Campaign to save audio drama at BBC Radio 3

Unions are calling for the BBC to reconsider “devastating” plans to completely remove audio drama from Radio 3.

The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, performers’ union Equity and the Society of Authors say they have been told the broadcaster plans to make “dramatic cuts” to the station’s audio drama from April 2025, “completely eradicating” output.

They say the change will see creative jobs and employment at the station “slashed”.

A letter to BBC director general Tim Davie says that this programming strand currently “fuels the eco-system of British drama”.

“The removal of these opportunities will be a devastating loss for writers and actors alike,” it added.

The unions say that despite the broadcaster’s “repeated assurances” and promises of greater investment, it has not yet taken the action needed to support a new generation of talent.

They are calling for “concrete commitments” on many hours of scripted audio drama the BBC will commission in future.

A BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC will continue to be the biggest original audio drama commissioner in the UK and we are committed to the genre and to working with new and exciting writers as well as bringing a huge range of drama to new and existing audiences.”