Emma Harding
Radio Plays

Quick Facts & Biography

Current Role: Executive Editor, Drama, Arts & Classical Music (BBC Audio Wales & West).

Career Timeline: BBC Radio Researcher (2003), followed by work as BBC Radio Drama Producer & Director.

Education: BA in English Literature, University of Oxford; Actor Training, Drama Studio London.

Notable Collaborators: Andrew Scott, Hayley Atwell, Hattie Morahan, Alistair McGowan.

(....2026 update - Ed)

NOTABLE RADIO DRAMAS:

The Merchant of Venice (2018)
Set in London during the 2008 financial crash. R3.

The Divine Comedy
Co-Producer (with Marc Beeby). Starring Hattie Morahan. R4.

The B Word (2017)BBC Radio 4
Written by and starring Alistair McGowan. R4.

The Periodic Table, by Primo Levi. R4.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
Audio adaptation of the Tom Stoppard classic.

NOTES ON SOME OF THE PLAYS

........A few days later we had ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA (R4, 1500, 11 May 24) by Simon Scardifield and Andrew Day; a lighthearted drama exploring interpretations and misinterpretations of Nietzsche's ideas.

His body of philosphical work touched a wide range of topics, including art, philology, history, music, religion, tragedy, culture, and science, and drew inspiration from Greek tragedy as well as figures such as Zoroaster, Schopenhauer, Emerson, Richard Wagner, Dostoevsky, and Goethe. At the age of 44 he suffered mental collapse. I've glanced inside the covers of a few of his books, and closed them again; it looks like very heavy stuff; not for the likes of me, and it didn't seem to end happily for him either.

Anyway, back to the play. Certain books (Thus Spake, Pride & Prejudice, Madame Bovary) appeared as speaking characters; one sometimes forgets that a particular strength of audio drama is that inanimate objects can speak; it's an area where radio can excel. The cast included Zubin Varla, Clare Corbett, Carl Prekopp and Olivia Ross, it was informative and amusing and a great listen, though I doubt that Nietszche would have approved. The producer was Emma Harding. (....Diversity website drama review, Sep 2024 )

A short lesson on totalitarianism, another drama-doc, was broadcast as the Saturday Play in mid-July: THIS WEEK IS FAMILY WEEK, by Avin Shah (R4, 1500, 13 Jul 24). It was set in Xinjiang Province, China, in the present day. In that province, the Uyghur (Turkish) student, Nur, looks almost Chinese, and she exploits her appearance as much as possible in a society where her countrymen live under constant surveillance. Nur and her mother, Meryem, want to avoid being sent to one of the "re-education" prison camps, where people are told what to think. But they are assigned a live-in Chinese 'relative', actually a communist spy, who comes to live with them for a week to ensure lifestyle conformity. The story is fictional but is based on statements from people who have lived through this experience. Remember this next time you buy goods made in China.

The cast included Aruhan Galieva, Camilla Anvar, and Daniel York Loh; other members of the cast chose to remain anonymous. The producer was Emma Harding, for BBC Wales. (....Diversity website drama review, Sep 2024 )

Sarah Woods' latest play, A FORBIDDEN SONG (R4, 1415, 4 May 23) featured two young musicians, Valya and Masha, who have to keep their relationship secret because of prejudice and fear of violence. Valya is a refugee living in Wales; Masha is still in Kyiv. Included in the drama is the story of the bandura, the Ukrainian national instrument, suppressed by the communists. It's a folk instrument resembling a lute, but it has a much larger number of strings, like a zither, and the neck is a lot shorter. In 1932, on the order of Stalin, the Soviet authorities called on all Ukrainian bandurists to attend a congress in Kharkiv. Those that arrived were taken outside the city and shot. The play includes interviews with Ukrainian refugees. Valya was played by Diana Simchuk, Masha by Aliese Chydzhan and Natalia by Elena Gryshchenko. The producer was Emma Harding and sound design was by Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis, for BBC Wales. (....Diversity website drama review, Sep 2023 )

