Editing Radio drama (section)

== History ==
The Roman playwright [[Seneca the Younger|Seneca]] has claim as a forerunner of radio drama because "his plays were performed by readers as sound plays, not by actors as stage plays... In this respect Seneca had no significant successors until 20th-century technology made possible the widespread dissemination of sound plays."<ref>Martin Banham (ed.). ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre.'' Cambridge, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1995, "Radio drama", p. 896.</ref>

=== 1880–1930: early years ===
Radio drama traces its roots back to the 1880s: "In 1881 French engineer Clement Ader had filed a patent for 'improvements of Telephone Equipment in Theatres{{' "}} ([[Théâtrophone]]).<ref>Tim Crook: ''Radio drama. Theory and practice''. London; New York: Routledge, 1999, p. 15.</ref> English-language radio drama seems to have started in the United States.<ref>Historian Alan Beck reports in [http://www.savoyhill.co.uk/invisibleplay ''The Invisible Play: B.B.C. Radio Drama 1922–1928''] that [http://www.savoyhill.co.uk/invisibleplay/body/2a2.html "The first English experiment in radio drama"] took place October 17, 1922, in Great Britain. But U.S. stations were broadcasting drama prior to this. See following.</ref> ''A Rural Line on Education'', a brief sketch specifically written for radio, aired on [[Pittsburgh]]'s [[KDKA (AM)|KDKA]] in 1921, according to historian Bill Jaker.<ref>Bill Jaker, March 27, 1998, email post to the [http://lists.oldradio.net/otrdigest ''OTR Digest'']</ref> Newspaper accounts of the era report on a number of other drama experiments by America's commercial radio stations: [[KYW (AM)|KYW]] broadcast a season of complete operas from Chicago starting in November 1921.<ref>"Opera carries 1,500 miles by radio phones", November 12, 1921 ''Chicago Tribune;'' "Radi-Opera" November 17, 1921 ''Chicago Tribune''</ref> In February 1922, entire [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical comedies with the original casts aired from [[WABC (AM)|WJZ]]'s Newark studios.<ref>"Two plays by wireless", February 4, 1922, ''New York Times;'' "Million to hear musical comedy", February 12, 1922 ''Los Angeles Times;'' "You can hear entire show by radio phone", February 19, 1922 ''Mansfield (OH) News.''</ref> Actors [[Grace George]] and [[Herbert Hayes]] performed an entire play from a San Francisco station in the summer of 1922.<ref>July 1922 wire service story which appeared in the July 19, 1922 ''Lima (OH) News'' (under headline: "Acting by radio is a weird sensation") and the July 23, 1922 ''Charleston (SC) Daily Mail'' (under headline: "Presenting a play over the wireless in newest wrinkle")</ref>

An important turning point in radio drama came when [[Schenectady, New York]]'s [[WGY (AM)|WGY]], after a successful tryout on 3 August 1922, began weekly studio broadcasts of full-length stage plays in September 1922,<ref>''New York Times'' and ''Hartford (CT) Courant'' radio listings, August 3, 1922; ''New York Times'' radio listings, September 11, 19, and 25, 1922; "Will Give Dramatic Productions By Radio" September 2, 1922 ''The (Fort Wayne, IN) News-Sentinel;'' Local Radio Fans to Hear "Officer 666" November 3, 1922 ''Fayetteville (AR) Democrat;'' "Madame X" From WGY Thursday Night, November 21, 1922 ''Fayetteville (AR) Democrat.''</ref> using music, sound effects and a regular troupe of actors, The WGY Players. Aware of this series, the director of [[Cincinnati]]'s [[WLW]] began regularly broadcasting one-acts (as well as excerpts from longer works) in November.<ref name="Lichty">Lawrence Lichty, "Radio Drama: The Early Years" in Lawrence Lichty and Malachi Topping (eds): ''American Broadcasting'' (New York, Hastings House, 1975).</ref> The success of these projects led to imitators at other stations. By early 1923, original dramatic pieces written specially for radio were airing on stations in Cincinnati (''When Love Wakens'' by WLW's Fred Smith),<ref name="Lichty" /><ref>April 2, 1923 ''Hamilton (OH) Evening Journal'' radio listing.</ref> Philadelphia (''The Secret Wave'' by Clyde A. Criswell)<ref>"Writing radio plays is latest", May 27, 1923 ''Oakland (CA) Tribune.''</ref> and Los Angeles (''At Home'' over [[KHJ (AM)|KHJ]]).<ref>April 22, 1923 ''Los Angeles Times'' radio listings; "KHJ Travels in Pretense Land", April 23, 1923 ''Los Angeles Times.''</ref> That same year, WLW (in May) and WGY (in September) sponsored scripting contests, inviting listeners to create original plays to be performed by those stations' dramatic troupes.<ref name="Lichty" /><ref>"Contest for Prize Radio Drama Opens September 1", August 19, 1923 ''Washington Post;'' "G. E. Company Has Prize for Radio Drama", September 7, 1923 ''Waukesha (WI) Daily Freeman''.</ref>

