Recording Dracula

I spent this morning engaged in a lengthy phone interview for a BBC World Service Programme on Dracula. The call lasted over an hour and a half. I was asked about my thoughts on first reading Dracula and if I could deliver a lively plot summary for listeners. I was quizzed about Stoker’s research for the novel, where we had got to with vampire lore by this point and literary vampires pre Stoker. We then went on to talk about the novel’s reception in the Victorian period and the impact of the theatre, together with the its lasting legacy in the present. Also the novel’s love affair with the cinema and how this might have shaped the Dracula myth and finally Stoker’s importance regarding my own research. I was a little unsure about my radio voice which is hardly RP (having grown up in Cumbria and Manchester) but my enthusiasm seemed to get me through, together some rather handy sticky notes (see pic). I’m pleased to say I got through the interview and will be at Broadcasting House recording the programme on 5th September. The format is an ‘In our Time’ for international audiences. I am told it will feature the voice of Christopher Lee reading passages from the novel, Dacre Stoker, Great Grand Nephew of Bram, and an international film critic. It’ll be interesting working on the script in the days ahead. I’ll write a little follow up post about my experiences during the recording and editing process as it might be useful for other scholars.  I’m posting this to show that sometimes you might not see yourself as others see you and projects that might at first not seem the perfect fit can turn out to be some of the most exciting! We might not always welcome the media glare but it is part of academic life for the new impact generation and we’ve been fortunate at OGOM as the project has offered lots of opportunities for engagement and comment.