Another of Sarah's plays went out two days later, repeated from 2021. IN THE SHADOW OF MAN (R4, 1500, 6 May 23); an account of Jane Goodall's work in observing the chimpanzees of Gombe, Nigeria. Tthe radio play was constructed from Jane Goodall's diaries. An early observation was that chimpanzees make and use tools to carry out certain tasks. The drama takes us into the Tanzanian forests with Jane, telling us of the discoveries she made as she came to know the chimps and they came to know her. A conversation between Sarah and Jane weaves through the drama. There is now a Jane Goodall Institute, and Jane is a UN Messenger of Peace. Young Jane was played by Jeany Spark, Vanne by Marilyn le Conte, and Rashidi by John Kamau. Sound design was by Nigel Lewis and production was by James Robinson and Emma Harding, for BBC Wales. (....Diversity website drama review, Sep 2023 )

Matthew Broughton's new 5-part thriller serial BROKEN COLOURS began in late February (R4, 1415, 22 Feb 22). Jess meets Daniel at an environmental protest which gets out of hand. It changes both of their lives. RT described this as a story of conflicting perception. Aside from the story line, which rattled along quite nicely, there was an interesting subtext. Our regular reviewer Harry Turnbull had this to say about it: (....Diversity website drama review, Apr 2022 )

"A psychedelic curiosity appeared in the shape of Broken Colours where we have a protagonist who has a condition known as synesthesia. It made me wonder: do we dream in colour? I know the question has been asked before but it’s one I can’t answer. The last dream I had was fleeting fragments of places, people and shadows but no discernible colour, not even black and white.

With synesthesia some sounds are experienced as colours. It sounds surreal but enables a bit of philosophical introspection from Jess played by Holli Dempsey... Difficult to sum this up but there are definite echoes of techniques used in the long running conspiracy thriller Tracks, and little wonder - as writer Matthew Broughton is involved with both.

But what is this actually about? Too little suspense to be a thriller. Is it a love story? Not really, as you aren’t invested in why an artistic young woman would take up with a drug dealing gangster just because he happens to appear to be vulnerable. Girl meets boy and is soon ensconced in a whole heap of trouble."

Dan was played by Josef Altin, Johnny by Tom Byrne and Melissa by Alexandra Riley. Sound design was by Catherine Robinson and Nigel Lewis and the producers were John Norton and Emma Harding for BBC Wales.

IN THE SHADOW OF MAN (R4, 1500, 7 Nov 21) by Sarah Woods was a dramatisation of Jane Goodall’s account of her work with the chimpanzees of Gombe, interwoven with a new interview. It went out as a one-off in the 'Classic Serial' slot. Jane is famous for her work with primates; she knows more than anyone about chimpanzees and how they behave, after spending sixty years studying them. Now she devotes most of her time to advocacy on behalf of chimpanzees and the environment. The play gave a good overview of her work; it used sounds recorded on location in Gombe National Park. Young Jane was played by Jeany Spark, Vanne by Marilyn Le Conte, Rashidi by John Kamau and Hugo by Geoffrey Breton. Sound design was by Nigel Lewis, the director was Emma Harding and the producer James Robinson. (....Diversity website drama review, Dec 2021 )

POLYGAMY FOR GIRLS by Julie Mayhew (R4, 1415m 27 Oct 20) involved a feminist vlogger Chloe who tries out an experiment; she's a bit disillusioned with her boyfriend so recruits some extra wives. It's not clear whether she genuinely believes that a child benefits from being raised by several people rather than just two; as the story progresses it seems that there might be another motive. Whatever the reason, it soon becomes obvious that although social systems may change, human nature does not. Lauren Cornelius played Chloe, Luke Bailey the boyfriend, and Aneta Piotrowska the first of the new wives. The producer was Emma Harding.(....Diversity website drama review, Dec 2020 )