Listings in ''[[The New York Times]]''<ref>Compare [https://query.nytimes.com/search/query?frow=0&n=10&srcht=s&daterange=period&query=&srchst=p&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=sub&hdlquery=&bylquery=&mon1=09&day1=18&year1=1851&mon2=12&day2=31&year2=1980 The New York Times – Archive 1851–1980]</ref> and other sources for May 1923 reveal at least 20 dramatic offerings were scheduled (including one-acts, excerpts from longer dramas, complete three- and four-act plays, operettas and a [[Molière]] adaptation), either as in-studio productions or by remote broadcast from local theatres and opera houses. An early British drama broadcast was of [[Shakespeare]]'s ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' on [[2LO]] on 25 July 1923.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishdrama.org.uk/shakespeare.html|title=SHAKESPEARE|website=www.britishdrama.org.uk}}</ref>

Serious study of American radio drama of the 1920s and early 1930s is, at best, very limited. Unsung pioneers of the art include: WLW's Fred Smith; [[Freeman Gosden]] and [[Charles Correll]] (who popularised the dramatic [[Serial (radio and television)|serial]]); ''[[The Eveready Hour]]'' creative team (which began with one-act plays but was soon experimenting with hour-long combinations of drama and music on its weekly variety program); the various acting troupes at stations like WLW, WGY, [[KGO (AM)|KGO]] and a number of others, frequently run by women like Helen Schuster Martin and Wilda Wilson Church; early network continuity writers like Henry Fisk Carlton, William Ford Manley and Don Clark; producers and directors like Clarence Menser and Gerald Stopp; and a long list of others who were credited at the time with any number of innovations but who are largely forgotten or undiscussed today. [[Elizabeth McLeod]]'s 2005 book on Gosden and Correll's early work<ref>Elizabeth McLeod, ''The Original Amos 'n Andy: Freeman Gosden, Charles Correll, and the 1928–1943 Radio Serial.'' McFarland & Co, 2005.</ref> is a major exception, as is Richard J. Hand's 2006 study of horror radio, which examines some programs from the late 1920s and early 1930s.<ref>Richard J. Hand, ''Terror on the Air!: Horror Radio in America, 1931–1952'' McFarland, 2006.</ref>

Another notable early radio drama, one of the first specially written for the medium in the UK, was ''A Comedy of Danger'' by [[Richard Hughes (writer)|Richard Hughes]], broadcast by the [[BBC]] on 15 January 1924, about a group of people trapped in a Welsh coal mine.<ref>[http://www.savoyhill.co.uk/invisibleplay/body/4a2.html Richard Hughes, 'A Comedy of Danger'] in '' 'The Invisible Play': B.B.C. Radio Drama 1922–1928'' by Alan Beck.</ref> One of the earliest and most influential French radio plays was the prize-winning ''Marémoto'' ('Seaquake'), by Gabriel Germinet and Pierre Cusy, which presents a realistic account of a sinking ship before revealing that the characters are actually actors rehearsing for a broadcast. Translated and broadcast in Germany and England by 1925, the play was originally scheduled by [[Radio-Paris]] to air on 23 October 1924, but was instead banned from French radio until 1937 because the government feared that the dramatic [[SOS]] messages would be mistaken for genuine distress signals.<ref>"Maremoto, a radio play (1924)", ''Réseaux,'' 1994, Volume 2, Numéro 2 p. 251–265</ref>

In 1951, American writer and producer [[Arch Oboler]] suggested that [[Wyllis Cooper]]'s ''[[Lights Out (radio show)|Lights Out]]'' (1934–47) was the first true radio drama to make use of the unique qualities of radio:
{{blockquote|Radio drama (as distinguished from theatre plays boiled down to kilocycle size) began at midnight, in the middle thirties, on one of the upper floors of Chicago's Merchandise Mart. The pappy was a rotund writer by the name of Wyllis Cooper.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/windy.html|title=''Theatre Arts'' (July 1951):"Windy Kilocycles" by Arch Oboler|website=richsamuels.com}}</ref>}}

Though the series is often remembered solely for its gruesome stories and sound effects, Cooper's scripts for ''Lights Out'' were later recognised as well written and offered innovations seldom heard in early radio dramas, including multiple first-person narrators, [[Stream of consciousness writing|stream of consciousness]] [[monologue]]s and scripts that contrasted a duplicitous character's [[internal monologue]] and his spoken words.

