The Future Of Radio

Series

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Comments

Sweet Smell of Success

20140730

What is the future of radio? In a world of digital overload can the public be expected to just listen to something without any pictures? Is the radio era over? The Institute of Radiophonic Evolution (IRE), based in South Mimms, is working hard to give radio a bright future.

Their secret work is revealed in these programmes which draw on conference calls, voice notes and life-logs, to tell a compelling and strange story of the technological lengths to which the researchers will go to keep radio relevant.

Instead of just adding pictures, the lab is working on ways to transmit smells, vibrations, and 3D images, as well as a way of putting radio into listeners' very brains!

It sounds impossible, but the IRE boffins believe in making the impossible audible. And that's their motto.

Each week a jiffy bag of sound files arrives at the BBC. We listen to the contents to discover what backroom boffins Luke Mourne and Professor Trish Baldock (ably assisted by Shelley - on work experience) have been up to.

In this week's episode, they discover that radio can transmit smells and use them to enhance the output of the Radio Drama Department.

Luke ..... William Beck
Trish ..... Emma Kilbey
Shelley ..... Lizzy Watts
Felix ..... David Brett
with Joan Walker and Chris Stanton

Pianist: Mike Woolley

Written by Jerome Vincent and Stephen Dinsdale

Producer David Blount

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2014.

BBC boffins explore the possibilities of broadcasting smells over the airwaves.

Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.

Plastic Fantastic

20140806

Instead of just adding pictures, the lab is working on ways to transmit smells, vibrations, and 3D images, as well as a way of putting radio into listeners' very brains!

It sounds impossible, but the IRE boffins believe in making the impossible audible. And that's their motto.

Each week a jiffy bag of sound files arrives at BBC Radio 4. We listen to the contents to discover what backroom boffins Luke Mourne and Professor Trish Baldock (ably assisted by Shelley - on work experience) have been up to.

In this episode, Luke and Trish seem to have cracked the old Star-Trek conundrum - how do you transport physical objects through space?

Luke..........................................William Beck
Trish..........................................Emma Kilbey
Shelley......................................Lizzy Watts
Felix..........................................David Brett
Aileen/Stella..............................Joan Walker
Lawrence..................................Chris Stanton

Pianist: Mike Woolley

Written by Jerome Vincent and Stephen Dinsdale.

Producer: David Blount
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2014.

BBC boffins explore the possibilities of combining radio with 3D printing.

Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.

Breaking Small

20140813

Instead of just adding pictures, the lab is working on ways to transmit smells, vibrations, and 3D images, as well as a way of putting radio into listeners' very brains!

It sounds impossible, but the IRE boffins believe in making the impossible audible. And that's their motto.

In this week's episode, Luke invents a nano radio pill that can be taken orally. But the ingested radio molecules have curious side-effects.

Cast:

Luke...........................William Beck

Trish...........................Emma Kilbey

Shelley.......................Lizzy Watts

Felix...........................David Brett

With Chris Stanton, Joan Walker & Ben Crowe.

Pianist: Mike Woolley

Written by Jerome Vincent and Stephen Dinsdale

Producer: David Blount

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

BBC boffins explore the possibilities of radio and nano technology.

Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.

Good Vibrations

20140820

Instead of just adding pictures, the lab is working on ways to transmit smells, vibrations, and 3D images, as well as a way of putting radio into listeners' very brains!

It sounds impossible, but the IRE boffins believe in making the impossible audible. And that's their motto.

In this week's episode, Luke discovers that certain low frequencies add a whole new dimension to Book At Bedtime.

Cast:
Luke...................................William Beck
Trish...................................Emma Kilbey
Shelley...............................Lizzy Watts
Felix...................................David Brett
Bella /Lola..........................Joan Walker
Des Redmond.....................Ben Crowe
Peter Kent.........................Chris Stanton

Pianist: Mike Woolley

Written by Jerome Vincent and Stephen Dinsdale

Producer: David Blount
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

BBC boffins explore the erotic possibilities of low frequencies.

Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.

The Absence App

20160127

These programmes reveal the secret work of the Institute of Radiophonic Evolution in South Mimms - drawing on conference calls, voice notes and life-logs, to tell a compelling and strange story of the technological lengths to which the researchers will go to push forward the boundaries of the emerging digital technologies.

In this episode, they develop the Absence App and use it to disrupt a politically controversial radio broadcast.

Luke..................William Beck

Trish..................Emma Kilbey

Shelley...............Lizzy Watts

Felix....................David Brett

With Chris Stanton and Jessica Carroll

Written by Jerome Vincent & Stephen Dinsdale

Producer David Blount

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in January 2016.

Audio boffins develop an app that stops communication - to give us all a bit of peace.

Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.

Mashup Heaven

20160203

In this episode, they help audio graffiti artist Skanksy to mashup BBC Radio 4 - and try to unmask his secret identity at the same time.

Luke..................William Beck

Trish..................Emma Kilbey

Shelley...............Lizzy Watts

Felix....................David Brett

Prunella..............Sarah Badel

Pontius...............Chris Stanton

Written by Jerome Vincent & Stephen Dinsdale

Producer David Blount

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in February 2016.

Radio boffins assist Skanksy - the aural graffiti artist.

Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.

Bad Continuity

20160210

In this episode, they develop an algorithm to replace continuity announcers - resulting in industrial unrest and easy listening' on every BBC radio network - which is fine if you're a James Last fan.

Luke..................William Beck
Trish..................Emma Kilbey
Shelley...............Lizzy Watts
Felix....................David Brett
Colin..................Chris Stanton
with Jessica Carroll

Written by Jerome Vincent and Stephen Dinsdale

Producer David Blount

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in February 2016.

Audio boffins create an algorithm to put radio announcers out of work.

Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.

Friends Electric

20160217

In this episode, jealousy of a fellow inventor drives Luke to take Artificial Intelligence to the next level.

Luke..................William Beck

Trish..................Emma Kilbey

Shelley...............Lizzy Watts

Felix....................David Brett

Leary..................Eddie Eyre

Pontius...............Chris Stanton

with Chris Stanton and Jessica Carroll

Written by Jerome Vincent & Stephen Dinsdale

Producer David Blount

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in February 2016.

Audio boffins explore the possibilities of the Internet of Things.

Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.

