Reinventing audio drama: how “new” techniques are anything but new

Smith, Andrea (2026) Reinventing audio drama: how “new” techniques are anything but new. RadioDoc Review. ISSN 2203-5176 (In Press)

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Abstract

The death of radio has been predicted almost since it began, and yet radio – and now digital audio – are still very much part of our current media landscape. However, as others have noted, there has been ‘a certain amnesia’ from newer people working in the industry that has meant that the skills and techniques employed to produce it have often been ‘reinvented’. This is noticeably the case with UK audio drama. As the BBC continues to cut its radio drama output, it is no longer the market leader, and those coming in to fill the void do not have the benefit of a century of heritage behind them when they make their audio drama productions for external organisations. As such, many are (re)creating what they think are ‘new’ techniques when in fact they are often methods that have been used for decades. This article explores some of the professional audio productions created in the UK outside the BBC and highlights the way they retread existing techniques. It also suggests that more needs to be done to support new audio drama producers to enable them to build on the work of others rather than ‘reinvent’ what already exists.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: BBC, audible, radio drama, audio drama, George Orwell, Jane Austen, Harry Potter
Subjects: P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General)
P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1990 Broadcasting
P Language and Literature > PR English literature
Divisions: The School of Business, Arts, Social Sciences and Technology
Depositing User: Andrea Smith
Date Deposited: 09 Oct 2026 09:29
Last Modified: 09 Oct 2026 09:29
URI: https://oars.uos.ac.uk/id/eprint/5725

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