Restless Eyes

Restless Eyes - What Do You Look at When Listening to Audio Drama?

You've probably encountered this problem before. The awkward presence of eyes, your eyes, sensory organs constantly feasting on the rich input of the world surrounding.

What do you do? You are listening to a radio play, but your body is primed to engage visually, as it is accustomed. You aren't used to this, this imagery from within. While reading, your eyes are occupied, so busy consuming words that you can forget that they are translating text into narrative. With audio drama, your eyes have nothing to do but look around and try to distract you.

What do you look at?

Close your eyes, and you might fall asleep. Instead you choose to keep them open as the story takes your mind away from the world immediately surrounding you.

You stare at the strange spot on the ceiling, that shouldn't be there, it looks like water damage. Oh dear, it might collapse on your face. Turn away, quickly, don't think about the possibilities of structural failure. Instead, glance at the back of the head of the person in front of you. You are on a bus or train. An elbow jostles you. Now you are seated in a theatre, watching a “live” performance, with a bunch of oddly dressed actors pretending to be from the 1930's for some reason, even though the characters they portray come from different times. Ok forget the back of the head, it's a boring head. You're sitting behind a big beige ball of annoying. What else is around?

Speakers. There might be stereo speakers. You are alone in your room now, listening propped up on pillows, your hi-fi spreading delicious sounds all around like a warm blanket. They speak to you in all sorts of timbres, these voices of gods. Then your room melts away The sounds erode even the harshest imagery. Your eyes begin to forget themselves.

You are on the road, in a van that smells of old cigars, surrounded by traffic. There are cars everywhere, and engine noise and honking horns, angry commuters changing lanes, grimly baking in the Los Angeles sunset. The sun turns to brown, sooty clouds, it pours for weeks, washing the black dust from the cars, the rain patters on the tin roof of the van, and through all of this, you are lost within Gormenghast, or hopping through Planet B. Sherlock Holmes explains himself as you exit the turnpike. A million people on the highway, and only one of them is deep within the sordid lovesong of Alfred J. Hitchcock or being slyly charmed by Winston Hayballs.

Back on the road, now. The announcer lists the credits. Back in your room, now. The file comes to an end, or the tape runs out, or the CD stops. Back in your world, your eyes return to looking outward instead of inward. The actors on stage take their bows next to their steel microphones. The train halts at the final stop. The person in front of you stands up and turns around, flashing a smile. No, wait, that's an icy glare. You were staring at her the entire train ride home.

Interview with Roger Bickerton of the VRPCC

Roger Bickerton

interviewed by Modern Soundling

One of the most vital projects for the future of radio drama is based upon the past. In order for the medium to grow and prosper, it is essential to draw upon the triumphs (and also the failures) of the previous decades of radio plays. In order to do so, this body of work must exist. As it turns out, much of it no longer does.

The BBC has produced and broadcast thousands of radio plays over the years, but until fairly recently, they were not archived or preserved in any way. I'm not sure what the official policy on master tapes was or is – if anyone knows, I'd love to have some clarity on that. What we do know is that the majority of programmes have not been preserved in any format. The ones that still exist are often the result of individuals recording broadcasts for their own personal use. Much of the work of finding, preserving (and even compiling lists of broadcasts) has been conducted by the Vintage Radio Programme Collector's Circle, and its founder Roger Bickerton. I am very pleased he agreed to be interviewed for this blog.

I should note that Roger and the VRPCC are occupied with preserving and archiving this body of work, and not with distributing it. So please do not inundate them with requests for copies of materials, they do not distribute recordings.

Roger Bickerton: I set up the VRPCC (Vintage Radio Programme Collectors' Circle) in 1996, having had no previous connections with any aspect of broadcasting. I'd discovered, to my surprise, that much of the BBC's output had either never been archived at all, or that some of its library had been recycled at a time when the cost of keeping recordings on the then-preferred medium of quarter-inch tape was very high. Because I'd taped programmes on a very ad hoc basis since 1972 (work pressures permitting), I'd got to know of a few private collectors who had recorded broadcasts for many years on both open reel and cassette tape and one who had recorded from the late 1940s on so-called "acetate" (cellulose nitrate lacquer) discs. All this acted as a spur after I retired to locate as many more as I could through a long process of networking to try to ensure that what they had recorded could be backed up so that a unique part of our social historical heritage might be preserved.

