Catching up with the Soundstart winners

Rikki Lawton (2nd from left) and Alex Rivers (far right) with the other winners of the BBC's Soundstart scheme

With the announcement of the BBC Audio Drama Awards, it seemed a good time to catch up with some possible future recipients. The Soundstart winners have been members of the BBC Radio Drama Company for over three months now, so I met up with Rikki Lawton and Alex Rivers to see what they'd been up to since we met them last.

"I think I've been quite lucky, I've got some good parts" says Rikki, "I've found a lot of them have been with my own accent really, but even within that, a London accent from the nineteenth century is completely different to what it is now, so I'm learning all the time".

Has this versatility been difficult? "It's been challenging going away to learn different accents. It's interesting: on the rep there are some actors that stick to their own voice and change it a little bit for each production; then there are others who are more character actors and completely change their accent and dialect. It's a mixture of both really".

You heard Rikki in The Ambassadors which is broadcast on 13th November on BBC Radio 4.

Alex has also enjoyed a large number of different roles. "I don't really think the Rep has a routine, there's complete variety. It's not like I'm doing a play four days a week, every week. I'd like to!" she laughs, "I've done readings for Open Book, and a couple of us from the Rep did some readings for BBC School Radio, stories for five to seven year olds".

How different is your approach to this sort of work? "Well, with children's stories, you want to keep them engaged by doing little characters here and there, but then if they're played too much, the kids switch off, or get too hyper." Naturally something to be avoided at all costs!

Excerpts were of Alex and Bill Nighy in the latest series of Charles Paris, due for broadcast at the start of next year on BBC Radio 4.

As Rikki and Alex have found, the breadth of Radio Drama's output requires a company of actors adept at applying themselves to roles both large and small; tackling characters they wouldn't get a chance to play on film or stage, often cast against physical type. It's all down to what the voice can do.

It's an enormous learning curve, and one that obviously creates a very special bond between those on the Rep, as members past and present will testify. "I'd loved to be involved in radio for the rest of my career' Alex confirms "now that I've got the bug".

You can keep up to speed with them and the rest of Radio Drama by signing up to the BBC Radio Drama newsletter.

Matthew Mills is production coordinator, BBC Radio Drama