Radio Drama Analysis

Subterranean Homesick Blues: Season 4, Episode 1

Written by A.L. Kennedy

Directed by Sally Avens

Narrative

The drama follows two middle-aged engaged people hours before their wedding, John and
Maggie, as Maggie panics at the registry office while John tries to get there in time to get
married. John has an eventful taxi journey to the location while Maggie worries that the
registrar is judging her for getting married so many times and John be late. The narrative is
open, ending on them almost about to get married but thinking of ways to overcome the
problem of there being no witnesses, we don’t find out whether they do or don’t. This drama
has themes of love in later life as they are both much older than the average engaged
couple.

Sound effects

The only sound effect we hear in the beginning scene is the sound of a clock ticking away,
this creates a claustrophobic image in the mind of the viewer, with the ticking making a fast
paced and anxiety inducing environment. Back at the house with John we hear the sounds
of John trying to connect with someone over the phone as well as the sound of a mug sliding
on the counter, when he checks the time he panics and the rushed sound of a coat being put
on a then a phone ringing at the same time. 

On the phone with blank the cup smashes which not only reveals the fact that he is at home
to blank but also begins a long drama of descent the cup smashing this early in could even
go as far as to foreshadow and let the audience know that the entire day will be chaoticWe
hear a car honking outside, and then the car journey begins.

At the registry office Maggie goes into a separate room to gain composure when she finds
an envelope in her purse, before the envelope is announced paper rustling can be heard so
that the audience knows what’s going on and feel as if they can imagine it themselves. The
envelope is then audibly torn and ripped open, accompanied by the sound of paper being
turned to help the theatre of the mind.

In the car journey we hear multiple sound effects, like the rustling of the paper bag that John
breathes into and the lighter crackling. The sound of the fire quickly going bigger is heard
and the loud continuous patting paints a desperate image of John rushing to put out large
flames in the audience’s mind.

Atmospheric sounds

There isn’t a lot of atmospheric sounds in this radio drama as it solely relies on sound effects
to create a chaotic and uncontrolled environment. But we do hear atmospheric sound in the
taxi ride with John on his way to the wedding when we hear the sound of a car engine, and
then the rough bumps as the taxi takes it’s routes onto unpaved country roads. 

Characters
John the soon to be husband of the drama is clumsy old I am from competent the technology
is a posh accent which signifies him being middle-class, he tries to stay calm but can get
flustered at times and tends to make mistakes, such as being careless with time and
dropping items. However despite all the mistakes he makes it is clear he loves-

Maggie. Maggie, the soon to be wife, tends to fret and worry about what people think and
how things are going to go in the future. She’s posh, well spoken, all indicators of being
middle class, and forgetful. She has been married before and said that she is sure that John
is the one she wants to be with and that she just didn’t think with the others, their love is
conveyed through witty dialogue and a deep understanding and care for each other.

Other characters include the taxi driver, a smoker with a heavy southern london accent, he
sounds working class. The Registrar is very formal, he repeats himself when necessary, like
asking for the divorce papers, and maintains a professional and emotionless demeanour
when doing his job, he has very few lines but serves as a reminder that Maggie and John
have a deadline for the wedding.

Music

The theme tune for the drama is 1980’s music, most likely music they would’ve listened to in
their youth as the drama contains heavy themes of love in later life which would obviously tie
in with the themes of being old in a new generation and their lives as a whole. The song is
white wedding by Billy Idol which is very tonal as the drama is about their wedding. The
music is incidental, and used as a bridge.

Craven: Series 1, Episode 1

By Amelia Bullmore

Narrative

After investigating a car crash, Craven is told to re-open a murder trial that was previously
closed, she is hesitant but accepts it anyway. She questions a past exonerated suspect and
finds no new information. After getting a new suspect, the drama ends on the new suspect
asking what Craven had told them. It’s heavily implied that the death was racially charged
and because of this most of the descriptions of characters have been given race in their
descriptions. It’s open ended as the drama ends on us not knowing how Craven knows the
suspect, it’s linear, and single strand as we only follow Craven’s storyline.

Sound effects

We hear many sound effects, like the car engine driving,  footsteps as well as coat and keys
photos being turned, we even hear the sound of a kiss at one point. Entrances and exits are
highlighted by things such as knocking on the door, the door opening and closing, as well as
locking, all of this together creates a better theatre of the mind for the listeners to imagine
what’s going on. This includes things like a lighter clicking, the smoke alarm, mobile ringing
or even something as small as a chair moving can help show natural progression to
somebody who cannot see what is going on.

