Where did the idea to adapt a silent film for radio come from?
I’ve always loved silent movies and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari is one of my all-time favourites. The idea of doing a version of, or response to, this film probably came from that concept of a new “take” on an old film – as did my desire to work with a composer on it. I know that the idea of silent film on radio is a bit like a bad joke, but I’m really interested in how radio can be, in imaginative terms, a very filmic, very visual medium. And I’m interested in translations across art forms – how one medium can be explored through another. What made you want to tell this particular story? I think I’m often drawn to the misunderstood monster in film. King Kong and Frankenstein’s monster, for example, are both very sad characters – heartbreaking! And they’re two of my favourite films. (The originals, of course!) The making of this film is also fantastically interesting. The ending as written by the writers was changed – a framing device was added which totally changes the meaning of the f
