If proof were needed that radio will survive the onslaught of the new (or rather now not-so-new) digital technologies, albeit somewhat battered and slimmed down, then series like Radio 4’s Unforgettable (produced by Adam Fowler) should clinch it. Each episode is self-contained, and only 15 minutes long (the perfect length for podcasting). It’s cheap to make, requiring just a single guest, and inspired by a really simple idea — to create a conversation between a guest in the studio and someone they once knew who has died. You could make it at home, except that you probably couldn’t because an advanced editing machine is required, and an incredibly skilled operator. In less than professional hands, there’s every chance it would sound artificial and dangerously clichéd; not a conversation, just a series of disconnected statements.
‘I’m really excited to speak with her,’ says Samantha Roddick, daughter of Anita, the businesswoman and founder of the Body Shop, who died in 2007 aged just 64.
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