Getting Fresh with the Archers
Stoke-on-Trent seems to be just getting stoked now that their alternative soap to The Archers has gotten national attention. The Colcloughs is the first radio drama to be made outside of BBC‘s London headquarters. Check out the full story from The Stage:
A radio soap opera first aired in Stoke-on-Trent 25 years ago is to be featured on national radio for the first time.
Written by a team led by Coronation Street writer Tony Perrin, The Colcloughs aired for one series on BBC Radio Stoke in 1991 – and was the first BBC radio serial drama to be made outside the Corporation’s London headquarters.
Creator and producer Mike Hopwood, who has masterminded the revival, said the show still sounded like a fresh alternative to The Archers, which he described as “a bit mundane and quite middle class”.
Claiming The Colcloughs could “complement” the BBC Radio 4 drama soap, Hopwood said: “Having heard it all again recently, I am confident it remains as relevant and entertaining today as it was in 1991. It’s a real shame it was only ever heard once – on one local station.”
He added that daily airings mean that audiences will now be able to “make a date” with the show more easily than when it was first aired.
“When the drama launched, we only had the capacity to produce one midweek episode, with a repeat at the weekend. But now the serial is ‘on the shelf’ it can be rerun daily… so our audience can more easily make a date with it,” Hopwood said.
It is hoped that a second series could be funded and commissioned if the revival is a success.
The Colcloughs’ 15-minute episodes will air daily from May 16 on RNIB Connect Radio – a station for blind and partially sighted listeners – at 6:40pm.
An agreement with Equity has been reached to ensure the original actors are paid royalties for the reruns.
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