Discussing: Pre-Modern Drama on the Radio
From Beyond Shakespeare by Beyond Shakespeare
April 3, 2026 · 56 min
About this episode
The episode features a discussion with Dr Andrea Smith about her book on BBC plays and the challenges of adapting early modern drama for radio.
Beyond is sponsored by The Malone Society: The permanent utility of original texts Welcome to this chat with Dr Andrea Smith, author of Sh********e on the Radio: A Century of BBC Plays, where we discuss elements of her book and dance more generally about the challenges in producing audio drama, radio drama, and adapting the early modern stage for sound. We had a lot of fun chatting, and I hope you have the same listening. (The book is rather good btw, and gives an excellent overview of the way drama was produced on BBC radio.) Dr Andrea Smith - https://www.uos.ac.uk/people/dr-andrea-smith/ After nearly thirty years in journalism, a long-held love of literature and a desire to help young people pursue their dreams led Andrea to change career and move into university teaching. Her research focuses on radio drama, specifically Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and how texts intended for the stage can be translated into an audio-only medium. She’s based at the University of Suffolk – before that she worked for two local newspapers and the BBC, as well as setting exams for the National Council for the Training of Journalists. She is an occasional contributor to programmes on BBC…
People in this episode
Host: Robert Crighton
Guest: Dr Andrea Smith
Topics covered
- Pre-Modern Drama
- Radio Drama
- Audio Drama
- Shakespeare
Keywords
- BBC
- audio-only medium
- literature
- theatre
Sponsors
The Malone Society
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Shakespeare on the Radio
Books & works: Sh********e on the Radio: A Century of BBC Plays, Sir Thomas More, The Tragedy of Mariam
Places: Dublin
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