By Alex Straker
First broadcast – BBC Radio 4 – 19/08/21
Nominated for Best Fictional Storytelling – Arias 2022
In today’s ‘zeit’ the ‘geist’ is everywhere: environmental catastrophe; conspiracy theories; populism; fake news; the age of the algorithm; nationalism; racism; social exclusion. Not to mention pandemics.
As the world teeters on the edge of various self-made apocalypses, Angst! takes a satirical sideways look at our own naked fears. Five separate but connected half-hour ‘what if?’ stories all told under the watchful eye of the enigmatic Timor Greer.
“Poster Girl/Poster Boy”. Noun.
Name for post-1945 migrants to the U.K. and their offspring. Popularised in the wake of the passing of ‘The Belonging Act’.
A third-generation Londoner of Caribbean heritage is forced to take part in a virtual reality game in order to win British citizenship.
A third-generation Londoner of Caribbean heritage is forced to take part in a virtual reality game in order to win the ultimate prize: British citizenship. Victory lies within her grasp – all she has to do is complete the levels. Simple, right? Unless there’s more to the game than meets the eye.
Boudica ….. Jade Anouka
Abe55 ….. Asmara Gabrielle
Shakespeare ….. Jonathan Forbes
Pearl ….. Michelle Greenidge
Salina ….. Sudha Bhuchar
Jeremy …. Joshua Akehurst
Timor Greer ….. Cyril Nri
Other voices are played by the cast
Sound design ….. Adam Woodhams & Steve Bond
Production manager ….. Anna de Wolff Evans
Executive producer ….. Sara Davies
Series creator ….. Martin Jameson
Produced & directed by Nicolas Jackson
An Afonica production for BBC Radio 4

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By Martin Jameson
First broadcast – BBC Radio 4 – 18/08/21
In today’s ‘zeit’ the ‘geist’ is everywhere: environmental catastrophe; conspiracy theories; populism; fake news; the age of the algorithm; nationalism; racism; social exclusion. Not to mention pandemics.
As the world teeters on the edge of various self-made apocalypses, Angst! takes a satirical sideways look at our own naked fears. Five separate but connected half-hour ‘what if?’ stories all told under the watchful eye of the enigmatic Timor Greer.
Microplastics can be found everywhere from the snows of Mount Everest to the placenta of unborn babies. They pollute our seas and the very air we breathe, threatening the future of the planet. So when a plastic-eating enzyme is created that can munch through an Evian bottle in 2.93 seconds that should be a giant step in the fight against climate change. Or at least it would be if the enzyme wasn’t self-replicating. And if it didn’t fall into the wrong hands and end up at the bottom of the sea.
Treve ….. Reece Shearsmith
Judith ….. Rosie Cavaliero
Adam ….. Will Howard
Eve ….. Skye Lourie
Dale …. Joshua Akehurst
Fargeas ….. Ben Crowe
Timor Greer ….. Cyril Nri
Other voices are played by the cast
Sound design ….. Steve Bond & Adam Woodhams
Production manager ….. Anna de Wolff Evans
Executive producer ….. Sara Davies
Series creator ….. Martin Jameson
Produced & directed by Nicolas Jackson
An Afonica production for BBC Radio 4

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By Marietta Kirkbride
First broadcast – BBC Radio 4 – 17/08/21
In today’s ‘zeit’ the ‘geist’ is everywhere: environmental catastrophe; conspiracy theories; populism; fake news; the age of the algorithm; nationalism; racism; social exclusion. Not to mention pandemics.
As the world teeters on the edge of various self-made apocalypses, Angst! takes a satirical sideways look at our own naked fears. Five separate but connected half-hour ‘what if?’ stories all told under the watchful eye of the enigmatic Timor Greer.
The inhabitants of Britain’s most advanced “smart town” are forced to confront escalating aberrations in the technology that runs their daily lives. Washing machines in every home spin at once; phones and stereos belt out the same song at the same time. But what is the algorithm trying to tell them? And how can they atone, to be guided once again by its wisdom?
Sian ….. Rose Wardlaw
Malcolm ….. David Carlyle
Interviewer ….. Will Howard
K ….. Sarah Keyworth
Willow ….. Jane Slavin
Timor Greer ……Cyril Nri
Other voices are played by the cast
Sound design ….. Steve Bond & Adam Woodhams
Production manager ….. Anna de Wolff Evans
Executive producer ….. Sara Davies
Series creator ….. Martin Jameson
Produced and directed by Nicolas Jackson
An Afonica production for BBC Radio 4

