In this essay I will be comparing two different radio dramas, one that is Traditional

and one that is postmodern. For the Traditional radio drama Ill be looking at The
Archers which airs on BBC Radio 4 and is the worlds longest running radio drama.
And for the postmodern drama, Ill be looking at the chilling, yet intriguing The
Blind Mans Confession. Ill be comparing each of these radio dramas, in terms of
codes (Words, voices, speech, music, ambience, sounds and silence), conventions
(aural signposting, cliff-hanger ending, flashbacks, use of fades, characterisation,
chronological development, narration, direct speech, titles and credits), Styles (How
appropriate it is for the Target audience, creation of moods etc.) and structures
(Duration, narrative structure and development of plot. Ill be looking at how each
differs, when it comes to who their target audiences are and the sounds/music
they use etc.
The Archers is all about the lives of ordinary country folk (you can tell theyre from
the country as the characters have accents similar to those from the midlands
this of course excludes those with posh roles the midlands is clustered with small
villages containing tight-knit communities, just like the ones played out in the radio
drama.), who are up to their everyday activities; whether its having a cup of coffee
or dropping the kids off at school. This means that their target audience is older
and more mature, probably those who can relate to what goes on in the show. The
producer of The Archers has used the code of words, voice and speech to make
sure that the characters within the drama sound mature and realistic in behaviour.
For example: In a scene with two women conversing, you can hear throughout their
conversation that theyre busy organising and preparing for a community event
something that older women within a similar community would be seen doing; it is
also evident in their voices that they enjoy doing this and dont mind in helping out.
In terms of behaviour, this is definitely a mature way of reacting to something like
that, whereas younger individuals would moan and complain about being entrusted
with the responsibility. As a result, the target audience (consisting of older,
experienced people) will find this easy to relate to. During conversations they
mostly use simple words because they try and be as realistic as possible and most
people in reality dont go round talking in scientific terms. Despite this, they do
sneak in a few complicated words that only an older person (the target audience)
would understand which is why most kids and young adults wont
understand/enjoy it as much.
The Blind Mans Confession is quite different from The Archers when it comes to
the use of codes. The type of words/voices/speech that the narrator uses is highly
descriptive (compared to The Archers, which focuses more on what the characters
are talking about and how it adds onto the plot.) as he re-tells a past experience, in
each scene the narrator uses words that help the listeners picture the scene as well
as imagine how the character is feeling. You can hear this in a particular scene
where the character within the story is trapped in a vehicle submerged in water
Darkness, darkness everywhere. The water around me burned like fire Since
there are no visuals in radio dramas, the use of words in TBMC effectively teleports

the listener into the characters shoes and the listeners cant help but feel the pain
that the character is experiencing in the scene. This teamed up with the sound
used (the sound of water bubbling up) leads to the dramatic reconstruction of the
current scene, from the noise of the engine signifying that the character is driving
on a road; to the gushing of water signifying that the character has driven into a
lake and is trapped in the sinking vehicle. The dramatic reconstruction within the
radio drama (The use of sounds/sound effects) lets the listeners know that the
scene has changed/shifted, therefore therell be no confusion on where the location
is and how they got there.
The Archers usually shows scenarios that are taking place indoors. The director
uses the code of sound (Also the conventions of aural signposting) to indicate that
someone has either left or has entered the room/building; like doors closing when
someone leaves, opening when they enter and footsteps for when people are
approaching or walking away. If the area that theyre in is busy they also use the
sound of people chattering in the background. This is also how they indicate the
change in scene (just like TBMCs use of dramatic reconstruction) theres always a
slight change (like a background sound or a single noise) that shows the listeners
that theres a new scene with different characters, in a different location. But the
producer of TBMC uses a wider range of sounds because of the shift in
surroundings, in The Archers the change in location isnt as dramatic and each
location is fairly similar (in terms of sounds). However, TBMCs change in location
can be easily distinguished from one another as there are obvious changes in
sound. Just like in the beginning (TBMC) it first starts off on the road, as a car
races along. Theyve used the code of sound to show what the current setting is
like. For example, the use of thunderclaps and the sound of the wind blowing,
shows the listeners that its a wet and windy day and theres a possible storm
approaching. The sound of the car engine getting louder and then quieter in a
matter of seconds, shows the listener the speed that the vehicle is traveling at
(which is way too fast). Because of all these sounds you can tell that something bad
is bound to happen, the thunder, music and sound of the engine are all signs of
danger and possibly fear, the way the producer uses the code of sound acts like a
build-up towards the incident. Compared to The Archers, which has a relaxed
ambience about it, TBMC has a more on-edge feel that can engage the listeners.
The only music used in The Archers is the theme (although there could be the
sound of a radio playing in the background depending on the current location)
which sets a positive mood, the music is very light and jolly and probably reminds
listeners of a nice stroll in a field. Not only does it set a positive mood, but it also
makes the radio drama more recognisable for listeners; as soon as they hear the
theme of The Archers theyll know immediately whats on (it also gives listeners time
to realise whats going on especially if the listeners are quite old). The use of
music in TBMC also aids in setting the mood, but the mood being set isnt so
positive. You can hear in the scene on the road where hes speeding, the aggressive
music in the background, this gives the idea that the character is feeling hardcore

