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104-548: Dick Barton – Special Agent is a radio thriller serial that was broadcast in the BBC Light Programme between 7 October 1946 and 30 March 1951. Produced and directed by Raymond Raikes , Neil Tuson, and Charles Lefaux, it was aired in 15-minute episodes at 6.45 (later 6.15) each weekday evening. From 11 January 1947 an additional "omnibus" edition repeated all of the week's programmes each Saturday morning between 11.00 and 12.00. In all, 711 episodes were produced and

208-436: A Molière adaptation), either as in-studio productions or by remote broadcast from local theaters and opera houses. An early British drama broadcast was of Shakespeare 's A Midsummer Night's Dream on 2LO on 25 July 1923. Serious study of American radio drama of the 1920s and early 1930s is, at best, very limited. Unsung pioneers of the art include: WLW's Fred Smith; Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll (who popularized

312-479: A broadcast. Translated and broadcast in Germany and England by 1925, the play was originally scheduled by Radio-Paris to air on October 23, 1924, but was instead banned from French radio until 1937 because the government feared that the dramatic SOS messages would be mistaken for genuine distress signals. In 1951, American writer and producer Arch Oboler suggested that Wyllis Cooper 's Lights Out (1934–47)

416-405: A decade of its initial development in the 1920s. By the 1940s, it was a leading international popular entertainment. With the advent of television in the 1950s, radio drama began losing its audience. However, it remains popular in much of the world. Recordings of OTR ( old-time radio ) survive today in the audio archives of collectors, libraries and museums, as well as several online sites such as

520-403: A dramatist in 1955, with his adaptation of his own novel Like Men Betrayed for the BBC Light Programme . However, he made his debut as an original playwright with The Dock Brief , starring Michael Hordern as a hapless barrister, first broadcast in 1957 on BBC Third Programme, later televised with the same cast and subsequently presented in a double bill with What Shall We Tell Caroline? at

624-458: A duplicitous character's internal monologue and his spoken words. The question of who was the first to write stream-of-consciousness drama for radio is a difficult one to answer. By 1930, Tyrone Guthrie had written plays for the BBC like Matrimonial News (which consists entirely of the thoughts of a shopgirl awaiting a blind date) and The Flowers Are Not for You to Pick (which takes place inside

728-537: A fair share of drama, both single plays (generally, as the name of the station indicated, of a lighter nature) and serials. In contrast, the BBC Third Programme, destined to become one of the leading cultural and intellectual forces in post-war Britain, specialized in heavier drama (as well as the serious music, talks, and other features which made up its content): long-form productions of both classical and modern/experimental dramatic works sometimes occupied

832-517: A fertile training ground and a steady source of employment for many actors, and this was particularly important because at this time the Australian theatre scene was in its infancy and opportunities were very limited. Many who trained in this medium (such as Peter Finch ) subsequently became prominent both in Australia and overseas. Toby Stephens Toby Stephens (born 21 April 1969)

936-557: A forerunner of radio drama because "his plays were performed by readers as sound plays, not by actors as stage plays... In this respect Seneca had no significant successors until 20th-century technology made possible the widespread dissemination of sound plays." Radio drama traces its roots back to the 1880s: "In 1881 French engineer Clement Ader had filed a patent for 'improvements of Telephone Equipment in Theatres ' " ( Théâtrophone ). English-language radio drama seems to have started in

1040-553: A further sequel to the television series and films based on Agatha Christie 's Miss Marple character. The show was broadcast in the US on PBS in June 2010. Stephens starred as a highly self-centred detective opposite Lucy Punch in a three-part comedy television series for BBC Two entitled Vexed . Stephens took on a small supporting role in a short film, The Lost Explorer , the directorial debut of photographer Tim Walker . The film

1144-527: A good training ground for beginning drama writers as the words written form a much greater part of the finished product; bad lines cannot be obscured with stagecraft. The BBC's sole surviving radio soap is The Archers on BBC Radio 4 : it is, with over 18,700 episodes to date, the world's longest-running such programme. Other radio soaps ("ongoing serials") produced by the BBC but no longer on air include: In September, 2010 Radio New Zealand began airing its first ongoing soap opera, You Me Now , which won

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1248-418: A long list of others who were credited at the time with any number of innovations but who are largely forgotten or undiscussed today. Elizabeth McLeod 's 2005 book on Gosden and Correll's early work is a major exception, as is Richard J. Hand's 2006 study of horror radio, which examines some programs from the late 1920s and early 1930s. Another notable early radio drama, one of the first specially written for

1352-419: A new generation of dramatists also emerged at this time, notably Yuri Rasovsky , Thomas Lopez of ZBS and the dramatic sketches heard on humorist Garrison Keillor 's A Prairie Home Companion . Brian Daley 's 1981 adaptation of the blockbuster space opera film Star Wars for NPR Playhouse was a notable success. Production costs on this serial were mitigated by the support of Lucasfilm , which sold

1456-515: A number of short radio plays in the 1950s and 1960s, and later for television; his radio play Embers was first broadcast on the BBC Third Programme on 24 June 1959 and won the RAI prize at the Prix Italia awards later that year. Robert Bolt's writing career began with scripts for Children's Hour . A Man for All Seasons was subsequently produced on television in 1957. Then in 1960, there

