Kellie While (Chair of AudioUK and Head of 7digital Creative) was again the host for this conference which celebrates the audio feature - past, present and future.

The 2024 event celebrated the 60th anniversary of the broadcast of Charles Parker, Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger's final Radio Ballad – The Travelling People – with Peter Cox (author of Set into Song, a history of the radio ballads) and an online contribution from Peggy Seeger. We also met Rich Matthews of Rural Media, who was involved in the making of the film Searching for the Travelling People and Lisa Smith, herself a traveller, who talked about giving travelling people their own voice in the film industry.

Sean Street, Emeritus Professor of Radio at Bournemouth University, who began the Charles Parker Day back in 2004, talked about another much-revered radio feature producer Piers Plowright and his online legacy – The School of Sound.

Charles Parker Trust chair and Prison Radio Association CEO, Phil Maguire led a session on Samuel Becket and Charles Parker: Making Waves Behind Bars, talking to Dr Eleanor Lybeck from the University of Liverpool about why she’s staging a Beckett radio play inside a prison. They and Simon Ruding, who has worked extensively in prison, probation, youth justice and social care services, discussed the value Parker and Beckett placed on working with, or telling stories about, ‘ordinary people’ in prison.  

We also met the nominees for the 2024 Charles Parker Prize. Former winners Megan Hayward and Talia Augustidis discussed how winning the prize started them on their audio production journey, then Commissioning Editor Hugh Levinson announced the five winners whose work will be broadcast during the summer on ‘New Storytellers’ BBC Radio 4.

After the main event the audience split between a masterclass for students on Ideas and How to Sell Them, while Tony Macaluso, co-director of Chapel FM, led a discussion on The Creative Use of Archives.

The Charles Parker Day is a FREE event organised by the Charles Parker Trust, but we would appreciate a contribution towards our work.
The suggested amount is £10, and this can be paid through our website.