Radio drama faces cuts

BBC radio drama will face reductions in output as part of the BBC's cost-reduction strategy, reports Matthew Hemley in The Stage.

Radio 4 has revealed it will decrease the number of plays it airs as part of its weekly strand The Friday Play by six a year.

The amount of drama currently broadcast in popular show Woman’s Hour will also be reduced, with more emphasis placed on dramatic readings rather than fully-produced plays.

A spokeswoman said: “With multi-readings you can have a number of people reading from a book or whatever that sounds like a play, but it is not in a studio with all the costs incumbent on that."