1560-553: A number of these on CD. The Dick Barton radio series was later relaunched in the UK on BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7 ) and further Dick Barton CDs have been announced by AudioGO (using the NFSA recordings). The BBC produced a completely new live recording of an original 1951 Dick Barton serial in June 2013, starring Tim Bentinck and Terry Molloy. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22689138 This new live production of

1664-532: A pitching process to be made and distributed (as these aspects of production can be learned by the creator) and which have no restrictions regarding programme length or content. In Australia, as in most other developed countries, from the early years of the medium almost every radio network and station featured drama, serials, and soap operas as staples of their programming; during the so-called "Golden Years" of radio these were hugely popular. Many Australian serials and "soapies" were copies of American originals (e.g.,

1768-452: A potential one hour, prime time US television show, Inseparable , to be produced by Shaun Cassidy . Billed as a modern Jekyll and Hyde story, the show was to feature a partially paralysed forensic psychologist whose other personality is a charming criminal. Stephens' casting was highly unusual, because Fox had not yet approved a script nor purchased a pilot for the show. However, in mid-May 2008, The Hollywood Reporter announced that "[b]y

1872-636: A radio playwright and, starting in 1962 with The Ants , she wrote nine productions with BBC radio drama up until 1973, when her stage work began to be recognised at the Royal Court Theatre . Joe Orton 's dramatic debut in 1963 was the radio play The Ruffian on the Stair , which was broadcast on 31 August 1964. Tom Stoppard 's "first professional production was in the 15-minute Just Before Midnight programme on BBC Radio , which showcased new dramatists". John Mortimer made his radio debut as

1976-1198: A regular troupe of actors, The WGY Players. Aware of this series, the director of Cincinnati 's WLW began regularly broadcasting one-acts (as well as excerpts from longer works) in November. The success of these projects led to imitators at other stations. By early 1923, original dramatic pieces written specially for radio were airing on stations in Cincinnati ( When Love Wakens by WLW's Fred Smith), Philadelphia ( The Secret Wave by Clyde A. Criswell) and Los Angeles ( At Home over KHJ ). That same year, WLW (in May) and WGY (in September) sponsored scripting contests, inviting listeners to create original plays to be performed by those stations' dramatic troupes. Listings in The New York Times and other sources for May 1923 reveal at least 20 dramatic offerings were scheduled (including one-acts, excerpts from longer dramas, complete three- and four-act plays, operettas and

2080-644: A revival, with a growing number of independent producers who are able to build an audience through Internet distribution. While there are few academic programs in the United States that offer training in radio drama production, organizations such as the National Audio Theatre Festival teach the craft to new producers. The digital age has also resulted in recording styles that differ from the studio recordings of radio drama's Golden Age. Not from Space (2003) on XM Satellite Radio

2184-624: A six-part sequel/pastiche called Richard Barton: General Practitioner! , in which Dick Barton's son Richard is a country doctor caring for his apparently senile father, who retreats into fantasies based on his past adventures, believing that there are devilish enemies lurking around him. The series was written by Edward Mason's son Lol Mason, and featured Moray Watson as old Dick Barton, Robert Bathurst as his son Richard, Matilda Ziegler as Richard's wife Sally, Julian Dutton as young Dick Barton and Iain Cuthbertson as Jock Anderson. The series

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2288-414: A tongue-in-cheek stage play and a spoof radio comedy. Each version has featured the originals' memorable signature tune, " Devil's Galop " by Charles Williams . The series was devised by producer Norman Collins . The scripts were written by Edward J. Mason , Geoffrey Webb and Produced and directed by Raymond Raikes . The programme gave rise to a popular catchphrase of the late 1940s "With one bound, Dick

2392-507: A variation of the technique (so that the listener can hear the final thoughts and relived memories of a man falling to his death from the title building). There were probably earlier examples of stream-of-consciousness drama on the radio. For example, in December 1924, actor Paul Robeson , then appearing in a revival of Eugene O'Neill 's The Emperor Jones , performed a scene from the play over New York's WGBS to critical acclaim. Some of

2496-472: A variety of radio plays from the BBC's vast archives and a few extended versions of Radio 4 programmes. The British commercial station Oneword , though broadcasting mostly book readings, also transmitted a number of radio plays in instalments before it closed in 2008. In the United States, contemporary radio drama can be found on broadcasters including ACB radio, produced by the American Council of

2600-464: A year by the mid-1940s. Producers of radio drama soon became aware that adapting stage plays for radio did not always work, and that there was a need for plays specifically written for radio, which recognized its potential as a distinct and different medium from the theatre. George Bernard Shaw 's plays, for example, were seen as readily adaptable. However, in a lead article in the BBC literary journal The Listener , of 14 August 1929, which discussed

2704-721: Is a British actor who has appeared in films in the United Kingdom, United States and India. He is known for the roles of Bond villain Gustav Graves in the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day , for which he was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor , William Gordon in the 2005 Mangal Pandey: The Rising film and Edward Fairfax Rochester in the 2006 BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre . From 2014 to 2017, he starred as Captain Flint in

2808-683: Is based on a short story by author Patrick McGrath . On the London stage in the spring of 2010, Stephens received outstanding reviews for his performance as Henry in a revival of Tom Stoppard 's The Real Thing , directed by Anna Mackmin at the Old Vic Theatre in London. Of debuting at the Old Vic, where his parents performed as part of Laurence Olivier 's Royal National Theatre Company, Stephens said: "It's quite moving for me to do something there. It means it has an added fascination. It

