Short Cuts

Josie Long presents short Christmas-themed documentaries and adventures in sound.We hear from a long time resident of Santa Claus, Indiana, the comedian Mark Thomas offers a tender reflection on Away in a Manger, and Karolyn Grimes - the woman who played Zuzu Bailey in the festive classic It's a Wonderful Life - explores how it's interwoven with her life.The Chief Elf of Santa Claus, Indiana Featuring Pat Koch Produced by Andrea RangecroftAway in a Manger Featuring Mark Thomas Produced by Sarah CuddonIt's a Wonderful Life Featuring Karolyn Grimes Produced by Andrea RangecroftSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

Josie Long presents new short documentaries on searching for hope in the gathering darkness.John McCarthy and Brian Keenan look back on a single act of human kindness that glows amid much darker memories, a late night conversation explores the hope bound up in playing the lottery, and we hear as voices fade in a Danish hospice.The Gloaming Featuring John McCarthy and Brian Keenan Produced by Geoff BirdFading Produced by Nanna Hauge KristensenThe Lottery Produced by Phoebe WangSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2018.

Josie Long presents new short documentaries and audio adventures tied to the changing of the seasons.Laura Barton offers an ode to the sticky heat of summer, we hear the beat of hummingbird wings in autumn and a love story tied to cold British winters and Colombia's 'spring city'.On Music Overheard Produced by Phil SmithHeat Featuring Laura BartonTiny Jalopy Produced by Michelle MacklemOlga Produced by Phil SmithSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowall,A Falling Tree Production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2018.

Navigating the technological nightmare of the afterlife, the feeling of weightlessness during a late night drive and finding yourself adrift at sea - Josie Long presents short documentaries and mini works of fiction about finding yourself untethered to the world around you.Please Hold (Extract) Originally made for the podcast 'Imaginary Advice'. Featured in the episode 'After This' Produced by Ross SutherlandNight Rider Produced by Ariana MartinezLauren and Ken Produced by Andrea RangecroftSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in December 2018.

Josie Long presents new short documentaries and audio essays about intertwining with another person.A father and son stare out to sea and talk about a lost love, a woman writes a letter to her young daughter unpicking the complex intersections between motherhood, art, selfhood and capitalism, and a widow finds an unusual spirit guide for her grieving. Victoria, My Spirit Widow Produced by Sophie TownsendThe Art of Knowing When to Retreat Produced by Stacia Brown Originally made for the podcast Hope ChestA Friend Produced by Sayre QuevedoSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in November 2018.

Josie Long presents short documentaries about food - from congee on a mountaintop to the nightmarish consequences of a family dinner.The writer Jessica J Lee tries to recreate a vivid sensory experience and Australian audio-maker Mike Williams shares a visceral story of a Christmas Eve meal.Mutual Mastication Produced by Steve UrquhartThe Nightmare Before Christmas Produced by Mike WilliamsCongee Dreams Produced by Jessica J LeeLast Requests Produced by Hannah DeanSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in November 2018.

Josie Long hears stories of crossing over to the other side - from radio waves permeating political barriers to the migratory routes of eels.Radio 100 Featuring Leslie Rosin, Cornelia Saxe and Gregor Schuster Produced by Leo HornakThe Other Side Featuring Laura BartonThe Last Night Featuring Anny Shaw Produced by Andrea RangecroftSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

The lust to escape your life, gifts that make you feel misunderstood and a mystery with an elusive man at it's centre - Josie Long unfurls stories of mistaken identity.The writer Nikesh Shukla and his friends, Nick Hearne and Robbie Lingham, talk about the frustrating mysterious character who entered their lives after they sent a lamb chop into space. The Australian producer Natalie Kestecher is horrified by a gift from a close friend and a young woman plots her escape in a call from Laura Mayer's How Are You Doing Project.Navy Story Originally recorded for the How Are You Doing Project Produced by Laura MayerThe Gift Featuring writing from the Redundant Women series Produced by Natalie KestecherAdam Featuring Nikesh Shukla, Nick Hearne and Robbie LinghamSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Josie Long hears stories of observation - from glimpsing who you might become to an artist who secretly surveilled her father.Rosalind Jana explores the crackle of possibility and hope in a love story observed across a crowded room, Johanna Heldebro talks about her art project - To Come Within Reach of You - in which she followed and photographed her father, and Sarah Algashgari talks about working at the first football match in Saudi Arabia that allowed female spectators.Deciphering Featuring Rosalind JanaThe Watchers Featuring Sarah Algashgari Produced by Andrea RangecroftFollowing Father Featuring Johanna Heldebro Produced by Tom HenleySeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2018.

