Aplogies if this is covered elsewhere , but what's the rough page count (in radio format) for a Radio 4 Afternoon Play?
Ta
Afternoon play R4
Ah!
Alzheimer's is a terrible thing.
I shall probably ask again in another 14 months.
Apologies in advance.
Ha!
There is not going to be an Autumn commissioning round for radio drama this year. 
Quote: Loopey @ October 12 2010, 12:38 PM BSTThere is not going to be an Autumn commissioning round for radio drama this year.
That can only improve the output.
It amazes me how they can cram that much shit into 45 mins.
I swear to God, at 3 pm every week-day you can hear the sound of a thousand writers opening up their 'Ideas' file and saying "F**k me! I must be able to come up with something better than that!"
Quote: Lazzard @ October 12 2010, 12:48 PM BSTThat can only improve the output.
It amazes me how they can cram that much shit into 45 mins.
I swear to God, at 3 pm every week-day you can hear the sound of a thousand writers opening up their 'Ideas' file and saying "F**k me! I must be able to come up with something better than that!"
Fair point but it is still one of the few places where new writing is encouraged. I wonder if it is the beginning of the end as mainstream TV seems to be sticking to safe content and recently commissioned radio plays are largely adaptions of classics and by established writers.
I'll try and find out at the screenwriters festival at the end of the month as we have BBC radio people attending.
Quote: ContainsNuts @ October 16 2010, 11:21 PM BSTI'll try and find out at the screenwriters festival at the end of the month as we have BBC radio people attending.
It was a radio 4 producer who told me last week but he had only just been informed so hopefully you can find out more at the festival. 
If you want to get something on the afternoon play slot on R4, best bet might be to write some old bollocks about an imagined fictitious meeting between two characters in history - that kind of "what if" contrived cock - you know? Like what if Virginia Woolf met Peter Beardsley backstage at the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest?... Or what if Rustie Lee used to pop down Croydon British Legion every Wednesday to cook jerk chicken for Sir Oswald Mosely? That kind of crap. Failing that, write some rambling dialogue between two middle-class characters who secretly meet-up at a weekly basket weaving class, behind their faithful guide dogs' backs... one of them might be diagnosed with incurable hiccups at the end of the 2nd act, thus setting-up a real nail biter?
I don't know how you got hold of my ideas pad, but if I see an afternoon play where computers threaten our personal liberties I'll know you stole it from me.
Obviously I won't actually 'see' the play, but you get the idea.
Quote: Tim Walker @ October 18 2010, 12:47 AM BSTIf you want to get something on the afternoon play slot on R4, best bet might be to write some old bollocks about an imagined fictitious meeting between two characters in history - that kind of "what if" contrived cock - you know? Like what if Virginia Woolf met Peter Beardsley backstage at the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest?... Or what if Rustie Lee used to pop down Croydon British Legion every Wednesday to cook jerk chicken for Sir Oswald Mosely? That kind of crap. Failing that, write some rambling dialogue between two middle-class characters who secretly meet-up at a weekly basket weaving class, behind their faithful guide dogs' backs... one of them might be diagnosed with incurable hiccups at the end of the 2nd act, thus setting-up a real nail biter?
that's actually not far off what I was told. Without the hiccups as that's a bit too dramatic for the afternoon slot. Don't want listeners choking on their digestives. There are a few other drama slots though and the commissioning decision includes all of them. I had a play going into the autumn round, which is why I hope this is only a one off decision.
Why have I been spelling hiccups 'hiccoughs' all my life?
Quote: Loopey @ October 18 2010, 11:31 AM BSTWhy have I been spelling hiccups 'hiccoughs' all my life?
Because you were educated before UK state education went down the toilet?
Quote: Loopey @ October 18 2010, 11:31 AM BSTWhy have I been spelling hiccups 'hiccoughs' all my life?
Because you're correct and I'm illiterate scum. Thanks for the correction. 