2912-676: The BBC Home Service (itself the result of the fusion in September 1939 of the pre-war National and Regional Programmes ). These were the BBC Light Programme (dating from 29 July 1945 and a direct successor to the wartime General Forces Programme ) and the BBC Third Programme (launched on 29 September 1946). The BBC Light Programme, while principally devoted to light entertainment and music, carried

3016-522: The Hammer film company made three Dick Barton films, which were intended to be the beginning of a long-running series. Don Stannard , the star, was killed in a car crash in 1949, and Hammer decided to discontinue the series after the production of only three films. Hammer shelved plans to film the next Dick Barton film, Dick Barton in Africa written by John Gilling . In 1979, Southern Television , one of

3120-751: The Indian rebellion of 1857 . The following year he returned to India to play a renegade British East India Company officer in Sharpe's Challenge . In late 2006, he starred as Edward Rochester in the highly acclaimed BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre (broadcast in the United States on PBS in early 2007) and The Wild West in February 2007 for the BBC in which he played General George Armstrong Custer in Custer's Last Stand . During mid-2007, Stephens played

3224-520: The Internet Archive . By the 21st century, radio drama had a minimal presence on terrestrial radio in the United States, with much American radio drama being restricted to rebroadcasts of programmes from previous decades. However, other nations still have thriving traditions of radio drama. In the United Kingdom, for example, the BBC produces and broadcasts hundreds of new radio plays each year on Radio 3 , Radio 4 , and Radio 4 Extra . Like

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3328-580: The James Bond film Die Another Day . Aged 33 at the time of film's release, he remains the youngest actor to have played a Bond villain . The following year, he depicted British double-agent Kim Philby in the BBC miniseries Cambridge Spies , co-starring with Tom Hollander , Samuel West , and Rupert Penry-Jones . In 2005, he played the role of a British Army captain in the Indian film, The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey , portraying events in

3432-663: The King James Version of the Bible for BBC Radio 4 as part of a celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Bible's publication. Stephens performed the role of Raymond Chandler 's Philip Marlowe in a radio serial, which debuted in February 2011. Stephens narrated another audiobook, Paul Temple and the Geneva Mystery , released in February 2011. From 2014 to 2017, Stephens starred as Captain James Flint in

3536-822: The Lyric Hammersmith in April 1958, before transferring to the Garrick Theatre . Mortimer is most famous for Rumpole of the Bailey , a British television series which starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an aging London barrister who defends any and all clients. It has been spun off into a series of short stories, novels, and radio programmes. Giles Cooper was a pioneer in writing for radio, becoming prolific in both radio and television drama. His early successes included radio dramatisations of Charles Dickens 's Oliver Twist , William Golding 's Lord of

3640-671: The Starz television series Black Sails , a prequel to Treasure Island , set in the early 18th century during the Golden Age of Piracy . In 2016, he was cast as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the film The Journey . Between 2018 and 2021, he appeared as John Robinson in Lost in Space , the Netflix remake of the 1965 TV series . In 2021, he featured as Damian Cray in

3744-720: The Starz television series Black Sails , followed by one of the lead roles in the Netflix science fiction series Lost in Space from 2018 to 2021. He has starred as the Greek God Poseidon in Percy Jackson and the Olympians . Stephens, the younger son of actors Dame Maggie Smith and Sir Robert Stephens , was born on 21 April 1969 at the Middlesex Hospital in Fitzrovia , London . He

3848-491: The Warehouse Theatre in December 1998 to great acclaim. It was revived in 1999 and productions then toured Britain between 1998 and 2001. Following its success, further "episodes" were written and performed at the Warehouse Theatre : The BBC's 1972 remake of the very first Dick Barton serial has been available to buy on BBC CD and tape for many years. For some time, this was the only Dick Barton radio material that

3952-555: The driveway moment for over 300,000 people listeners each week during readings of contemporary and classic short stories by well-known professional actors. The lack of visuals also enable fantastical settings and effects to be used in radio plays where the cost would be prohibitive for movies or television. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was first produced as radio drama, and was not adapted for television until much later, when its popularity would ensure an appropriate return for

4056-507: The sensationalism of Dick Barton . The Archers , which they considered more 'suitable', took Dick Barton 's place in the schedules from Easter 1951. In 1972 as part of the BBC's Golden Jubilee, the BBC broadcast a new, abridged, 10-episode version of the first Barton serial - "The Secret Weapon". The cast included many members of the original cast, including Noel Johnson, John Mann, William Fox, Alex McCrindle, and Margaret Robertson. From October 1997 to May 1998, BBC Radio 4 broadcast

4160-667: The 1951 Barton story Dick Barton and the Trail of the Rocket was recorded at the Y Theatre in Leicester using original scripts from 1951. It was released on CD by BBC Audio in July 2014, along with a number of bonus features. It is the only recording of this final Dick Barton serial to be made available by the BBC on CD. The original 1951 recording was never archived. It was billed as Dick Barton - Special Agent: LIVE and starred Tim Bentinck in

