Discussing: Pre-Modern Drama on the Radio

Beyond is sponsored by The Malone Society: The permanent utility of original texts

Welcome to this chat with Dr Andrea Smith, author of Sh********e on the Radio: A Century of BBC Plays, where we discuss elements of her book and dance more generally about the challenges in producing audio drama, radio drama, and adapting the early modern stage for sound. We had a lot of fun chatting, and I hope you have the same listening.

(The book is rather good btw, and gives an excellent overview of the way drama was produced on BBC radio.)

Dr Andrea Smith - https://www.uos.ac.uk/people/dr-andrea-smith/ After nearly thirty years in journalism, a long-held love of literature and a desire to help young people pursue their dreams led Andrea to change career and move into university teaching. Her research focuses on radio drama, specifically Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and how texts intended for the stage can be translated into an audio-only medium. She’s based at the University of Suffolk – before that she worked for two local newspapers and the BBC, as well as setting exams for the National Council for the Training of Journalists. She is an occasional contributor to programmes on BBC Radio and a passionate advocate for access to Higher Education.

The book - https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-shakespeare-on-the-radio.html - use the code: EVENT30 to get 30% off

Our patrons received this episode in early October 2025 - over 5 months early!
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About our sponsors - the Malone Society. The Society was founded in 1906 at the initiative of A.W. Pollard, and for over a century they have published (almost) every year edited volumes of early printed and manuscript texts of both well-known and neglected plays. They also publish collections of documentary material relating to the performance and reception of early drama. Their best-known publications include W.W. Greg’s edition of Sir Thomas More, a collaborative history play, and A.C. Dunstan’s edition of the earliest surviving original play in English to have been written by a woman, Elizabeth Cary’s The Tragedy of Mariam.
Their membership is international and open to anyone interested in early drama. Members receive their annual volumes and are able to buy books from their backlist at low prices.
In addition to their publications, they support scholarship of early drama through fellowships and research grants, an annual prize for graduate students, and performances and symposia.
The Society is named after Edmond Malone, born in Dublin in 1741, a great editor, textual scholar and theatre historian, whose work continues to shape studies in early drama.