ABSTRACT
Radio drama is a British invention and has been an essential part of British cultural life for over 75 years. It has been so popular and so successful that it is often referred to as the Second National Theatre of Great Britain. Some radio dramas, especially the fantasy adventure series, have attracted audiences of many millions, and proposals to reschedule a popular soap are likely to meet with public outcry. Radio drama survives and flourishes in Britain despite the all-pervading influence of television. It is important to strike a balance within the four pieces. It would be a mistake for both the comedy and the poem to be taken from the works of Shakespeare if the ‘contemporary’ was from Shakespeare In Love. The human ear is very quick to see through a ‘disguised’ voice and the radio listener, not being distracted by costume, sets or lighting effects, is not easily fooled.