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By Martin Jameson
First broadcast – BBC Radio 4 – 16/08/21
In today’s ‘zeit’ the ‘geist’ is everywhere: environmental catastrophe; conspiracy theories; populism; fake news; the age of the algorithm; nationalism; racism; social exclusion. Not to mention pandemics.
As the world teeters on the edge of various self-made apocalypses, Angst! takes a satirical sideways look at our own naked fears. Five separate but connected half-hour ‘what if?’ stories all told under the watchful eye of the enigmatic Timor Greer.
With Populism and conspiracy theories in the ascendant, and comedians and reality TV stars running nations, how can The Establishment fight back? A failing actor finds himself auditioning for the role of a lifetime. It’s a Faustian deal, he (literally) cannot refuse. But is he the only one playing a role?
Tony Bland ….. Hugh Dennis
Gina ….. Kathryn Drysdale
Cherry ….. Clare Corbett
Harri ….. Will Howard
Timor Greer….. Cyril Nri
Other voices are played by the cast
Sound design ….. Steve Bond & Adam Woodhams
Production manager ….. Anna de Wolff Evans
Executive producer ….. Sara Davies
Series creator ….. Martin Jameson
Produced & directed by Nicolas Jackson
An Afonica production for BBC Radio 4

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Created by Ilana Navaro
Written by Ilana Navaro with Sudha Bhuchar and Nicolas Jackson
First broadcast BBC Radio 3 21/02/21 19:30h (UK)
Love, faith and values clash in a Frenchwoman’s search for identity in cross-cultural London.
Faïza is French of Algerian descent and moves to London hoping to reset her life. She has never felt truly accepted in her own country and arrives in Britain eager to escape a sense of exclusion she believes unique to France. In the wake of a painful breakup she is also open to the romantic possibilities this new city might offer. But when she meets Mehdi, a British Pakistani, Faïza soon discovers that Britain is far from the land of butterflies and rainbows she had imagined.
Faïza ….. Laïla Alj
Mehdi ….. Navin Chowdhry
Elsa ….. Jade Matthew
Afrine ..… Sophie Khan Levy
Deepika ….. Hussina Raja
Prema ..… Sudha Bhuchar
Paul ….. Will Howard
Echo ….. Liz Sutherland-Lim
Atif ….. Danny Ashok
Sabrina ….. Adélia Esteve Richard
Elias ….. Djan Miské Navaro
Salma & Adèle ….. Fatima Adoum
Nico ….. Yves Heck
Executive producer ….. Sara Davies
Mix ….. Steve Bond
Sound design ….. Adam Woodhams
Produced & directed by Nicolas Jackson
An Afonica production for BBC Radio 3

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The Bank
by Nicolas Jackson
Part of the Virtual Aurality series
A short form series placing the listener at the heart of the action. Location recording with binaural and stereo shotgun mics create high octane immersive worlds with POV perspective.
Just another day at the bank. Unless you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
See also The Boxer & The Tourist
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The Tourist
by Nicolas Jackson & Steve Bond
Part of the Virtual Aurality series
A short form series placing the listener at the heart of the action. Location recording with binaural and stereo shotgun mics create high octane immersive worlds with POV perspective.
The wonders of space travel are about to become accessible for civilians who can pay for it. But what if something goes wrong?
See also The Bank & The Boxer
 