Marcy Kahan's new play FUSION CONFIDENTIAL (R4, 1500, 24 Oct 20) mixed the subjects of opera and energy. A young female physicist, Jane, makes a discovery that she believes will enable nuclear fusion to give the world a limitless supply of clean electricity. Her friend Elvira, an opera singer, a person more in touch with commercial reality and keeping her financial feet on the ground, decides to make sure she's not exploited. It's a comedy, with good casting and sparkling dialogue. Elvira was played byCharlotte Ritchie, Jane by Cecilia Appiah and Alex by Adam Fitzgerald; the producers were Emma Harding and Keith Graham. (....Diversity website drama review, Dec 2020 .... note that the play was repeated in 2025 - Ed.)

THE TRIAL OF THE WELL OF LONELINESS (R4, 1430, 25 Jan 20) was an adaptation by Shelley Silas of Radclyffe Hall's novel 'The Well of Loneliness' (1928, Jonathan Cape) about love between women, which became the centre of a 1928 obscenity trial. The book became the target of a campaign by James Douglas, "Sunday Express" editor; in court it was judged obscene because it defended "unnatural practices between women". It starred Kate Fleetwood as the novelist, and Anastasia Hille as Lady Troutbridge, Rick Warden as Norman Birkett, with Laura Christy and Will Kirk. Research papers were supplied by Morris Ernst Papers, the Harry Ransom Center and the University of Texas at Austin. The producer was Emma Harding. (....Diversity website drama review, Apr 2020 )

7 May 2019: My Cambodian Twin
By Annie Caulfield and Martin McNamara. When diagnosed with lung cancer, Annie was determined to complete her book about Cambodia and her friendship with a young dancer named Sophea in that country; her 'Cambodian twin'. The radio adaptation was done by Annie's partner Martin, who introduces the play. Annie: Pippa Haywood, Martin: Paul Ritter, Sophea: Uma Jackson, Dr. Tom: Christopher Harper, Guru: Chike Chan, other parts played by Kenny Blythe and Sarah Ovens. Producer: Emma Harding.
(......superb play - ND...)

6 Apr 2019: Saturday Play: Ferguson
By Bonnie Greer. Psychological drama inspired by Strindberg's "The Father"; rpt. from 2016. Black rights and police shootings. Hugh Quarshie, Clare Perkins, Tamara Lawrence, Eric Kofi Abrefa, Nabil Elouahabi, Cecilia Noble, Jason Barnett. Producer: Emma Harding. 55m.

STOPPARD....2019
A new production of ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, by Tom Stoppard, was broadcast in the Saturday Play and Classic serial slots at the end of March (R4, 30-31 Mar 19). R and G are two minor characters from Shakespeare's Hamlet who are condemned to an existence in the wings, with no control over their destinies. There was an outstanding cast including Mathew Baynton, Andrew Buchan, Toby Jones and Sam Dale, with production by Emma Harding.

The production was reviewed in some detail by Jane Anderson in RT. It is a stage play adapted for radio; originally performed by the National Theatre, and there have been other radio productions (WS 1983, R3 1990, R3 2007. ) This is the play in which the action of HAMLET takes place largely off-stage, while the Prince's hapless school friends twiddle their thumbs and toss coins to pass the time. It was broadcast in 1978 with Edward Petherbridge as Guildenstern, repeating his stage performance for the National. This new production stars Mathew Baynton, Andrew Buchan and Toby Jones. (.......ND, extract from Diversity Website radio review, April 2019)

12 Mar 2019: Seven Five Zero Zero
By Adrian Penketh. A desperate pilot hijacks his own plane. Set in and around an airport. Steve: Don Gilet, Neil and Tanner: Shaun Mason, Megan: Katherine Press, Chris: Christopher Harper, Tim: Ronny Jhutti, Giles: Tony Turner, GG: Chetna Pandya, Prime Minister: Susan Jameson, Helen: Sarah Owens. Producer: Emma Harding.

