Jennings as Anthony Dent. The producer was Cherry Cookson, for indie company Wireless Theatre.
I was pleased to hear TRANSCRIPTION (R4, 1500, beginning 19 Apr 26) by Katie Hims, adapted from the Kate Atkinson novel. This is a spy thriller published in 2018, reduced to two 55m episodes for radio. It focuses on the activities of British orphan Juliet Armstrong throughout World War II and afterwards. She begins a career as a low-level transcriptionist for MI5 (hence the title), before rising through the ranks. In 1950, Juliet Armstrong, a producer of children's programmes at the BBC, sees Godfrey Toby, a man she knew during WWII. When she approaches him he denies knowing her. Then a note is left for her at Broadcasting House, threatening revenge for one of her past crimes. She doesn't know what's being referred to. An exciting story; another excellent drama from Hooley Productions. Phoebe Price played Juliet and Toby Jones Godfrey; sound was by Pete Ringrose and the producers were Jessica Dromgoole and Mary Peate.
Radio Drama seems to be in a more positive place than it was a year ago. The new regime with fewer commissions is now in operation, so there are not as many opportunities, but it was encouraging to see so many younger faces at the Audio Drama event, and there is still a lot of quality drama being made. One just has to be prepared to switch off when the play starts to resemble a lecture; or as Harry Turnbull as put it in his recent review, "force-feeding us points we’ve already heard a thousand times".
Unfortunately I wasn't able to hear as much drama as usual in January and February, but I did catch part of the serial 'Wolf Valley', produced by Eleanor Mein, which sounded rather good. I'll be listening to this again.
ND / 30 Apr 26.
RADIO DRAMA REVIEW, Sep 2026
I'll start with a few remarks about the radio drama in general, now that the BBC's reduced commissioning is taking effect. The radio play output is now noticeably slimmer than it was five years ago. The reduction of commissioning 600 to 300 can't be disguised any longer, and the schedules now contain a 30m 'Limelight' thread (30m thrillers or similar), a weekly 30m sitcom repeat and a higher quota of re-runs. Saturdays and Sundays continue much as before, albeit with more repeats mixed in with new commissions. Longer dramas are broadcast at the rate of about one a month in the Saturday slot, and we must be thankful for that.
There is still a backlog of plays feeding through from well-known producers who have retired from or left the BBC, but there is a transition taking place as a new generation takes on more of the work. The number of salaried BBC drama producers is now in low single figures, though the majority share of the afternoon dramas (about 64%) is still produced in-house, the 'Indies' supplying the other 36%. [figures taken from the latest available BBC Commissioning Report, 2024-25].
The regulatory framework for radio has no fixed independent quota like television's 25% statutory minimum. Radio falls under the BBC's broader charter: to open up 60% of its non-news radio programming to competition from indies plus in-house.
It sometimes seems to me that a lot of radio drama in 2026 views the world through the lens of gender, race or sexuality. I asked around, and the reason was not difficult to find: the BBC has explicit diversity and inclusion targets, and these guidelines actively encourage stories on marginalised identities, which can make these themes feel omnipresent. However there remains a large amount of procedural crime drama, drama-documentaries, thrillers, sci-fi and traditional comedies which do not focus on group identity; thank goodness for that. And occasionally focusing on group identity is not in itself a bad thing; the number one requirement for a decent drama is a good story, well told.
As for the radio dramas broadcast since the last review, the first one to catch my eye was an old favourite set in an Ambulance Control Room, broadcast as two separate batches on successive days: LIFE LINES (Radio 4, 1415, 6-7 May 26). Each episode is a collage of heart-stopping stories; the result of a collaboration between writer Al Smith and producer Sally Avens. We hear from a young man who has fallen whilst attempting to put up a flag, and a mother dealing with the death of her only son. The call handler, Carrie is gifted with the knack of calmly helping people through their most vulnerable moments. The next day we hear her dealing with the fallout from a car having driven into a crowd of protestors, all the time maintaining her composure and professionalism whilst facing fears that her own husband is among the injured. Carrie is played by Sarah Ridgeway and her boss Will by Rick Warden. One hopes that more episodes will be commissioned; it's an example of what the BBC does best, and it won 'Best Drama Series' at the Audio Drama Awards.