Atmospheric sounds

The radio drama contains sounds such as rain, that starts and continues, office sounds are
also there to help the environment with noises such as keyboards, chatter, and phone
ringing coming together to imitate the bustling work environment that so many people are
used to. Cars go by when the characters are outside, helping the image of a busy road form.
There is an echo in the interrogation room which creates the atmosphere of a large but
isolated room that we see so often on televisions and the conventional ideas of an
interrogation room begin to form in the theatre of the mind.

Characters

The characters in craven all speak with a northern west accent, they are most likely working
class. Craven is the only female in her workplace, she is surrounded by Men in a male
dominated career. This shows that Craven has strength, it shows that she is determined and
persevering otherwise she wouldn't do as well in such an isolating environment.

Music

There is a theme tune in the beginning and end of the show, it fades out at the beginning of
the show to signify the beginning of of the action and dialogue and it fades in at the end to
signify the show coming to an end.

The Pursuit Of Darleen Fyles: Series 4, Episode 1

Written by Esther Wilson

produced and directed by Pauline harris

Narrative

Darleen and her new husband Jamie have learning disabilities, when Darleen decides she
wants to have a baby it causes conflict with her husband, mother, and social support worker.
The drama is open ended, as we aren't sure whether Darleen gets what she wants or not. It
is a single strand, we only follow Darleen in this drama and don’t explore any other plotlines.
The drama is linear, without flashbacks, but does use elliptical editing to show time passing.

Sound effects

In the cafe you can hear a baby giggling in the background quietly, but the sound of the baby
grows louder when it begins to cry, pulling Darleen’s attention so that she can help the baby
and the mother, the catalyst of Darleen’s want to have kids.

Back at the apartment, we can hear the door slam, which can paint the image of Jamie being
mad about Darleens want for a baby and taking it out on the door, as well as footsteps
moving into their flat. a little after we can hear the door being knocked on, we can hear their
social worker, muhammed, talking outside. Because he is outside he would be stood further
away from the mic, and after we hear the door open and close behind him we also hear him
getting closer to the pair, by walking back towards the mic.

Later on at the bus stop, we hear the sound of a mother with two children, one a toddler, and
of the toddler screaming, Jamie uses it as evidence that they shouldn’t have a child while
Darleen is sure that she could just love it and it wouldn't cry. We hear the sound effect of the
bus pulling up and Jamie leaves to go to work.

Darleen goes to visit her mum and they have tea together, audibly shown as you hear
sounds of spoons going into teacups and other tea like noises. When she gets back to the
apartment, there is a sound effect of Jamie playing video games. This shows that the pair
are young as Jamie is still playing video games in his free time.
Atmospheric sounds

The drama uses atmospheric sounds in the cafe, things like people talking, or cutlery and
cups moving about. To give it the atmosphere of people talking and eating. When they are
outside you can hear cars moving past to mimic the streets that they are on, dog barking is
also heard when Muhammed takes them out to the bins. In the scene where Darleen is
talking to Muhammed alone indoors, it is implied that they are in an office by the muffled
ringing of a phone in the distance.

Characters

Darleen is a newlywed with learning difficulties, she’s excitable and optimistic but also tends
to show naive tendencies, the people she knows are aware that she tends to hyperfixate on
things and are worried that having a baby would just be something she gets bored of.

Jamie, Darleen’s husband, also has learning difficulties, unlike Darleen, he does not want to
have children, he accepts that the pair are young and have other problems that they need to
learn to manage before they have a child, this angers Darleen.

Muhammed, their social worker, he is not stereotyped at all and you wouldn’t assume he
was a POC if not for his name, he helps Darleen and Jamie with a lot of things to do with
their life and wellbeing, he does not think that they are ready for a baby.

Darleens mum also disagrees with Darleen, she thinks that Darleen is just hyperficating on
the idea of a baby and thinks she’s being foolish.

Music

There is music played at the beginning and end of the drama, it is upbeat and happy as the
show itself is relatively light hearted and also a comedy. Music is used as a music bridge
between transitions and it is tonal, altering with the mood.

