Finally Radio

Ben Yeoh on Writing for Radio
Posted on January 30, 2007 on http://londontheatreblog.co.uk

London Theatre Blog is proud to present this article by London-based playwright, Benjamin Yeoh, on writing for Radio. Ben’s recent writing credits for stage include Yellow Gentlemen (2006, Oval House Theatre), Nakamitsu (Gate Theatre Translation award, coming in 2007) and for radio he wrote Patent Breaking Life Saving (December 2006, BBC World Service) and his upcoming piece The Places in Between will air on BBC Radio 4, 15th February 2007 at 14:15. Ben is also the author of a popular theatre blog that you can visit here.
Getting started for radio
I am currently writing my third piece for BBC radio. So I can’t say that I’m an experienced old hand but I have a few thoughts on the practicalities of getting started which could be of help. For further preliminary reading I recommend visiting the BBC’s Writersroom site, their Writing for Radio page (includes the checklist for drama and scripted comedy proposals) and then also the commissioning briefs for Radio 4 drama and comedy.
So, you want to write for radio?
The main buyer for radio is still the BBC. So one of the first things to do is to start listening to radio. I don’t do enough of this!
The two main practical matters and these will help you win, are:
1. Familiarise yourself with the various radio formats.
2. Familiarise yourself with the work of producers/directors that you like.
It almost goes without saying that it will also give you an idea of what you think works or doesn’t work, in terms of radio phonic possibilities.
Formats
The radio format is important. Perhaps like the sonnet form in poetry, which can enhance or which can constrict a poem, so the radio form can restrict or enrich your play.
It is worth noting that the overwhelmingly best odds for first-time writers, lie in the forty five minute afternoon play. I say ‘best odds’ because:
1. More of these plays are produced than any other type.
2. The controller/buyer is potentially more willing to take on risks in this strand than any other.
Some aspects to understand about the afternoon play slot. It comes straight after The Archers. This means that a farm-based, all-agricultural play or anything too similar to The Archers is unlikely to be endorsed. Keep in mind that the slot is forty five minutes, so this is too short for an epic but about the length perhaps for a one act play, three vignettes or some form of drama documentary.
I am not going to list all the formats here; they come in all shapes and sizes: book adaptations, series for Woman’s Hour, light entertainment half-hour slots where many comics start out before hitting TV fame, the full list is displayed on the BBC’s website here.
So you know your format and you know your story. It’s useful to have your story in some type of outline form, but don’t write the whole piece yet, unless that’s how you like to work. You don’t know if it’s going to fit into the schedule. Nor do you know what you might have to change when you start working with your producer. Now you have to find your producer.
The Producer
The radio producer, is the axis which holds the whole radio world together. She will be director/producer/casting agent/editor/dramaturg and more. The relationship is vital. Ideally then you should like their work. To find producers, you can do workshops, and network etc… but I’m willing to pass on some advice that was given to me. And that is
listen to your favourite producers on the radio.
Once you find pieces you like by producers you like then you can write or email them, telling them why you like their work and whether they would be interested in your ideas. If you have an idea, you can encapsulate it in two or three lines. Then perhaps add it on the end of your letter or e-mail to open a dialogue. It’s a relationship. Maybe they will pass you on to someone else, or you’ll meet for coffee. Or perhaps this time, they’ll be too busy to be interested, but with a bit of luck/polite persistence and some good ideas, you should find someone to work with.
A further thought on producers is that they come from broadly two schools. There are producers at the BBC and the independents, many of whom were former BBC producers themselves before going independent.
The BBC producers are slightly easier to track down as the form is her first name and last name at bbc.co.uk. But the independents aren’t too hard to find either on the web or via the BBC website which keeps a list of all the independent producers they buy from. Now there are meant to be pros and cons for both, but I believe that producers come in so many different flavours that the most important point is to find what you like and respect and what the type of work is that you want to do. I wouldn’t get too hung up about whether they’re independent or from the BBC.
So you’ve found your producer, what do you do next?
While producers will have their own process, essentially you end up giving them several ideas in some short written form and then meet to chat over coffee. She may write up the strongest of these ideas into a small paragraph and perhaps run it past the controller of radio drama to see if there’s any particular interest or problems with it. I suspect that the majority of ideas fail at this point. Basic “problems” will be explained by the producer, e.g. The Archers/afternoon play conflict. But there may be more subtle themes in the controllers’ mind, for instance they may already have two war plays in the pipeline and a third war play is not required. Or your play on slavery should really be saved for the anniversary of the abolition of slavery rather than go into the next season etc etc.
After you right up your pitch that is chosen, it then goes into the system at the BBC, where essentially one person will decide whether to buy the commission. If your idea is bought (and you should know about 6 months after you submit) then you have to write it! Now writing for radio. That’s a whole other article!
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Writing for Radio links at a glance:
- Websites

* BBC Writersroom
* BBC Checklist for drama and scripted comedy proposals
* Commissioning briefs for BBC Radio 4 drama and comedy
* Tim Crook’s Principle’s of Writing Radio Drama page
* Some sound advice and information on writing for Radio from Writernet.co.uk
* Lit Between the Ears: a US take on Radio Drama

- Books

* Tim Crook, Radio Drama: Theory and Practice (Routledge, 1999)
* Vincent McInerney, Writing for Radio (Manchester University Press, 2001)