The question of who was the first to write stream-of-consciousness drama for radio is a difficult one to answer. By 1930, [[Tyrone Guthrie]] had written plays for the BBC like ''Matrimonial News'' (which consists entirely of the thoughts of a shopgirl awaiting a blind date) and ''The Flowers Are Not for You to Pick'' (which takes place inside the mind of a drowning man). After they were published in 1931, Guthrie's plays aired on the American networks. Around the same time, Guthrie himself also worked for the [[Canadian National Railway radio network]], producing plays written by [[Merrill Denison]] that used similar techniques. A 1940 article in ''Variety'' credited a 1932 [[NBC]] play, ''Drink Deep'' by Don Johnson, as the first stream-of-consciousness play written for American radio. The climax of Lawrence Holcomb's 1931 NBC play ''Skyscraper'' also uses a variation of the technique (so that the listener can hear the final thoughts and relived memories of a man falling to his death from the title building).

There were probably earlier examples of stream-of-consciousness drama on the radio. For example, in December 1924, actor [[Paul Robeson]], then appearing in a revival of [[Eugene O'Neill]]'s ''[[The Emperor Jones]]'', performed a scene from the play over New York's [[WINS (AM)|WGBS]] to critical acclaim. Some of the many storytellers and monologuists on early 1920s American radio might be able to claim even earlier dates.

=== 1930–1960s: widespread popularity ===
Perhaps America's most famous radio drama broadcast is [[Orson Welles]]' ''[[The War of the Worlds (radio)|The War of the Worlds]]'' (a 1938 version of [[H. G. Wells]]' [[The War of the Worlds|novel]]), which inspired stories of a mass panic that, though greatly exaggerated, signaled the power of the form.<ref>Kristen Hare, [https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2013/threatened-by-radio-newspapers-exaggerated-war-of-the-worlds-panic/ "Threatened by radio, newspapers exaggerated 'War of the Worlds' panic"], ''[[Poynter Institute]]'', 29 Oct. 2013.</ref>
By the late 1930s, radio drama was widely popular in the United States (and also in other parts of the world). There were dozens of programs in many different genres, from mysteries and thrillers, to [[soap opera]]s and comedies. Among American playwrights, screenwriters and novelists who got their start in radio drama are [[Rod Serling]] and [[Irwin Shaw]].
[[File:Radio program put on by children of Junior Artists Club Federal Art Project WPA Phoenix AZ 1935.gif|thumb|240px|Radio program written and performed in [[Phoenix, Arizona]] by children of Junior Artists Club (Federal Arts Program, 1935).]]

In Britain, however, during the 1930s BBC programming, tended to be more high brow, including the works of Shakespeare, Classical Greek drama, as well as the works of major modern playwrights, such as [[Chekhov]], [[Ibsen]], [[Strindberg]], and so forth. Novels and short stories were also frequently dramatised.<ref>See reviews in ''The Listener''</ref> In addition the plays of contemporary writers and original plays were produced, with, for example, a broadcast of [[T. S. Eliot]]'s famous verse play ''[[Murder in the Cathedral]]'' in 1936.<ref>"The Poetic Quality", Grace Wyndham Goldie. ''The Listener'' (London, England), Wednesday, January 8, 1936; p. 78; Issue 365.</ref> By 1930, the BBC was producing "twice as many plays as London's [[West End of London|West End]]" and were producing over 400 plays a year by the mid-1940s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/sound/radio/radiodrama/drama.html|title=Radio broadcast recordings|website=The British Library}}</ref>

Producers of radio drama soon became aware that adapting stage plays for radio did not always work, and that there was a need for plays specifically written for radio, which recognised its potential as a distinct and different medium from the theatre. [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s plays, for example, were seen as readily adaptable.<ref>See, for example, "A Listener's Commentary", R. D. Charques. ''The Listener'' (London, England), Wednesday, October 23, 1929; p. 553; Issue 41.</ref> However, in a lead article in the BBC literary journal ''[[The Listener (magazine)|The Listener]]'', of 14 August 1929, which discussed the broadcasting of 12 great plays, it was suggested that while the theatrical literature of the past should not be neglected the future lay mainly with plays written specifically for the microphone.

In 1939–40, the BBC founded its own [[Drama Repertory Company]] which made a stock of actors readily available. After the war, the number was around 50. They performed in the great number of plays broadcast in the heyday of BBC radio drama of the 40s–60s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1j94Sg0D452YpLFz2SLYLpd/the-radio-drama-company|title=Soundstart – The Radio Drama Company|website=BBC}}</ref>