Episodes

Series	Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Comments
01	01	Sweet Smell of Success	20140730	What is the future of radio? In a world of digital overload can the public be expected to just listen to something without any pictures? Is the radio era over? The Institute of Radiophonic Evolution (IRE), based in South Mimms, is working hard to give radio a bright future. Their secret work is revealed in these programmes which draw on conference calls, voice notes and life-logs, to tell a compelling and strange story of the technological lengths to which the researchers will go to keep radio relevant. Instead of just adding pictures, the lab is working on ways to transmit smells, vibrations, and 3D images, as well as a way of putting radio into listeners' very brains! It sounds impossible, but the IRE boffins believe in making the impossible audible. And that's their motto. Each week a jiffy bag of sound files arrives at the BBC. We listen to the contents to discover what backroom boffins Luke Mourne and Professor Trish Baldock (ably assisted by Shelley - on work experience) have been up to. In this week's episode, they discover that radio can transmit smells and use them to enhance the output of the Radio Drama Department. Luke ..... William Beck Trish ..... Emma Kilbey Shelley ..... Lizzy Watts Felix ..... David Brett with Joan Walker and Chris Stanton Pianist: Mike Woolley Written by Jerome Vincent and Stephen Dinsdale Producer David Blount A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in July 2014. BBC boffins explore the possibilities of broadcasting smells over the airwaves. Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.
01	02	Plastic Fantastic	20140806	What is the future of radio? In a world of digital overload can the public be expected to just listen to something without any pictures? Is the radio era over? The Institute of Radiophonic Evolution (IRE), based in South Mimms, is working hard to give radio a bright future. Their secret work is revealed in these programmes which draw on conference calls, voice notes and life-logs, to tell a compelling and strange story of the technological lengths to which the researchers will go to keep radio relevant. Instead of just adding pictures, the lab is working on ways to transmit smells, vibrations, and 3D images, as well as a way of putting radio into listeners' very brains! It sounds impossible, but the IRE boffins believe in making the impossible audible. And that's their motto. Each week a jiffy bag of sound files arrives at BBC Radio 4. We listen to the contents to discover what backroom boffins Luke Mourne and Professor Trish Baldock (ably assisted by Shelley - on work experience) have been up to. In this episode, Luke and Trish seem to have cracked the old Star-Trek conundrum - how do you transport physical objects through space? Luke..........................................William Beck Trish..........................................Emma Kilbey Shelley......................................Lizzy Watts Felix..........................................David Brett Aileen/Stella..............................Joan Walker Lawrence..................................Chris Stanton Pianist: Mike Woolley Written by Jerome Vincent and Stephen Dinsdale. Producer: David Blount A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2014. BBC boffins explore the possibilities of combining radio with 3D printing. Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.
01	03	Breaking Small	20140813	What is the future of radio? In a world of digital overload can the public be expected to just listen to something without any pictures? Is the radio era over? The Institute of Radiophonic Evolution (IRE), based in South Mimms, is working hard to give radio a bright future. Their secret work is revealed in these programmes which draw on conference calls, voice notes and life-logs, to tell a compelling and strange story of the technological lengths to which the researchers will go to keep radio relevant. Instead of just adding pictures, the lab is working on ways to transmit smells, vibrations, and 3D images, as well as a way of putting radio into listeners' very brains! It sounds impossible, but the IRE boffins believe in making the impossible audible. And that's their motto. Each week a jiffy bag of sound files arrives at BBC Radio 4. We listen to the contents to discover what backroom boffins Luke Mourne and Professor Trish Baldock (ably assisted by Shelley - on work experience) have been up to. In this week's episode, Luke invents a nano radio pill that can be taken orally. But the ingested radio molecules have curious side-effects. Cast: Luke...........................William Beck Trish...........................Emma Kilbey Shelley.......................Lizzy Watts Felix...........................David Brett With Chris Stanton, Joan Walker & Ben Crowe. Pianist: Mike Woolley Written by Jerome Vincent and Stephen Dinsdale Producer: David Blount A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 BBC boffins explore the possibilities of radio and nano technology. Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.