The current membership is largely focused on those who collect radio drama and features programmes because there are other Societies which cater for, in particular, comedy enthusiasts.

It was the establishment in about 2002 by Nigel Deacon of the DIVERSITY site which was a critically important factor in the continued development and maintenance of a small and enthusiastic core of members, reinforced by non-member contacts, both in the UK and Overseas, all of whom support the original aim of finding "missing, believed wiped" material. In parallel with the massive development in Internet capacity, this site was instrumental in locating a good deal of recorded material which otherwise might have remained hidden.

As regards membership numbers in general, I prefer only to take on board people who can contribute to this goal because, for personal reasons, I cannot handle an over-inflated group. Nor has the Circle ever pursued a policy of hiring out or otherwise providing recordings to third parties, except for proven study or research purposes.

As the years roll on, it is more likely that the public's overall awareness of the historical importance of such material will increase ; sadly, though, at the same time, it may become less likely that hidden caches of old tapes with lost/wiped programmes will be unearthed. This is especially so in the case of an individual long-term collector with no Internet access and few, if any, relatives, who passes on.

Modern Soundling: When did you start listening to radio drama?

Roger Bickerton: My earliest memory dates back to late January, 1949 when with millions of other listeners, I was captivated by the adventures of Dick Barton, Special Agent and distinctly recollect being spooked by a story called “Jordan’s Folly”. Later memories are hazy, but such as “Paul Temple” and “PC49” are other series which made an impression. One particular play which had me rooted to the spot was the 1953 adaptation by Jon Manchip White of “The Wages of Fear” and I am still searching for a recording of that or the 1961 remake!

MS: How did you discover that there were so many missing BBC programmes?

RB: When I joined an organization called ORCA, run by the late Barry Hill, who had a truly immense collection of recordings both from this country and the States. Hill’s knowledge of the subject was considerable and it was when I met him that I found out about the gaps in the BBC’s archives.

MS:I'm not sure how familiar with BBC policy you are, but I am wondering – what was their policy regarding archiving programmes?

RB: I cannot be specific on detail, but the cost of retaining material in the 1930s and 1940s would have been very substantial, as virtually all of the recordings were on shellac or so-called “acetate” discs. As from about 1954, the use of quarter-inch tape increased significantly, but the recording standard of 15 inches per second full-track would give a 2400 ft. 10.5” reel only 30 minutes’ recording time : even at 7.5 ips, this would be 60 minutes, and, at today’s prices, you are talking of a figure of well over £100.00 per reel. Therefore archiving complete programmes was massively costly and a strict policy of what could be retained (as opposed to “it would be nice to have such-and-such”) had to be enforced. Another factor was that of storage capacity and, not least, weight. Finally, tape needs to be carefully stored in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment, all of which adds to overheads.

In summary then, much of the archive’s content had to consist of extracts from programmes and, in the case of serials, perhaps one episode only, to provide a flavour of the whole. It’s true to say that some of the costs I have mentioned declined noticeably in the 1960s and 1970s, maybe not enough to persuade the decision-makers that more and more complete programmes should be placed in the main sound archive. Clearly, in the light of the tiny cost (in comparison) of storing both audio and video material in 2011, there is no reason why almost everything which is broadcast cannot be retained.

MS: I've read that original recordings of plays were often returned to the producers, but I'm not sure if that's true or not. Are former producers possible sources for missing broadcasts?

RB: I am aware that some writers, producers and studio technicians retained copies of programmes in which they had been involved, the same occasionally applied to radio actors. I cannot say whether this was against BBC policy, but suspect it may have been! In retrospect, a debt of gratitude is owed to them.

MS: How do you know which plays are missing/lost? Did you compile a master list of known broadcasts yourselves?

RB: It is, unfortunately, impossible to compile a definitive list of plays/serials which are missing. As a group, there is no composite catalogue of items in everyone’s collection, and, of course, there are without doubt collectors “out there” we don’t know about who may have such material. Inevitably, there are certain “Holy Grails”, just as there are in the realm of radio comedy : one example being the final 3 serials in the “Inspector West” canon, and, of course, several of the original “Paul Temple” serials broadcast in the 1940s – although in this case, new productions of some of these have appeared since 2004.

