Oneword scores dramatic first
JOANNA LUMLEY stars as Elvira, Corin Redgrave as Charles Condemine and David Timson as Doctor Bradman in Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, the first radio play to come out of Oneword, the digital radio station owned by AIM-listed UBC Media.
The play, which will be aired on 8 August, is also being released on compact disc and tape by Naxos, the group which pioneered the recording of high quality classical music for budget priced CDs. It is the best-selling classical label in Britain, having held its price at £4.99 per CD since 1990. The dramas on double CDs retail at £10.99.
Although financial details of the deal have not been released it is believed that Oneword will recover its production costs from the first sales of the recordings. At £15,000 a shot Oneword claims that it is spending at least as much as comparable productions on BBC radio.
Oneword broadcasts are available on Sky Digital, the internet and digital radios which were finally launched to the retail market this week to sell at £99. The second production, which will be aired later in August, is Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, starring Juliet Stevenson and Michael Maloney. Oneword plans to produce around one play per month in future.