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The Boxer
by Nicolas Jackson
Part of the Virtual Aurality series
A short form series placing the listener at the heart of the action. Location recording with binaural and stereo shotgun mics create high octane immersive worlds with POV perspective.
You’re giving it all you’ve got. But sometimes even your best shot is just not good enough.
See also The Bank & The Tourist
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First broadcast 4-8 January 2021 on BBC Radio 3
Second broadcast 7-11 February 2022 on BBC Radio 3
“One cannot know the rivers till one has seen them at their sources; but this journey to sources is not to be undertaken lightly… There are awakened also in oneself, by the contact, elementals that are as unpredictable as wind or snow.”
– Nan Shepherd, The Living Mountain.
Here was a warning that director Rob Petit chose to ignore when he began making the film Upstream together with the writer Robert Macfarlane. An aerial journey that follows the course of the River Dee in Scotland, all the way to its source high up on the Cairngorm Plateau, the highest of any river in Britain. What begins as a foolhardy adventure becomes a humble awakening to the power of wild places to transform our reality.
Adapted from Petit’s expedition diaries, the soundscape weaves together a haunting original score by Oscar-nominated composer Hauschka and spellbinding location sound from the high mountains, recorded over a period of three years. Poetry and text by Robert Macfarlane are voiced by award-winning Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis in this immersive and tonal piece of audio storytelling across five compelling episodes.
The Frozen River is a story of misread signs and missing maps, of strange ghosts and altered realities, a pilgrimage to loss… and being lost.
Written and voiced by Rob Petit
Words for “Upstream” written by Robert Macfarlane
Extracts of “Upstream” voiced by Julie Fowlis, Niall Gordàn and Robert Macfarlane
Original score by Hauschka
“Munro Bagger” written and performed by Colin Lamont
Sound design by Adam Woodhams and Steve Bond
Produced by Nicolas Jackson
An Afonica production for BBC Radio 3

 
 
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By Martin Jameson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 – 06/12/20
A quantum cryptocurrency audio heist movie and psychological tech thriller exploring the illusory nature of money itself.
Bit – real name Rebecca “Becky” Isobel Troughton, BIT, get it? – is in trouble. Big trouble. She’s only gone and hacked into US mainframes and brought the entire eastern seaboard to a standstill. And now she’s on everybody’s Most Wanted list. But Bit is no hacking ‘gun for hire’, oh no. She’s driven by principle and she’s the very best at what she does. So when shady government organisations come a-knocking in a bid to secure her services, she just sends them packing. Well, sort of. But there are some offers even Bit can’t refuse. Like the search for 494 million’s worth of missing iPromises – a brand-new un-hackable cryptocurrency that’s the sexy place to put your pennies.
But before Bit can even think about those eight hundred giant servers in the middle of an Icelandic wilderness, there are more pressing matters to deal with closer to home. Like finding a safe place to live and avoiding her estranged father. And why does she feel like she’s being followed?
In Bit’s head, the references to The Wizard of Oz keep stacking up, but we are definitely not in Kansas anymore.
Bit & Infinity Bit ….. Tamara Lawrance
Kevin Straw ….. Jonathan Forbes
Tinaya ….. Skye Lourie
Leon ….. Gunnar Cauthery
Emir & Clive ….. Nabil Elouahabi
Frank & Grimmur Ekkert ….. Danny Sapani
Other characters are voice by the cast
Sound design ….. Adam Woodhams
Mix ….. Steve Bond
Executive producer ….. Sara Davies
Directed & produced by Nicolas Jackson
An Afonica production for BBC Radio 4

 
 