MS: The VRPCC has been around for over a decade now. How many of the lost plays have you been able to locate?

RB: I have absolutely no idea, but I’d be surprised if the figure were less than 300. Unfortunately, because only a fairly small number of private collectors had deep pockets, some recordings are on second-grade tape and may have been made using only average-quality equipment. And the cost of tape was such that this was often re-used. Nevertheless, some strikingly good recordings have emerged from wholly unexpected sources and the old adage “half a loaf...” does come to mind!

MS: In regards to the various recording formats – what is the life span of such materials?

RB: (a) It’s rather ironic that the LP disc, if looked after, and played on good equipment, can last far longer than some more up-to-date media. However, I’m unaware of any privately-recorded material on this source. Recordings on “acetate” discs are playable on most record decks, but the discs can deteriorate if exposed to damp, as the lacquer will bubble and peel away.

(b) Quarter-inch tape, properly stored, is surprisingly robust (I have some reels over 50 years old which give very good results). One caveat, though. Some brands of back-coated tape suffer from hydrolisation, which is to say that the material absorbs water vapour and is therefore liable to stick together. Playback is thus severely impaired (and may be impossible). Certain types of Sony and Ampex tape are known to have this weakness, and, as regards non-premium brands, Concert Tape and Shamrock can cause major problems. Various solutions to overcome this have been advanced, such as controlled baking in a convection oven for a given time at a given temperature. Once more, the Internet will reveal suggestions.

(c) As to the oft-derided cassette, this, too, has proved to be surprisingly robust and capable of excellent results, but, again, some cheaper brands have problems with the transport mechanism.

(d) DAT tape is very thin and can, in some cases lose its signal altogether, whilst the complexity of the machines needed to play it is a drawback (as are their repair/servicing costs), so it is a fairly poor longer-term medium, overall.

(e) MiniDisc - personally, I find this to be a very good system and maintain 5 machines.

(f) I cannot comment on more recent media, but there does not appear to be single system which is totally fail-safe long term : the development of the Solid State Hard Drive may solve this eventually.

As to the machines to play all this, there are still specialist businesses which can be located (here and overseas) to maintain and service them, the main snag being spare parts availability, but, again, small business units seem to manufacture items, such as drive belts, to keep old friends going. Record/replay heads, however, can be a particular problem, but the Internet is a wonderful source of information. The MiniDisc players are still to be found, as are the discs.

MS: What are the VRPCC's goals for the future? In regards to the organization and in regards to the material you have already recovered.

RB: These depend on the willingness of the younger generation to keep it going. In general, though, the prime aim has to be to locate lost recordings before they end up in landfills. The continued generation of contacts both in the UK and Overseas is crucial to this. As to the material already rescued, I have already explained why a full catalogue cannot be produced, but we will try to ensure that it is all digitized and backed up in at least three different locations. However, there is still a fair way to go to achieve this. Eventually, I see no reason why the broadcast-quality copies should not be offered to the relevant archive(s).

MS: If someone found old audio recordings that might be missing radio broadcasts, what should they do?

RB: If old tapes are discovered, I am quite happy to act as the first point of contact. This is a not uncommon scenario, and the first thing to do is to see if the owner is prepared to allow us access, to ascertain whether the tapes are playable and what they contain. Within the group are a number of people with professional experience in handling and digitizing tapes and with the wherewithal to do this properly. It has to be said that, in over 90% of cases, what’s on the tapes is either already in existence or are recordings of commercially-released material, but one never knows!

Modern Soundling: Thanks again to Roger for taking the time to be interviewed, and to Nigel Deacon for facilitating it.

If you happen to know of old tapes of radio drama broadcasts and think they might be of interest, you can find Roger's contact information at the bottom of the VRPCC web site.

Next time – the roving eyes – the question of the what to do with one's eyes while listening to an audio drama.

Interview with Nigel Deacon

Interview with Nigel Deacon, of Diversity

The complete history of audio drama has not yet been written, but when it is, there will be a chapter devoted to Diversity. It is the most comprehensive and informative source of information on radio drama that currently exists. It has been an intense labor of love over more than a decade. And although many people have contributed to it over the years, it is largely the work of Nigel Deacon.

