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 Drongoole 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, Dec 2026
ND / 21 Dec 2026
