Radio Drama: Historical and Theoretical Perspectives

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I have secured a contract to write a monograph entitled Listen in Terror: British Horror Radio from the Advent of Broadcasting to the iPod for Manchester University Press to be published in 2012. The research for this project builds upon my experience and expertise in research, most directly upon the work I undertook for Terror on the Air: Horror Radio in America, 1931-52 (McFarland 2006): the first full-length study of US horror radio which was researched and written with support from an Arts and Humanities Research Board Small Grant in the Performing Arts awarded in 2004. Terror on the Air has enjoyed extremely positive reviews, being described as 'a well written, highly documented, greatly researched book' (Illustrated Press 342, September 2006), an 'excellent study' (Gothic Studies 9.2, 2007), and 'a masterful' work which 'fills a vital niche in broadcasting history' (Journalism History, July 2007). Terror on the Air has also given me a media profile with regard to radio drama and since its publication I have made appearances on radio news and documentaries for the BBC (World Service and Radio 4's Today programme) as well as on Australian, German, and American radio. My new monograph will be another groundbreaking book this time offering the first full-length study of horror radio and 'spoken word' horror performance in Britain. From experiments in pre-radio audio cultures, the pioneering days of live radio broadcasting (1920-50s), through the era of pre-recorded broadcast drama to the digital audio cultures of our own time, this volume will offer an historical, critical and theoretical exploration of horror radio and 'spoken word' horror performance in Britain. The book will look at key issues such as writing and narrative, performance practice (actor, director, sound effects and music) and reception throughout the history of that most neglected of popular art forms: radio drama and 'spoken word' auditory cultures.The completion of the output requires research to be conducted primarily using archival resources and theoretical engagement, but as an accomplished practitioner having written and webcast/broadcast two experiments in live horror radio drama I intend to underpin my written research with an element of experimentation within drama and radio studios.