A few days later we had BETTANEY (R4, 1415, 13 May 26) by Rossa McPhillips, a former British military intelligence officer, giving the true story of MI5 traitor Michael Bettaney's relationship with the IRA whilst in prison. When Michael, an MI5 officer, was arrested for spying in 1983, his attempts to give intelligence to the Russians were so clumsy that the KGB believed his apparent ineptitude might be a trap. Michael was put into prison, but because of an administrative mistake, he was imprisoned alongside IRA members. He had worked on the Irish desk in MI5 and knew a lot about their methods. He got to know his fellow-inmates, but it left him in a difficult position. How much should he tell them about MI5, and might they take revenge on him for his previous work? Michael was played by Daniel Weyman, with Jade Alkema and Nicholas Boulton; the producer was David Morley for Indie company Perfectly Normal.
Lucy Catherine's anti-hero and femme fatale returned for two more episodes in MILADY DE WINTER (R4, 1415, 17 May 2026). Milady is the Three Musketeers' most dangerous adversary, rescued from the execuioner determined to make a fresh start in life. However Cardinal Richelieu has a job for her – one that she can't turn down. . The Cardinal was Chief Minister to Louis XIII ; he ran the day-to-day government and shaped France's strategy for nearly 20 years. He was ruthless; he established an extensive spy network, censored the press, manipulated the juficial process and executed high-ranking opponents without hesitation. Milady was played by Selin Hizli, Richelieu by Carl Prekopp and Marie de Medici by Hattie Morahan. The directors were Sasha Yevtushenko and Ben Hollands.
TRIMEROUS (R4, 1415, 19-20 May 26) consisted of two plays from writer and horticulturist Kamal Kaan celebrating the stories of three British female horticulturalists, Gertrude Jekyll#see footnote, Ellen Willmott and Beatrix Potter. Trimerous flowers, with three-fold symmetry, are unusual; they break the mould; hence the title. The stories of these three women are drawn from research, combined with a present-day narrative set at the Chelsea Flower Show. The first part looks at the life of Ellen Willmott, who went from riches to rags. In 1897 she was a well-known horticulturalist. The RHS panel was waiting to award the gold medal to her, the first woman to win it. But she didn't turn up to receive it. The second episode focused on Beatrix Potter, mycologist and would-be writer, who eventually moved to Little Ees Wyke in the Lake District. Gertrude Jekyll featured as a character bridging the two narratives, rather than having her own episode as a stand-alone character.
As for the historical background, Gertrude and Ellen were giants of the late-Victorian gardening worlds; they knew each other well and moved in the same elite hoticultural circles. Ellen was somewhat eccentric; she carried seeds of the prickly silver thistle in her pocket and would secretly scatter them in other people's gardens if she thought they were too boring. The plant is well-known as 'Miss Willmott's Ghost'.
There is no firm evidence that Beatrix Potter met or corresponded with Gertrude or Ellen. Her horticultural and natural history work took a very different path. Beatrix was a passionate self-taught mycologist long before she became a famous children's author; she drew fungi with microscopic, scientific precision. She faced sexism from the scientific establishment, which refused to take a woman's research seriously. She eventually moved north, using her book royalties to buy land in the Lake District; she must have been a financial genius because on her death she left 7 sqare miles of farmland and fifteen working farms, plus her own home, to the National Trust. A condition of the bequest was that her farms had to remain operational and continue to breed pure-bred, native Herdwick sheep, a breed she had championed and protected throughout her life.
In the play, Gertrude was voiced by Juliet Stevenson, Ellen was played by Anna Tolstoy and Beatrix by Manjinder Virk; Carol Klein appeared briefly as herself. The producers were Sally Harrison and Kamal Kaan and sound was by Alisdair McGregor, for Indie company Woolyback.
THE GOALKEEPER'S GUIDE TO ABSURDISM, by Paul Sirett (R4, 1415, 11 Jun 2026) was an imaginative piece of audio drama that takes a fascinating historical footnote - that philosopher Albert Camus was a highly competitive junior goalkeeper in Algiers, and turns it into an amusing, layered comedy-drama. The youthful Albert played for the Racing Universitaire d'Alger junior team from 1928 to 1930. He loved the sense of team spirit and common purpose, but his football ambitions had to disappear when he contracted tuberculosis at the age of 17.
Albert the philosopher later drew parallels between football, human existence, morality, and personal identity. For him, the simplistic morality of football contradicted the complicated morality imposed by authorities such as the state and the church. In the play, the writer places Albert in the last football match of his life. As he stands in goal, feeling far from well, he has a vision in which the match dissolves into a surreal hallucination. Three of history's greatest philosophers, Aristotle, Hegel and Kierkegaard, suddenly invade the pitch shouting conflicting tactical advice.
