Richard Imison
Richard Imison was born in Birkenhead, Merseyside, 31 October 1936 and died of cancer 9 February 1993.
Reading archaeology and anthropology at Pembroke College, Cambridge in the late 1950’s he formed and ran the Pembroke Players. Each vacation the players would tour Germany performing Shakespeare.
On graduating he joined the BBC and apart from brief stints as the BBC’s representative in India and on the television archaeology series Chronicle his entire career was devoted to radio drama. As Script Editor, he headed a large script reading unit where he and his dedicated staff conscientiously sifted thousands of scripts each year to find the best 400 suitable for production. No talent was overlooked. He was always staunchly loyal to writers he especially admired, whatever anyone else may have thought. He had perhaps the greatest spread of influence of anyone working in the field, giving writers the most unstinting support. He not only discovered dramatists such as Tom Stoppard, but also encouraged established writers such as Pinter and Beckett to write for the genre.
Through the BBC he founded an International Commissioning Scheme which commissioned acclaimed stage playwrights (Edward Albee was one) to write for radio. When the United States set out to revive Radio Drama in the 1970’s he advised the Corporation of Public Broadcasting and with the arrival of glasnost visited the Soviet Union to put together a Russian season with such writers as Ludmilla Petrushevskaya and Alexander Gelman. He also worked on steering committees for both the Prix Italia and the European Broadcasting Union.
At home he was always a good friend to, and accessible point of contact for both the Writers’ Guild and the Society of Authors. He became Deputy Head of the BBC Radio Drama department and in his final year with the Corporation was appointed the Managing Director’s spokesman for Radio.
In 1992, he decided to take early retirement to develop his talent for painting, writing and to finally produce a long-promised book sharing his knowledge and understanding of radio drama. Sadly, he never had time to complete it.
The annual IMISON AWARD was instigated shortly after his death to provide a memorial to him and to help the careers of younger radio writers. Please see the Imison Award page for more details (you'll find the link on the main Radio Plays page). He also instigated the well-known series "Just Before Midnight" (q.v.).
Information supplied by Jo Hodder, Society of Authors. Many thanks, Jo. - ND.
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RICHARD IMISON'S PLAYS
POOR BITOS....1989
Recorded 15.5.89, studio B11, BH. By Jean Anouilh, trans. Lucienne Hill. Producer Richard Imison; prod. assistant Julie McDonald(?).
THE NIGHT OF THE NEW MOON....1988
Outstanding radio drama with Sir Laurens van der Post, from his book, subtitled "The Prisoner and the Bomb". Sir Laurens was held in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Java during WW2. The play juxtaposes the hellish conditions in the camp, the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the subsequent surrender of the Japanese. Adapted by Peter Bevan, dram. Brian Sibley. Produced by Richard Imison; production assistant Blossom Martis, SM Tim Sturgeon. Recorded 20-21.7.88, in Maida Vale Studio 7.
Operation Cerberus....1972
By Michael Kittermaster.
'I can assure you that there are some very intensive
operations taking place within this complex. If that
were not so, it would hardly be necessary to maintain
a security post on the premises...'
Cast in order of speaking:
Pincombe-David March
Glover -Colin Gordon
Spicer -Nigel Anthony
Endicott-Gerald Cross
The Doctor-John Rye
Producer -Richard Imison
compiled by Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