Just A Girl: Series 4, Episode 1

Written by Mark Davies Markham

Directed by Melanie Harris

Narrative

Amy, a trans teenage girl, follows her grandad as he goes to a funeral. She meets the son of
the woman who owns her Air B&B, Riley, and goes over to his apartment with him to get his
spare set of keys. They’re having a conversation when his mum comes in and offers them
tickets to theatre show, this leads to a conversation about Kate O’Donnell, a trans actress in
the play that Amy loves, and then trans rights, which makes Amy extremely uncomfortable.
Despite this she meets her Granddad and asks him if she can go to the show, and he
agrees. After the show, Amy sees Kate and works up the courage to talk to her, Kate asks
Amy if she’s trans and Amy confirms it. when Kate presumes that Amy and Riley are
together Amy says they’re not but she likes him, but is only in Manchester for a few days,
Kate makes it clear that she has to tell him that she’s trans. After finding out that she’s doing
drama in high school, Kate invites Amy to an improv class at the uni taking place the day
after and they both part. When Amy gets back to Riley he asks her to walk around town with
her the next day, she hesitates as she was planning to go to the improv class, the last line is
Riley, jokingly with a little nervousness, saying “Unless you’ve got better things to do.” This
last line leaves the narrative open as we don’t know whether or not Amy takes Riley’s offer.
The narrative is single strand, only following Amy adventure in Manchester, the programme
is linear, with elliptical editing used to pass time. This drama’s genre is coming of age, with
LGBTQ, romance, and mortality themes running throughout.

Sound effects

In a radio drama sound effects are used to bring the story to life, for example. At the
beginning of this drama, Amy and her Granddad are packing to go to Manchester, the fast
zip we first hear gives the image of a coat quickly being fastened, followed by slower
strained zips that make the audience imagine a bustling suitcase full to the brim, other
suitcase that paint a picture of packing are things like the sound of something heavy being
rustled around, and the sound of clothing material moving against something rougher, like a
rucksack. Later on, when the two are in the car, we hear the sound of a phone pinging
before the Grandad asks what the text was, this ping being loud and clear shows an image
of the phone being in plain sight, this phone ping also works to set a time period, as older
phones wouldn’t have the iconic apple text tones. 

At Ryley’s apartment, we hear a door opening and floorboards creaking, in the theatre of the
mind the audience can clearly picture the opening of an apartment, as the footsteps put
pressure on the floor beneath them. Before long the audience can clearly imagine them
sitting down, as the sounds of furniture creaking are played. When Ryley’s mum, Maxine,
shows up, she stands further from the mic and gradually walks closer, to give the audience
the feeling of her being far away and walking towards them. She hands them a leaflet for a
local show, and it is easy to imagine them examining it as we hear the sound of paper 
turning, before long the conversation turns into one discussing trans rights and Amy quickly
excuses herself once Maxine outs herself as transphobic. In the bathroom, underneath
Amy’s dialogue to herself we can hear the sound of the water flushing and the sink tap
dripping, this sound effect paired with Amy’s desperate self motivation paint a picture of an
insecure girl and can send many viewers back to their own personal experience of being
overwhelmed and hiding in a bathroom, it creates a very raw and relatable feeling for the
audience to visualise.

Atmospheric sounds

The atmospheric sounds are key to complete the scene in the theatre of the mind, as sound
effects alone leave the visuals bare and lacking. In the car, we can hear the sound of the car
engine humming along with the sounds of cars passing by next to it, this is used because
both Amy and her Grandad never explicitly mention that they are in the car, and this sound
paints the picture for the audience without them needing to add inauthentic dialogue. When
Amy goes to the restaurant with her grandad, the atmospheric sounds imitate a bustling
environment, with the sound of background music quietly layered underneath muffled talking
and sounds of cutlery moving. In the theatre scene, there is again music and muffled chatter,
however, the music is much louder and themed, going with the theatre setting, and the
muffled chatter is laughter heavy and more jovial to fill in the image of a vibrant theatre
bursting with life.

Characters

The main character is a trans girl named Amy, this is crucial to her character as finding her
identity and place in the world takes a large part of the storyline through the whole drama,
she has a feminine voice that wouldn’t be recognised as masculine at all, this casting of her
was done deliberately, as in the show Amy seems to be cis-passing, so a voice that sounds
cis and feminine gives the audience the visuals of a cis looking girl. Amy’s voice is also very
high pitched, a signal of youth and how new she is to the world, it symbolises her still finding
herself and finding her feet in a world she doesn’t feel like she fits in.

