Notices

LOCKERBIE ON TRIAL
Jeremy Howe, Commissioning Editor at R4 Drama, and Steve Bowbrick have given me permission to reproduce Jeremy's article about his programme "Lockerbie on Trial". Many thanks to them both. The article originally appeared on the bbc blog. (ND, 24 Sep 09)

GORDON HOUSE, DAVID McKAIL
There is now a page about Gordon House (see Producers Index) and I'm working on one about David McKail, a.k.a. Frederic Mohr.

PETER TEGEL, ARNOLD EVANS
Pages on these radio writers have been compiled by Michael Lloyd and Greg Linden respectively (many thanks); these are now on-line. (ND,14 Jul 09)

CHARLES CHILTON
Apologies for the long wait - the site has received numerous updates, but this page has not. I have been preoccupied with other activities, mainly apple-related. (Leicestershire Heritage Apple Project is now up and running.)

Regular readers may be interested that the 'lost' pages (lost radio plays) are receiving an enormous number of visitors - around 1,000 per month. I am also receiving a steady trickle of radio recordings as a result. These are being incorporated into the collective vrpcc archive.

Listeners may be aware that another 'Journey into Space' episode has been broadcast, written by Julian Simpson, based on the tales devised by Charles Chilton.

Roger Howe has written a long article about CC, based on an interview which he carried out recently, and this is now online.

(ND, 3 Jul 09)

ERIC EWENS
I am putting together information about the radio dramatist Eric Ewens, who died in 1998. If anyone wishes to contribute information, please email.
(ND, 26 Sep 08)

A TOKYO MURDER - JOHN DRYDEN
I am grateful to John Dryden, who has sent full production details of his latest radio play, to be broadcast in three episodes on the afternoons of September 16,17, 18. He also sent some photographs taken by Daan Archer during recordings. These can be accessed at the bottom of John's page.
(ND, 27 Aug 08)

BBC WORLD SERVICE

An interesting letter about BBC World Service appeared in the press recently, from Charles Durrant. It reminded us that the World Service is funded by the Foreign Office, supposedly as Britain's voice around the world. But both the BBC and the government see its audience as largely Africa and Asia, with eastern Europe and South America a poor third and fourth, which is why France has been dropped. Rather than present Britain to the world – as it once did with British plays, British music, British literature, news about Britain – it now sees itself as an uncritical broadcaster of global events. The little music played is anything but British.

A reply came from Neville Teller a couple of days later, where he states: 'As an erstwhile contributor to the BBC World Service’s drama and literary output, I can vouch for the truth of Charles Durrant’s strictures.

Virtually the whole of that output – once a showcase for the world of the best of British drama and literature – has suffered death by a thousand cuts. First to go, in the mid-1990s, was the regular weekly 30-minute serial slot, to which I contributed dramatisations of books such as George A. Birmingham’s Spanish Gold, and Robert Goddard’s Into the Blue.

Next, in 2006, the regular 15-minute slot for radio readings, Off the Shelf, was removed from the schedules. Finally, the weekly Play of the Week, was excised. Adjusting to this brave new world has been a painful experience for radio writers. I believe listeners have suffered as well.' (10Aug 08)

GOD's REVOLUTION
By Don Taylor - new information about this serial (broadcast 1988) on the Don Taylor page. (Jun 08) Also - we now have a recording of this excellent production.

THE MONDAY PLAY
Roger Bickerton has kindly supplied a complete listing of the Monday Play, 1945-1998, compiled from Radio Times. This fills a big gap in our listings of lost plays.

The Monday Play was usually more thoughtful than Saturday Night Theatre or the afternoon play - not as 'highbrow' as Radio 3, but a serious piece of work, usually 90 minutes in length..... Many thanks, Roger - ND.

FAVOURITE RADIO PLAYS
I get a lot of requests asking me to list more of my favourite radio plays. A new list is here; I hope you find it of interest. I've also made a bit more progress in naming plays on the unidentified plays page.

One other matter - I notice there's no Friday Play today, nor next week. What's going on?
N.D., 16 May 08

HEAVY ROLLER....1988
This play is by John Latham and I think is vaguely related to cricket. Does anyone have a copy? He also wrote "The Spinning Room of Drunken Lovers" (1991) and "The hanging of Ernest Moon" (1993). Copies of these are also sought.

NIGEL MOFFATT and ALEC REID
Please note a new page on the playwright and writer Nigel Moffat, plus links to his site. He wrote the excellent 'Mamma Decemba', broadcast in 1997. There is also a page about Alec Reid who produced a large number of radio plays in the 1980s including Gilgamesh, The Machine, and the Father Brown stories.

LOST PLAYS
I have spent two hours today (3 Feb 08) updating the lost plays lists, taking account of recordings found in the last 12 months.

RONNIE BALLS and ADRIENNE MANS
George Balls has sent me a recording of a play written by his grandfather: THE FIRST TRAIN HOME , 3.6.1961, by Ronnie Balls, who also played the part of the Skipper in the radio play - one of the fishermen who took part in "D-Day" in a Yarmouth herring drifter. I have also received a recording of TRAITOR, by Adrienne Mans (1971). Juergen Schlenker has supplied biographical details of Adrienne Mans, which are on the Writers page. Information on "Traitor" is on the 'radio plays' page for 1971.

ROGER HARVEY
Roger was heavily involved with Independent Radio Drama in the 1980s. He's written an interesting account of this on our articles pages: click on "It's Drama, but with Adverts" to read it. There's also a separate page about Roger's work on the writers' index page.