8 Feb 2019: Control
By Adrian Penketh, rpt. A play about dramatic events in the world of air traffic control. Rob: Robert Emms, Megan: Michelle Terry, with Priyanga Burford, John Bowler, John Dougall, Karen Bartke, Gavi Singh Chera, Nick Murchie, Luke MacGregor. Producer: Emma Harding.

14 Jan 2019: Into the Maze, 1
By Ayeesha Menon. Thriller set in London, Riyadh and Mumbai, exploring problems faced by women when it comes to sexual assault and personal freedom. Hotel worker Saira is raped by a rich Saudi guest. It throws her life, and that of her sister, into chaos. Jamila: Maya Sondhi, Saira: Aysha Kala, Najma: Fatima Adoum, Majid: Silas Carson, Zafar: Amir El-Masry, Purab: Ronny Jhutti, Clare: Clare Corbett, Sharon: Jeanette Percival, Andy: Lewis Bray, Ms. Morgan: Carolyn Pickles, John McKinley: Tony Turner, DC Price: Alexandra Constantinidi, Officer Megan: Lucy Doyle, Barfly: Christopher Harper, Fisher: Waleed Elgadi, Wheeler: Sam Dale, Jamila's boss: Waleed Elgadi, Guide: Ronny Jhutti, Judge: Sam Dale, Colleague: Christopher Harper. Producer: Emma Harding. Research consultant: David Rhodes, Doughty Street Chambers.

RIOT DAYS....2019
In early January we had two hours of 'RIOT DAYS' (beginning R4 1430,12 Jan 19) by Maria Alyokhina. I approached this with some misgiving; it was her account of her activism, trial and imprisonment as part of the Russian feminist punk protest group Pussy Riot, where five of its members gave a guerilla performance of one of their numbers in Moscow Cathedral. I had assumed that the affair was simply about a loutish punk band desecrating a religious building and getting more or less what they deserved. It wasn't like that at all; it documents state repression of a serious artistic protest. Putin often invokes the Russian Orthodox Church in his public speeches, giving the church a much more prominent place in Russian political life and increasing his own influence in the process.The church has been a willing participant. Three of the band were charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred and sentenced to two year's penal servitude. Maria was played by Katie West, Nadya by Kerry Gooderson and Katya by Kathryn Drysdale, with Cameron Percival and Alexandra Meyrick. The producer was Emma Harding. (.......ND, Diversity Website radio review, April 2019)

2 Jan 2019: Me, Mum and Meena Kumari
By Samantha Baig, based on a true story by Akbar Kurtha, who is in the cast. A young actor struggles to deal with various challenges: caring for his bipolar mother, running his career, and the truth about his sexuality. Akbar: Akbar Kurtha, Zubeida: Shelley King, Uncle: Nish Nathwani, Lia: Emma Handy, Simon: Cameron Percival. Producer: Emma Harding.

WARHOL PLAY....2018
Marcy Kahan's new play THE WARHOL YEARS (R4, 1415, 17 Dec 18) took a light-hearted look at the life of Oscar Wilde before he had written anything of note. Wilde has left University; he is in his early 20s, and he embarks on an American tour, determined to become rich and famous. He meets Sarah Bernhardt, Walt Whitman and Henry James, gives a series of lectures, and by the end of the tour, his reputation is spreading rapidly. The play was part of Radio 4's celebration of his life. Wilde was played by Max Bennett, his friend Charles Kitteridge by Liam Lau Fernandez and Speranza Wilde by Dervla Kirwan; the producer was Emma Harding. (....ND, Diversity Website review, Dec 2018)

21 Feb 18: Unfit
By Katherine Jakeways. 'Riot Girls' season. Gemma confides in her new friend Kirsty. Gemma chose to leave her children. Gemma: Rebecca Humphries, Kirsty: Emerald O'Hanrahan, Matt: Rylan Early, Joe: Joe Sims, Emily: Karen Bryson, Gabs: Florence Duncalf, Charlie: Billy Duncalf, Mother: Amber Aga, teacher: Georgie Glenn, Pete: Clive Hayward, Chloe: Lauren Cornelius, Barbara: Belinda Lang. Producer: Emma Harding.

