If you’ve ever listened to a play on BBC Radio 4 and thought it might be a lot of fun and a teeny bit glamorous to have your own radio play recorded by the BBC, you’re not wrong. I’ve had six plays broadcast on the radio and thoroughly enjoyed the writing and recording processes.
Getting Started
First thing to do is start listening to plays on Radio 4. You need to get the Radio Times to find out what the current slots are. There’s the 45 min afternoon play, which is your best bet for breaking in. There are also longer dramas on Friday and Saturday evenings and a Woman’s Hour serial/series.
Thinking In Sound
Some things work well in a radio drama, others don’t. If your idea relies on visual things like costume, art or photography that can be difficult to get across.
People have to speak in scenes, or be referred to by name by another character or we forget they are there. Silent types get lost.
Conversations can’t be completely realistic. You don’t need all the detail of a waitress taking an order etc unless it is relevant to the plot.
Don’t fall too in love with effects. We don’t have time to hear the car stopping, door opening, seatbelt unclicking, someone getting out, door slamming, gravel path, key in the lock.
Things that work well.
Accents are great!
Weather creates atmosphere. I had a scene in a radio play where two troubled people take shelter on Blackheath in the rain. In the studio while recording it, we all felt shivery and put our jackets or cardis on!
Whispering. The audience will listen intently, not wanting to miss a secret being shared.
Internal monologue used sparingly can help create a memorable character.
They have all kinds things in the studio to help record your play, including doors, stairs and a place that gives a car interior acoustic. The person on the other end of the phone can be put in a booth on headphones so it sounds right.
Choosing to set it in a world that is rich in sound helps your drama. I’ve set a radio play in a lost-airline-luggage auction, featuring all the chatter and heckling and in a nightclub during a stag night where women were wrestling in jelly.
Do write it specific sound effects. If you know the bird you want heard singing in the background is a Song Thrush, put that it is. The recording engineer will have time on receiving your script to find a recording of the exact bird or animal.
