Audible announces Radioman crime podcast
May 12, 2022
Audible, a provider of spoken-word entertainment, today announces the launch of Radioman, a ten-part Audible Original crime drama — written by Joe Derick (Against The Ice), co-created by, and starring, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones, Against The Ice), with producers Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files, Leonardo) and Emily Feller (Leonardo, Medici) as creative lead. This gripping new series marks Coster-Waldau’sfirst foray into the world of audio.
Set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Tanford, Radioman follows ex-Radio-DJ Chas Vincent-Jones (Nikolaj-Coster-Waldau) as he embarks on a vigilante mission to investigate local crime alongside old friend DCI Ian Whittaker, played by David Morrissey (The Walking Dead, The Other Boleyn Girl).
Using a new podcast, ‘CRIMESVILLE’, as their investigative tool, Chas grapples with betrayal, deceit, mounting pressure to solve gruesome murders, and even going viral on social media. A full ensemble cast joins the duo, including Divian Ladwa (Antman, Detectorists) playing Manny, Cathy Tyson (Mona Lisa) as Chas’s long-distance wife Connie and George Georgiou (Game of Thrones) as their encouraging ally.
Over ten, tense half-hour episodes, listeners will be transported around Tanford, from the past to the present, featuring cinematic soundscapes, an original score and immersive sound design by Peabody award-winning Benbrick (Have You Heard George’s Podcast?).
Radioman is the latest in a series of Audible Original podcasts from Vespucci and Big Light Productions, following the acclaimed true crime series Killer Book Club, released in September 2021 (iNews: “eight polished, compelling episodes”). This new Audible Original drama has been produced by Vespucci, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Joe Derrick’s Ill Kippers Productions and Big Light Productions, with Big Light’s Frank Spotnitz and Emily Feller as executive producers.
Inspired by the true story of Dimiter Kenarov, who told the story of his own reporting of a serial killer in article, “Mask of Sanity”, Radioman challenges listeners to examine their own prejudices, explores how betrayal can rip family and friendships to pieces, and asks: do you ever really know anyone?
Co-creator and star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, said: “When Joe Derrick and I founded Ill Kippers it was with a very simple idea, to create stories we would want to see. Stories that surprise, entertain and that we ultimately can identify with. Radioman fits that bill perfectly. Based on a true incident, it’s a story of our times, about our times. Written and directed by Joe, it follows Chas, a man on a mission to be seen – or rather – heard. Central to our hugely talented team with Vespucci and Big Light, was Benbrick, a Peabody award-winning sound designer and composer, along with an amazing cast that all delivered more than we could have hoped for. I played a bit for my daughter and told her to close her eyes. She loved it and said, ‘I just wanted to open my eyes and see it.’”
Aurelie De Troyer, Senior Vice President of International Content, said: “We are delighted to be releasing Radioman, our second podcast collaboration with the excellent teams at Vespucci and Big Light. Nikolaj and the entire cast do a brilliant job of bringing Joe Derick’s enthralling writing to life. Radioman is gripping, with thrilling story-telling and a truly immersive soundtrack from Benbrick, that will have our Audible listeners hooked from start to finish.”
Big Light Productions’ Frank Spotnitz and Emily Feller, said: “We couldn’t be happier with Radioman – our first scripted podcast to come from our relationship with Vespucci and Audible. We are huge podcast fans ourselves and feel that they offer such a rich ground for storytelling. We’ve had a desire for a long time to add podcasts to our drama portfolio, and it’s been a joy to work alongside Nikolaj and Joe at Ill Kippers, Audible and Vespucci to bring this thrilling tale to audiences.”
Johnny Galvin and Daniel Turcan, co-founders at Vespucci, said: “When Dimiter first shared his Virginia Quarterly Review story with us, we were completely astounded. Here was a real-world investigation with all the drama and tension you’d expect from a cinematic thriller. We knew access to the story’s key characters would be tricky, but after introducing Dimiter to Joe and Nikolaj and the team at Big Light to discuss a fictional retelling, something immediately clicked. Radioman is exactly the type of story we want to tell at Vespucci — a compelling narrative, rooted in real world reporting, brought to life with the highest possible production values. We couldn’t be more thrilled to share it with Audible’s listeners.”