
Limelight
The Limelight podcast - for fiction and drama serials you won't want to miss from Radio 4.
Latest episodes

Apr 18, 2025 • 29min
Discretion: Episode 2
Travelling to the crash site courtesy of the Americans, Maria and Kathy meet up with Air Crash investigator Adam Cheney who's been sent from London for his expertise. Alina Natsev from local security is there too, ostensibly managing the site but also managing a key witness who appears to have seen the crash when it happened. Adam shares his doubts with Maria on what the witness says he thinks he saw, versus what the scene seems to show. As Maria and Kathy choose to return to the Embassy by car, it seems the surprises of the day are not going to be limited to false information...Maria...Sinead Keenan
Reid...Kevin McNally
Paul...Edward Hogg
Adam...Declan Rodgers
Kathy...Kiran Sonia Sawar
Nick Kim...Vincent Lai
Natsev...Avital LvovaAll other roles by John Albasiny, Alexander Ballinger, Anna Krippa, Eddie Toll and Ani RussoWritten by Chris Brandon
Produced by Claire Broughton
Direction, Sound Design and additional production by John Wakefield
The Executive Producer is Jed MercurioWith thanks to Tanya Nedashkovskaya for her translationsA Hat Trick production for BBC Radio 4

Apr 11, 2025 • 29min
Discretion: Episode 1
Maria Kossecka, a newly appointed Deputy Head of Mission, navigates her first major diplomatic engagement with her boss, James Reid. They attend a rally for presidential candidate Milan Ogrisovic, who promotes unity and pro-European ideals. The conversation humorously highlights the importance of personal connections in diplomacy and the inner conflicts faced by diplomats. Tensions rise dramatically with an unexpected plane crash involving a key political figure, raising urgent questions about its impact on the upcoming election.

Apr 7, 2025 • 2min
Discretion: Trailer
Maria Kossecka - newly appointed Deputy Head of Mission in a former Soviet State - arrives in the country on the eve of a contentious presidential election that seems likely to install a pro-Western candidate. However, after spending an evening where she and her new boss, Ambassador James Reid, entertain this new man of the hour, Maria wakes to find he has been killed - his plane brought down in what looks like a targeted attack. As the British are unexpectedly tasked with overseeing the investigation into the crash by the incumbent president, Maria is forced to manage a complicated tangle of evidence, conspiracy, and competing interests inside and outside the country. Will she manage to find out the truth before civil unrest in the country threatens to escalate out of control? And what will this mean for British interests in the region?Written by Chris Brandon and Davy Banks, Discretion is a reminder of the necessity of diplomacy on a global stage.
The Executive Producer is Jed Mercurio.Starring Sinead Keenan and Kevin McNally.Discretion is a Hat Trick Production for BBC Radio 4.

Feb 28, 2025 • 29min
Exemplar: Series 2: Episode 5
When Veritas is hit by sophisticated cyber attack, Jess and Maya have to work with DS Gray to identify the attackers and stop them. Will they do it in time to save the company? Exemplar: “an audio recording made by a forensic analyst to recreate the precise audio conditions of a piece of evidence in a criminal or civil case.”The return of a modern day thriller set in the world of audio forensics. In Exemplar, Gina McKee plays Jess, a forensic analyst born and bred in the North East. Together with her colleague Maya, she undertakes a different sound challenge in every episode. When DS Serena Gray comes into their world, things become a little bit more complicated.Created by leading sound designers, Ben and Max Ringham, and rooted in factual research. The first series of Exemplar won Best Series at the 2022 BBC Audio Drama Awards.
Jess ….. Gina McKee
Maya ….. Shvorne Marks
DS Gray ….. Clare Perkins
Jill ….. Tracey Wilkinson
Dan ….. Malcom RidleyWriters: Dan Rebellato, with Ben and Max Ringham
Audio forensic consultants: James Zjalić, plus Dr Katherine Earnshaw and Bryony Nuttall, forensic specialists in speech and audio at the Forensic Voice Centre
Police consultant: Alex Ashton
Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor
Production coordinator: Annie Keates Thorpe
Sound design: Ben and Max Ringham with Lucinda Mason Brown
Original music: Ben and Max Ringham
Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis
Executive producer: Joby WaldmanA Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4

Feb 21, 2025 • 29min
Exemplar: Series 2: Episode 4
Jess faces off with the unsettling gang leader Danny Fenchurch during a high-stakes police interrogation. Meanwhile, Maya deciphers a strange video, revealing whispered truths. Suspicion mounts as hidden connections between characters emerge, with cryptic taps hinting at a boy's desperate plea. The tension thickens with looming cyber threats that amplify the pressure. This gripping narrative showcases the challenges of audio forensics amidst a web of crime, secrecy, and unraveling relationships.