 Her Grandad, Ted, is an older man who was raised in Manchester, because of this he has a
manchester accent and a far more gruff voice, he is a voice of reason for Amy, always
seeming to steer her in the right direction, there isn’t a very good description of Ted, which
gives the audience the ability to project their own idea of a caring grandad onto him, making
him a more loved and trusted character, he is going to Manchester for the death of a friend
that he grew up with, and even talks about how he was healthy and had just retired. This
gives the audience an image of a man who is at the later end of his life, again reinforcing this
image of wisdom and care in Ted.

Ryley, the teenage boy Amy meets in manchester has a very strong Manchester accent as
he was raised there, he uses heavy slang in his dialogue and his voice isn’t too mature, him
and Amy get along immediately as he shows an interest in her from the first conversation
they have, he’s nice and welcoming, even when Amy originally comes off as slightly hostile.

Maxine, Ryley’s mother, is an adult woman who enters the drama exhausted and seemingly
out of breath, like Ryley, she is welcoming and nice, but not knowing that Amy is trans, outs
herself as transphobic through a conversation claiming that people cannot ‘choose their own
gender’. Maxine being nice and kind and then casually saying homophobic things shows the
audience that transphobia isn’t always found on dark troll forums on the internet or blatant
hate groups, but can seep into places you wouldn’t expect, and trap you without meaning to.
Amy can never seem to escape Maxine’s transphobic dialogue, making the audience feel
almost equally as uncomfortable.

Music

Once the drama enters Manchester, all the music heard is music from Manchester, with
bands like The Smiths playing in between scenes. This music is used tonally, with the mood
of the music shifting with the drama. Some scenes simply transition with a fade, but the
dialogue heavy scenes use music between it to almost act as a palette cleanser and be a
clear ending of one scene and a beginning of another.

Appiness: Series 1, Episode 1

Written by Robin Brooks and Jon Canter

produced and directed by Jonquil Panting

Narrative

The play follows Lucy, an indecisive woman who can’t choose between her three dates, so
she uses an app to see them all at the same time. The drama is singe strand, only following
Lucy and her three dates, and is linear, all moving forwards despite switching between
timelines.

Sound effects

The drama relies heavily on sound effects, as the appiness tune is the theme for the
episode. Phone ringtones make a crucial element in the story as phones are the gateway
that she uses to switch between dates. The first we hear of her phone is a ringtone, before
the episodes coined appiness theme and then tapping on the phone as she types. 
A sound that is heard often within the episode is the ‘whoosh’ sound of Lucy travelling into
the different timelines.

At Keith’s date, we hear the sound of him cooking. This sound includes sound effects such
as Keiths knife against the chopping board, tap water, and pots and pans moving around.
Later on, you can hear the sounds of their cutlery, and the ruffling of a gift that Keith got
Lucy.

At Mark’s date there is the sound of glasses clinking and champagne bottle being popped
open, as well as the sound of the cutlery the two are using. Other sounds include things like
a chair making a noise at it slides against the floor, and the noise of paper turning as Lucy
looks at her plane ticket.

Damien’s date with Lucy is very simple and heavy in mostly dialogue, because of this the
only sound effect you can hear is Damien strumming on the guitar and the occasional sound
of a couch moving underneath them. However, there are over dramatic kissing sounds at the
end added as a plot point but also comedic effect, this is in the end of all three dates.

Atmospheric sounds

Because only one date is in public, there are very little atmospheric sounds. They are only
heard in the restaurant, through music in the background, as well as chattering and the
sound of people using cutlery. It also heard when the pair take the date to the streets and
the busy sounds of cars going past and people taking on the street can be heard.

Characters

Lucy, the main character, is under pressure from her peers to find the perfect man and settle
down, as time grows on she becomes more and more indecisive between the three men
who she can’t seem to choose from.

Keith, ‘nice, really nice’ yet incredibly boring, he’s responsible and clearly likes Lucy far more
than she likes him. He can tend to make small mistakes but always tries his hardest to make
things perfect so that Lucy will date him.

Mark, more exciting, but isn’t as kind as Keith. Lucy likes how manly he seems but can
sometimes feel suffocated by how commanding he is, that flaw is exactly the reason why
she doesn’t know whether she wants to be with him or not.

Damien, not as commanding as Mark but not as desperate as Keith, she appreciates how
Damien has different thoughts but is obviously somewhat irritated by how spacey and casual
he seems about everything.

Music

The show relies heavily on side effects for comedic effect and context, because of this the
show doesn’t have any music in it.