Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4 & 4 Extra Team
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Mohit Bakaya, Director, Speech Audio
I oversee all speech audio for the Â鶹ԼÅÄ, in addition to my duties as Controller of Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra. This means that I am responsible for all speech audio commissions, documentaries, programmes and podcasts, for Radio 4, Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sounds and Radio 5 Live. -
Eleanor Garland, Station Executive
I commission some daily and weekly returning strands and oversee the commissioning rounds and tenders. If you have any queries about the process, or suggestions for how we could improve, please email me. -
Dan Clarke, Commissioning Editor, Factual Storytelling
I commission multi-part projects across all factual genres for Radio 4 and Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sounds, and I’m looking for bingeable narrative podcasts to build on successes like The Coming Storm, Things Fell Apart and Million Dollar Lover. I want to increase the range and scale of what we do, with stories that combine world-class journalism with world-class audio storytelling. I’m also looking for non-narrative series that explore subjects in original, impactful, and sometimes playful ways, and for new production, presenting and reporting talent that can help Radio 4 reach audiences beyond the heartland. You can email me any time with a narrative podcast or series idea. -
Hugh Levinson, Commissioning Editor, Reactive Factual
I commission reactive programmes which can be submitted at any point through the Open Round Commissioning brief. These can be any genre – not just news and current affairs. Just email me a paragraph explaining the idea and why it needs to be broadcast within the next few months. I also commission factual readings, including Book of the Week, a new slot for audio-led features and Archive on 4. -
Julia McKenzie, Commissioning Editor, Comedy and Entertainment
Radio 4 is the home of audio comedy, with a renowned legacy. We’re the largest commissioner of the genre in the world. Our output features a range of formats from stand-up to sitcom, panel to sketch. For our primetime 18:30 slot I like big bold formats and storytelling from comics at the top of their game. At 23:00 Weds and Saturday I’m still interested in the big names, but also new and emerging talent who will be the stars of the future. My commissioning is organised into the Spring and Autumn rounds with a little ad hoc outside of that. I commission a few select Comedy podcasts which can be submitted in or out of the round. I also work closely with my commissioning colleagues in Â鶹ԼÅÄ Comedy and we run some joint initiatives. -
Rhian Roberts, Commissioning Editor, Podcasts, Formats & Digital
I commission podcasts and formats across the range of genres in Speech. I’m also very interested in genre mash-ups and gaps in the market, yet to have the ideal podcast. Successful pitches will usually have a broad appeal, reaching out to new listeners to tempt them to try podcasts on Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sounds. Ideas hosted by admired and well-known talent are welcome, likewise ideas that can be shaped into popular returning formats. I’m also interested in podcasts with fresh approaches to investigating, entertaining, informing and educating. -
Alison Hindell, Commissioning Editor, Drama & Fiction
I commission Radio 4’s Drama and Fiction, including the Limelight strand of podcast dramas (together with Rhian Roberts), The Archers and all the novel and story readings. As well as looking for imaginative approaches to dramatic storytelling that are in tune with Radio 4’s broader agenda, I am also interested in drama ideas that offer escape and diversion, with entertaining characters and exciting, innovative plots. Radio 4 broadcasts many hours of drama every year so I am happy for you to try out ideas via a quick email (but no scripts, please) to check whether your idea is likely to clash with something that is already on the slate. However, most ideas are commissioned through the Spring round and very little ad hoc. -
Matthew Dodd, Commissioning Editor, Arts
I commission Radio 4’s Arts and Poetry strands – which can be one-off documentaries or multi-part series. I’m interested in hearing about programmes that explore art and poetry of all kinds - from opera to pop culture, from video art to renaissance painting. I think the most successful programmes tell a story about the arts in ambitious, imaginative and timely ways and never feel like they are just for specialists or fans. You can email between commissioning rounds if you want to try ideas out on me – especially if they are an arts story that needs a journalistic response. -
Tracy Williams, Commissioning Executive Factual
I’m part of the factual storytelling team at Radio 4 and Sounds, working alongside Dan Clarke on multi-part narrative series and podcasts, and other major factual series. I’m based in Manchester and am a big supporter of building links with our audience and content makers across the UK. I’m always happy to meet and talk through brave and ambitious ideas. -
Richard Culver, Editor, Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4 Extra
I look after the editorial direction and day to day running of Radio 4 Extra which presents the Â鶹ԼÅÄ’s speech audio archive in new and interesting ways. We don’t commission new programming directly, we do occasionally acquire some ready-made programmes to complement our editorial offer around seasons and events.
Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 5 Live & 5 Sports Extra Team
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Heidi Dawson, Controller, Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 5 Live & 5 Sports Extra, Head of Â鶹ԼÅÄ Salford
I am responsible for the strategy and running of Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra. I also lead a speech podcast commissioning team based across the UK, including genres of sport, entertainment and true crime. I am also the Head of Â鶹ԼÅÄ Salford. -
Richard Maddock, Lead Commissioning Editor
As well as day-to-day management of 5 Live alongside the Controller, I oversee the commissioning slates for the network for both linear and digital output. For the linear network this includes our regular programming strands like 606, Patrick Kielty, Fighting Talk, etc., but also our contested sports commentaries such as F1, WSL, boxing, etc. On the podcast front, one of the main areas of focus for me is on sports titles, from entertainment strands like Match of the Day Top 10s and Tailenders to ‘sports plus’ titles like Eddie Hearn: No Passion No Point and Sport’s Strangest Crimes. -
Stevie Middleton, Commissioning Executive, Sport
I work alongside Richard Maddock commissioning podcasts focused around Sport. Our slate spans Sport Obsessed titles such as Football Daily and Chequered Flag, Sport entertainment including Tailenders, My Mate’s A Footballer and The Players Channel and Sport plus pods like How to Buy A Football Club and Transfer Gossip Daily. We welcome sport-themed proposals that have one of the following: high profile sporting talent with a desire to make a podcast, a great sporting story never told before (preferably by a great storyteller), unfettered fly-on-the-wall access to an elite athlete or team or big sporting event/campaign. Please note our current focus is around sport entertainment ideas. -
Dylan Haskins, Commissioning Editor, Stories & Entertainment
I lead a team commissioning podcasts across a range of genres in Speech including unscripted entertainment formats, interview series and narrative storytelling. Some of our recent successes include award-winning landmark investigative series like I’m Not a Monster, Burn Wild and Where Is George Gibney? and talent-led formats like Bad People, Dua Lipa: At Your Service, Murder They Wrote with Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling and Wheel of Misfortune. I’m most interested in ideas that will appeal to 25-44 year old podcast listeners, especially those who might not consume much other content from the Â鶹ԼÅÄ but do have a regular podcast habit. -
Louise Kattenhorn, Commissioning Executive, Stories & Entertainment
I’m part of the 5 Live podcast commissioning team, with a focus on entertainment and storytelling. I work alongside Dylan Haskins to commission ‘always-on’ personality-led formats, and multi-part entertaining stories which tap into the world of celebrities and pop culture. I also oversee the launches of our multi-part investigative series and commission series for 5 Live’s Gangster podcast.