4264-499: The 1960s, Dick Orkin created the popular syndicated comic adventure series Chicken Man . ABC Radio aired a daily dramatic anthology program, Theater Five , in 1964–65. Inspired by The Goon Show , "the four or five crazy guys" of the Firesign Theatre built a large following with their satirical plays on recordings exploring the dramatic possibilities inherent in stereo. A brief resurgence of production beginning in

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4368-534: The Arts and Humanities , public radio continued to air a smattering of audio drama until the mid-1980s. From 1986 to 2002, NPR's most consistent producer of radio drama was the idiosyncratic Joe Frank , working out of KCRW in Santa Monica. The Sci Fi Channel presented an audio drama series, Seeing Ear Theatre , on its website from 1997 to 2001. Also, the dramatic serial It's Your World aired twice daily on

4472-640: The BBC Third Programme, and novelist Wyndham Lewis 's The Human Age (1955). Among contemporary novels that were dramatised were the 1964 radio adaptation of Stan Barstow 's A Kind of Loving (1960); there had also been a 1962 film adaption. After the advent of television, radio drama never recovered its popularity in the United States. Most remaining CBS and NBC radio dramas were cancelled in 1960. The last network radio dramas to originate during American radio's " Golden Age ", Suspense and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar , ended on September 30, 1962. There have been some efforts at radio drama since then. In

4576-543: The Best New Drama Award in the 2011 New Zealand Radio Awards . On KDVS radio in Davis, California there are two radio theater shows, Evening Shadows , a horror/fantasy show paying tribute to classic old-time radio horror, and KDVS Radio Theater which commonly features dramas about social and political themes. The audio drama format exists side by side with books presented on radio , read by actors or by

4680-580: The Blind ; on the Sirius XM Book Radio channel from Sirius XM Satellite Radio (previously Sonic Theater on XM); and occasionally in syndication, as with Jim French 's production Imagination Theater . Several community radio stations carry weekly radio drama programs including KBOO , KFAI , WMPG , WLPP and WFHB . A growing number of religious radio stations air daily or weekly programs usually geared to younger audiences, such as Focus on

4784-487: The Blitz. After the war in 1946 it was moved to the BBC Light Programme . The BBC continued producing various kinds of drama, including docu-drama, throughout World War II ; amongst the writers they employed were the novelist James Hanley and poet Louis MacNeice , who in 1941 became an employee of the BBC's. MacNeice's work for the BBC initially involved writing and producing radio programmes intended to build support for

4888-744: The Family 's Adventures in Odyssey (1,700+ syndicated stations), or Pacific Garden Mission 's Unshackled! (1,800 syndicated stations – a long-running radio drama), which is geared to adults. The networks sometime sell transcripts of their shows on cassette tapes or CDs or make the shows available for listening or downloading over the Internet. Transcription recordings of many pre-television shows have been preserved. They are collected, re-recorded onto audio CDs and/or MP3 files and traded by hobbyists today as old-time radio programs. Meanwhile, veterans such as

4992-498: The Firefly Adventure' written by Edward J. Mason & Produced by Morris West. This story was first broadcast in the United Kingdom sometime in 1950; actual transmission dates are unknown at this time. Australian broadcast dates are unknown. (RELEASED: 3 SEPTEMBER 2015) Dick Barton - Special Agent: LIVE: 11 STORY 39 : ' Dick Barton and the Trail of the Rocket' written by Bertie Chapman. (RELEASED: July 2014) All of

5096-582: The Flies , and John Wyndham 's classic science fiction novel Day of the Triffids . He was also successful in the theatre. The first of his radio plays to make his reputation was Mathry Beacon (1956), about a small detachment of men and women still guarding a Top Secret "missile deflector" somewhere in Wales, years after the war has ended. Bill Naughton 's radio play Alfie Elkins and his Little Life (1962)

5200-657: The Li-Chang Adventure' written by Edward J. Mason. This story was first broadcast in the United Kingdom 22 December 1947 – 23 January 1948. Australian broadcast dates are unknown. (RELEASED: 5 APRIL 2012) 9 STORY 14 : ' Dick Barton and the Case of Conrad Ruda' (which takes place right after "The Li-Chang Adventure") written by Basil Dawson. This story was first broadcast in the United Kingdom 26 January 1948 – 20 February 1948. Australian broadcast dates are unknown. (RELEASED: 5 APRIL 2012) 10 STORY 16 : ' Dick Barton and

5304-559: The Paris Adventure' (which takes place right after "The Secret Weapon") written by Edward J. Mason. This recording was originally broadcast in Australia 14 March - 14 April 1949; original United Kingdom transmission dates are unknown at this time. (RELEASED: April 2011) 3 STORY 3 : ' Dick Barton and the Cabatolin Diamonds' (which takes place right after "The Paris Adventure") written by Geoffrey Webb. This recording

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5408-628: The RSC. He played Stanley Kowalski in a West End production of Tennessee Williams ' A Streetcar Named Desire , and Hamlet in 2004. He has appeared on Broadway in Ring Round the Moon . He played the lead in the film Photographing Fairies and played Orsino in Trevor Nunn 's 1996 film adaptation of William Shakespeare 's Twelfth Night . In 2002, he took on the role of Gustav Graves in

