Treatment for My Radio Drama

War Zone
Blurb/Synopsis
Stuck in one of the most terrifying and exhilarating warzones, Samantha Green
has been deployed in Afghanistan for the first time. Three months in to her first
tour she is faced with a life and death situation.
Format
The format for my radio drama is going to be a radio drama, with ongoing weekly
episodes. My radio drama will fit in to this format as there will be a series of cliffhangers at the end of some episodes, therefore the episodes will be continuous
and follow on to the next. This will make the drama more addictive and make the
audience want to continue to listen to the next episode.
The narrative structure
In each episode a new main drama will happen, there will be a chronological and
linear structure to each episode. This means that there will be a beginning a
middle and an end, however although it is based around a linear structure there
will be flashbacks to her old life at home.
Character Biographies
1. Samantha Green aged: 23
Ethnicity: British
Gender: Female
Profession: Doctor in the British army
Sam Green is from Croydon, London. She is from middle to lower class family,
her childhood was nice however growing up in London had some
disadvantages, she always wanted to go abroad but her family could never
afford it. When she left school she worked at the local caf as a waitress but
she always knew she could be more. After training to be a nurse she decided
to join the army and become a doctor. She received an outstanding from her
training officers and has now been deployed to Afghanistan on her first tour.
She is a fun and light-hearted character who is constantly looking out and
helping all the men in her regiment.
2. Liam Murdock aged: 28
Ethnicity: British
Gender: Male
Profession: Officer in the British army
Liam Murdock is from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. He is from a wealthy
back ground and has been to private schools all his life. He lives in the country
side, just out of Cheltenham. At only aged 28 he has already achieved a high
ranking in the British army and is on his 4th tour. To his squadron he is not just an

officer he is a helper and a friend. As he becomes closer to his fellow soldiers

and in particular Sam, he is also faced with some hard choices.
3. Ben Leeway aged 24
Ethnicity: British
Gender: Male
Profession: Electrician in British Army
Ben Leeway is from Taunton, Somerset. He is from a middle class family
who own a farm, where he grew up. His dad was in the army and he
always wanted to follow him and join as well. After getting average A Level
results he did an apprenticeship to become an electrician, he finished this
in the Army and is also on his second tour.
Statement of intent
The idea of my radio drama originated from a BBC television drama Our girl, from
the TV show I wanted to take influence but turn it in to a radio drama. This I
believe will work well because there will be a lot of action and conflict to keep
the audience entertained but also because they can hear and understand
through the characters what it must have been like to go to war if they have not
experience it.
Storyline
The story line for the first episode of the pilot I will be making will introduce all
the main characters, the surroundings, the style and the premise for my drama.
Samantha Green is on her first tour in Afghanistan as the working physician.
After all the training and preparation she has had it is time to see if she can
make a difference.
We first join her in a day dream about her old life, in a flashback of her working in
her old job as a waitress in her local caf. After just serving a customer there
Coffee and bacon sandwich, she is walking away when she hears an angry
Excuse me. The Excuse me then repeats, getting angrier and then quieter.
Suddenly the voice changes to a different man, Ben Leeway. As Samantha is a
woken to the sound of one of her fellow soldiers asking for their ping pong ball
back. Once she has adjusted from her dream, she is harshly reminded of where
she is. The soldiers lightly tease her for having a dose in the day time until their
officer, Liam Murdock walks in to the room interrupting the banter with an
announcement that something has been spotted in a nearby village and that
they will be setting off on a patrol in 15 minutes. After being given there
instructions, they all begin gathering there armour and getting ready.
They leave with two army truck and 10 soldiers, when they reach the town the
soldiers jump out on to the rubble and go in an orderly fashion through the
centre of the town to see what is wrong. There appears to be nothing wrong until
a local man comes running out yelling in another language. The translator is
frantically trying to comprehend what the man is saying, when suddenly silence
from the man. He has been shot. The shooter in unseen but heard loudly through
the town, the soldiers duck and get in to positions to shoot back. The man is

injured badly and in need of medical care. Ben Leeway goes to move the man
out of the firing range to safety, but gets himself shot twice, one in the leg and
once in the side of his body. Samantha is stuck, frozen she needs to help the
injured people but suddenly she is taken back to her home. Caught in a day
dream, she is once again sitting at home on the sofa with her mum yelling at her
to do the hovering. The yelling increases her name being shouted at her, then
remembering where she actually is she springs in to action running toward the
injured. The choice between patients was tough, a civilian or a soldier. Sam using
her skills and annotative took it upon her to help both at the same time
bandaging the wounds of the soldier and talking to the man to keep him awake.
Back at base, Sam is still shaken from the days exertions, in her bunk she calms
down and thinks about the things she has seen and has yet to see. After
unwinding for an hour, there is another call
The target audience
The target audience for my Radio Drama is for people aged between 16 40.
This is quite a large target audience however I think will work well as the subject
it is based around is one that interests a lot of people across all ages. The
people being represented in my drama are British soldiers fighting for their
country, the audience that this will attract is an older audience of 40+ as they
might have children in the army and a younger demographic of 16+ that may be
interested in the army. The audience gender is mixed as although it is based at
war, the main character is a woman therefore this will attract woman to listen to
heat the perspective of war from a woman.
Budget
Studio 80 Per hour. For 2 hours - 160 total
Studio equipment pack- 1,500
Voice actors x3 - 300 for 30 mins - 1200 each - 3,600 total
Studio technicians x2- 200 per hour - 800 total
TOTAL: 6,060
Actors
Beth hales will be the voice of Samantha Green, she is perfect as her step
brother was in the army, she is well spoken and has a clear voice.
Dom Beirne will be the voice of Liam Murrdock, this is because he comes from a
good back ground, and can act as an officer because he is older.
John Mellet will be the voice of Ben Leeway. John is from a middle class family, his
own father was in the army when he was younger therefore was my inspiration
for the character.