Shahid Iqbal Khan was a part of our 2020/21 Writers' Access Group and has recently gained a commission with 成人论坛 Radio 4 for his first Afternoon Drama, Love Across the Ages. Here he shares his experiences of writing for Radio as a deaf writer.
If you’d told me several years ago that I would one day be writing for radio, I would not have believed you. I was convinced that I couldn’t write for radio. I am deaf and listen to very little radio. I listen to podcasts or radio shows that have transcripts available. As a majority of radio content does not have transcripts or subtitles, my exposure to radio drama is limited.
The general rule is that if you want to write for a medium, you should consume, study and observe a lot of the content in that medium. For example, if you want to be a TV writer, you should watch lots of TV. If you want to be a playwright, then you should read playtexts and go to the theatre regularly. As I couldn’t listen to much radio drama, I thought that naturally precluded me from ever writing for the form.
I first became attracted to the idea of writing for radio after attending a workshop by Fin Kennedy as a part of the Write To Play course by . I was obligated to attend as part of the course and wasn’t expecting to get much out of it. I sat through it out of politeness. What he said about radio drama resonated with me long afterwards on the train home from London. He said that radio gives you freedom as a writer. You can tell whatever story you like. It could be set on Mars, it could be set in someone’s ear or it could be set in a country you’ve completely made up. You don’t have to worry about budget or CGI. Everything and anything can be conveyed through the ingenious use of sound. This excited the storyteller side of me - this idea that there isn’t a limit in terms of subject or how you choose to tell a story. I decided that I should question my assumptions about who is allowed to write for radio and to just go for it.
You might think my situation is unique but it would not have been possible without trailblazing artists to look up to. There is a history of D/deaf and disabled writers writing for radio. In the 1930s and 1940s, prolific and acclaimed playwright, Teresa Deevy wrote many popular dramas for radio. She originally moved to London to study lipreading before being distracted by the bright lights of theatre and radio. I imagine her sitting in on the recording days and reading the lips of the actors reciting her words. More recently, Sophie Woolley started her career by writing and performing radio plays for the 成人论坛. , a company that places Deaf and disabled artists centre stage, has a long association with radio, producing works such as Amy Dorrit, Three Sisters Rewired and Night of the Living Flatpacks.
Through Graeae, I met the wonderful radio producer Polly Thomas. I worked on a 15 minute piece for the series. I really enjoyed the experience. There is something remarkable about hearing your script brought to life by the director, producer, actors, sound designer, composer and editor. Although I didn’t experience the studio recording of this due to lockdown, I got to experience the studio production process with the subsequent short, Brandlesholme, for 成人论坛 Radio 4 (part of the United Kingdoms series). I loved the open, warm and positive atmosphere at Naked Productions. I was hooked.
Director of Love Across the Ages, Nickie Miles-Wildin, delivering notes during the recording.
Love Across The Ages is my first full length piece for the Afternoon Drama slot. Renowned poet Abu Nuwas guides the listeners through various moments of the ages following the same two men, Saif and Danyaal. Through the course of a day, I often question what I have heard or am hearing. What is that sound? Where is it coming from? I have a similar relationship with history, I don’t always trust what we’ve been told. History is not actual history. History is a man-made construct with many perspectives missing. This drama is my way of navigating through some of that. Abu Nuwas is not a familiar name in the west, his work and legacy lives under the radar. I thought it would be interesting to use that as a way in, as a way of imagining the small yet big moments of relationships lost to time. Both Polly and the brilliant director Nickie Miles-Wildin worked with me to strengthen the link that Abu Nuwas has with the two men. They gave such invaluable input and I could not have done it without them.
Love Across The Ages is now available on 成人论坛 Sounds.
Download and read Shahid's script in our Radio Drama script library.