Helen Perry Radio Plays

Helen Perry worked in London for a while in theatre; from 2011 she has worked for the BBC, mainly radio 4, as a radio drama producer. In 2018 she was appointed as the new BBC Writersroom Development Producer based in Cardiff.

"For the last ten years I’ve worked in BBC Radio Drama, a medium in which the writer is king. An audio play lives or dies on the strength of the script. Unsurprisingly I have the utmost respect for writers; for their craft, imagination, downright determination to conquer a blank page and their ability to create worlds in which we want to immerse ourselves. I’m in awe of the magic they can weave".

Helen has produced around a hundred radio plays and other programmes: Classic Serials, rapidly-made plays based on responses to news, Writing the Century, part of the 'Tracks' conspiracy thriller by Matthew Broughton and many one-off plays. She has written a piece on the BBC website about her productions of Dahl's "Boy" and "Going Solo", and along with her comments on the productions there are two interesting quotes about radio drama in general:

"As a child I struggled with my reading. If it hadn’t been for the glorious books of Roald Dahl I may not have persevered. And who knows where I would have ended up then – certainly not producing and directing radio drama for the BBC."

"At BBC Wales in Cardiff we record radio dramas with very few effects in studio. The bulk of the sound is put on in post-production. This allows for a more colourful soundscape – the effects ‘pop’ out in a way they wouldn’t if they were all created naturally."

Some of her radio productions are listed below, with notes on a few of them further down the page.


BBC RADIO PRODUCTIONS:
2011-12-29 23-00, Weird Tales - Series 3 Night Terrors, by Lizzie Nunnery
2012-01-21 19-00, From Fact to Fiction - Ser 11 Pandemonium
2012-09-18 23-00, Jack's Return Home - Ep. 4, By Ted Lewis. Dram. Nick Perry.
2012-11-12 11-30, 55 and Over, Ep. 1
2012-11-19 11-30, 55 and Over, Ep. 2
2012-11-26 10-45, 15 Minute Drama, Baby Powder and Perfume The Punter, 5 episodes
2012-12-03 11-30, 55 and Over, Ep. 4
2013-04-30 23-00, Absolutely Delish, Home Alone
2013-05-07 23-00, Ep 2 The Food of Love
2013-05-14 23-00, Ep 3 Flying the Nest
2013-05-21 23-00, Ep 4, Grazing
2013-05-25 19-00, From Fact to Fiction, Series 14 The Woods
2013-09-10 14-15, Carnival
2013-12-15 19-45, Modern Welsh Voices, Brown Jug
2013-12-22 19-45, Modern Welsh Voices, The Eyas
2014-05-23 14-15, Original British Dramatists From A to Z
2014-06-25 14-15, Hatch Match and Dispatch Uncle Harry
2014-07-01 14-15, The Sum
2014-07-16 14-15, Hatch Match and Dispatch A Certain Date
2014-10-02 14-15, Conlang of Love
2014-10-31 14-15, The Devil's Violin
2014-12-15 14-15, Atlas
2015-01-03 19-00, From Fact to Fiction, Series 17 The Year That I Was Wrong
2015-02-08 15-00, Reading Europe - France, Three Strong Women Ep. 1
2015-02-15 15-00, Reading Europe - France, Three Strong Women Ep. 2
2015-03-08 15-00, John Gabriel Borkman Ep. 1
2015-03-15 15-00, John Gabriel Borkman Ep. 2
2015-06-15 14-15, Foursome
2015-09-14 14-15, Carnival
2015-09-17 14-15, Stupid Men
2015-09-27 15-00, Reading Europe - Germany, Look Who's Back Ep. 1
2015-10-04 15-00, Reading Europe - Germany, Look Who's Back Ep. 2
2015-10-07 14-15, Frank and the Bear
2015-10-27 14-15, Blue Glory
2015-11-02 10-45, 15m Drama, Writing the Century - An Enlarged Heart
2015-11-03 10-45, Ep.2 The Lame Gosling
2015-11-04 10-41, Ep.3 Emotionally Unbuttoned
2015-11-05 10-45, Ep.4 Rigor Mortis
2015-11-06 10-45, Ep.5 Christmas at Brynmeheryn
2015-12-25 22-00, A Year at the Races
2016-01-02 14-30, The Continuing Adventures of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (Deceased)
2016-01-12 14-15, Original Death Rabbit
2016-02-27 00-30, Modern Welsh Voices, Brown Jug
2016-03-05 00-30, Modern Welsh Voices, The Eyas
2016-03-12 14-30, Wide Sargasso Sea
2016-04-10 15-00, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Ep. 1
2016-04-17 15-00, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Ep. 2
2016-06-24 14-15, Original British Dramatists From A to Z
2016-07-02 14-30, Roald Dahl, Boy
2016-07-03 15-00, Roald Dahl, Going Solo Ep. 1
2016-07-10 15-00, Roald Dahl, Going Solo Ep. 2
2016-08-18 14-15, Hatch Match and Dispatch - Uncle Harry
2016-08-23 14-15, Tracks, The Pineal Gland
2016-08-30 14-15, Tracks, The Bridge of Varolius
2016-09-08 14-15, Hatch Match and Dispatch - A Certain Date
2016-09-13 14-15, Tracks, Nociceptors
2017-01-21 21-00, Three Strong Women Ep. 1
2017-01-28 21-00, Three Strong Women Ep. 2
2017-05-29 14-15, Floor 13
2017-06-22 14-15, The Coming Tide
2017-08-07 14-15, Frank and the Bear
2017-08-14 14-15, Pardna
2017-09-11 14-15, Prime Cut Ep. 1
2017-09-12 14-15, Prime Cut Ep. 2
2017-11-09 14-15, Blue Glory
2017-12-15 14-15, Original Death Rabbit
2018-02-03 14-30, Roald Dahl, Boy, rpt
2018-02-04 15-00, Reading Europe - Russia, Bride and Groom Ep. 1
2018-02-06 14-15, Becoming Betty
2018-02-11 15-00, Reading Europe - Russia, Bride and Groom Ep. 2
2018-04-17 14-15, 19 weeks, rpt. Jan 2019
2018-06-23 14-30, Seven Songs for Simon Dixelius