20 Feb 18: Male Order
By Ming Ho. Comedy drama. 'Riot Girls' season. Barbara, a 59-year-old dentist from Bristol, surprises her family when she returns from Brazil with a new husband, a 20-year-old waiter. Barbara: Belinda Laing, Fabio: Lino Facioli, Sue: Carolyn Pickles, Graham: Niel McCaul, Amy: Kerry Gooderson, Matt: Luke Bailey, Dorota: Edyta Budnik, DI Aplin: Rupert Holliday-Evans, DC Begum: Amber Aga, Chloe: Lauren Cornelius, Gemma: Rebecca Humphries. Producer: Emma Harding.

19 Feb 18: Polygamy for Girls
By Julie Mayhew. 'Riot Girls' season. A feminist vlogger carries out a radical domestic experiment. Chloe: Lauren Cornelius, Dan: Luke Bailey, Rosa: Aneta Piotrowska, Gemma: Rebecca Humphries, Barbara: Belinda Lang. Producer: Emma Harding.

Alistair McGowan's latest play, THE B WORD (R4, 1415, 26 May 2017) told us about the events leading to the opening night of Shaw's 'Pygmalion' in 1913; the first time that the word 'bloody' was used on stage. At the time it caused considerable controversy. Producing the play also caused strong reactions between Shaw, his leading man, Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and his leading lady, Mrs Patrick Campbell, who played the 19 year old Eliza Doolittle at the age of 49. Richard Huggett wrote a play in 1968 (The First Night of Pygmaliion) in which he similarly depicts backstage events during the first production. Shaw was played by Alistair McGowan, Beerbohm Tree by Richard McCabe and Mrs. Campbell by Charlotte Page. The producer was Emma Harding. (....ND, Diversity Website review, Sep 2017)

Salman Rushdie's novel MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN, dramatised by Ayeesha Menon, was produced by the BBC as a one-day epic broadcast in seven parts throughout the day (R4, 15 Aug 2017) and subsequently repeated a few weeks later as a Classic Serial on Sunday afternoons. The story centres around Saleem, played by Nikesh Patel, born at midnight on 15 Aug 1947, the exact moment of the Partition of India. Partition was to have a profound influence on his life. Fatima Hasan, writing in RT, describes the story as witty, savage, tender and magical. The first episode describes an extraordinary scene in which a doctor has to examine a female patient through a hole in a blanket. This must be based on fact; you couldn't make it up. There are other peculiar and absurd occurrences throughout the narrative; it is strange but compulsive listening. The drama was produced by Tracey Neale and Emma Harding. (....ND, Diversity Website review, Sep 2017)

AUDIO DRAMA AWARDS 2018

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO RADIO DRAMA
Presented by Alan Davey
AYEESHA MENON (adaptor) and the Midnight's Children Production Team, with Emma Harding and Tracey Neale, 27 actors, Sound Design: Peter Ringrose, SMs Anne Bunting and Jenni Burnett; production coordinators: Maggie Olgiati and Jenny Mendez; BBC Radio Drama London. An outstanding piece of radio drama in every way.

Paul Farley's new drama, SINGLES GOING STEADY (R4, 1415, 2 Oct 2017) was set in Liverpool in 1961. The sixties were a different world to the one we inhabit today: no email, no mobile phones, no internet. If you wanted to contact someone you had to make a significant effort to do so. The play charts the progress of a love affair between two people who send each other singles made in an automatic voice-recording booth. The title refers to a compilation released by the Buzzcocks in 1979. Clarry was played by Katherine R Morley and George by Robbie O'Neill, with Charlie Clements as Frank and James Nelson-Joyce as Big Pat; the producer was Emma Harding. (....ND, Diversity Website review, Dec 2017)