Initially the BBC resisted American-style 'soap opera', but eventually highly popular serials, like ''[[Dick Barton|Dick Barton, Special Agent]]'' (1946–51), ''[[Mrs Dale's Diary]]'' (1948–69) and ''[[The Archers]]'' (1950–), were produced. ''The Archers'' is still running ({{as of|2024|July|lc=yes}}) and is the world's longest-running soap opera with a total of over 18,400 episodes.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6124558.stm The Archers airs 15,000th episode], ''[[BBC News]]'', 2006-11-07</ref> There had been some earlier serialised drama including, the six episode ''The Shadow of the Swastika'' (1939), [[Dorothy L. Sayers]]'s ''[[The Man Born To Be King]]'', in twelve episodes (1941), and ''[[Front Line Family]]'' (1941–48), which was broadcast to America as part of the effort to encourage the US to enter the war. The show's storylines depicted the trials and tribulations of a British family, the Robinsons, living through the war. This featured plots about rationing, family members missing in action and the Blitz. After the war in 1946 it was moved to the [[BBC Light Programme]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irdp.co.uk/britrad3.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611044728/http://www.irdp.co.uk/britrad3.htm |archive-date=June 11, 2011 |title=British Radio Drama – A Cultural Case History |first=Tim |last=Crook |date=1999 |page=3}}</ref>

The BBC continued producing various kinds of drama, including docu-drama, throughout [[World War II]]; amongst the writers they employed were the novelist [[James Hanley (novelist)|James Hanley]]<ref>Linnea Gibbs, ''James Hanley: A Bibliography''. (Vancouver: William Hoffer, 1980), p. 165.</ref> and poet [[Louis MacNeice]], who in 1941 became an employee of the BBC's. MacNeice's work for the BBC initially involved writing and producing radio programmes intended to build support for the US, and later Russia, through cultural programmes emphasising links between the countries rather than outright propaganda. By the end of the war MacNeice had written well over 60 scripts for the BBC, including ''[[Christopher Columbus (radio)|Christopher Columbus]]'' (1942), which starred [[Laurence Olivier]], ''[[The Dark Tower (radio play)|The Dark Tower]]'' (1946), and a six-part radio adaptation of [[Goethe]]'s ''[[Goethe's Faust|Faust]]'' (1949).<ref>[http://www.poets.org/ Poets.org]</ref>

Following World War II the BBC reorganised its radio provision, introducing two new channels to supplement the [[BBC Home Service]] (itself the result of the fusion in September 1939 of the pre-war [[BBC National Programme|National]] and [[BBC Regional Programme|Regional Programmes]]). These were the BBC Light Programme (dating from 29 July 1945 and a direct successor to the wartime [[BBC General Forces Programme|General Forces Programme]]) and the [[BBC Third Programme]] (launched on 29 September 1946).

The BBC Light Programme, while principally devoted to light entertainment and music, carried a fair share of drama, both single plays (generally, as the name of the station indicated, of a lighter nature) and serials. In contrast, the BBC Third Programme, destined to become one of the leading cultural and intellectual forces in post-war Britain, specialised in heavier drama (as well as the serious music, talks, and other features which made up its content): long-form productions of both classical and modern/experimental dramatic works sometimes occupied the major part of its output on any given evening. The Home Service, meanwhile, continued to broadcast more "middle-brow" drama (one-off plays and serialisations) daily.

The high-water mark for BBC radio drama was the 1950s and 1960s, and during this period many major British playwrights either effectively began their careers with the BBC, or had works adapted for radio. Most of playwright [[Caryl Churchill]]'s early experiences with professional drama production were as a radio playwright and, starting in 1962 with ''The Ants'', she wrote nine productions with BBC radio drama up until 1973, when her stage work began to be recognised at the [[Royal Court Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsC/churchill-caryl.html|title=Caryl Churchill|website=www.doollee.com}}</ref> [[Joe Orton]]'s dramatic debut in 1963 was the radio play ''[[The Ruffian on the Stair]]'', which was broadcast on 31 August 1964.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.irdp.co.uk/radiodrama.htm|title=International radio drama|website=www.irdp.co.uk}}</ref>

[[Tom Stoppard]]'s "first professional production was in the 15-minute ''Just Before Midnight'' programme on [[BBC Radio]], which showcased new dramatists".<ref name="autogenerated1" /> [[John Mortimer]] made his radio debut as a dramatist in 1955, with his adaptation of his own novel ''Like Men Betrayed'' for the [[BBC Light Programme]]. However, he made his debut as an original playwright with ''[[The Dock Brief]]'', starring [[Michael Hordern]] as a hapless barrister, first broadcast in 1957 on BBC Third Programme, later televised with the same cast and subsequently presented in a double bill with ''What Shall We Tell Caroline?'' at the [[Lyric Hammersmith]] in April 1958, before transferring to the [[Garrick Theatre]]. Mortimer is most famous for ''[[Rumpole of the Bailey]]'', a [[British television]] series which starred [[Leo McKern]] as Horace Rumpole, an aging London barrister who defends any and all clients. It has been spun off into a series of short stories, novels, and radio programmes.<ref>"John Mortimer Radio Plays": [http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/jmortimer.html]; filmreference.com/film/69/John-Mortimer.html John Mortimer Biography (1923–2009)</ref>

