Skip to content
1981
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Journal of Adaptation in Film & Performance
  4. Volume 17, Issue 2
  5. Article
Radio Adaptations
  • ISSN: 1753-6421
  • E-ISSN: 1753-643X

Abstract

Four hundred years ago, boy actors played the female characters on the British stage, but when UK radio was established a century ago, it was often the other way around: women played the boys. This continued almost until the turn of the millennium but has been a largely hidden history, with many of the actresses billed in such a way as to not reveal their gender. This article argues that these vocal performances are a specific adaptation technique and particularly focuses on its use in BBC Radio adaptations of Shakespeare plays. By examining contemporary accounts and existing audio recordings, it establishes what these women sounded like and the reaction of critics to their portrayals. It also compares these female performances in boys’ roles with productions where genuine children were used, exploring why producers frequently chose adult women over young boys to play these parts and why the public appears to have accepted their voices in these roles. This unacknowledged tradition of acting has taken place for generations in an organization where cross-gender casting in adult Shakespearean roles is very rare. This article reclaims these roles for the women who played them.

© 2024 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/jafp_00118_1
2024-10-30
2026-03-07
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Anderson, Gerry (2019), ‘Pod 45: Denise Bryer – From Twizzle to Terrahawks’, YouTube, 22 April, https://youtu.be/FsfxLJB59Ak. Accessed 12 June 2023.
  2. Andrew, Nigel (1990), ‘Radio review: Noises on’, The Listener, 28 June, p. 39.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Arnold-Forster, Val (1990), ‘Tom smarms over ma’am’, The Guardian, 29 June, p. 38.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Bartlett, Neil (2022), personal email correspondence with A. Smith, 29 January.
  5. Barton, John (1984), Playing Shakespeare, London: Methuen.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Desert Island Discs (n.d.), ‘Patricia Hayes’, BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p009n6qn. Accessed 5 June 2022.
  7. Dodger (2022–23, UK: BBC and Universal International Studios).
  8. Eastenders (1985–present, UK: BBC).
  9. Farjeon, Herbert (1944), ‘Critic on the hearth: Broadcast drama – Pleasures for Simon’, The Listener, 2 March, p. 252.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Felton, Felix (1949), The Radio-Play: Its Technique and Possibilities, London: Sylvan Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Gielgud, Val (1957), British Radio Drama 1922–1956, London: George G. Harrap & Co.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Goodness Gracious Me (1998–2000, UK: BBC).
  13. Gov.uk (n.d.), ‘Child employment’, https://www.gov.uk/child-employment. Accessed 29 December 2023.
  14. Hayward, Anthony (2021), ‘Denise Bryer obituary’, The Guardian, 8 November, https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/nov/08/denise-bryer-obituary. Accessed 15 May 2024.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Howard, Tony (2007), Women as Hamlet: Performance and Interpretation in Theatre, Film and Fiction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. IMDb (n.d.), ‘Jill Nyasa’, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1339615/. Accessed 29 May 2023.
  17. Jennings, Teresa and Hayes, Patricia (1990), A Funny Old Life, London: Robson.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Kathman, David (2005), ‘How old were Shakespeare’s boy actors?’, Shakespeare Survey, 58, pp. 220–46.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Laws, Frederick (1960), ‘Sound broadcasting: Drama – As I was saying’, The Listener, 22 December, pp. 1157–58.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. MacLoughlin, Shaun (2004), Writing for Radio, Clifton: Soundplay.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Pear, T. H. (1956), English Social Differences, London: George Allen and Unwin.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Peel, Andrew (2015), ‘Wogan’s Radio Fun 09: Percy Edwards and Patricia Hayes interview 1987’, YouTube, 31 December, https://youtu.be/y2cvmN28abQ. Accessed 12 June 2023.
  23. Ross, Robert (2005), The Carry On Story, Richmond: Reynolds and Hearn Ltd.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Self, David (1990), ‘Listen out’, The Listener, 21 June, p. 39.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (n.d.), ‘Search [Patricia Hayes]’, https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/view_as/grid/search/rsc_person:patricia-hayes/sort_by/press_night/order/asc/page/1. Accessed 12 June 2023.
  26. Shakespeare, William (2016), The Norton Shakespeare (eds S. Greenblatt, W. Cohen, S. Gossett, J. E. Howard, K. Eisaman Maus and G. McMullan), New York: W. W. Norton and Co.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Smith, Andrea (2021), ‘Noise, narration and nose-pegs: Adapting Shakespeare for radio’, Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, 19:1, pp. 41–58.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Smith, Andrea (2022), ‘“Look with thine ears”: A century of Shakespeare’s plays on BBC Radio’, Ph.D. thesis, Norwich: University of East Anglia.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Smith, Bruce R. (1999), The Acoustic World of Early Modern England, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Steadman, Mairé (1997), ‘The presentation of Shakespeare’s plays on BBC Radio’, Ph.D. thesis, Stratford-upon-Avon: Shakespeare Institute (University of Birmingham).
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Stuart-Mogg, David (1995), ‘The Kidney Papers’, The Society of Malawi Journal, 48:1, pp. 1–33.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Wade, David (1967), ‘Radio drama: Neglected Edward’, The Listener, 23 March, p. 410.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Wain, John (1984), ‘Radio: My goodbye to John Morgan’, The Listener, 12 January, p. 28.
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Williams, W. E. (1949), ‘Shakespeare and radio’, Observer, 13 March, p. 2.
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/jafp_00118_1
Loading
  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): adaptation; audio drama; BBC; cross-gender casting; Shakespeare; voice

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test