5512-596: The Tibetan Adventure' (which takes place right after "The Smash and Grab Raiders") written by Edward J. Mason. This recording was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom 24 March - 18 April 1947 and in Australia 19 September - 14 October 1949. (RELEASED: 3 November 2011) 6 STORY 9 : ' Dick Barton and the Affair of the Black Panther' written by Geoffrey Webb. This recording was originally broadcast in

5616-910: The US, Australia's network the ABC has abandoned broadcasting drama but in New Zealand on RNZ , continues to promote and broadcast a variety of drama over its airwaves. Thanks to advances in digital recording and Internet distribution, radio drama experienced a revival around 2010. Podcasting offered the means of inexpensively creating new radio dramas, in addition to the distribution of vintage programs. The terms audio drama or audio theatre are sometimes used synonymously with radio drama ; however, audio drama or audio theatre may not necessarily be intended specifically for broadcast on radio. Audio drama can also be found on CDs , cassette tapes , podcasts, webcasts , or other digital downloads as well as broadcast radio. The Roman playwright Seneca has claim as

5720-481: The US, and later Russia, through cultural programmes emphasising links between the countries rather than outright propaganda. By the end of the war MacNeice had written well over 60 scripts for the BBC, including Christopher Columbus (1942), which starred Laurence Olivier , The Dark Tower (1946), and a six-part radio adaptation of Goethe 's Faust (1949). Following World War II the BBC reorganized its radio provision, introducing two new channels to supplement

5824-493: The United Kingdom 10–31 May 1947 and in Australia 3 November - December 1949. (RELEASED: 5 January 2012) 7 STORY 10 : ' Dick Barton and the Vulture' (which takes place right after "The Affair of the Black Panther") written by Edward J. Mason. This story was first broadcast in the United Kingdom 29 September 1947 – 24 October 1947. Australian broadcast dates are unknown. (RELEASED: 5 January 2012) 8 STORY 13 : ' Dick Barton and

5928-508: The United States (and also in other parts of the world). There were dozens of programs in many different genres, from mysteries and thrillers, to soap operas and comedies. Among American playwrights, screenwriters and novelists who got their start in radio drama are Rod Serling and Irwin Shaw . In Britain, however, during the 1930s BBC programming, tended to be more high brow, including the works of Shakespeare, Classical Greek drama, as well as

6032-430: The United States. A Rural Line on Education , a brief sketch specifically written for radio, aired on Pittsburgh 's KDKA in 1921, according to historian Bill Jaker. Newspaper accounts of the era report on a number of other drama experiments by America's commercial radio stations: KYW broadcast a season of complete operas from Chicago starting in November 1921. In February 1922, entire Broadway musical comedies with

6136-425: The United States. Stephens appeared in two episodes of a six-part television series, Strike Back , based on the novel by Chris Ryan . The series aired in May 2010. In mid-2009, Stephens returned to the London stage in the Donmar Warehouse production of Ibsen 's A Doll's House alongside Gillian Anderson and Christopher Eccleston . In 2010, he starred in the made-for-television film The Blue Geranium ,

6240-476: The above, including the BBC Radio documentary "Dick Barton: Still a Special Agent", have been released together for audio download as "Dick Barton: Special Agent - The Complete BBC Radio Collection" by Audible . Daily Express Article http://www.bbcshop.com/dick-barton-live/invt/9781910281253 thrillingdetective.com lists radio and TV series, films and novels Films on the IMDB database Radio drama Radio drama achieved widespread popularity within

6344-399: The author. In Britain and other countries there is also quite a bit of radio comedy (both stand-up and sitcom). Together, these programs provide entertainment where television is either not wanted or would be distracting (such as while driving or operating machinery). Selected Shorts , a long-running NPR program broadcast in front of a live audience at Symphony Space in New York, originated

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6448-400: The boss of McInnerny's character. On 5 October 2008, Stephens appeared onstage at the London Palladium as part of a benefit entitled "The Story of James Bond , A Tribute to Ian Fleming ". The event, organised by Fleming's niece, Lucy Fleming , featured music from various James Bond films and Bond film stars reading from Fleming's Bond novels. Stephens took the part of James Bond himself in

6552-409: The broadcasting of 12 great plays, it was suggested that while the theatrical literature of the past should not be neglected the future lay mainly with plays written specifically for the microphone. In 1939–40, the BBC founded its own Drama Repertory Company which made a stock of actors readily available. After the war, the number was around 50. They performed in the great number of plays broadcast in

6656-400: The character. The cast of the show was Tony Vogel as Dick Barton, Anthony Heaton as Snowey White, James Cosmo as Jock Anderson and John Gatrell as Sir Richard Marley. The 32x15 minutes episodes were transmitted by most of the ITV network on Saturdays and Sundays between January and April 1979. Southern, however, screened the show across consecutive nights from Mondays through to Thursday in

6760-517: The dramatic serial ); The Eveready Hour creative team (which began with one-act plays but was soon experimenting with hour-long combinations of drama and music on its weekly variety program); the various acting troupes at stations like WLW, WGY, KGO and a number of others, frequently run by women like Helen Schuster Martin and Wilda Wilson Church; early network continuity writers like Henry Fisk Carlton, William Ford Manley and Don Clark; producers and directors like Clarence Menser and Gerald Stopp; and