Feb 14, 2025 • 29min
Exemplar: Series 2: Episode 3
Audio analysts Jess and Maya dive into a high-stakes police sting, supporting a terrified teenager to infiltrate a drug gang. They face navigational chaos as they track a fugitive through complex roadways and poor signal areas. Tensions rise with each radio communication, revealing complicated dynamics within the law enforcement team. Meanwhile, they analyze sound delays to pinpoint crucial locations during the operation. The atmosphere is thick with intrigue as suspicions about insider knowledge in drug operations surface.

Feb 7, 2025 • 29min
Exemplar: Series 2: Episode 2
When a never before heard track by iconic 90s band The Daisy Chains is discovered, a bitter argument over ownership between the lead singer’s widow and the bandleader ensues. Jess and Maya are brought in to work out who really wrote the song, with just an old school tape recording of the original track as a clue.Exemplar: “an audio recording made by a forensic analyst to recreate the precise audio conditions of a piece of evidence in a criminal or civil case.”The return of a modern day thriller set in the world of audio forensics. In Exemplar, Gina McKee plays Jess, a forensic analyst born and bred in the North East. Together with her colleague Maya, she undertakes a different sound challenge in every episode. When DS Serena Gray comes into their world, things become a little bit more complicated. Created by leading sound designers, Ben and Max Ringham, and rooted in factual research. The first series of Exemplar won Best Series at the 2022 BBC Audio Drama Awards.
Jess ….. Gina McKee
Maya ….. Shvorne Marks
Seb ….. Afnan Iftikhar
Lucia ….. Tracey Wilkinson
Clare ….. Amy McAllisterWriters: Ben and Max Ringham, with Dan Rebellato
Audio forensic consultants: James Zjalić, plus Dr Katherine Earnshaw and Bryony Nuttall, forensic specialists in speech and audio at the Forensic Voice Centre
Police consultant: Alex Ashton
Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor
Production coordinator: Annie Keates Thorpe
Sound design: Ben and Max Ringham with Lucinda Mason Brown
Original music: Ben and Max Ringham
Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis
Executive producer: Joby WaldmanA Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4

Jan 31, 2025 • 29min
Exemplar: Series 2: Episode 1
A successful television actor hires Jess and Maya to analyse a voicemail, leaked to the press, that suggests he supplied the drugs that killed his younger co-star. The suspicion is that the recording has been doctored. As they disentangle the truth behind the missing 29 seconds in the voicemail, pushy Detective Sergeant Serena Gray hires Veritas to help with a phone-hacking investigation. Exemplar: “an audio recording made by a forensic analyst to recreate the precise audio conditions of a piece of evidence in a criminal or civil case.”The return of a modern day thriller set in the world of audio forensics. In Exemplar, Gina McKee plays Jess, a forensic analyst born and bred in the North East. Together with her colleague Maya, she undertakes a different sound challenge in every episode. When DS Serena Gray comes into their world, things become a little bit more complicated. Created by leading sound designers, Ben and Max Ringham, and rooted in factual research. The first series of Exemplar won Best Series at the 2022 BBC Audio Drama Awards.
Jess ….. Gina McKee
Maya ….. Shvorne Marks
DS Serena Gray….. Clare Perkins
Adam ….. Afnan Iftikhar
Jason ….. Benjamin Cawley
Chris ….. Malcolm RidleyWriters: Ben and Max Ringham, with Dan Rebellato
Audio forensic consultants: James Zjalić, plus Dr Katherine Earnshaw and Bryony Nuttall, forensic specialists in speech and audio at the Forensic Voice Centre
Police consultant: Alex Ashton
Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor
Production coordinator: Annie Keates Thorpe
Sound design: Ben and Max Ringham with Lucinda Mason Brown
Original music: Ben and Max Ringham
Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis
Executive producer: Joby WaldmanA Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4

Jan 29, 2025 • 3min
Exemplar: Series 2: Trailer
Introducing Series 2 of Exemplar

Jan 24, 2025 • 28min
Don't Listen to This: Episode 5
By Anthony Del ColGripping psychological thriller set in the world of competitive gaming (esports).Cressida is shocked to discover the truth about Soji Sanada but together they must race to stop the killer and delete the remaining lethal cutscenes.Cressida Yang ..... Sophie Wu
Blu_Devil ..... Thaddea Graham
Park ..... Nikesh Patel
Rooftop ..... Jonny Weldon
Soji Sanada.....Togo Igawa
Officer Patel ....... Jaz Singh Deol
Beckett Knox ....... Samuel James
Teammate ...... Dan Foxdrop Wyatt
Warstrm ..... Ian Dunnett JnrProduction co-ordinator - Pippa Day
Assistant Technical Producer - Mike Etherden
Technical Producer and Sound Designer - Sharon Hughes
Director-Nadia Molinari
Co-Producers- Nadia Molinari, Jessica Mitic, Lorna NewmanThanks to Nimitt Mankad, Anthony Wastella and Geoff Moore.A BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Radio 4.
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