Radio Drama Analysis: The Archers

The Archers is a radio drama that focusses on the life of everyday families from a small village in England. The Archers is the longest running radio drama in the world, first beginning in the 1950s.
This particular radio drama is a lot less dramatic than others we have studied so far. There isn't any music, excluding the title music and there is a lack of sound effects and it mostly consists of dialogue. This is done because it's trying to be more realistic as it isn't science fiction like our previously studied radio dramas.
The voices of the characters do not differ much as they are all supposed to be of a similar class and culture. However, we can still get a feel for different personalities. For example, the more short-tempered characters speak with slightly higher-pitched voices with an increased rhythm.
I did not like this particular radio drama that much as I think it is a little boring and mundane. The story and the genre of the piece doesn't appeal to me as much as it might appeal to slightly older people.

Radio Drama Analysis: The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a comedy/science fiction radio drama that was originally broadcast in 1978. It was later adapted for books and into a popular film.
As usual with dramas we have studied so far, the voices of characters are used to great effect as the visual medium is removed. For example, the demolition workers are given regional accents and speak in a particular dialect that gives the impression of the working class to the audience. Similarly, the Vogons being the authoritative almost antagonist role in the drama speak in a more professional and business-like fashion, which gives us the impression of them being authoritative and ruthless.
The sound effects are used in the drama to give the audience a sense of location and a sense of action. For instance, when Arthur Dent is being beamed off of Earth we hear sound effects that suggest to us that they are actually being teleported out in a futuristic, space-age fashion.
I thought this drama was particularly good as the genre appeals to me quite a lot and it is put together quite well.

Radio Drama Analysis: The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone is a science fiction television series that was later adapted into a movie and a radio drama. The science fiction genre became popular on radio in the 1950s and 60s. The radio drama came around in 2002. Although the visuals obviously removed from the radio drama version, the episode "The Thirty Fathom Grave" is quite impressive.
We can still get a feel for the different characters in the drama. For example the captain comes across as authoritative and professional because of how he sounds. He speaks at a fairly normal rhythm, his voice is quite deep and smooth also.
The SFX work well also to get a feel for the atmosphere. For example, the banging of the sunken ship.
Overall it is a very well constructed radio drama that is quite interesting to hear.

Radio Drama Analysis: War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds was a radio drama played on halloween in 1938. A lot of people tuned in to only a portion of the radio drama and believed it to be real, missing the parts where the announcer tells us it is only fiction.
The War of the Worlds is presented very formally in the first part, addressing the audience directly with a series of news bulletins. This mode of address changes the audiences preconception of the show being a drama and makes it more real. In the first part of the show we hear the professional opinions of a professor of astrology. His voice is very calm, he speaks in a fairly normal rhythm and a deep voice. This is included to give the audience the impression that the professor knows what he is talking about, again trying to make the peice believable. Other sound is used for dramatic effect, like the startled gasps of a crowd observing the space capsule, or like the sound of it humming.

Radio Drama Analysis: The Horn

The Horn is a horror story about about three people taking refuge from a blizzard along a motorway.

The character David is a middle aged Yorkshire man who comes across as being quite emotional. In the drama he is described as wearing a suit and tie, which gives us the impression that he has a desk job of some sort.

The character Mick is also middle aged, but comes across more intelligent and less emotionally bound than David. Mick is a van driver and a little bit more blue collar than David. Mick sounds a little more middle class or from the midlands of England.

Nathan is also a little bit blue collar and relates with Mick more. Like Mick, Nathan also sounds as if he is from the middle of England and higher class than David.

Radio Drama: First Thoughts

The radio drama I listened to was called Ring Around the Bath, and its all about a family and the various things they get up to. It's more aimed towards middle aged people who have families themselves, more to housewives who are around the house in the day as it comes on from 9am - 4pm. The way the drama is put together is slightly different from television dramas as we don't have the visuals to go along with the audio. For instance, to convey that someone is bored, they can't show someone yawning. Instead they play clearly the sound of someone sighing and then follow this by making a character comment about the sigh.

Radio Today

Radio today has become a dying medium. Young people do not listen to the radio as frequently as they would have before television and the internet, although it is still enjoyed by many. Radio programmes have lower production costs than that of television which is why a lot of small, independent projects are broadcast on radio.