NOTES ON SOME OF THE PLAYS

NINETEEN WEEKS....2019
By Emily Steel (R4, 1415, 21 Jan 19, rpt.). This was the story of a woman with a terrible dilemma; she is pregnant but there is a suspicion that the child may have Down's Syndrome. The weeks go by; she has tests, results, more tests; gradually the odds get shorter and her life descends into utter emotional turmoil. Eva Myles played Emily, with Vanessa Hehir as the doctor and Mufrida Hayes as the social worker. This was a very moving play, and Eva Myles received the Audio Drama Award for Best Actress for her outstanding performance. The producer was Helen Perry. (....ND, Diversity Website review, April 2019)

Note from Radio Times: In 2016 writer Emily Steel had a termination after her baby was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. 19 Weeks tells her story with brutal honesty.

PRIME CUT....2017
In a short series of 'Crime Down Under', we had PRIME CUT, (R4, 1415, 11-12 Sep 2017) by Alan Carter, a two-part detective story set in Australia. The story and style is not subtle; the first thing we encounter in the story is a headless torso. The main character is Cato, a detective of Chinese descent who has seriously blotted his copy book. He tries to prove he's still good at the job. Cato was played by Andrew Leung, and the female detective Tess was played by Christine Stephen-Daly. The producer was Helen Perry. (....ND, Diversity Website review, Sep 2017)

ROALD DAHL....2016
In early July there were two very vivid plays commemorating the centenary of Roald Dahl's birth. Both were autobiographical; the first was BOY (R4, 1430, 2 Jul 16) broadcast in the Saturday Play slot, a dramatization of his early years at junior school and then at Repton. Sophie Dahl, Roald's grand-daughter, recalls that one treat for Repton boys was the delivery of plain cardboard boxes from Cadbury's, asking the boys to test them and score the bars of chocolate. There were less happy memories too; ask a young man today what is meant by 'fagging' and he'll probably look blank. Dahl knew exactly what it meant: beatings and bullying, and it took some getting used to. Patrick Malahide (as older Dahl) was the narrator and Dahl as a child was played by Tarkan Uzun.

On the following day in the Classic Serial slot we had the second play GOING SOLO (R4 1500 3 Jul 16) which continued the story: Dahl's joining the RAF, training as a fighter pilot, and finally being involved in air-to-air combat. But for the bravery of men like Dahl, we might now be under German rule. Young Roald was played by John Heffernan and mother by Joanna van Kampen. Both productions were adapted for radio by Lucy Catherine and produced by Helen Perry. (....ND, Diversity Website review, Sep 2016)

STUPID MEN....2015
I am ignorant about Rugby football, but Gary Owen's play STUPID MEN (R4, 1415, 17 Sep 15) went some way to persuading me that it might be a fascinating game to follow. A semi-professional rugby player approaching the end of his playing days gets a chance to make a difference in an important match, and perhaps to earn serious money for a year or two. This could have important consequences for his family. Ryan was played by Matthew Gravelle and Kerry by Eve Myles; Helen Perry produced. (....ND, Diversity Website review, Sep 2015)

GROUCHO MARX....2015
Neil Brand's latest play, A YEAR AT THE RACES (R4, 1415, 6 Apr 15) looked at fictional episodes in the later life of Groucho Marx, as viewed by a young female fan. Groucho in his personal life was rather melancholic; nothing like the ebullient character projected in his stage act. Selma meets him whilst a young schoolgirl; as their lives progress, their paths cross several times and they become significant in each other's lives. She tries to take his career in hand. Groucho was played by Toby Jones, with Jenna Augen, Tracy-Ann Oberman and Ewan Bailey; the producer was Helen Perry. (....ND, Diversity Website review, Sep 2015)

