The Stage

Channel 4’s The Radio Play’s the Thing winners announced

Published Tuesday 24 July 2007 at 17:15 by Matthew Hemley

The mystery surrounding a Chinese immigrant in Belfast and the death of a Chilean dictator are among the stories that feature in the winning line-up of Channel 4’s The Radio Play’s the Thing.

Four aspiring playwrights have been selected by the broadcaster to have their radio plays produced and presented on Oneword, the speech radio station in which Channel 4 owns a 51% share.

All will be given the opportunity for future work with the broadcaster, which is to launch three branded national digital stations from 2008, including a speech station called Channel 4 Radio.

The winners are businessman Stephen Todd, who entered his play The Proud Songster about a young woman working in Zimbabwe, writer Andrew McIlroy for The Interpreter, a tale of a Chinese immigrant discovered hiding in a lorry in Belfast, Andy Prendergast, a 33-year-old doctor who took a look at euthanasia in To the Broad Shore and 55-year-old writer Caroline Gilfillan, whose entry was about the death of a Chilean dictator in The Colonel.

Each production will be executive produced by Maud Hand, the competition’s co-ordinator. She said: “The quality was of all the entrants was very high - they are all writers of great promise and produced a great repertoire of plays.”

The winners will have the chance to work with established radio actors and directors in order to develop and produce their works.

Irish writer McIlroy has teamed up with Paula McFetridge, former artistic director of the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, who will direct his radio production.

More than 500 people entered the competition, which was adjudicated by a panel of eight, including writer and broadcaster Annie Caulfield and Nottingham Playhouse chief executive Stephanie Sirr. The writers are currently refining their scripts, and are expected to have their work produced in September.