University of Bedfordshire welcomes The Archers editor to Beds Talk programme

The free event will include a special guest appearance from the editor of BBC Radio 4s popular soap, The Archers.

‘Fantastic Noise: Making Radio Drama’ will lift the lid on the secrets of spoken-word storytelling in the digital age with a spotlight on the success of the world’s longest running British radio soap drama, The Archers.

The radio soap, which started in 1951 as an educational drama for the farming community, has since become a significant show in British popular cultures with millions of listeners, developing storylines to reflect real-life events.

The discussion will then move into the podcasting realm, which has seen a dramatic increase in popularity over the last few years.

Guest speaker Adam Jarrell – the man behind award-winning mockumentary ‘The Offensive’ – will discuss the challenges of creating new audio dramas without the traditional backing of a radio station.

Terry Lee, senior tutor in Radio & Audio at the University of Bedfordshire and coordinator of community station Radio LaB, said: “Radio is such a fascinating platform and it’s a great way to entertain and educate people of all ages and backgrounds.

"In our Beds Talk on 26th February, I’ll be focusing on how radio fiction is made and looking into the future of radio drama with my special guests, which I hope will enlighten our audience and inspire the next generation of audio producers.”

The event will be live-recorded to be published on the Fantastic Noise podcast platform. The talk will be from 5.30pm till 8pm, to register your interest, click here.