[[Giles Cooper (playwright)|Giles Cooper]] was a pioneer in writing for radio, becoming prolific in both radio and television drama. His early successes included radio dramatisations of [[Charles Dickens]]'s ''[[Oliver Twist]]'', [[William Golding]]'s ''[[Lord of the Flies]]'',<ref>The Listener (London, England), Thursday, September 1, 1955; p. 349; Issue 1383.</ref> and [[John Wyndham]]'s classic science fiction novel ''[[Day of the Triffids]]''.<ref name="Deacon">{{cite web|url=http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/|title=RADIO DRAMA, APPLES, EKEGUSII, POTATOES, EARLY MUSIC, Mandy Giltjes|first=Alison Deacon, Nigel|last=Deacon|website=www.suttonelms.org.uk}}</ref> He was also successful in the theatre. The first of his radio plays to make his reputation was ''Mathry Beacon'' (1956), about a small detachment of men and women still guarding a Top Secret "missile deflector" somewhere in Wales, years after the war has ended.<ref>"Critic on the Hearth", [[J. C. Trewin]]. ''The Listener'' (London, England), Thursday, June 28, 1956; p. 903; Issue 1422.</ref> [[Bill Naughton]]'s radio play ''Alfie Elkins and his Little Life'' (1962) was first broadcast on the BBC Third Programme on 7 January 1962. In it Alfie, "[w]ith sublime amorality... swaggers and philosophises his way through" life.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/BNAUGHTON.HTML|title=Bill Naughton radio drama – DIVERSITY WEBSITE|first=Alison Deacon, Nigel|last=Deacon|website=www.suttonelms.org.uk}}</ref> The action spans about two decades, from the beginning of World War II to the late 1950s. In 1964, Bill Naughton turned it into a stage play which was put on at London's [[Mermaid Theatre]]. Later, he wrote the screenplay for a film version, ''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]'' (1966), starring [[Michael Caine]].

Other notable radio dramatists included [[Henry Reed (poet)|Henry Reed]], [[Brendan Behan]], [[Rhys Adrian]], [[Alan Plater]]; [[Anthony Minghella]], [[Alan Bleasdale]], and novelist [[Angela Carter]]. Novelist [[Susan Hill]] also wrote for BBC Radio, from the early 1970s.<ref name="Deacon"/> Henry Reed was especially successful with the [[Hilda Tablet]] plays. Irish playwright Brendan Behan, author of ''[[The Quare Fellow]]'' (1954), was commissioned by the BBC to write a radio play ''The Big House'' (1956); prior to this he had written two plays for Irish radio: ''Moving Out'' and ''A Garden Party''.<ref>''The Columbia encyclopedia of modern drama'', by Gabrielle H. Cody; "Brendan Behan" – RTÉ Archives [http://www.rte.ie/archives/exhibitions/925-brendan-behan/]</ref>

Among the most famous works created for radio, are [[Dylan Thomas]]'s ''[[Under Milk Wood]]'' (1954), [[Samuel Beckett]]'s ''[[All That Fall]]'' (1957), [[Harold Pinter]]'s ''[[A Slight Ache]]'' (1959), and [[Robert Bolt]]'s ''[[A Man for All Seasons (play)|A Man for All Seasons]]'' (1954).<ref>J. C. Trewin, "Critic on the Hearth." ''Listener'' [London, England] 5 Aug. 1954: 224.</ref> Beckett wrote a number of short radio plays in the 1950s and 1960s, and later for television; his radio play ''[[Embers]]'' was first broadcast on the BBC Third Programme on 24 June 1959 and won the RAI prize at the [[Prix Italia]] awards later that year.<ref>[http://www.prixitalia.rai.it/2008/pdf/vincitori_edizionipassate_en.pdf Prix Italia "PAST EDITIONS&nbsp;– WINNERS 1949 – 2007"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303114656/http://www.prixitalia.rai.it/2008/pdf/vincitori_edizionipassate_en.pdf |date=2012-03-03 }}</ref>

Robert Bolt's writing career began with scripts for ''[[Children's Hour]]''.<ref>British Radio Drama – A Cultural Case History by Tim Crook</ref> ''[[A Man for All Seasons (play)|A Man for All Seasons]]'' was subsequently produced on television in 1957. Then in 1960, there was a highly successful stage production in London's West End and on New York's Broadway from late 1961. In addition there have been two film versions: in 1966 starring [[Paul Scofield]] and 1988 for television, starring [[Charlton Heston]].<ref>''A Man for All Seasons'' (1966) – IMDb [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060665/]; ''A Man for All Seasons'' (TV 1988) – IMDb [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095578/]</ref>