and maybe even a bit angry. The mixture of aggressive music and the sound of the
car engine builds up and even acts as a way of leading the listeners into thinking
that something bad is going to happen.
The whole of TBMC is a flashback, because its all about the narrator re-telling the
story of his past experiences. In order to make this obvious, the producer uses
fades in-between the narrator talking and the flashback. This helps the audience to
understand where they are in the story. The narration also aids in the audiences
level of understanding (in terms of where they are in the storyline) because of the
way he speaks in past tense, e.g.: The only thing I didnt account for, was the other
car. The listeners will then know that the scene is about to switch back to the
flashback, and wont be so confused. The Archers doesnt have any use for
flashbacks or narration because everything that happens, happens in that exact
moment. Listeners of the drama prefer to know whats currently going on and
whats going to happen next. The characters may refer to previous happenings but
apart from that, everything is in present tense.
In TBMC the use of silence is obvious in scenes where the character has
experienced an impact or is unaware of his surroundings, the silence is then
broken as the sounds begin to fade in and the character realises where he is. The
way that the producer has used silence provides time for the listeners to
think/wonder about where the character is and what couldve possibly happened
during the impact, this also allows the feeling of shock (brought on by the sudden
event) to settle down as the listeners eagerly wait for the characters response. The
Archers use of silence is less deliberate as they want the listeners to stay focused
on each word being said, silence is used only when someone has left the scene and
the remaining character is left alone to think. To the listeners, this can come across
as loneliness or that the character is worried about something. This is effective in
engaging the listeners as theyd want to know whats on their mind and therefore
continue to listen.
The use of fades isnt really evident in either The Archers or TBMC, this is one of the
few similarities between the two radio dramas. I guess that as a listener the use of
fades can cause the story to linger on for too long and cause a loss of interest so
the lack of fades may actually benefit the listeners. However, in radio dramas such
as TBMC fades can also be useful for letting the narrators words sink in, without
fades information may be lost as the listener tries to recap on what just happened
but ends up losing out on certain details. The Archers dont really need fades as the
scenarios taking place in each scene are slower paced compared to the teethgritting TBMC.
Because there are visuals in radio dramas to show the characterisation of each
character, listeners have to rely on the characters voice and how they talk. In
TBMC, the narrator (whos also the main character in the story) speaks slowly in a
low tone, in certain scenes he almost sounds like hes shuddering. This shows the
listener that the narrator is a guy that has a lot of regrets and is obviously

ashamed of his past. Another bit shows him as the main character of the story and
hes face-to-face with a psychotic stranger (The stranger sounds eerily smug about
everything that happened prior to this, which tells the listener that the character is
mentally unstable and has some serious issues.) who he comes across after
escaping his trashed car; after realising that the stranger is a threat to him, his
cool/badass persona suddenly shifts into a fearful, childlike character whos
desperate to leave the scene alive. You can hear in this scene, how he breaks down
in tears and tries to persuade the stranger to let him live I have a family. A
girlfriend. Theyll miss me. I mean, Im a decent person Listeners can easily take
from this scene the type of person that this guy is and figure out the rest for
themselves based on his voice and the language used. From whats happened
throughout the story and the way this guy speaks, its safe to say that this guy is
selfish and thinks of himself as being unstoppable but when hes in trouble he
panics and loses his cool realising that he may not actually be that invincible.
For The Archers its slightly more difficult to figure out the characterisation since
there are numerous characters being featured. This can be hard for the listeners to
stay focused as they might lose track of whos who. However, you can figure the
different characters by the tones of their voices, in a scene in The Archers two
people are arguing and by the tones of their voices you can tell that they are
incredibly upset with each other (their voices are raised). Another scene shows two
women conversing, you can differentiate the two by their voices as one lady speaks
in a slightly deeper voice than the other, who seems a bit more high-pitched. You
can also tell from this whos younger and whos older (and also whos male or
female).
In TBMC the narrator does indeed speak directly to the listeners, he does this in a
way that sounds like the listener is in the room with him and hes sharing the story
with them. In one scene he speaks to the listener as if theyre there disagreeing
with him Oh sure, sure. Shake your head. Call me an idiot This makes the
listener feel involved with what the narrator is going through, therefore maintaining
their interest as the story continues to unfold. The Archers doesnt use direct
speech at all, in fact, its almost like the listeners dont even exist or that the
characters in the drama are being eavesdropped on. I guess to some people its
satisfying being able to listen in on other peoples conversation without them
realising.
TBMC doesnt use cliff-hanger endings as the listener is informed by the end of the
radio drama what happened to the main character (who is the narrator before he
experienced what he experienced). The fact the listeners know what happens from
start to finish provides them with the feeling of fulfilment or even satisfaction, this
is because they know they havent missed out on anything and everything theyve
taken from the story adds up completely. The Archers is broadcasted in episodes, so
what does the producer do? He ends each episode in slight cliff-hanger, this way
the listeners will be wanting to know more and how do they do that? They watch

