Log in
BU research has demonstrated the benefits of radio archives. Radio recordings are a rich source of social, cultural and political history. Until recently archives have been inaccessible to schools, community organisations, scholars and other users. Research by the Centre for Media History (CMH) at Bournemouth University (BU) was the motivation behind a committee being formed to raise awareness of the problem. The committee strongly supported the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in making their catalogue available to the public via the British Library (BL). The research itself informed the library's new sound archive policy. Archive access has a wide range of benefits to the production industry, education, culture and the economy.
This impact case study describes the benefits realised from research and practice within the network radio broadcast environment. The impact arises from four examples of Harrison's broadcast outputs, and the case study reports audience impact and critical review within a highly demanding and competitive broadcast environment — that of the United Kingdom's national speech radio broadcaster — BBC Radio 4.
Professor Anna Furse's Practice-as-Research on Assisted Reproduction Technologies [A.R.T.s] incorporates artistic design and educational materials to raise awareness of medical, ethical and emotional issues surrounding subfertility, addressing public ignorance, prejudice and taboo. When she published her bestseller Your Essential Infertility Companion, A.R.T.s were rarely discussed from the patient perspective, debate being dominated by media sensationalism and misinformation. Her subsequent critically acclaimed production projects, articulating subfertiles' plights and rights, contributed culturally to shifting public understanding. The Peach Child became an internationally popular children's play, while My Glass Body (a commissioned drama for BBC Radio) was broadcast twice — additional outputs extending the reach of the project to multigenerational lay as well as academic publics.
An influential playwright and screenwriter, Colin Teevan's work and its impact have continued to develop since he joined the Department of English in October 2008. His writing for verbatim/documentary theatre and broadcast scripts has had impacts in the cultural sphere, nationally and internationally, in schools and in military circles. This case study focuses on his work relating to conflict in the Middle East. Drawing on sustained research into international political conflicts, his plays have been broadcast on radio and TV, and performed in stage productions across Britain and the US. One of his plays, The Lion of Kabul, was performed to high-level military officers in both England and America.
John Wyver's research on strategies for creative adaptation of theatre and opera to the screen has had an impact on cultural life, on the economic prosperity of UK cultural sector, and on education. His practice-based research on television adaptations of contemporary opera and Shakespeare plays has been central to British television's presentation of performance since 2008. This research has led to a spend of more than £3 million in British independent television production. His productions have been the focus for significant educational initiatives by the BBC and The Open University. From 2012 he has been engaged as Media Associate by the Royal Shakespeare Company in order to embed his research within their activities and develop a future strategy.