While [[Alan Ayckbourn]] did not write for radio many of his stage plays were subsequently adapted for radio. Other significant adaptations included, dramatised readings of poet [[David Jones (poet)|David Jones]]'s ''[[In Parenthesis]]'' in 1946 and ''[[The Anathemata]]'' in 1953, for the BBC Third Programme,<ref>"Critic on the Hearth", Philip Hope-Wallace. ''The Listener'' (London, England), Thursday, November 28, 1946; p. 767; Issue 933; "Critic on the Hearth", Martin Armstrong. ''The Listener'' (London, England), Thursday, May 14, 1953; p. 815; Issue 1263.</ref> and novelist [[Wyndham Lewis]]'s ''The Human Age'' (1955).<ref>"The Human Age"", Wyndham Lewis.
''The Listener'' (London, England), Thursday, June 2, 1955; p. 976</ref> Among contemporary novels that were dramatised were the 1964 radio adaptation of [[Stan Barstow]]'s ''[[A Kind of Loving (novel)|A Kind of Loving]]'' (1960); there had also been a 1962 film adaptation.<ref>"A Kind of Loving – The Literature of Stan Barstow":[http://www.stanbarstow.info/kindofloving.html]; ''A Kind of Loving'' (1962) – IMDb [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056141/]</ref>

=== 1960–2000: decline in the United States ===
After the advent of television, radio drama never recovered its popularity in the United States. Most remaining [[CBS]] and NBC radio dramas were cancelled in 1960.<ref>Jim Cox, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=o18qwF_TZIIC&pg=PA145 Say Goodnight, Gracie: The Last Years of Network Radio]'', pp. 145–148.</ref> The last network radio dramas to originate during American radio's "[[Golden Age of Radio|Golden Age]]", ''[[Suspense (radio drama)|Suspense]]'' and ''[[Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar]]'', ended on 30 September 1962.<ref>John Dunning, ''[https://archive.org/details/onairencyclop00dunn/page/742 On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio]'', Oxford University Press, 1998, p. 742. {{ISBN|978-0-19-507678-3}}.</ref>

There have been some efforts at radio drama since then. In the 1960s, [[Dick Orkin]] created the popular syndicated comic adventure series ''[[Chickenman (radio series)|Chicken Man]]''. [[ABC Radio Network|ABC Radio]] aired a daily dramatic anthology program, ''[[Theater Five]]'', in 1964–65. Inspired by ''[[The Goon Show]]'', "the four or five crazy guys" of the [[Firesign Theatre]] built a large following with their satirical plays on recordings exploring the dramatic possibilities inherent in stereo. A brief resurgence of production beginning in the early 1970s yielded [[Rod Serling]]'s ''[[The Zero Hour (U.S. radio series)|The Zero Hour]]'' for [[Mutual Broadcasting System|Mutual]], [[National Public Radio]]'s ''[[Earplay]]'', and veteran [[Himan Brown]]'s ''[[CBS Radio Mystery Theater]]'' and ''[[General Mills Radio Adventure Theater]]''. These productions were later followed by the ''[[Sears Radio Theater|Sears/Mutual Radio Theater]]'', ''[[The National Radio Theater of Chicago]]'', ''[[NPR Playhouse]]'', and a newly produced episode of the former 1950s series ''[[X Minus One]]''. Works by a new generation of dramatists also emerged at this time, notably [[Yuri Rasovsky]], [[Thomas Lopez]] of [[ZBS Foundation|ZBS]] and the dramatic sketches heard on humourist [[Garrison Keillor]]'s ''[[A Prairie Home Companion]]''. [[Brian Daley]]'s 1981 adaptation of the [[Blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]] [[space opera]] film ''[[Star Wars (radio)|Star Wars]]'' for ''NPR Playhouse'' was a notable success. Production costs on this serial were mitigated by the support of [[Lucasfilm]], which sold the rights to NPR for a nominal $1 fee, and by the participation of the BBC in an [[international co-production]] deal. ''Star Wars'' was credited with generating a 40% rise in NPR's ratings and quadrupling the network's youth audience overnight. Radio adaptations of the sequels followed with ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' in 1983 and ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' in 1996.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Robb|first1=Brian J.|title=A Brief Guide to Star Wars|date=2012|publisher=Hachette |location=London|isbn=978-1-78033-583-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5l-eBAAAQBAJ&q=star+wars+national+public+radio&pg=PT76|access-date=21 July 2016|language=en}}</ref><ref name="allthings">{{cite news|last1=John|first1=Derek|title=That Time NPR Turned 'Star Wars' Into A Radio Drama – And It Actually Worked|url=https://www.npr.org/2015/12/18/460269884/that-time-npr-turned-star-wars-into-a-radio-drama-and-it-actually-worked|website=NPR.org|publisher=[[All Things Considered]], National Public Radio|access-date=22 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160620103128/http://www.npr.org/2015/12/18/460269884/that-time-npr-turned-star-wars-into-a-radio-drama-and-it-actually-worked |archive-date=20 June 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Thanks in large part to the [[National Endowment for the Arts|National Endowments for the Arts]] and [[National Endowment for the Humanities|Humanities]], public radio continued to air a smattering of audio drama until the mid-1980s. From 1986 to 2002, NPR's most consistent producer of radio drama was the idiosyncratic [[Joe Frank]], working out of [[KCRW]] in Santa Monica. The [[Syfy|Sci Fi Channel]] presented an audio drama series, ''[[Seeing Ear Theater|Seeing Ear Theatre]]'', on its website from 1997 to 2001. Also, the dramatic serial ''It's Your World'' aired twice daily on the nationally syndicated ''[[Tom Joyner Morning Show]]'' from 1994 to 2008, continuing online through 2010.