6864-436: The early 1970s yielded Rod Serling 's The Zero Hour for Mutual , National Public Radio 's Earplay , and veteran Himan Brown 's CBS Radio Mystery Theater and General Mills Radio Adventure Theater . These productions were later followed by the Sears/Mutual Radio Theater , The National Radio Theater of Chicago , NPR Playhouse , and a newly produced episode of the former 1950s series X Minus One . Works by

6968-578: The early 1970s. Henry Reed was especially successful with the Hilda Tablet plays. Irish playwright Brendan Behan, author of The Quare Fellow (1954), was commissioned by the BBC to write a radio play The Big House (1956); prior to this he had written two plays for Irish radio: Moving Out and A Garden Party . Among the most famous works created for radio, are Dylan Thomas 's Under Milk Wood (1954), Samuel Beckett 's All That Fall (1957), Harold Pinter 's A Slight Ache (1959), and Robert Bolt 's A Man for All Seasons (1954). Beckett wrote

7072-461: The heyday of BBC radio drama of the 40s–60s. Initially the BBC resisted American-style 'soap opera', but eventually highly popular serials, like Dick Barton, Special Agent (1946–51), Mrs Dale's Diary (1948–69) and The Archers (1950–), were produced. The Archers is still running (as of July 2024 ) and is the world's longest-running soap opera with a total of over 18,400 episodes. There had been some earlier serialized drama including,

7176-567: The high cost of the futuristic setting. On occasion television series can be revived as radio series. For example, a long-running but no longer popular television series can be continued as a radio series because the reduced production costs make it cost-effective with a much smaller audience. When an organization owns both television and radio channels, such as the BBC, the fact that no royalties have to be paid makes this even more attractive. Radio revivals can also use actors reprising their television roles even after decades as they still sound roughly

7280-797: The late Yuri Rasovsky ( The National Radio Theater of Chicago ) and Thomas Lopez ( ZBS Foundation ) have gained new listeners on cassettes, CDs and downloads. In the mid-1980s, the nonprofit L.A. Theatre Works launched its radio series recorded before live audiences. Productions have been broadcast via public radio, while also being marketed on compact discs and via download. Carl Amari 's nationally syndicated radio series Hollywood 360 features four old-time radio shows during his four-hour weekly broadcasts. Amari also broadcasts old-time radio shows on The WGN Radio Theatre heard every Saturday night beginning at 10 pm on 720-WGN in Chicago. In addition to traditional radio broadcasters, modern radio drama (also known as audio theater, or audio drama), has experienced

7384-438: The lead. The following Dick Barton dramas are now available to buy on CD (or as downloads) via BBC Audio: 1 STORY 1 : ' Dick Barton and the Secret Weapon' (AKA 'Dick Barton: Special Agent) written by Edward J. Mason and originally broadcast 1946. The serial was re-recorded in November 1972 with much of the original cast. This is the 1972 version. (RELEASED: 1989) (RE-RELEASED: 2001 and 2009) 2 STORY 2 : ' Dick Barton and

7488-475: The major part of its output on any given evening. The Home Service, meanwhile, continued to broadcast more "middle-brow" drama (one-off plays and serializations) daily. The high-water mark for BBC radio drama was the 1950s and 1960s, and during this period many major British playwrights either effectively began their careers with the BBC, or had works adapted for radio. Most of playwright Caryl Churchill 's early experiences with professional drama production were as

7592-465: The many storytellers and monologists on early 1920s American radio might be able to claim even earlier dates. Perhaps America's most famous radio drama broadcast is Orson Welles ' The War of the Worlds (a 1938 version of H. G. Wells ' novel ), which inspired stories of a mass panic that, though greatly exaggerated, signaled the power of the form. By the late 1930s, radio drama was widely popular in

7696-435: The medium in the UK, was A Comedy of Danger by Richard Hughes , broadcast by the BBC on January 15, 1924, about a group of people trapped in a Welsh coal mine. One of the earliest and most influential French radio plays was the prize-winning Marémoto ('Seaquake'), by Gabriel Germinet and Pierre Cusy, which presents a realistic account of a sinking ship before revealing that the characters are actually actors rehearsing for

7800-700: The mind of a drowning man). After they were published in 1931, Guthrie's plays aired on the American networks. Around the same time, Guthrie himself also worked for the Canadian National Railway radio network , producing plays written by Merrill Denison that used similar techniques. A 1940 article in Variety credited a 1932 NBC play, Drink Deep by Don Johnson, as the first stream-of-consciousness play written for American radio. The climax of Lawrence Holcomb's 1931 NBC play Skyscraper also uses

7904-485: The nation from disaster time and time again. The series was replaced from time to time by one about the adventures of an explorer. One episode was entitled "Plague on the Plateau". Beginning in 1948, the Hammer film company made three Dick Barton films and, long after the radio series had been replaced by The Archers , Southern Television made a television version in 1979. Dick Barton has also been adapted into

8008-474: The nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show from 1994 to 2008, continuing online through 2010. Radio drama remains popular in much of the world, though most material is now available through Internet download rather than heard over terrestrial or satellite radio. Stations producing radio drama often commission a large number of scripts. The relatively low cost of producing a radio play enables them to take chances with works by unknown writers. Radio can be