People often discuss the internet in grandiose terms. Often, the impact of the internet is exaggerated or embellished – people want to believe they live in unprecedented times. But in the case of audio drama, it is a unique and dynamic crossroads for the medium. The internet has made new possibilities, fostering appreciation and study and enthusiasm for the art. I am very pleased that Nigel has taken the time from his busy schedule to be interviewed for this blog.


Modern Soundling: When did you first become interested in radio drama?

Nigel Deacon: Originally I listened to comedy; 'Round the Horne' was an early favourite, but I soon became interested in Noel Coward's plays, and thought Paul Scofield wonderful in "Private Lives" and "Present Laughter". This was around 1975. I soon started listening regularly to 90 minute plays on Saturday nights; I particularly liked 'The Bagman' by John Arden, and comedies by Geoffrey Parkinson, Don Haworth and Wally K Daly. Later came more serious work: Tom Stoppard, David Pownall, Nick Warburton and others.

Occasionally a radio play would be so weird that it would fascinate me - I remember 'Dwelling Unit, Sweet Dwelling Unit' by John Miles and Tony Allen; a guy is employed by the local Council to condemn unsuitable properties. When he gets to work he's told to visit a very run-down property - when he goes there he doesn't realise it's his wife who answers the door, and it's his own house. Kathleen Helme is superb as the exasperated wife.

'No Quarter' by Barry Bermange is similarly odd; a group of misfits is stuck in a hotel; the lights have failed, and it's gradually collapsing. Very Kafkaesque.

Andrew Sachs wrote a play for radio containing no words at all, "The Revenge".

James Saunders' post-nuclear play 'Barnstaple' has a group of people chatting away, oblivious to the fact that the house is falling down around them.

The main characters in Don Haworth's 'On a day in summer in a garden' are talking dock plants. This was wonderful!

But there were duds too; that was part of the fascination. Gradually I found that most of the best plays were associated with a relatively small number of writers; later on I realised that the producer too had an effect, and could sometimes wreck a good play by mis-casting or turn an average script into something memorable.


MS: Do you think the medium itself has changed over the years?

ND: Radio plays have changed enormously since the 1960s, though a good story remains good no matter when it is broadcast. Early plays can sound rather stilted and formal, whereas the dialogue in a modern play is much nearer to the way we talk in everyday life. Nevertheless if you switch on a radio and hear dialogue, it's usually obvious straight away that it's drama; actors 'act', and the tones are unmistakable.

There are exceptions; in 'A Fire in the West', by Michael Butt, a mother, father, sister and former boyfriend talk directly to mike as each tries to understand why Cirea burnt herself to death. The style is so intimate and the dialogue so ‘real’ that we wonder if we’re not listening to a documentary.

There are lots of plays showing the world as it actually is. Radio 3 has broadcast several in the past year about life in third world countries run by dictatorships, and the violence of these regimes is illustrated by sound effects which pull no punches.

Plays on the 'social realism' theme are common: memory loss, losing a partner to cancer, disappearance of a child, Alzheimer's, the trial of a child murderer, losing a parent; often well written and acted but showing how miserable and disappointing life can be. The best of these are written in such a way that they are ultimately uplifting but many listeners tend to avoid them.

The most obvious difference between now and thirty years ago is that there are no regular 90-minute plays on Radio 4. BBC managers have decided that concentration spans are not what they were, and the standard length of a play is now 45 minutes. There are longer plays each week on Radio 3, but they are not easy listening, and not intended to be, and the audiences for them are smaller.

Nevertheless there are some superb dramas broadcast each year. Anything by Nick Warburton, Mike Walker, Martyn Wade, John Fletcher, Michelene Wandor, Mike Bartlett, Lucy Gough, Hattie Naylor, Bryony Lavery, and a host of others ... you can probably supply the names.


MS: How did 'Diversity' begin, and what was your goal in creating it?

ND: The original template for the site was constructed by my wife Alison. It contained sections on different topics which are important to me, including Radio Drama, but also including English Apples, Early Keyboard Music, and Composition. My original intention was to raise the profile of radio drama.

Rodney Wingfield, Catherine Czerkawska, and Jo Hodder (of the Society of Authors) were especially helpful and encouraging in the early days, and supplied leads which helped me get in touch with others who were active in radio drama. Once I got going, it snowballed; at one time I was being contacted by several fresh radio writers a week.

