Only connect | 14 March 2019

It’s not surprising given the way that electronic communication has taken over so much of our daily business, minimising human contact wherever possible, that podcasting (or what might be called aural blogging) has taken off in such a big way, anything from Griefcast to Love + Radio via The Breakup Monologues and To the Woman. We crave the sound of a human voice talking to us and no one else, and even better when it comes in disembodied form, stripped of all physical expression. This intense aural connection has been radio’s chief selling point since the 1920s, technology enhancing human interaction, the need to tell and listen to stories. Don Warrington, for instance, really drew me in to his narration of Claire Adam’s novel, Golden Child, for Radio 4 (directed by Justine Willett).

His voice is not, you might think, one that would immediately draw you in. Gravelly and deep, it’s if anything rather harsh, pushing away rather than drawing in. But from the very first words of this adaptation (by Sara Davies) I was taken straight into the dangerous atmosphere on the island of Trinidad as Paul has gone missing. It’s feared the teenager has been kidnapped by the same gunmen who had recently held his family hostage. Once Warrington began telling us Paul’s story, it was impossible to walk away and stop listening. My teeth have never been so clean. Golden Child was broadcast in what used to be the Book at Bedtime slot, the title now dropped because the readings have to be repeated during the day.

Meera Syal, too, has a voice that makes an immediate connection with the listener. It’s not just her tone, warm and easy on the ear, it’s also her timing, never afraid to create a pause, giving the listener the opportunity to become part of the thread of thought, the telling.