Anyone familiar with British comedy will find it almost impossible not to think of Monty Python's 'Philosophers Football Match'; both pieces explode high-minded philosophy (can anyone actually take it seriously?) by dropping it into the muddy, working-class reality of a football pitch.
In the Python sketch, the joke is that when the whistle blows, the philosophers do absolutely nothing but pace the pitch, scratching their chins and debating whether or not the ball is real. Paul Sirett captures a similar intellectual absurdity, forcing Albert to wrestle with the meaning of existence whilst a striker is heading for the goal.
Albert was played by Arthur Darvill and Amandine by Cecelia Appiah. The drama was directed by Carl Prekopp; sound design was by Jon Nicholls and the producer was Richard Shannon.
I was also greatly entertained by JOSEPH ANDREWS REMIXED, by Shaun McKenna (R4, 1500, 13 & 20 Jun 2026). Instead of a straightforward adaptation of the novel, chapter by chapter, we hear Harry Fielding engaged in writing it. The adaptation jumps backwards and forwards between the unfolding story of the handsome, pure footman Joseph Andrews, Lady Booby's attempts to seduce him, and a cash-strapped Harry Fielding as he struggles to get it all down on paper.
Charlotte, Harry's wife, is central to the adatptation. As Harry writes, Charlotte sits with him, bickering, criticising his narrative choices and sending the story in unexpected directions. She also acts as proxy for us, the listeners, mocking his obscure references to forgotten classics and pointing out the blatant absurdity of Samuel Richardson's best-selling moralistic novel 'Pamela' which Harry was originally trying to satirise. Through their banter, we gradually hear the story of Joseph's comic misadventures on the road come together. It works well as a radio piece because it turns a dense classic novel into a dynamic conversation about how and why we tell stories, and it gives a pretty good outline of the original to tempt those who might feel motivated to read it.
Harry was played by Max Bennett, Charlotte by Lyndsey Marshal, Joseph by Angus Imrie and Parson Adams by Michael Bertenshaw. There were about 20 people in the cast; a rarity these days in these times of heavy cuts. The producer was Tracey Neale.
GRET AND WILL, by Elizabeth Kuti (R4, 1415, 25 Jun 2026) looked at life inside the Tudor court of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, as experienced by their Fools. Gret, one of the Fools, enters the employment of the next Queen. She meets Will, the King's Jester, who teaches her about having the courage to speak truth to power and the wisdom to avoid getting killed for it. Gret was played by Sarah Gordy, Will by Jack Morris and Anne Boleyn by Sara Markland. The drama was directed by Tim Hoare, his first radio play as director.Sound Design was by David Thomas and the play was produced by Celia de W olff, for Pier Productions.
Nicholas McInerny's drama-doc, MISSING PRESUMED DROWNED (R4, 1415, 2 Jul 2026) was a fascinating piece about an almost-forgotten tragedy of the Seond World War. When Mussolini declared war on Britain in June 1940, Winston Churchill, the PM, ordered that all Italian men living in the UK were to be interned, even if that meant being separated from their families. No ifs, no buts. Many ended up in a camp on the Isle of Man for several years; others were sent to Canada. A few weeks after the announcement, the Arandora Star, a former passenger liner, set off from Liverpool, carrying internees being deported to Canada; about 700 of them were Italians. On 2 July 1940 the ship was torpedoed by a U-boat and more than half of the people on board lost their lives.
The play combines dramatic reconstruction with the testimonies of survivors recorded 10 years ago by Stefano Paolini, who wrote the book which inspired the play. The wives and mothers of the lost men, as was common at the time, received no communication except the devastating notification that their loved ones were “missing, presumed drowned.” Italy is at last establishing a National Day of Remembrance to honour the Italian victims of the Arandora Star tragedy. This will be a national day of commemoration with public events and ceremonies, rather than an official public holiday.
The story of the 'Titanic' has gone around the world and is known by almost everyone. I think the story of the Arandora Star disaster should be equally well-known. These men were innocent bystanders; people who had lived and worked in England, sometimes for as long as twenty years, and in all but name they were British. They deserve posthumous fame and recognition.
The play starred Vincenzo Nicoli, Enzo Benvenuti and Eugenia as members of an affected family; sound design was by David Thomas and the producer was Marina Caldarone, for Pier Productions.
