Graphic Journey Blog

Anyone interested?

Some of you may know that I have been recording interviews with designers from different disciplines for the past seven years. They are called RDInsight and are available to listen to or download on the Royal Society of Art’s website. I now intend to not only bring all of those RDInsight recordings onto this site but I also want to expand the idea into Graphic Journey Radio exploring wider areas of interest for the design community. But I don’t want to, and can’t, do it all alone. That’s where you, dear readers, just might be able to help.
 
But let’s get one thing out of the way first. There’s no money. OK, so I’ve lost 75% of my readers already. For the remaining 25%, I need a handful of enthusiastic creatives who are into sound design, audio recording and editing. And thinking longer term budding producers, writers and even presenters. I know it all sounds a bit grand. But with help I think we could create something really special that doesn’t currently exist.

So if you, or someone you know, has experience, energy and enthusiasm in any of the areas above, I’d love to hear from you. mike@studiodempsey.co.uk

BBC/Brilliantly Beautiful Broadcasting Corporation

BBC4 Extra (formally known as BBC Radio 7 – although I can’t hear much difference on listening to it since the name change) is currently re running The Complete Smiley. Wonderful dramatisations from the John le Carre novels. I listened to A Murder of Quality. It is without doubt one of the finest adaptations for radio. Headed by Simon Russell Beale as the eponymous George Smiley…

in a beautifully judged understated and intimate performance – one that equals the original Alec Guinness TV rendition. Beale leads a stellar ensemble of outstanding actors in this dense narrative that keeps you on your mettle from beginning to end. It is peppered with the distinctive sound of 1950/60s telephone rings… 

along with claustrophobic rain swept days to perfectly transport you into the heart of the plot. It is sublime listening for bedtime, especially if, like me, you wake up in the early hours. It is a pleasure to pay my license fee for this kind of quality. But if you only possess a radio and no TV, there is no need to pay. How good it that? Until you sample the quality (or rather lack of it) of overseas broadcasting you will have no idea of just how fine the BBC is. Long may it remain a truly public service. To hear the play and other in the series click here.