23 Apr 17: Iphigenia in Crimea
By Tony Harrison. Verse Drama, after Euripedes. A Classics-loving Lieutenant persuades a company of British soldiers to stage an all-male production of Iphigenia in Tauris. Lieutenant/Iphigenia/Athena .... Blake Ritson, Orestes .... Robert Emms, Pylades .... Richard Glaves, Sergeant/Thoas .... John Dougall, Irish soldier/Cowherd/Chorus .... Eugene O'Hare, Soldier/Messenger/Chorus .... Michael Colgan, Soldier/Chorus of Greek Women .... David Sterne, Soldier/Chorus of Greek Women .... Gavi Singh Chera, Soldier/Chorus of Greek Women .... John Bowler, Soldier/Chorus of Greek Women .... Finlay Robertson, Music performed by Peter Ringrose (trumpet), Detta Danford (flute), Howard McGill (clarinet), Jon Banks (accordion) and Matt Sharp (cello). Music composed and directed by Jon Nicholls. Producer .... Emma Harding.

THE ELECTRICAL VENUS (R4, 1415, 5 Sep 16) by Julie Mayhew was set in an 18th-century travelling circus. Such circuses were not like the ones of today; they contained freaks such as the human skeleton, the dog-faced boy and the human gorilla as well as horse riders, acrobats and jugglers. In the story, a man arrives one day with a proposition and a new invention which could make the circus's fortune and the beautiful mixed-race girl into a star. He has a primitive Van de Graaf generator, a device which produces static electricity, capable of making a person's hair stand on end, or of producing other uncanny visual effects. It catches on... .... Mim was by played by Hannah John-Kamen, Alex by Arthur Hughes, Fox by Mark Edel-Hunt and Grainger by Michael Bertenshaw; production was by Emma Harding. (....ND, Diversity Website review, Sep 2016)

As a chemist I was aware for years of Primo Levi's book "The Periodic Table" but never got around to reading it. The BBC produced a fascinating set of programmes based on the book, which consists of a series of short tales, reminiscences and other episodes. He was a chemist and many of these 'splashes' from his workbench are autobiographical or have a chemical twist; each one is given the title of one of the elements. For part of WW2 Primo was incarcerated in Auschwitz and was one of the tiny minority which survived. 11 dramatizations of varying lengths were broadcast, adapted for radio by Graham White, R4, July 18-24. The younger Primo was played by Akbar Kurtha and older Primo by Henry Goodman. The series producers were Emma Harding and Marc Beeby. (....ND, Diversity Website review, Sep 2016)

Stephen Wyatt's new dramatization of DANTE'S DIVINE COMEDY, lasting three hours (R4, Classic Serial, 1500, beginning 30 Mar 14) tells of Dante's imaginary journey through hell, purgatory and paradise. It was published seven hundred years ago. The imagined 35-year-old Dante finds himself in the middle of a dark wood, in crisis and on the verge of suicide. Hope of rescue comes when he encounters the shade of the Roman poet Virgil, who offers to lead him through the afterlife, beginning in the depths of hell. He proceeds to Mount Purgatory, where he meets some souls on their journeys of spiritual salvation. Finally he is led to the different levels of Paradise by Beatrice, a woman he loved when he was a young man. The word 'comedy' in the classical sense refers to a work which reflects belief in an ordered universe, in which events resolve to a conclusion, influenced by Providence which steers events in the direction of ultimate good. Paradise, for example, begins with the traveller's moral confusion and ends with the vision of God.

The rhyming structures of the original have been replaced by a flowing narrative which gives an evocative, visual feel to the story. There are clear descriptions of what can be seen as the traveller makes his journey. The three central characters - Dante the younger, Dante the elder, and Virgil, are played by Blake Ritson, John Hurt and David Warner. Beatrice, his companion at the end of the story, was played by Hattie Morahan and the producers were Emma Harding and Marc Beeby. (....ND, Diversity Website review, Apr 2014)





Nigel Deacon, Diversity website

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