another and then another. This benefits both the producer and the listeners, the
producer attracts and maintains the attention of the listeners and the listeners get
to know more information with every episode they listen to.
Before the actual story begins for TBMC, the producer/writer of the radio drama
introduces themselves before a low, slightly creepy voice announces the title of the
drama. This gets the listeners excited for whatevers going to happen in the drama
as the introduction sounds intriguing, this helps prepare the listeners for what they
expect to occur throughout the story therefore maintaining their interest. After the
drama ends the ambience continues as the producer gives the names of the voice
actors and other useful information, despite it being the end, they still attempt to
keep the listeners on edge by speaking in a low serious tone. It keeps the listeners
alert and therefore allowing them to register the names and details in their heads.
On the other hand, The Archers doesnt introduce the title or ending credits instead
they just get straight to the point and continue the plot from where they left off.
This is definitely beneficial for their target audience as older folks dont really have
time to sit through introduction and credits, they just want to know what happened
next.
In terms of duration, both radio productions last around 13-14 minutes. The
director/producer of The Archers has made sure that each episode isnt too long,
so everything is easy to understand in a short amount of time. This is definitely
beneficial for the dramas target audience, as people of this age are quite busy and
wont have much time to sit and relax. So the drama being short provides the
listeners with everything they need to know without it being too long and boring.
The Blind Mans Confession is slightly longer, but despite this, the story stays
interesting throughout the whole clip. This is because the producer makes sure
that suspense is being built up throughout the storyline, this is a positive thing as
the listeners will stay hooked to the story in order to find out what happens next. It
is also suitable for the target audience (who are younger than The Archers T.A.)
since unlike The Archers target audience, will probably have more time to relax and
listen to something longer because theyre less likely to be working full-time or
looking after children.
The narrative structure of The Archers is similar to that of a TV soap (EastEnders,
Coronation Street, Emmerdale etc.), it has a continuous storyline that continues
with every episode. This means it has an open ending, because theres no final
ending that ends the entire show; but instead there small endings that occur in
different situations throughout the storyline (So if one situation ends, theres
another one going on in a different scene). This can also be linked to multi-strand
structure as there are several things going on at the same time. TBMC is structured
similarly to a short film because it has an introduction that introduces the story in
a sort of once-upon-a-time type of way (the narrator is speaking about past
incidents), then theres the actual story being played out and then the bitter ending
where it leads back to the present time (The narrator lying on a bed, blind and

completely helpless) this means it has a closed structure because the story ends
and the listeners know what happened to the character.
The development of plot for both these radio shows are very different, The Archers
requires the listeners to have already listened to previous episodes, because each
episode carries on from the previous episode. This means itd be quite difficult for
someone to fully understand whats going on if theyre new to the drama. It also
focuses on the lives of not just one, but several characters. So every episode will
focus on a certain family and what they get up to and the next episode will
continue that plot alongside other happenings involving other characters. TBMC is
like someone (the narrator) recalling what had previously happened, it actually
starts at the end with the narrator re-telling the whole story from the start. This
then leads all the way back to where the plot started, with the narrator telling the
listeners where he is and the result of what previously happened, which is quite
interesting but might be harder for younger listeners to understand. Despite the
clear differences between each of these radio productions, they both cater to their
target audience and succeed in doing so. The use of codes, conventions, styles and
structures for each of these productions suits the target audience, whether theyre
trying to create suspense or seem relatable. All these aspects added up makes sure
that the interests of the T.A.s are maintained and information is easily absorbed in
order for the plot/story to be fully understood.