The writer & voice of BBC Radio 4's Ed Reardon shares the comedy scripts that missed the mark, got rejected by the commissioners or still remain unfinished.
CAST: Nigel Pilkington, Chris Kent, Jake Yapp, Helen Goldwyn, Beth Chalmers, Emma Clarke
Christopher Douglas is a British writer and performer, best known for co-writing and voicing Ed Reardon’s Week on BBC Radio 4 with the late Andrew Nickolds, a comedy series that has run for sixteen series and 100 episodes, and was twice recognized as Best Radio Programme by the Broadcasting Press Guild (2005, 2010).
He has also created the character Dave Podmore and co-written the radio comedies Mastering the Universe (2 series) and Beauty of Britain (3 series), along with a radio adaptation of New Grub Street and his award-winning drama Tristram Shandy: In Development. On screen and stage, he scripted performances featuring the Nicholas Craig persona (with Nigel Planer) for the BBC, and he is the author of several books including Spartan Cricketer, I, An Actor…, and Ed Reardon’s Week.
For more details about Christopher, his offcuts and the actors performing them see the episode show notes: offcutsdrawer.com/christopher-douglas
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54:44
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54:44
Piers Torday - Children's Author & Playwright
A former television writer now an award-winning children’s novelist and playwright, Piers’ offcuts include an attempt at a romantic novel, a social media status update about a bossy weevil, and a sitcom based on the unlikely topic of his early life growing up on a farm during the foot & mouth pandemic.
offcutsdrawer.com/piers-torday
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51:14
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51:14
Adele Parks MBE - Novelist
Top Author & Writer Adele Parks shares clips of her writing that never made it to publication, plus some of her earliest literary attempts and and some very surprising NSFW poetry.
CAST: Helen Goldwyn, Emma Clarke, Chris Pavlo and Beth Chalmers.
Adele Parks has published more than twenty novels since her first, Playing Away, appeared in 2000. Her books have sold over five million copies and are translated into dozens of languages, regularly featuring in bestseller lists in the UK. She was recognised with an MBE in 2022 for her contribution to literature. Alongside her fiction, Parks has written for national newspapers and magazines, and she is an ambassador for The Reading Agency, supporting efforts to improve literacy and access to books. Her output includes both romantic comedies and darker psychological thrillers, marking her as one of the most consistent and wide-reaching authors on the contemporary British publishing scene.
For more details about Adele, the offcuts and the actors performing them see the episode show notes:
offcutsdrawer.com/adele-parks
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51:29
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51:29
Lucy V Hay - Author, Novelist & Script Editor
Novelist, blogger & script editor Lucy V Hay shares her writing that failed before she became a published novelist, and screenplays that have yet to find a home.
Struggling with mental health issues and a subsequent cancer diagnosis, Lucy shares the story of how she went from being a teenage mum to becoming a successful novelist and script editor, and the driving force behind Bang2Write, one of the most well-regarded writing websites in the UK.
Audio Note:
Apologies but unexpected software issues caused the guest audio in this episode to be lower quality than usual.
CAST: Emma Clarke, David Monteath, Beth Chalmers, Rachel Atkins and Christopher Kent
Lucy V. Hay is a British screenwriter and novelist who writes under the names L.V. Hay and Lizzie Fry. As L.V. Hay, she has written crime fiction novels including The Other Twin, Do No Harm, Never Have I Ever, and Safe and Sound. As Lizzie Fry, she is the author of fantasy novels and thrillers including The Coven, Kill For It, The Good Mother, and Little Boy Missing.
She runs the script development platform Bang2Write and is the author of several books on writing, including Writing & Selling Thriller Screenplays and Writing Diverse Characters for Fiction. She has worked as a script editor, is head reader for the London Screenwriters’ Festival, and has served as associate producer on Deviation (2012) and Assassin (2015).
For more details about the writer, the offcuts and the actors performing them see the episode show notes: offcutsdrawer.com/lucy-v-hay
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53:24
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53:24
Dan Maier - Comedy Writer
TV, film and radio comedy writer Dan Maier reveals a cornucopia of different formats for his offcuts that include a radio sketch written for a famous double act, a children's science fiction trilogy and a Victorian blog entry.
CAST: Chris Pavlo, Jake Yapp, Helen Goldwyn, Nigel Pilkington and Emma Clarke
Dan Maier is a television and radio writer with a career spanning satire, sitcoms, sketch, film, gameshow and comedy formats. He began writing for Have I Got News For You in the early 1990s and has contributed to television shows including Not Going Out, The Armstrong and Miller Show, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and Harry Hill’s TV Burp where he was part of the core writing team across 11 seasons and associated series’s.
He collaborations with Charlie Brooker include writing on the various Wipe formats and co-writing the Sky1 spoof A Touch of Cloth. For Channel 4 he created and wrote the gameshow Quizness, and created and wrote the comedy series The Function Room.
In films he’s written on Sasha Baron Cohen’s “The Brothers Grimsby” and The Harry Hill Movie.
For BBC Radio he’s written on multiple sketch and satire shows, he had 2 series of his own surreal comedy Life on Egg and co-created and co-wrote the comedy-drama Trapped with his brother Mark.
For more details about the writer, the offcuts and the actors performing them see the episode show notes: offcutsdrawer.com/dan-maier
About The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst Ideas
Writing Tips, Truths & Lessons Learned, From Top Writers’ Unproduced Work.Novelists, screenwriters, authors, playwrights, journalists, writer-performers, columnists, poets…Every writer has a virtual bottom drawer where they keep the bits of writing they never finished, had rejected or can’t quite find a home for – the unfinished novel, the cut scene, the rejected script, sometimes even the childhood essay…In each episode of The Offcuts Drawer actors perform these pieces and the writer talks to host Laura Shavin about the story behind them, sharing the often surprising twists and turns of their career that led them to where they are today.More details about the writers, the offcuts and the actors performing them plus full episode transcripts at offcutsdrawer.com
Listen to The Offcuts Drawer - Successful Writers Share Their Best Worst Ideas, Dish and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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