SUSAN-JANE HARRISON
Susan-Jane Arevalo, who appears on our radio writers page as Susan-Jane Harrison, has a play "The Quetzal" being broadcast on Shoestring Radio, USA. Click on the link below and then on "Listen Now" under Shoestring Radio Theatre. Part 1 is available from 22-29 December; part 2 is online from Saturday to Saturday a week later. http://shoestring.org/listen.html#computer

ALISON PLOWDEN
Alison Plowden died in July 2007. I knew very little about her work, though was aware of her excellent adaptation of "Other Paths to Glory" by Anthony Price, and her dramatisation of a police mystery by Catherine Aird.

Barry Pike and Roger Bickerton have compiled a page about her radio work, and this is now on-line. See the WRITERS page.

LARRY SLADE
More interesting reviews of recent BBC Radio by a BBC fan in New York:
Larry Slade: see his website for comments on:

Solo behind the Iron Curtain by Tracy Spottiswoode
The woman from the north, by Bernard MacLaverty
Forty-Three Fifty-Nine by Mike Walker and John Dryden

SIR GAWAINE AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
New article by Gil Swain on the production by Raymond Raikes, broadcast in 1972. Biographical details on nearly all of the cast, including Deryck Guyler, Robin Browne, David Gooderson and Norman Shelley. Let us know what you think.

JANE PONCIA
Greg Linden has compiled an interesting page about the writer Jane Poncia, who has four BBC radio plays to her credit. She lives in Boston, Ma, USA, but comes originally from Wales. See the Writers page.

RADIO PLAYS - THE ACTORS
Gil Swain has recently suggested that a section of the website be devoted to "the cast" - the actors who make radio drama possible. Gil's preliminary page is on-line. I'm very grateful when people take the initiative like this. It's what the site was set up for.

LES BARKER
Clive Lever informs me that a series of Les Barker material was broadcast on radio 2 in the early to mid 90s, called "Mrs. Ackroyd explores her roots". Does anyone have a recording? Perhaps BBC7 would re-broadcast it if we could find a copy. There were six 30-minute programmes, broadcast once a week, just before Christmas.

WIRELESS THEATRE COMPANY
Some of you may already have visted this site; it's on our links page. http://www.wirelesstheatrecompany.co.uk

I've just heard from Mariele Temple that more drama downloads are available. They've had 18,000 hits since May, which is very pleasing. Amongst their new downloads are:

Comedy from sketch group IN THE MEANTIME
A two-hander called THE WOMAN INSIDE

They have also recorded NO CAUSE FOR ALARM, a comedy by Gareth Rubin, which will soon be online, and are presently recording DREAM ME A WRITER by Simon Farquhar, whose first radio play, CANDY FLOSS KISSES has been heard on radio 4 (and repeated in March this year). These downloads are free. Please pay them a visit.....7 Aug 07

RADIO PLAYS LISTED BY YEAR
I am grateful to Bob Thirsk who is assembling lists of radio plays by year. These can be found by clicking on RADIO PLAYS followed by PLAYS BY YEAR followed by BOB THIRSK'S LISTS. ....4 Aug 07

RODNEY WINGFIELD
I am very sad to report the death of Rodney Wingfield; radio playwright and crime writer, whom I had known since 1994.

He was instrumental in setting up this website, giving valuable help (and contacts) at a stage when I was tempted to give up. This is not the place for an obituary (there are plenty of these already on the net), but my sense of loss is a measure of the man.

He was a hugely talented radio writer and crime novelist, and a warm-hearted man of great integrity.

'You that would judge me, do not judge alone
This book or that...
Think where man's glory most begins and ends,
And say my glory was I had such friends.'

N.D. 2 Aug 07


JEREMY STEVENSON ARCHIVE
Jeremy has begun to expand his website; it's at an early stage, but his collection of recordings is not; he's been recording drama, comedy and Gilbert & Sullivan (live and broadcast) since 1958. His site is well worth a visit, and if you have rare recordings, particularly G&S, Jeremy would like to hear from you. To repeat what I said a few months ago: the Jeremy Stevenson Archive is probably the best private archive of off-air BBC recordings (comedy, drama and G&S) in the UK. ...26 Jul 07

http://www.gilbertandsullivan.freeservers.com

IMISON AND TINNISWOOD AWARDS
Jo Hodder of the Society of Authors has supplied shortlists for the Imison and Tinniswood drama awards - for plays broadcast during 2006. Details on those pages. ....18 Jul 07

T.C.HUDSON
I am sorry to report the death of T.C.Hudson, aged 97. He was the author of "Murder Remembered", which some of you will know, broadcast in 1970. Only last month he lent me (via a friend) a recording of the play which I've cleaned up and archived. ....17 Jul 07

RECENTLY FOUND RADIO PLAYS

Many thanks to "Rocco Siefert" (is this your real name?) who has sent me some excellent vintage plays. I do not know who you are ... cannot trace your email address. Please let me know.

MIKE HARRIS - RADIO DRAMA

An interesting piece by Mike Harris, one of our best-known authors, entitled Writing for Radio, is now on our Radio Plays page, reproduced by permission of Edinburgh University Press. This is taken from The Handbook of Creative Writing edited by Steven Earnshaw, published April 2007 at £18.99. The EUP website is at .....http://www.eup.ed.ac.uk

Another Mike Harris article will appear shortly. .........Thanks Mike - and thanks EUP.- ......ND.

One other thing - the ARTICLES page is getting rather full and is being reorganised. Comments welcome.

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