The site has expanded way beyond my expectations, especially the radio section. We have been running for ten years, and we are visited by about 500 people per day in winter; 1,000 per day in late summer and autumn during the apple season; around 200,000 people per year.


MS: How long has it taken you to compile such extensive information, and what were your sources?

ND: I recorded radio plays on cassette from 1975 - 2007; I always wrote a few notes on the inlay cards about each play after listening to it. That gave me a start. For twenty-five years I recorded most of the afternoon plays on a plug-in timer. I found a way of recording a 60-minute play reliably (whilst I was out) onto one side of a C-120. 45-minute plays were easy because I bought specially-wound C-98s direct from the factory and had 4 minutes to spare on each side. 90-minute plays needed two timers and two recorders. There are several thousand cassettes here, mostly drama, and they generally have a few notes about the play written on the inlay card. Some of them are digitised.

After cassettes more or less disappeared I transferred to digital recording, and started gathering information online, including comments from the BBC website, which I edit carefully (and re-write if necessary) for clarity and anonymity.

I have written radio reviews for VRPCC (Vintage Radio Programme Collectors' Circle) three times a year since 1997, and short reviews of other plays week by week. I have also been in touch with many of the writers featured on the site by email or telephone (and have met a few of them) and they have been generous in providing information about their work. They have also provided recordings; sometimes the only known copy.

Most of the lists of plays going back into obscurity have been compiled by Roger Bickerton, who has typed them out from old issues of Radio Times. He has listed Afternoon Theatre, Saturday Night Theatre, the Monday Play, the Saturday Play, the Afternoon Play, Just Before Midnight, Thirty Minute Theatre. It has taken him several years and hundreds of hours, and I am very grateful. Roger has also allowed me to use articles written for the VRPCC newsletter 'The Circular Note'.

Bob Thirsk, another friend in VRPCC, has compiled complete drama lists from information produced by the BBC. He, too, has spent long hours putting recent information in a form which I can use.

Jim, in Toronto, has supplied me with reviews and comments on radio plays for several years. He has extensive knowledge of most radio writers, and is meticulous at compiling programme notes, cast lists and related information.

I sometimes refer to articles written by journalists, and published reviews. Such material often has to be re-phrased because the style doesn't wear well on repeated scrutiny.

Many radio writers, producers and SMs have written articles or provided information for the site: Mike Harris, Steve Walker, Michelene Wandor, Richard Wortley, Graham Gauld, Jill Hyem, Carol McShane, Gerry Jones and Jean Barnes were some of the early contributors.

The majority of the author and producer pages on the site have been compiled with the help of the person featured, or by a relative, or occasionally by a friend or work colleague. In this latter case I have to be very careful about what appears on the page.

I receive a very large number of emails. Some people send corrections; sometimes they expand my information or send short articles of their own. One well known radio producer sent a 15,000 word essay written especially for the site (thanks Richard) about his radio career; a wonderful surprise. I get lots of messages from people who have lived in England at one time but are now abroad; this month I have received comments on radio plays from India, America, Australia and Canada. I was also sent an article by an auctioneer about the series 'Toytown'; one of the lots he was having to sell this month (Mar 2011) was a collection of the effects of S.G. Hulme Beaman, and my wife is currently putting into html format an interesting piece of research into 'Elidor', a work by Alan Garner, sent to me by a VRPCC member.


MS: How do you think it has impacted the medium?

ND: Most radio writers I've met have heard of 'Diversity'. We give regular updates to the Society of Authors, which they publish in their newsletter. I am often contacted by writers who update me with their latest work; usually two or three email me each week, and there seems to be a fairly efficient 'grapevine'; I often know which writers are in touch with each other. I'm also contacted by people who want me to archive their work; they donate recordings, often old cassettes, which I digitise and, when possible, improve, and then ensure that copies are in different locations.

I don't often go to London, but when my wife and I attended the Imison / Tinniswood Awards in 2006 and 2010, we were pleased to find that most of the writers we met, and their producers, were familiar with the site. One well-known dramatist told me that when he went with a radio submission to the BBC in 2006, the guy who interviewed him had his 'Diversity' page printed out and spread across the table.

I think we have made people more aware of the names of the authors of the best radio plays. They are no longer anonymous.