8112-415: The original casts aired from WJZ 's Newark studios. Actors Grace George and Herbert Hayes performed an entire play from a San Francisco station in the summer of 1922. An important turning point in radio drama came when Schenectady, New York 's WGY , after a successful tryout on August 3, 1922, began weekly studio broadcasts of full-length stage plays in September 1922, using music, sound effects and

8216-414: The popular soap Portia Faces Life or the adventure series Superman , which featured future Australian TV star Leonard Teale in the title role), although these were typically locally produced and performed live to air, since the technology of the time did not permit high-quality pre-recording or duplication of programs for import or export. In this period radio drama, serials and soap operas provided

8320-409: The postwar decades, from which many actors and directors proceeded to international careers, but abolished its radio drama department in the 1970s and finally ceased production of radio dramas in 2012. BBC Radio 4 in today noted for its radio drama, broadcasting hundreds of new, one-off plays each year in such strands as The Afternoon Play , as well as serials and soap operas. Radio 4 Extra broadcasts

8424-467: The programme was schoolboys) wrote a strict code of what Dick and his chums could and couldn't do, one clause famously stating "Sex plays no part in his adventures." * With John Morgan, Robert Peach, Clifford Cowley and Richard Davies. In 1951 The Archers was first broadcast at 11.45 am on the Light Programme . BBC management, led by drama head Val Gielgud , had never felt comfortable with

8528-546: The radio series's original timeslot of 6.45 to 7.00pm. The complete series was released on DVD in March 2009, and in 2010 re-runs of Dick Barton were shown on the British satellite television channel Film 24 . By 2016 it had reappeared on Talking Pictures TV . A stage musical, Dick Barton Episode I, Special Agent , written by Phil Willmott , directed by Ted Craig . Musical direction was by Stefan Bednarczyk. It premièred at

8632-458: The readings. In early December 2008, Stephens read from Coda , the last book written by friend Simon Gray , for BBC Radio 4 . The excerpts from which Stephens read included Gray's description of his participation as godfather at the christening of Stephens' son Eli. Early in 2009, Stephens appeared as Prince John in season 3 of the BBC series Robin Hood . The series aired on BBC America in

8736-588: The rights to NPR for a nominal $ 1 fee, and by the participation of the BBC in an international co-production deal. Star Wars was credited with generating a 40% rise in NPR's ratings and quadrupling the network's youth audience overnight. Radio adaptations of the sequels followed with The Empire Strikes Back in 1983 and Return of the Jedi in 1996. Thanks in large part to the National Endowments for

8840-629: The role of Jerry in a revival of Harold Pinter 's Betrayal under the direction of Roger Michell . Later that year, Stephens starred as Horner in Jonathan Kent 's revival of William Wycherley 's The Country Wife . The play was the inaugural production of the Theatre Royal Haymarket Company. In February 2008, the Fox Broadcasting Company gave the go-ahead to cast Stephens as the lead in

8944-428: The same. Series that have had this treatment include Doctor Who , Dad's Army , Thunderbirds and The Tomorrow People . In 2013 BBC Radio 4 released a radio adaptation of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman , featuring a cast of well known television and film actors. Neil Gaiman has said he was excited about the radio drama adaptation as it allowed the work to be presented with a greater deal of special effects than

9048-459: The second season of Alex Rider . He appeared as the Greek God Poseidon in the series Percy Jackson and the Olympians , the Disney+ adaption of the books by the same name . Stephens and New Zealand-born actress Anna-Louise Plowman were married in 2001. Their first child, a son, was born in 2007. The British playwright Simon Gray (who wrote Japes , a stage play, and Missing Dates ,

9152-529: The serial achieved a peak audience of 20 million. Its end was marked by a leading article in The Times . The serial followed the adventures of ex- commando Captain Richard Barton MC ( Noel Johnson , later Duncan Carse and Gordon Davies) who, with his mates Jock Anderson ( Alex McCrindle ) and Snowey White ( John Mann ), solved all sorts of crimes, escaped from dangerous situations, and saved

9256-564: The six episode The Shadow of the Swastika (1939), Dorothy L. Sayers 's The Man Born To Be King , in twelve episodes (1941), and Front Line Family (1941–48), which was broadcast to America as part of the effort to encourage the US to enter the war. The show's storylines depicted the trials and tribulations of a British family, the Robinsons, living through the war. This featured plots about rationing, family members missing in action and

9360-484: The smaller ITV Network Companies , made a series of Dick Barton - Special Agent which ran in an early evening slot on the ITV Network. Like the original, it ran in 15-minute segments and was again accompanied by the familiar theme tune, the titles playing against an animated dagger and target motif. The production was blighted by financial troubles, though, and some critics said it was a mistake to try to resurrect

9464-439: The time the network picked up the pilot (...) [the producers'] hold on Stephens had expired (...)" In May 2008, Stephens performed the role of James Bond in a BBC Radio 4 production of Ian Fleming 's Dr. No , as part of the centenary celebration of Fleming's birth. The production was reportedly the first BBC radio dramatisation of the novel though Moonraker was on South African radio in 1956, with Bob Holness providing

9568-448: The voice of Bond. He has since appeared in a number of adaptations of other James Bond novels. Also in May 2008, Stock-pot Productions announced that Stephens will have the lead role in a feature-length film entitled Fly Me , co-starring Tim McInnerny . Stock-pot was the producer of One Day , a short 2006 film shown at international film festivals, in which Stephens played a small part as

