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The Skewer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Skewer
GenreTopical/Sketch comedy
Running time15/30 minutes
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Home stationBBC Radio 4
Produced byJon Holmes
Original release8 January 2020 (2020-01-08)

The Skewer is a topical radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and as a podcast on BBC Sounds. Created and produced by Jon Holmes, the 15 or 30 minute episodes are a sound collage which combine topical soundbites with excerpts from popular culture, historical quotations and songs, often in unsettling or surreal ways.

The programme is created using Avid Pro Tools[1] and is designed to be heard through headphones, making use of binaural techniques.[2] The series has an "open door" writing policy,[1] with ideas and soundscapes being added just a few hours before broadcast.[3]

Following a pilot episode on 4 April 2019[2][4] The Skewer has run for eleven series since 8 January 2020.[5]

Reception

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Miranda Sawyer in The Observer describes the programme as "Nightmare, or dream? Funny and strange, like all good things." and compared it to the work of Chris Morris.[6]

"A surreal flow of snippets - news and views, music and memories - melded into a huge orchestral piece of compelling originality. The Skewer is satire at its cleverest, both biting and beautiful. If you could listen to a Francis Bacon painting, this is what it would sound like.” - Radio Academy Awards

Awards

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  • 2022 Radio Academy Award for Best Comedy [7]
  • 2022 NYF Awards Best Comedy
  • 2022 NYF Awards Innovation
  • 2022 NYF Sound Art
  • 2022 British Comedy Guide Awards (finalist)
  • 2022 BBC Audio & Drama Awards Best Comedy (finalist)
  • 2022 Audio Production Award for Sound Design (Gold)
  • 2022 Audio Production Award for Best Comedy Producer
  • 2022 British Podcast Awards Best Comedy (nominee)
  • 2021 New York Festival Award for Best Comedy
  • 2021 New York Festival Award for Innovation
  • 2021 New York Festival Award for Sound Art
  • 2021 Radio Academy Award for Best Comedy [8]
  • 2021 Radio Academy Awards: Best New Show, Silver[8]
  • 2021 Radio Academy Award for Best New Show
  • 2021 BBC Audio and Drama Awards for Best Comedy
  • 2021 Audio Production Award for Best Comedy Producer
  • 2021 British Podcast Award for Best Radio Podcast
  • 2020 New York Festival Award for Sound Art
  • 2020 British Podcast Award for Best Radio Podcast
  • 2020 Audio Production Awards for Best Comedy Producer
  • 2020 BBC Radio and Music Awards for Best Comedy
  • 2020 Chortle Awards (nominee)

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Skewer contributor guide". Unusual Productions. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b "The Skewer: Pilot". BBC Radio 4. 4 April 2019.
  3. ^ @jonholmes1 (20 January 2021). "With apologies for late delivery to the Duty Producer @BBCRadio4, we're just doing the final tech listen to tonight's #TheSkewer. (There was some sort of event in America we had to deal with.)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ "The Skewer". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  5. ^ "The Skewer, Series 1, Episode 1". BBC Radio 4. 8 January 2020.
  6. ^ Sawyer, Miranda (26 January 2020). "The week in podcasts and radio". The Observer.
  7. ^ "The ARIAS - Nominees". Radio Academy. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  8. ^ a b "2021 ARIAS". Radio Academy. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
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