I was pleased to see a remake of Noel Coward's WAITING IN THE WINGS in the schedule (R4, 1500, 1 Aug 26). Noel Coward had a deep affection for many of the actresses with whom he had worked and was very aware of the problems they faced as parts simply dried up. He set his play in 1960 in The Wings, a charity home for actresses who have fallen on hard times. Here, the ladies grow older ungracefully amid squabbles, memories and jealousies. Things come to the boil when a once-famous actress, Lotta, arrives. This is a new production. As it said in RT at the time, Xmas Day 2024... "Now in their 80s, both Penelope Keith and Martin Jenkins both share a passionate belief in the power of drama on radio". The play is broadcast as a tribute to Penelope, who died in June 2026. Penelope plays Lotta; May Davenport is played by Susan Jameson and Bonita by Frances Jeater, with a dozen more well-known cast members; almost a 'Who's Who' of current radio drama. The radio adaptation was by Martin Jenkins, who directed the production. The producer was Peter Hoare.
Christopher William Hill's new play SUNBIRD (R4, 1415, 4 Aug 26) was a wry, playful and touching comedy in which a 52-year-old woman named Lizzy returns to Ibiza and unexpectedly enters a romantic dilemma involving a younger man and his estranged father, who just happens to be her long-lost holiday romance from 30 years earlier. This was a real treat; Lucy Speed played Lizzie, and the two men were played by Milo Twomey and Ashley Gerlach. The producer was Polly Thomas, for Thomas Carter Projects.
Plays by Katie Hims are always worth a listen, and AUGUST IN MANCHESTER (R4, 1500, 8 Aug 26) was interesting. A chance encounter on a London tube train reunites Leigh with Rick, the man she has never stopped thinking about. In 1996, Rick met Leigh outside a house party one hot August night. Leigh felt a spark with him, but she connected with his best friend Charlie, and ended up going home with him instead. Soon after, she ibecomes pregnant, and she builds a life wit Charlie. But it's not all beer and skittles, and sometimes she wonders what might have been if she had chosen differently. We meet Leigh, Rick and Charlie across four Augusts, each 10 years apart. It never seems the right time for Rick and Leigh to choose each other. Most older people, looking back, can recognize 'branch points' in their lives, and this play set me thinking about mine. Leigh was played by Rebekah Staton, Rick by Samuel Anderson and Charlie by Sam Swann; the producer was Anne Isger.
NO, PRIME MINISTER, by Mark Burgess (R4, 1415,18 Aug 26) was an outstanding comedy drama based on real events. In 1984, moral campaigner Mary Whitehouse, President of the National Viewers & Listeners Association, decided to give the creators of 'Yes, Minister' an award for exemplifying wholesome television. Its stars, Paul Eddington and Nigel Hawthorne were appalled at the prospect of receiving an award from Mrs.Whitehouse. She represented virtually everything they didn't agree with.
However there was more to come: Mary's husband had the idea of asking Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to present it because they'd heard it was her favourite TV programme. Mary approached Bernard Ingham, the PM's Press Secretary, to see if he would ask her.
When Paul heard the news, he realised that he might have to endure the ultimate satirical nightmare: a committed lefty receiving secular sainthood from a Conservative PM.
Bernard Ingham then had another idea; he wondered whether she might like to go one stage further and, as part of the ceremony, appear in a comedy sketch with Paul and the rest of the cast. She responded with enthusiasm.
The play follows the progress of the rehearsals, with lefty Paul growing increasingly horrified at the prospect of appearing alongside Thatcher in a political stunt. [The sketch was finally broadcast live on Radio 4’s "World at One" presided over by Sir Robin Day. - Ed. ]
"No, Prime Minister" is written with a very light touch, and illustrates radio writing at its best. Fenella Woolgar was an immaculate Margaret Thatcher, with Miles Jupp as Paul Eddington, Richard Attlee as Nigel Hawthorne and James Joyce as Derek Fowlds. The producer was David Blount, for Pier Productions.
I haven't been able to do as much listening as usual because of the peak apple
season, but I need to mention one or two other things: I liked the third and final
episode of Downstream, by Nick Warburton, looking at further tensions in a
family-owned boatyard, produced by Tracey Neale. Then we had "Claire", by
Philip Palmer, with a clairvoyant investigator who sees a little more than she ought
to be able to see. And I want to hear "Done to Death" and "Welcome to Defiance"; they look interesting so I'll be heading to BBC Sounds.
The radio drama world is now a tricky place to navigate if you are a producer or
writer. Nevertheless as listeners we are still being given a lot of quality material.
Long may it continue.
[# Note that Gertrude "Jekyll" s is pronounced 'Jeekle', in contrast to
'Jeckle' in Jekyll & Hyde - Ed] .
RADIO DRAMA REVIEW, Dec 2026
ND / 21 Dec 2026
