2021 Charles Parker Radio Prize Winner.


What makes a bathing place? 

Situated on the outskirts of Oxford, the male-only nude bathing place known as Parson’s Pleasure offered exercise and repose to men from many walks of life, for at least four hundred years. It formed a centre of muscular Christianity for the Victorians and a hub for the sunbathing craze between the wars. It was also a cruising spot and sanctuary for gay men until its demolition in 1992, and remains a part of the city’s collective imagination to this day.

'The Bathing Place' traces cultural historian George Townsend’s research into this unique site through interviews, archival sounds, poetry and field recordings. We hear tales of swimming for waterlilies, sunbathing dons, and a naked picnic. We reimagine the space, with its screens, cubicles, diving boards and attendant’s hut. And we speak to a young, gay and trans man for whom swimming with friends at Parson’s Pleasure was a source of support and “ahistorical connection” during Lockdown.

Touching on social and landscape history and the history of sexuality, The Bathing Place offers an insight into the city of dreaming spires like no other.

Presenter: George Townsend
Image: William Roberts
Producer: Hunter Charlton

Described by BBC R4's Commissioning Editor, as "the most polished and complete production of the 10 [shortlisted], drawing me into its story with a great deal of patience and subtlety". 'The Bathing Place' will be available on BBC Sounds and also broadcast live on BBC R4 this summer.

The Bathing Place - 'New Storytellers' BBC Radio 4

Healing

Pink Umbrella

mukasi - yennal

I have had a long love affair with the sea and since a toddler, I have spent many many hours rock pooling.
There aren’t many days when I don’t go down to the seafront and take photos and sound recordings and both are the basis of this track - Cosmic Rockpool - for the Music Weeklies Challenge  https://www.musicweeklieschallenge.com/ #LocalPatch.

A couple of weeks ago we had a short spell of relatively warm blue skied days, which is unusual as we suffer from cold North winds and grey cloud cover a lot, even in Summer.

I recorded the tide on the turn, with added gulls and dog frolicking in the sea but as usual when I got the recording home to listen to, it again proved why I am not a bona fide field recordist. There were anomalies, wind blow, and sundry ephemeral noise, which ordinarily would have been cut and deleted. However, I thought that some of the patterns and sounds would, with some processing, make some interesting seashore and creature noises and looking at my photos of the rockpools I began to compose, Cosmic Rockpool.

Why the title?

Rockpools are tiny micro Otherworlds, like distant planets with their own environments, terrain and life. Here, there are limpets, anemones, winkles, barnacles, tiny crabs and many varieties of seaweed. With the main field recording as a base, I added sounds to represent the tide turning, washing into the pools and the cosmic otherworld that’s full of life and colour, being tossed about by the incoming waves.
 
As with most of my work, it’s best listened to through headphones. 
Photograph by Museleon.
I have also created some AI art that really did look cosmic and otherworldly, which you can see on my Instagram @themuseleon

Cosmic Rockpool

Out At Sea, Out Of Mind

Sara Parker introduces a new generation of student features makers, all winners and finalists of the Charles Parker Prize 2023 – set up in memory of her father.

The annual Charles Parker Prize celebrates a new generation of audio producers and storytellers - open to anyone studying radio and audio at Higher or Further Education establishments across the U.K.

Broadcast through the 1950s and 60s, along with Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, Charles Parker's series known as the 'Radio Ballads' arguably left a lasting legacy on the landscape of radio storytelling; by interweaving original musical composition with remote interview recordings, and with a focus on highlighting working class voices - a practice until then unheard on BBC radio.

Charles’ daughter Sara Parker, herself an award-winning radio producer, hears this year's very best features; woven between highlights from their features, our ten new storytellers share their experience and journey creating their prize-winning work.

An “expertly montaged” undersea dive exploring how man-made sounds threaten underwater ecologies; the “delicate and mysterious” unveiling of a serial womaniser and his hitherto undiscovered children; the “beautiful and evocative” ode to the Irish language and its ‘life force’; an “engrossing and touching” investigation into the declining numbers of wild house martins; and a startlingly vivid and intimate depiction of two siblings’ relationship with their abusive late father that judges agreed was both “captivating and horrifying”.

