Behind The Scenes

'Hallsands' is a community radio play which recalls the story of life in the South Devon fishing village before it was destroyed by the sea in 1917.

The play is set in the years between the two great storms of 1904 and 1917.

All of the characters are based on the people who lived and worked in the village during those years, until they were forced to leave when the sea swept away their homes.

Former residents. Pic Cookworthy Museum

The drama was first broadcast as a series on BBC Radio Devon in  January 2007 in the run up to the 90th anniversary of the great storm which destroyed the village.

It was written by local writer Richard Clark, the former head of performing arts at South Devon College.

Richard spent many months researching the story of Hallsands, before writing the original play as a piece for his students to perform.

It was after this that the BBC asked him to consider adapting the play for radio.

Auditions for Hallsands were held over three sessions at The Flavel Arts Centre, Dartmouth, in November 2006. Dozens of hopefuls took part, and 20 successful applicants were selected for the roles.

The ruins of Hallsands village

'Hallsands' was BBC Radio Devon's 20th community drama production.

Most recently the station collaborated with the Plymouth Theatre Royal and the National Marine Aquarium to produce Fish Tales, a series of short educational plays which give the fish a voice!

In the summer of 2006 the station produced The Witches of Bideford, the story of the last women to be hanged in England for witchcraft.

In each case BBC Radio Devon worked with local writers and performers to bring to life the stories of Devon, both historical and contemporary. 

* Archive images courtesy Cookworthy Museum, Kingsbridge