Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

The attraction in writing audio drama has grown out of my fascination with deception – how a studio can become Scottish island, a Parisian brothel or a medieval prison cell in the mind of the listener. I love to work with soundscape designers who do wonderful magic and send the actors' speech and the listeners' imagination out to play together.

Another plus is that audio drama lasts. A while back, I helped to found a pop-up theatre company in Glasgow. We performed in basements and coffee shops; we dragged our props in from our car boots and changed in tiny, smelly toilets. I loved it. But live theatre is ephemeral; it's gone forever once you've packed up on your last night.

I love audio drama and history and most things French. I live in Scotland, but I'm English. All of these things mean I have rich pickings for my imagination to choose from.

My first play was about Edith Piaf and the Nazi régime. Heroine or villain? Listen now to Collaboration and judge for yourself. The second play I wrote, Confessional, is a dark story which explores the real-life figure behind a gruesome fairy tale. Gilles de Rais, known in France as Bluebeard, was a medieval hero turned serial murderer. The play explores what happens when power is deemed to be absolute.

Just before and during lockdown, I decided to move closer to home to explore the tales that abound off the west coast of Scotland. These are full of creatures and shipwrecks, smugglers' troves and shape shifters. Sea Change and Galore! were written and performed for the fun of it. Enjoy.

In 2021-22, I was lucky enough to be funded through Creative Scotland to produce An Ayrshire Trilogy, three stories drawn from the county in Scotland where I live. High Spirits continues the island fantasy theme; The Lady and The Poet celebrates a little-known aspect of Robert Burns's life; while There Goes Craufurdland takes us back once more to a dark place in history.

I am the writer and director, but the production is done by a team of people whose skills I do not have. You can find out more about the talented folk I work with here on my own website

Apr 15, 2020

In 1429 Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for witchcraft. Gilles de Rais, her captain and a medieval super-hero, was convicted of child-murder and sorcery. He followed her to the stake and burned a decade later. 'Confessional' explores the link between the two events, and examines how powerful men can seem to be untouchable and unstoppable. The play contains strong language and explicit content; listener discretion is advised. SFX sourced under the BBC Rem Arc Licence: bbc.co.uk - © Copyright 2019 BBC