Charles Parker Radio Day 2013

The Charles Parker Day is an annual event held to recognise the work of the late BBC Producer and celebrates the Radio Feature – past, present and future. Charles Parker Day 2013 took place on Friday 22 March and was hosted by the University of Salford in their Digital Performance Lab at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays.

2013 was the 50th anniversary of two of Parker’s famous Radio Ballads made with Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger – On the Edge about teenagers and The Fight Game about boxing.  So the themes of young people and radio features and sport on radio became two of the themes of the conference.  

With sessions on engaging young people in radio features – including the world première of On The Edge Too? a 21st century remake of the original ballad commissioned from last year’s Charles Parker Prize winner – Jimmy Ewing; CP Lee on the teenage years of Ewan MacColl spent in the ‘Dirty Old Town’ of Salford and Ieuan Franklin and Paul Long examine Philip Donnellan’s film of ‘On The Edge’ and Denis Mitchell’s first film for the BBC about teenagers from 1955. There was also a celebration of the Manchester Radio Features Unit – from Olive Shapley to the present day (with producers past and present) and a deconstruction (and ‘live’ recreation) of one of last year’s BBC Radio 2 Olympic Radio Ballads with producer John Leonard, interviewer Vince Hunt and composer Julie Matthews.

On the day we also celebrated the work of student feature makers through the UK and presented Gold, Silver and Bronze Prizes to the winners of the Charles Parker Prize 2013.