9672-506: The works of major modern playwrights, such as Chekhov , Ibsen , Strindberg , and so forth. Novels and short stories were also frequently dramatised. In addition the plays of contemporary writers and original plays were produced, with, for example, a broadcast of T. S. Eliot 's famous verse play Murder in the Cathedral in 1936. By 1930, the BBC was producing "twice as many plays as London's West End " and were producing over 400 plays

9776-495: Was a highly successful stage production in London's West End and on New York's Broadway from late 1961. In addition there have been two film versions: in 1966 starring Paul Scofield and 1988 for television, starring Charlton Heston . While Alan Ayckbourn did not write for radio many of his stage plays were subsequently adapted for radio. Other significant adaptations included, dramatised readings of poet David Jones 's In Parenthesis in 1946 and The Anathemata in 1953, for

9880-562: Was an historic place but I never saw anything when [my parents] were there, which is really sad, because I was just born. I'm a huge admirer of Stoppard's work." In 2010, Stephens appeared as Georges Danton in Danton's Death . The play was another debut for Stephens, this time at London's Royal National Theatre . Over the years, Stephens has continued to prolifically narrate audiobooks and perform in broadcast radio dramas. In January 2011, Stephens joined other stars in narrating portions of

9984-572: Was commercially available, having been recovered from a recording made by a member of the public, but this has now changed. In February 2011, BBC Radio 4 and a number of national newspapers reported that 338 episodes of Dick Barton recorded in the late 1940s had been recovered from the NFSA [National Film and Sound Archive] in Australia; these re-recordings, using the original BBC scripts and music cues, starred Douglas Kelly as Barton with Moira Carleton, Clifford Cowley, Richard Davies, William Lloyd and Patricia Kennedy. BBC Worldwide's audio arm have released

10088-848: Was educated at Aldro School and Seaford College in West Sussex . He then trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Stephens began his film career with the role of Othello in 1992, in Sally Potter 's Orlando . He has since made regular appearances on television (including in The Camomile Lawn , 1992) and on stage. He played the title role in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Coriolanus shortly after graduation from LAMDA; that same season he played Claudio in Measure for Measure for

10192-667: Was first broadcast on the BBC Third Programme on 7 January 1962. In it Alfie, "[w]ith sublime amorality... swaggers and philosophises his way through" life. The action spans about two decades, from the beginning of World War II to the late 1950s. In 1964, Bill Naughton turned it into a stage play which was put on at London's Mermaid Theatre . Later, he wrote the screenplay for a film version, Alfie (1966), starring Michael Caine . Other notable radio dramatists included Henry Reed , Brendan Behan , Rhys Adrian , Alan Plater ; Anthony Minghella , Alan Bleasdale , and novelist Angela Carter . Novelist Susan Hill also wrote for BBC Radio, from

10296-421: Was free!" which made light of the fact that no matter how dangerous the cliffhanging situation Dick found himself in every evening, he would always escape easily. Early ideas for the character's name included "Bill Barton" and "Rex Drake". However, the production team finally settled on the more dynamic Dick Barton. After the series had been on the air for some time, the BBC (conscious that the biggest audience for

10400-564: Was originally broadcast in Australia 18 April - 19 May 1949; original United Kingdom transmission dates are unknown at this time. (RELEASED: April 2011) 4 STORY 6 : ' Dick Barton and the Smash and Grab Raiders' written by Ronnie and Arthur Colley. This recording was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom 24 February - 12 March 1947 and in Australia August - September 1949. (RELEASED: 3 November 2011) 5 STORY 7 : ' Dick Barton and

10504-618: Was possible on television. In the United States, an adaptation of The Twilight Zone aired to modest success in the 2000s (decade) as a syndicated program. Regular broadcasts of radio drama in English can be heard on the BBC's Radio 3 , Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra (formerly Radio 7), on RTÉ Radio 1 in Ireland, and RNZ National in New Zealand. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation produced notable radio plays in Calgary and Toronto in

10608-629: Was rebroadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2015 and again in 2019. In 2009, BBC Audiobooks released Dick Barton and the Mystery of the Missing Formula ( ISBN   978-1408410523 ), a reading of a novel based on the radio serials written by Mike Dorrell and read by Toby Stephens . The BBC produced a completely new live recording of an original 1951 Dick Barton serial in June 2013, starring Tim Bentinck and Terry Molloy. (Blackstone audiobooks ISBN   978-1481506052 ) Beginning in 1948,

10712-423: Was the first national radio play recorded exclusively through the Internet in which the voice actors were all in separate locations. Other producers use portable recording equipment to record actors on location rather than in studios. Podcasts are a growing distribution format for independent radio drama producers. Podcasts provides an alternative to mainstream television and radio which does not necessarily require

10816-652: Was the first true radio drama to make use of the unique qualities of radio: Radio drama (as distinguished from theatre plays boiled down to kilocycle size) began at midnight, in the middle thirties, on one of the upper floors of Chicago's Merchandise Mart. The pappy was a rotund writer by the name of Wyllis Cooper. Though the series is often remembered solely for its gruesome stories and sound effects, Cooper's scripts for Lights Out were later recognized as well written and offered innovations seldom heard in early radio dramas, including multiple first-person narrators, stream of consciousness monologues and scripts that contrasted

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