There are extracts from the prize-winning features of; Thea Rickard, Dom Brown, Christina Hardinge, George Ruskin, and Lottie Steele, as well as five of our finalists; Kieran Davis, Petra Jones, Lydia Kenny, Matthew Temporal, and Alice Whalley.

You can hear the five winners’ work in full in the series ‘New Storytellers’ on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Producer: Jay Sykes

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Soundscape Productions.

Charles Parker Prize 2023 - BBC Radio 4 Extra

this is a track i wrote and recorded about 3 years ago, its a bit primitive and the singing isn't at its best, but i still love it dearly.

Gerard - New York

another old one, this time we're only going back about 5 years.

Gerard - Stuck On You

TW of domestic abuse and suicide hint.

She once said to me, “I am a ghost that no one cares about”…She was in that place, in that time, with nowhere to go and no one to turn to.  

This week’s piece is by Chantal Herbert from “Tits Up Creative”.  She is also the founder of Sister Shack and she lives and works in Newcastle upon Tyne. Recorded during the UK lockdown, following a surge of reported domestic abuse cases, “I am a Ghost” takes you on audio experience of real-life accounts. This feature is best listened to with headphones or stereo speakers

"I am a ghost"

Written, recorded and produced by Chantal Herbert for the Newcastle BLM protest 06/06/2020, and recorded for "Take the Knee" 10/06/2020.

Collage/Artwork by LJ Fooks
https://www.instagram.com/ljfooks

Beat by (Prod. Lee)
Instagram : @leemindme

BLM Online Protest Recording - Chantal Herbert

Cassie is awoken in shock to find out she is well and truly dead, topped off by the fact she is on her way to Hell. Cassie attains the help of Lydia – a carefree girl she met in the elevator. The pair attempt to find Satan, but Hell is in shambles and with Satan being over worked - he is going through a torture of his own.

BURNT OUT - AUDIO DRAMA

🎙 Freelance Audio Producer & Storyteller
 🎓 Lecturer (AFHEA), University of Sunderland​​​​​​​
 📻 Dramas & Docs on BBC Radio 4 / 4 Extra

 🎨 Passionate about creative narrative audio
 🥇 New York Radio Awards gold-winning producer & writer
 📖 LGBTQ+ young adult writer

Jay has been teaching at the University of Sunderland since 2015, where he specialises in audio production workshops - drama, documentary, podcasting, and audio journalism.

 📷 Profile photo by Jamie Allison

 🙋‍♂️ 31 years old, he/him
 💍 Engaged to a beautiful man named Kostas
 🐈‍⬛ Cat-dad to Bowser, Daruk, and Riju
 🏡 Sunderland, UK. Originally from Huddersfield
 🌱 Vegan for ethical reasons
 🎮 Nintendo gamer, Legend of Zelda enthusiast
 🎷 Amateur tenor saxophonist
 🇬🇷 Learning Greek (beginner)

Jay specialises in composed feature documentary and “mosaic” structures; using aspects of non-linear narrative construction, interlacing voice, music, and sound-art.

A New York Award-winner for his audio drama ‘SeaBurn’, and an avid reader of queer fiction, Jay is keen to continue developing his writing and production practice in the fictional space. Jay identifies as homoromantic, and yearns to tell stories that resonate with the queer community.

🥇 Gold winner - "Arts & Creative Radio of the Year" - Community Radio Awards 2022
🥇 Gold winner - "Podcast of the Year" - Community Radio Awards 2019
🏅 Finalist - "Best Podcast: Arts and Culture" - New York Radio Awards 2019
🥇 Gold winner - "Community Development Project of the Year - Community Radio Awards 2017
🥇 Gold winner - "Arts & Creative Radio of the Year" - Community Radio Awards 2016
🥇 Gold winner - "Best Student Drama Program" - New York Radio Awards 2015
🥉 Bronze winner - "Best Speech Programming" - Student Radio Awards 2015
🏅 Finalist - "Best Drama Producer" - Radio Production Awards 2015

Charles Parker Prize 2023 - BBC Radio 4 Extra

JaySykesMedia

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