01	04	Good Vibrations	20140820	What is the future of radio? In a world of digital overload can the public be expected to just listen to something without any pictures? Is the radio era over? The Institute of Radiophonic Evolution (IRE), based in South Mimms, is working hard to give radio a bright future. Their secret work is revealed in these programmes which draw on conference calls, voice notes and life-logs, to tell a compelling and strange story of the technological lengths to which the researchers will go to keep radio relevant. Instead of just adding pictures, the lab is working on ways to transmit smells, vibrations, and 3D images, as well as a way of putting radio into listeners' very brains! It sounds impossible, but the IRE boffins believe in making the impossible audible. And that's their motto. Each week a jiffy bag of sound files arrives at BBC Radio 4. We listen to the contents to discover what backroom boffins Luke Mourne and Professor Trish Baldock (ably assisted by Shelley - on work experience) have been up to. In this week's episode, Luke discovers that certain low frequencies add a whole new dimension to Book At Bedtime. Cast: Luke...................................William Beck Trish...................................Emma Kilbey Shelley...............................Lizzy Watts Felix...................................David Brett Bella /Lola..........................Joan Walker Des Redmond.....................Ben Crowe Peter Kent.........................Chris Stanton Pianist: Mike Woolley Written by Jerome Vincent and Stephen Dinsdale Producer: David Blount A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 BBC boffins explore the erotic possibilities of low frequencies. Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.
02	01	The Absence App	20160127	These programmes reveal the secret work of the Institute of Radiophonic Evolution in South Mimms - drawing on conference calls, voice notes and life-logs, to tell a compelling and strange story of the technological lengths to which the researchers will go to push forward the boundaries of the emerging digital technologies. Each week a jiffy bag of sound files arrives at the BBC. We listen to the contents to discover what backroom boffins Luke Mourne and Professor Trish Baldock (ably assisted by Shelley - on work experience) have been up to. In this episode, they develop the Absence App and use it to disrupt a politically controversial radio broadcast. Luke..................William Beck Trish..................Emma Kilbey Shelley...............Lizzy Watts Felix....................David Brett With Chris Stanton and Jessica Carroll Written by Jerome Vincent & Stephen Dinsdale Producer David Blount A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in January 2016. Audio boffins develop an app that stops communication - to give us all a bit of peace. Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.
02	02	Mashup Heaven	20160203	These programmes reveal the secret work of the Institute of Radiophonic Evolution in South Mimms - drawing on conference calls, voice notes and life-logs, to tell a compelling and strange story of the technological lengths to which the researchers will go to push forward the boundaries of the emerging digital technologies. Each week a jiffy bag of sound files arrives at BBC Radio 4. We listen to the contents to discover what backroom boffins Luke Mourne and Professor Trish Baldock (ably assisted by Shelley - on work experience) have been up to. In this episode, they help audio graffiti artist Skanksy to mashup BBC Radio 4 - and try to unmask his secret identity at the same time. Luke..................William Beck Trish..................Emma Kilbey Shelley...............Lizzy Watts Felix....................David Brett Prunella..............Sarah Badel Pontius...............Chris Stanton Written by Jerome Vincent & Stephen Dinsdale Producer David Blount A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in February 2016. Radio boffins assist Skanksy - the aural graffiti artist. Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.
02	03	Bad Continuity	20160210	These programmes reveal the secret work of the Institute of Radiophonic Evolution in South Mimms - drawing on conference calls, voice notes and life-logs, to tell a compelling and strange story of the technological lengths to which the researchers will go to push forward the boundaries of the emerging digital technologies. Each week a jiffy bag of sound files arrives at BBC Radio 4. We listen to the contents to discover what backroom boffins Luke Mourne and Professor Trish Baldock (ably assisted by Shelley - on work experience) have been up to. In this episode, they develop an algorithm to replace continuity announcers - resulting in industrial unrest and easy listening' on every BBC radio network - which is fine if you're a James Last fan. Luke..................William Beck Trish..................Emma Kilbey Shelley...............Lizzy Watts Felix....................David Brett Colin..................Chris Stanton with Jessica Carroll Written by Jerome Vincent and Stephen Dinsdale Producer David Blount A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in February 2016. Audio boffins create an algorithm to put radio announcers out of work. Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.
02	04	Friends Electric	20160217	These programmes reveal the secret work of the Institute of Radiophonic Evolution in South Mimms - drawing on conference calls, voice notes and life-logs, to tell a compelling and strange story of the technological lengths to which the researchers will go to push forward the boundaries of the emerging digital technologies. Each week a jiffy bag of sound files arrives at BBC Radio 4. We listen to the contents to discover what backroom boffins Luke Mourne and Professor Trish Baldock (ably assisted by Shelley - on work experience) have been up to. In this episode, jealousy of a fellow inventor drives Luke to take Artificial Intelligence to the next level. Luke..................William Beck Trish..................Emma Kilbey Shelley...............Lizzy Watts Felix....................David Brett Leary..................Eddie Eyre Pontius...............Chris Stanton with Chris Stanton and Jessica Carroll Written by Jerome Vincent & Stephen Dinsdale Producer David Blount A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in February 2016. Audio boffins explore the possibilities of the Internet of Things. Comedy series making fun of technology and radio.