=== 2000–present: radio drama's "new media" revival ===
Radio drama remains popular in much of the world, though most material is now available through Internet download rather than heard over terrestrial or satellite radio.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2007/apr/24/thepodcaststhethingtorevi|title=The podcast's the thing to revive radio drama|newspaper=The Guardian|date=24 April 2007| location=London| first=Toby| last=Lichtig| access-date=2010-04-12}}</ref> Stations producing radio drama often commission a large number of scripts. The relatively low cost of producing a radio play enables them to take chances with works by unknown writers. Radio can be a good training ground for beginning drama writers as the words written form a much greater part of the finished product; bad lines cannot be obscured with stagecraft.

The BBC's sole surviving radio soap is ''[[The Archers]]'' on [[BBC Radio 4]]: it is, with over 18,700 episodes to date,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5xGwGj4NgfGRJ1B2mFqg6QM/frequently-asked-questions|title=The Archers – Frequently Asked Questions – BBC Radio 4|website=BBC}}</ref> the world's longest-running such programme. Other radio soaps ("ongoing serials") produced by the BBC but no longer on air include:
* ''[[Mrs Dale's Diary]]'' (1948–69)
* ''[[Westway (soap opera)|Westway]]'' on the [[BBC World Service|World Service]] (1997–2005)<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4379888.stm | work=BBC News | title=Eight years of Westway end | date=2005-10-28 | access-date=2010-04-12}}</ref>
* ''[[Silver Street]]'' (2004–10) on the [[BBC Asian Network|Asian Network]]

In September, 2010 [[Radio New Zealand]] began airing its first ongoing soap opera, ''[[You Me Now]]'', which won the Best New Drama Award in the 2011 [[New Zealand Radio Awards]].

On [[KDVS]] radio in [[Davis, California]] there are two radio theatre shows, ''Evening Shadows'', a horror/fantasy show paying tribute to classic old-time radio horror, and ''KDVS Radio Theater'' which commonly features dramas about social and political themes.

The audio drama format exists side by side with [[books on the radio|books presented on radio]], read by actors or by the author. In Britain and other countries there is also quite a bit of radio comedy (both stand-up and sitcom). Together, these programs provide entertainment where television is either not wanted or would be distracting (such as while driving or operating machinery). ''[[Selected Shorts]]'', a long-running NPR program broadcast in front of a live audience at [[Symphony Space]] in New York, originated the ''driveway moment'' for over 300,000 people listeners each week during readings of contemporary and classic short stories by well-known professional actors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.selectedshorts.org/onair/|title=Listen – Selected Shorts|website=selectedshorts.org}}</ref>

The lack of visuals also enable fantastical settings and effects to be used in radio plays where the cost would be prohibitive for movies or television. ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' was first produced as radio drama, and was not adapted for television until much later, when its popularity would ensure an appropriate return for the high cost of the futuristic setting.

On occasion television series can be revived as radio series. For example, a long-running but no longer popular television series can be continued as a radio series because the reduced production costs make it cost-effective with a much smaller audience. When an organisation owns both television and radio channels, such as the BBC, the fact that no royalties have to be paid makes this even more attractive. Radio revivals can also use actors reprising their television roles even after decades as they still sound roughly the same. Series that have had this treatment include ''[[Doctor Who]]'', ''[[Dad's Army]]'', ''[[Thunderbirds (TV series)|Thunderbirds]]''{{Dubious|date=October 2009}} and ''[[The Tomorrow People]]''. In 2013 BBC Radio 4 released a radio adaptation of ''[[Neverwhere (radio play)|Neverwhere]]'' by [[Neil Gaiman]], featuring a cast of well known television and film actors.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/neverwhere/24721/neil-gaimans-neverwhere-bbc-radio-4-launch-report|title=Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere BBC Radio 4 launch report|publisher=Den of Geek|date=6 March 2013| location=London| first=Louise| last=Mellor| access-date=2013-06-18}}</ref> Neil Gaiman has said he was excited about the radio drama adaptation as it allowed the work to be presented with a greater deal of special effects than was possible on television.<ref>{{cite news| last=Hatfull|url=http://www.scifinow.co.uk/news/37427/neil-gaimans-neverwhere-radio-4-premiere-launch-report/ |title=Neil Gaiman, Natalie Dormer and More Talk Neverwhere|publisher=SciFiNow|date=4 March 2013| location=London| first=Jonathan}}</ref> In the United States, an adaptation of ''[[The Twilight Zone (radio series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' aired to modest success in the 2000s (decade) as a syndicated program.