We (Diversity and VRPCC) have helped drum up support for certain writers to be celebrated for important anniversaries. VRPCC members helped instigate a 'William Trevor' celebration (on BBC7) when he was 80, and another for Rhys Adrian. There are others (we hope) in the pipeline.

We have also supplied recordings not in the BBC archive for broadcast. Occasionally items in the BBC archive cannot be found, and we have, on occasion, supplied replacements.


MS: What are the current challenges faced by radio drama?

ND: It was possible, years ago, for a writer to have an idea, write an entire play about it, and to submit it to the BBC with a reasonable chance of a broadcast if the writing was good and a sympathetic producer could be found.

Things have changed. Nowadays successful radio writers submit several ideas at a time; if there is any interest by the BBC (1 in 5 is a reasonable 'strike rate') , these are developed further, and a script eventually emerges.

I am sometimes sent scripts of plays by unknown writers and asked if I can forward them to the BBC.

These unsolicited plays almost invariably have no chance of being broadcast. They have usually been written without any reference to what the BBC wants.

The requirements for plays for the different slots are well publicised on the Writers' Room page of the BBC website.

The BBC needs afternoon plays (45m), Saturday plays (55m), occasional morning or late night plays (28m), dramas split into multiples of 5 x 12m (Woman's Hour serials), and a few longer and more unusual items for radio 3. Deviate from this and you're probably writing just for yourself.

I have been involved in education for many years. Most students I encounter look slightly bemused when I ask them if they listen to radio plays. They don't know it exists. That is not a good sign.

There is also the problem of attention span ... a really good radio play will entertain, but it's not an entirely passive medium; it needs input from the listener. A regular television watcher will probably not get much out of a radio play no matter how good it is. Radio understates; it relies on suggestion and imagination.


MS: Are you optimistic about the medium's future?

ND: The audience for radio plays is enormous; more than all of the theatre audiences in the country added together. Although it is not a high profile medium, millions of people, most of them in their mid twenties or older, listen to radio drama during the course of a week. A lot of listening is done in cars, by people who travel for a living. A lot more is done by retired people and others who are at home in the afternoons. Most of what they hear is not 'high art' but it tells a story. Occasionally a gem is broadcast. We all need stories from time to time.

The internet has been instrumental in bringing people with similar interests together, without any geographical constraints. The 'Diversity' pages attract about 200,000 visitors per year, and about half of them look at the radio pages. I get about fifteen emails a day which need replies, the majority of which are about radio drama.

It is unfortunate that the Radio 4 messageboard, a forum where radio listeners can speak to each other, is closing down. I hope that there is enough enthusiasm and organisation among the contributors to set up a well-publicised forum elsewhere on the web.

There is lots of interest in radio drama worldwide, and the internet has made listeners more aware that they are not alone. That must be a good thing. Without the internet, much of the information on 'Diversity' would never have been compiled, and most of the rest would have remained unknown in some folders in my back room.


MS: What are the future or long term goals of 'Diversity'?

ND: For as long as I enjoy radio drama (and the other topics covered by 'Diversity') I will be interested to exchange ideas with those who share my enthusiasms. I have been involved for many years with the archiving of radio plays, so that they will be available in the future for people to enjoy. Writers, producers and collectors often offer me recordings, and if they are not already in the archive, they will be gratefully accepted.

'Diversity' has enabled me to meet interesting people from all over the world. Some of them I have been privileged to know for a short time. I have met radio play enthusiasts, technicians, radio writers, producers, and SMs. Occasionally people send me badly degraded audio recordings to clean up, which can be fun.

As for the non-radio part of the site, I've become involved in many projects, including heritage apples, apple breeding, locating and preserving redfleshed apples, and grafting of fruit trees. I've done fruit analyses for the National Fruit Collection, become involved on the fringes of Kennedy Bosire's amazing Ekegusii Encyclopedia Project; advertised a new go-kart track.....most recently I've helped to promote a new girl band....

But radio is at the core of what we do.


MS: 'Diversity' covers a tremendous amount of information across many aspects of the medium. is there any aspect which you would like to cover in greater detail?

ND: It would be good to give more writers and producers their own individual pages, and to keep them completely up-to-date. However, the more pages there are, the less time can be spent on each.

I could have based the site on a 'database' format, which is less labour intensive, but I've never liked the way the information is displayed in spreadsheets and databases; it's OK for reference but not very attractive if you just want to browse.

