Radio Plays & Radio Drama

NEWSDESK 2013..... 2012..... 2011..... 2010..... 2009..... 2008..... 2007.....

WRITERS.. REVIEWS.. COMMENTS.. OLDER REVIEWS

Radio Dramas
by WRITER.. TOPIC.. YEAR.. PRODUCER

Complete Year Lists: Radio 4 plays:
These lists were started by Bob Thirsk in 2003 and are now being continued and improved by Barry Hodge. The 2011-13 pages will eventually be expanded to match the others.

1997.... 1998.... 1999.... 2000.... 2001.... 2002.... 2003.... 2004.... 2005.... 2006.... 2007.... 2008.... 2009.... 2010.... 2011.... 2012.... 2013....

Comments on a few of the recordings known to exist in VRPCC collections.
2013.... 2012.... 2011.... 2010.... 2009.... 2008.... 2007.... 2006.... 2005.... 2004.... 2003.... 2002.... 2001.... 2000.... 1999.... 1998.... 1997.... 1996.... 1995.... 1994.... 1993.... 1992.... 1991.... 1990.... 1989.... 1988.... 1987.... 1986.... 1985.... 1984.... 1983.... 1982.... 1981.... 1980.... 1979.... 1978.... 1977.... 1976.... 1975.... 1974.... 1973.... 1972.... 1971.... 1970.... 1969.... 1968.... 1967.... 1966.... 1965.... 1964.... 1963.... 1962.... 1961.... 1960.... 1959.... 1958.... 1957.... 1956.... 1955.... 1954.... 1952.... 1950.... 1946.... 1945.... 1942.... 1940.... other....

Radio 3 Plays
Jim's R3 List 1946-2008 (about 500 plays)..... 2009-2012..... The Wire, 2000-2012
BBC R3 Drama.... 1997.. 1998.. 1999.. 2000.. 2001.. 2002.. 2003.. 2004.. 2005.. 2006.. 2007..

World Service Drama
The World Service Drama listings are being compiled by Barry Hodge.
intro .... 1980-1989 .... 1990-1999 .... 2000-2011 ....

World Service Radio Archive

'Diversity' listing of World Service Drama
This listing covers the drama part of the World Service Radio Archive; around 700 plays from 1972-2005, which was online, briefly, during early 2013.

Finding information on 'Diversity'
This website is not a database, but you can go back to Google and find any play listed here by typing suttonelms followed by the title of the play, or the author.

For example, to list plays by John Smith, type "suttonelms" "John Smith" into the search box. Note that because of recent changes to 'Google', both bits (suttonelms and the author's name) must be inside separate sets of quotation marks.

RADIO DRAMA ARTICLES : INDEX
Lots of articles; the ones below are just a sample. Click on INDEX above for the full list.

Index to Moira Petty's Radio Drama reviews, on 'The Stage' website
Notes to Maeterlinck's Radio Play "The Betrothal", 1928 - J.C.Squire & A.G.MacDonnell
Somebody's Sister, Somebody's Daughter - Mike Harris
Early Warning - Richard Monks
Children's Hour: Beware the Hunter - Howard Jones, 1960
Olwynne Macrae, radio drama writer, interviewed in 1979
The Magic of Radio Drama - Youtube
A.J.Alan's Short Stories
Shouting Quietly - Mike Bartlett
Archiving: How long does a CD last? Nigel Deacon
Beyond Borders - Mike Walker
The Song of Roland: Alan Garner's Elidor- Roger Howe
Martin Jenkins talks to Mike Lloyd of VRPCC
Radio Drama - Mike Harris
Independent Radio Drama in the 1980s -Roger Harvey
Bringing a Radio Drama script to life - Bert Coules
Working as a Radio Writer - Michelene Wandor
You only listen to comedy? Try these Plays - Nigel Deacon
The Brilliant Darkness of Radio Drama- Steve Walker
Richard Wortley's production of "The History Boys"
Radio Drama at the BBC in the Fifties: Jocelyne Tobin
London Rules - Catherine Czerkawska
Jeremy Stevenson Archive.
The Cast: Actors.
Digital Cleanup of sound recordings
More RADIO ARTICLES

External Links
A listener in Turkey: Laurence Raw's Reviews
A BBC fan in New York - Larry Slade's reviews

DIGITAL AUDIO CLEANUP
We carry out digital audio cleanup: both speech recordings and music. Examples: recovering recordings from old, broken or stuck cassettes, removing background noise from old tape recordings so they can be broadcast ; improving the quality of soundtracks; sound recovery from surveillance tapes and mobile phones (e.g. for court cases and tribunals); cleaning up recordings for archiving, pitch correction, rebalancing bass/middle/treble, transferring treasured cassette recordings onto CD; we have even produced samples for a rock group and improved wedding video soundtracks...... email if you have recordings which need sorting out.

Here's an example of what can be done: a snip from an unidentified radio play, before and after cleanup.

BBC RADIO PLAYS
The best radio plays in the world are from the BBC. Around three hundred have been commissioned each year for as long as I can remember. Watch out for new plays by Nick Warburton, John Dryden, Michelene Wandor, Katie Hims, Mike Bartlett, Stephen Wyatt, John Fletcher, John Peacock; always good, sometimes memorable....

The actor Ken Cumberlidge had a big pile of scripts which he'd kept (for Performing Rights reasons) and I've persuaded him to share some of the information with us. He's typed out play titles, studios used, and the SMs involved... thanks, Ken. This is online at :

http://www.steamingaudio.myzen.co.uk/rdc

The 'Old SMs' website has reappeared and can be found at http://www.oldsms.co.uk .

Radio Reviews
2013. 2012. 2011. 2010. 2009. 2008. 2007. 2006. 2005.
2004. 2003. 2002. 2001. 2000. 1999. 1998. 1997.

If you are not listed but would like to be, please send an email.

Crimson Cats Audio Books

Missing Radio Drama
Over the years, thousands of radio plays were discarded by the BBC. Before the year 2000, most radio plays (well over 90%) were not kept; if they still exist it will be in private collections only. Here are lists of missing plays ... please email if you can supply recordings. Those marked "FOUND" have been located and safety copies made.

lost afternoon theatre 1961-1984 (4000 entries -big file)
lists of more missing items: Saturday Night theatre, Thirty Minute Theatre, etc...

Test Match Special
"View from the Boundary" .... Test Match Special.



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