The Wire

The Wire is a series of original plays showcasing the best contemporary writing for radio, commissioned and edited by Kate Rowland for BBC Radio 3. Kate is the BBC's Creative Director of New Writing and heads the BBC writersroom. The new series of The Wire starts on Saturday 11 August 2008.

What are you looking for when you commission writers for The Wire?

The key thing that I look for is bold, original writing, and the main driver for the programme is the writer's voice. That could be either a new, raw writer with something exciting about their approach, or someone who's established in a different medium, like Mark Ravenhill or Jeanette Winterson, looking to expand their work into a radio play. If an idea could sit somewhere else in the schedule, like a Radio 4 Afternoon Play, for example, then it's almost certainly not suitable for The Wire

There are ten slots available each year, and each of these has to offer something really distinctive, ambitious, and bold. Sometimes people think that The Wire is about the soundscape, production values, and concept. These are all excellent things to think about when submitting ideas, but they need to be tied to a strong, emotional, compelling storyline.

The stories we're looking for should feel modern, about who and what we are now. I suppose the other thing that makes a standout Wire is the personal passion of the writer.

I also want stories that surprise me. Something that touches a nerve right now. Characters or voices that are under-represented. The Wire is a slot where you can take risks. And funny is good! Bold work doesn't have to be gloomy.

Some writers for The Wire come through BBC writersroom unsolicited scripts system, and some through producers. Then there's talent that we've seen at an early stage, perhaps at the theatre or with a short film, who've got an interesting voice.

How does commissioning for radio work?

The key thing about writing for radio at the BBC is that your idea has to be nurtured and proposed by a producer. The producer could be internal to the BBC, or they could be independent - but you can't send your idea directly to a radio commissioner.

There are two commissioning rounds each year for Radio 4, in the spring and in the autumn, and one for Radio 3 in early summer. There's lots more information on the BBC Commissioning website.

How do I find a radio producer?

For a first-timer to radio, the easiest way is to send your script to the BBC writersroom unsolicited script system. Other than that, if you've got a play on in the theatre, try to get producers to come and see it! Listen to the radio, and try to find producers whose work you like and matches your own sensibility. It's like a dating game. You need to find someone who approaches storytelling in the same way that you do.

25 per cent of Radio 4 Afternoon plays are set aside for first and second time writers, and five out of the ten slots in The Wire this year are written by writers new to radio. So we're

How does production for radio work?

Once your production has been commissioned, you develop the script with the producer. In radio, the producer is also the director, and dramaturg, and everything else, so they'll work with you to get the script in as good shape as possible.

You know when your transmission date is, so the programme needs to be finished a month before that in order to get press for it. For a sixty minute radio play, you'll need about two days of recording, and then another two or three days to edit it depending on how complicated it is.

What advice would you give about writing for radio?

It's very much a writer's medium. From the readthrough you're beginning a very intensive process, and it's likely that the writer will be there throughout, often changing and rewriting lines up to the moment of recording.

Don't forget that the writer has to create the whole soundscape of the piece, just as much as the dialogue. Think of it as the imagery of the piece, as that affects the narrative as much as anything else does. Nearly all writers find their first radio experience an eye-opener, and learn so much about how to approach the next one!

The producer also needs to think about things like the billing for the Radio Times, the promo note. We like writers to be involved, because it's all about how the outside world engages and connects with your idea.