THE DEVIL'S VIOLIN, 2014
Lucy Rivers' first radio play, THE DEVIL'S VIOLIN (R4, 1415, 31 Oct 14) involved magic and murder, reminding me of Nick Fisher's creepy 1997 tale"The Chimes of Midnight", in which a clock is partially constructed from gruesome materials. Sixteen-year-old Hannah leads a miserable life; she has a drunk mother and a horrible baby brother. One night she meets a violinist whose music can bend people to his will. He offers to build her a violin which will do the same for her. Unfortunately there is a high price to pay, and it threatens to tear her life apart. Hannah was played by Gwyneth Keyworth, Older Hannah by Melanie Walters and Old Nick by Adam Redmore. The producer was Helen Perry and Lucy Rivers composed the music. (....ND, Diversity Website review, Dec 2014)

EDUCATOR, 2014
EDUCATOR (R3, 2145, 8 Feb 14), by Hayley Squire was part of the long-running series 'The Wire'. It concerned a young English teacher who forgets that professional boundaries are important, and he oversteps the mark with one of his female students. Superficially she seems more astute and sympathetic than his wife, and she is young enough to be frightened of the walking zombie roles she perceives as her parents' day-to-day existence. She really wants to live, and the key to doing so is being properly educated. There is a large amount of fierce dialogue between the two women in the play, with good reason. The teacher was played by Simon Harrison, his wife by Michelle Terry, and the student by Aisling Loftus. The producer was Helen Perry. (....ND, Diversity Website review, Apr 2014)

2013-05-25 From Fact to Fiction, Series 14: The Woods
By Sebastian Baczkiewicz, responding to the publication of a new report by the Children's Commissioner into the effects of pornography on children and young people. Joyce ...... Sam Hazeldine, Carter ..... Barnaby Kay, Lucy ..... Amaka Okafor, Producer ....Helen Perry.

2013-05-07 Absolutely Delish - The Food of Love
New comedy by Mark Evans. 11pm. Fantasy and food collide when Natasha's search for romance results in a rather strange dinner party. Her guests are happy to dish out plenty of advice, but how much can a brutal, blood thirsty totalitarian dictator really know about love? 4-episode series. Natasha ... Katherine Parkinson, Stalin ... Ewan Bailey, Ghandi ... Adeel Akhtar, Elizabeth 1 ... Joanna Brookes, Marie-Curie ... Phillipa Stanton, Steve ... Michael Shelford. Producer: .... Helen Perry.

2012-11-26 15 Minute Drama - Baby Powder and Perfume, 1: The Punter
By Janice Okoh. When a lap dancer fears she's being stalked by a regular punter and the local 'gentleman's' club faces closure, a small community is forced to confront its feelings on the sex industry. The play is set against the backdrop of new licensing laws imposed under the Policing and Crime Act 2009 which allow local communities to challenge the number of lap dancing clubs operating in their neighbourhoods. The law came into force in 2010. The drama ran for 5 episodes on successive days. Mike .... Ben Crowe, Rani .... Manjinder Virk, Officer Wright ...... Will Howard, Producer..... Helen Perry.

2012-11-12 55 and Over
By Peter Souter. Ep. 1. Juliet Stevenson and Philip Jackson star in a comedy about love, sex and other foolhardy mistakes made by the modern 50-plus-er. This week Ray and Jane's marriage is rocked by some very bad singing and late-life crises take hold. I think this ran for 4 episodes. Jane ..... Juliet Stevenson, Ray ..... Philip Jackson, Tony ..... Patrick Brennan, Heather ..... Liza Sadovy, Honey ..... Stephanie Racine, Sam ..... Adam Nagaitis. Producer..... Helen Perry.

2012-09-18 Jack's Return Home - Ep. 4
By Ted Lewis.Dramatised for radio by Nick Perry. 11pm. It's 1970 and Jack Carter, a gangland enforcer, has returned to his hometown of Scunthorpe to investigate the suspicious death of his brother Frank. He finds that Doreen, Frank's 15-year-old daughter, has appeared in a pornographic film. Jack Carter . . . . . Hugo Speer, Eric . . . . . Ben Crowe, Margaret . . . . . Katherine Dow Blyton, Thorpey . . . . . John Biggins, Kinnear . . . . . Robert Blythe, Glenda . . . . . Charlotte Riley, Brumby . . . . . James Weaver, Gerald . . . . . Patrick Brennan, Con . . . . . Joe Sims. Director: Sasha Yevtushenko. SMs: Anne Bunting, Mike Etherden and Alison Craig. Editor: Anne Bunting. Production Co-ordinator: Helen Perry.

2012-01-21 19-00 From Fact to Fiction - Series 11, Pandemonium
By Peter Souter, who takes on the headlines and tackles the devolution debate. Scotland's fight for independence from the perspective of two Edinburgh residents. Sweetie ..... Juliet Stevenson, Sunshine ..... Tim McInnerny, Producer - Helen Perry.

2011-12-29 23-00 Weird Tales - Series 3, Night Terrors
By Lizzie Nunnery. 11pm. Victoria can't sleep at night. She has nightmares. They're just bad dreams, until one day they become real. Dad ... Eddie Marsan, Victoria ... Katie Angelou, Laura ... Georgia Groome, Mum ... Sally Orrock, Jane ... Francine Chamberlain; produced by Helen Perry.

Compiled by Nigel Deacon / Diversity website, with help from Norman Milburn.

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