Articles for publication are always welcome if they are interesting and there are no legal or copyright problems......... anything to do with radio plays, their production, experiences of actors, etc, etc.... Once I was sent a humorous article containing anecdotes about two writers and some scrapes they got into when making a programme; some months later I received an email from the solicitor of one of them (and a letter from the other) telling me I'd have to remove it or there would be legal trouble. That gave me a shock, and the guy who'd sent it was slightly worried, too. Phew...

I'm hoping to write about more radio newcomers as the years progress; we've all heard of Don Haworth, and Don Taylor, and Louis MacNeice, but there's a lot of really good writing by younger writers who are not yet covered adequately. That's probably an ongoing job for the future.

I'm pleased to see Justin Rivers working so hard on his Audio Drama Wiki. An interactive source, run along the lines of 'Wikipedia' where all can contribute, could become a valuable resource in the future, and I wish him luck in promoting it. There will be some areas of overlap between 'Diversity' and the Wiki, but that will benefit both of us.


Modern Soundling: Thanks again to Nigel for this fascinating interview. For further reading, visit Diversity. You can find a list of Nigel's favorite radio plays here.

Stay tuned next week for an interview with VRPCC's Roger Bickerton.

Selected Shorts is not Audio Drama

Spring is starting to happen here in New York, which means that I've gone back to work scooping ice cream while frantically getting things ready for planting season. I'm prepping for a nice little orchard of cider apples, plus small rows of seven different wine grapes, so my schedule is rather hectic. I'll probably have one of the interviews up by this weekend, and another one the following week.

Work on the Audio Drama Wiki has slowed for a bit, until I can catch up on my hole-digging quota. But don't worry, we're still on schedule. My current goal is 3,000 entries by the end of the year. And yes, I just made that number up. But I still plan on reaching it.

Selected Shorts

I was talking to a friend recently about NPR and our mutual appreciation for it, and when talk came 'round to radio drama, he mentioned Selected Shorts. Which brought up a frustrating issue: NPR's relationship to audio drama.

Although NPR has been responsible for some major events in the history of american radio drama, the network itself has become increasingly ambivalent about the medium of fictional radio storytelling, while at the same time embracing and finely-honing the craft of non-fiction audio narrative. Programs such as This American Life, The Moth, RadioLab, and several others, all convey story through audio. But the stories they tell happen to be true.

NPR used to have an omnibus series called Earplay, which later became NPR Playhouse before fizzling. NPR also produced a (charmingly low-budget) version of The Lord of the Rings, as well as an epic adaptation of the Star Wars Trilogy. Each was enormously successful. But at the start of a new century, is there still audio drama on NPR?

No.

There is a large audience for narrative, but the craving is not being fulfilled by radio drama.

Some observations:

1. NPR is not monolithic. Much of the content is only distributed by NPR or by member stations. We tend to use “NPR” to refer to everything that airs on NPR, even though the schedule is a patchwork of sources.
   

2. I have no idea if radio drama is happening on a local, member-station level. If it is, it's probably not very good. LA Theatre Works is one that is sometimes carried nationally, and for the most part, it's well-intentioned mediocrity. But that's worthy of a separate post.

3. Non-fiction audio narrative does not fall into the category of “audio drama” as I have defined it. (The main requirement is “must be fictitious”) My definition is admittedly arbitrary. But I feel that there must be some distinction between documentary (such as a news broadcast), audio drama, and non-fiction audio narrative. If you compare them, they often invoke the same rules and principles, but with different outcomes or goals. I am not sure how to articulate why a radio play should be considered separate from an episode of This American Life. But instinctively I make the distinction.

4. Garrison Keillor does not like or respect radio drama. He does not believe it is a viable medium, and only uses it in his show to create humor through mockery and ridicule of it.

5. Selected Shorts is not “audio drama” because it consists of live readings of short stories. The material is neither original to, nor adapted for, an audio medium. It is not “radio-ized” or “audio-ized”, whichever term you prefer. And the performers are not performing for a radio audience. They are performing for the live bodies in front of them at the theatre. There's nothing wrong with that. But it's not radio drama.

6. To summarize, NPR does not carry any radio drama program. But I don't see it being hostile to the format either. Just scared of it.
   
   And I would like to know why.