East Gippsland is to have its very own radio drama.
There’s No Place Like Home, a new locally produced serial, will be broadcast weekly on Radio East Gippsland, REG FM, starting on Saturday, September 28 at 7pm.
Written and produced by local playwright Will Richards, There’s No Place Like Home is a story of life, gossip and drama in the fictional Gippsland town of Coochie Creek. When a new couple move into the town to open a bed and breakfast, they are drawn into a web of intrigue and shenanigans, involving the local show, a hippie community in the hills and a mysterious stranger who claims to own their house.
“When I lived in the UK, I used to listen to The Archers, a radio serial that has been broadcast on the BBC for over 50 years”, explained Will.
“It’s a brilliant show. Each episode is only 10 minutes long but it has a huge following around the world. It shows that even in the age of the internet, traditional radio drama can work.”
Will was also inspired by the classic Australian serial, Blue Hills.
“I’m too young to remember Blue Hills personally, but many people from my parents’ generation were addicted to it,” he said.
“It was a hugely popular show. Maybe Gippsland can lead the way in re-creating some of that popularity.”
There’s No Place Like Home features a local cast drawn from members of the REG FM team and members of Bairnsdale’s Production Line Theatre Company.
“We’re so lucky here in East Gippsland to have a phenomenal theatre company,” Will said.
“Many of their actors and production staff have extensive professional experience and they’ve been really generous in sharing that. It means that we’ve got a top-tier cast and oversight from a former ABC drama producer. It makes a huge difference to the quality of the show.
“Presenters and management at REG FM have been amazing too, really supportive of us taking up studio time, recording and editing the first batch of episodes. But it’s worth it. They sound amazing.”
A new episode of There’s No Place Like Home will be broadcast every week. Each episode will be broadcast at 7pm on Saturday, then repeated at 6.50am on Tuesday and 5.50pm on Thursday.
Like most popular soap operas, it features an ongoing storyline with a cast of loveable – and in some cases not so loveable – characters, including local gossip Cherry Moss, the local handyman “Monkey” and the hippies in the hills.
“We’re incredibly excited about this show,” Will said.
“It’ll be huge and I invite everybody in East Gippsland to share the excitement and become regular listeners. We should all be very proud that East Gippsland can produce something of this quality.”
There’s No Place Like Home debuts on REG FM Bairnsdale 105.5FM and Lakes Entrance 90.7FM.
