THE ESCORT: ANOTHER LOCKDOWN PIECE

It was still lockdown, but the power of the internet meant that I could chat to a fellow writer in Brisbane, and she had an idea for a detective series. It would be composed of stories by writers across the world and the common denominator would be the victim (a thoroughly vile man, whose passing would not be mourned). We could dispose of this man however we wanted and the audience could decide which of us had actually done the deed.

 Some audio dramas are made remotely, with actors using software to read their lines separately. The lines are knitted together by clever editors to produce dialogue. But I and my producer, John Boyd, are a bit old school, and we decided that a monologue would be the best way to perform and record the piece. Inspired by the wonderful radio series, ‘Annika Stranded’, I put together a one-woman piece which nevertheless included unheard input from other characters. This is the gap into which the audio listener adds her imaginative contribution.

 Phone rehearsals with the talented director, Iain McAleese, helped me develop Alex’s voice — she’s very much younger than I am — and luckily for me the sound engineer, David Simpson, was in my bubble, so I was able to work with him to record the different scenes which John then worked his magic on with a carefully layered soundscape.

 One woman show, it is not. I couldn’t have done it on my own.

 The Escort’did go out as part of an international series, but I hope that it stands alone and that you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it.