Regular broadcasts of radio drama in English can be heard on the BBC's [[BBC Radio 3|Radio 3]], [[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]] and [[BBC Radio 4 Extra|Radio 4 Extra]] (formerly Radio 7), on [[RTÉ Radio 1]] in Ireland, and [[RNZ National]] in New Zealand. The [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] produced notable radio plays in Calgary and Toronto in the postwar decades, from which many actors and directors proceeded to international careers, but abolished its radio drama department in the 1970s and finally ceased production of radio dramas in 2012.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2012/11/09/legendary_cbc_radio_drama_studio_to_close.html|title = Legendary CBC radio drama studio to close|newspaper = The Toronto Star|date = 9 November 2012|last1 = White|first1 = Nancy J.}}</ref> BBC Radio 4 in today noted for its radio drama, broadcasting hundreds of new, one-off plays each year in such strands as ''[[Afternoon Play|The Afternoon Play]]'', as well as serials and soap operas. Radio 4 Extra broadcasts a variety of radio plays from the BBC's vast archives and a few extended versions of Radio 4 programmes. The British commercial station [[Oneword]], though broadcasting mostly book readings, also transmitted a number of radio plays in instalments before it closed in 2008.

In the United States, contemporary radio drama can be found on broadcasters including ACB radio, produced by the [[American Council of the Blind]]; on the [[Sirius XM Book Radio]] channel from [[Sirius XM Satellite Radio]] (previously ''Sonic Theater'' on XM); and occasionally in syndication, as with [[Jim French (radio host)|Jim French]]'s production ''[[Imagination Theater]]''. Several community radio stations carry weekly radio drama programs including [[KBOO]], [[KFAI]], [[WMPG]], WLPP and [[WFHB]].

A growing number of religious radio stations air daily or weekly programs usually geared to younger audiences, such as [[Focus on the Family]]'s ''[[Adventures in Odyssey]]'' (1,700+ syndicated stations), or [[Pacific Garden Mission]]'s ''[[Unshackled!]]'' (1,800 syndicated stations – a long-running radio drama), which is geared to adults. The networks sometime sell transcripts of their shows on cassette tapes or CDs or make the shows available for listening or downloading over the Internet. Transcription recordings of many pre-television shows have been preserved. They are collected, re-recorded onto audio CDs and/or MP3 files and traded by hobbyists today as old-time radio programmes. Meanwhile, veterans such as the late [[Yuri Rasovsky]] ([[The National Radio Theater of Chicago]]) and [[Thomas Lopez]] ([[ZBS Foundation]]) have gained new listeners on cassettes, CDs and downloads. In the mid-1980s, the nonprofit [[L.A. Theatre Works]] launched its radio series recorded before live audiences. Productions have been broadcast via public radio, while also being marketed on compact discs and via download.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Maughan|first1=Shannon|title=L.A. Theatre Works at 40|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/audio-books/article/66222-l-a-theatre-works-at-40.html|website=Publishers Weekly|access-date=6 February 2018}}</ref> [[Carl Amari]]'s nationally syndicated radio series ''Hollywood 360'' features four old-time radio shows during his four-hour weekly broadcasts. Amari also broadcasts old-time radio shows on ''The WGN Radio Theatre'' heard every Saturday night beginning at 22:00 on 720-WGN in Chicago.

In addition to traditional radio broadcasters, modern radio drama (also known as audio theatre, or audio drama), has experienced a revival, with a growing number of independent producers who are able to build an audience through Internet distribution.<ref name="wsj" /> While there are few academic programs in the United States that offer training in radio drama production, organisations such as the [[National Audio Theatre Festival]] teach the craft to new producers.

The digital age has also resulted in recording styles that differ from the studio recordings of radio drama's Golden Age. ''[[Not from Space]]'' (2003) on XM Satellite Radio was the first national radio play recorded exclusively through the Internet in which the voice actors were all in separate locations. Other producers use portable recording equipment to record actors on location rather than in studios.<ref name="wsj" />

Podcasts are a growing distribution format for independent radio drama producers. Podcasts provides an alternative to mainstream television and radio which does not necessarily require a pitching process to be made and distributed (as these aspects of production can be learned by the creator) and which have no restrictions regarding programme length or content.<ref name="guardian" />