 
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A contemporary gothic thriller by Hattie Naylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 17/11/20
BBC Audio Drama Awards 2022
Winner – Best Drama
Winner – Best Actress (Juliet Aubrey)
Winner – Best Supporting Performance (Claire Price)
“Evocative of strangeness with creative and original use of sound, this is a psychologically intricate drama that manages to both unsettle and intrigue. Driven by outstanding performances and a vivid and persuasive sense of place, this play extends and utilises all the possibilities of the form.” –  Judges, BBC Audio Drama 2022
Following a move from London to rural Wales, Sam is abandoned by her composer husband, Dylan, for Freya, his childhood sweetheart. Sam is devastated and haunted by the memory of a place by the sea where Dylan wrote a sonata just for her. When a lost young crow turns up in her garden, Sam takes it in and nurtures it. But this act of compassion will unleash a series of events that drive her to the edge of madness.
A magical tale exploring the indelible traces that happiness leaves.
Sam ….. Juliet Aubrey
Dylan ….. Matthew Gravelle
Freya ….. Claire Price
Alwyn ….. Lloyd Meredith
Ceri & Nerys ….. Megan Jones
Music composed by Dan Jones and performed by Dan Jones and Jonathan Morton
Sound Design ….. Adam Woodhams
Mix ….. Steve Bond
Executive Producer ….. Sara Davies
Directed & produced by Nicolas Jackson
An Afonica production for BBC Radio 4
 

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First broadcast – 14/09/20 on BBC Radio 4
From the novel by Helon Habila
Dramatised by Rex Obano
A contemporary thriller about neocolonial corruption, ecological devastation and journalistic ethics in the badlands of the oil rich Niger Delta. Two reporters risk everything in search of the perfect story after the British wife of an oil company executive is kidnapped.
Port Harcourt, Nigeria – Rufus is yet to make his mark as a journalist. When he accepts an assignment to interview the hostage held by militants, he finds himself shoulder to shoulder with Zaq, a one-time legendary reporter now in painful alcoholic decline. Together, they form an unlikely bond as they set out up river in search of the kidnapped women. But they have forgotten that there’s no such thing as the perfect story in a region where exposing the truth can get you killed.
Set in a filmic world of mangrove swamps, floating villages, and jungle shrines, this taut and suspenseful thriller has echoes of Graham Greene or Joseph Conrad.
Cast:
Rufus ….. Idris Debrand
Zaq ….. Cyril Nri
Gloria ….. Tamara Lawrance
The Major & The Professor ….. Danny Sapani
Naman & Ibiram ….. Peter Bankole
Tamuno & other voices …. Seun Shote
Joseph, & other voices ….. Uché Gabriel Akujobi
Michael ….. Jordan Nash
James Floode ….. Matthew Gravelle
Isabel Floode ….. Claire Price
Other characters are voiced by the cast
Sound Design ….. Adam Woodhams
Mixing ….. Steve Bond
Executive Producer ….. Sara Davies
Produced and Directed by Nicolas Jackson
An Afonica production for BBC Radio 4

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By Anastasia Kirillova
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 17/08/20
There comes a time in one’s life when you lose something truly important. A feeling someone once gave you. And on one of those endless, sleepless nights you find yourself thinking, surely I can get it back?
In the wake of a painful relationship breakup, fllmmaker Anastasia Kirillova finds herself in Tokyo. By chance she stumbles upon Bar Answer, an out-of-the-way cocktail bar that serves as the front-office for a love detective agency. Sipping on drinks named ‘Jealousy’ and ‘Obsession’, potential clients seek a remedy for their broken relationships, an escape from pain.
Separation operator Kyoko Kawakami is a ‘Kosaquin’, a love detective, working for Bar Answer. For a fee she offers ‘Fukuen’, reconciliation with a former partner, or ‘Wakaresaseya’, a break up service for impatient lovers. Above all, she aims to help clients come to terms with ‘Genjitsu’, reality.
Bar Answer explores the private world of failing relationships, the pain of loving and the ways back from the madness it can drive us to.
Created and performed by Anastasia Kirillova
Jonathan ….. Jonathan Bonicci
Produced by Nicolas Jackson and Steve Bond
An Afonica production for BBC Radio 3

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