A porcine presidential campaign, the feeling of freedom in a communal action and a Danish poet who helps you re-imagine the world - Josie Long hears stories of small radical acts.Comedian and activist Mark Thomas talks about the feeling of liberty on a city street flooded with bicycles, we explore how Inger Christensen's words have fed into the imaginations of Danish activists, and we hear about Pigasus's curtailed political campaign.Pigasus the Immortal Featuring Abe Peck, Jim Lato and Judy Gumbo Interviews by Sarah GeisInger Christensen Produced by Maria DønvangCritical Mass Featuring Mark Thomas Produced by Sarah CuddonSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2018.

Josie Long presents short documentaries about creating something out of nothing, fresh starts and the beginning of the end.From a band that existed before they'd ever met each other to the new beginnings which bring sweet, if painful, endings in a relationship between a mother and daughter.The Dandelion Adventure Produced by Geoff BirdGood Year for the Roses Produced by Sophie TownsendMeteor Shower Produced by Nanna Hauge KristensenSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast on May 2018.

A dream-like journey, a man trying to prove he hasn't died and a reflection on a eulogy. Josie Long presents documentaries where words linger long after they're uttered. Featuring the voices of the oral historian Studs Terkel, recorded a couple of years before he passed away, and the writer Julia Cooper, finding the words she wished she could offer her younger self.A Taxi Stops Produced by Rikke HoudAfterwords Featuring Jeremy Lee Bass Produced by Andrea RangecroftEulogy Featuring Julia Cooper Produced by Veronica SimmondsSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018.

From tree climbing to getting lost in the forest, Josie Long ventures into the woods. Featuring Sook-Yin Lee on the wild forest of her childhood, the musician and radio producer Phil Smith on the love and freedom of clambering amid the branches, and a mother and daughter losing themselves amongst the trees.Climb Featuring Jochen Raiss and Leah Produced by Phil SmithLost Featuring Rachel and Carolyn Lloyd Produced by Andrea RangecroftBehind My House Music by Sook-Yin Lee Produced by Sook-Yin LeeSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in April 2018.

Josie Long hears stories drawn from the silver screen. Luke Skywalker helps Joe Dunthorne reckon with his own mortality, the writer Ross Sutherland explores the hidden history of the audience and Amanda Foster offers an insight into the life of a stuntwoman. Luke Deathbringer Featuring Joe DunthorneBody Double Featuring Amanda Foster Produced by Andrea RangecroftHollywood Forever Featuring Ross SutherlandSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2018.

Josie Long presents short documentaries and stories about the quest for resolution. Years spent in search of a solution to Elgar's Enigma, an adult seeks an answer to a childhood letter and a mother records her young son's responses.The Being Sound Produced by Stephanie RowdenGet Pierced Produced by Duncan CowlesCounter Melody Featuring Bob Padgett (who runs the website The Enigma Theme Unmasked) Produced by Daniel Estrin, Jessi Carrier, Steven Jackson and Nick van der Kolk.Series Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in March 2018.

A quiet walk through an abandoned prison camp in darkness, late night ambient sound in the Maasai Mara - Josie Long listens for sounds in the hush of the night.Silent Night Featuring Carl Cattermole Produced by Thomas Glasser and based on his documentary for National Prison Radio, Sounds InsideCrickets - Night - Maasai Mara Produced by Jonathan ZentiAmbient Sir Featuring Jordan Scott Jordan Scott's writing can be found at his website Lanterns at Guantánamo Produced by Jess ShaneSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in March 2018.

Josie Long presents short documentaries and stories about unearthly happenings - from the myths surrounding Lake Stechlin, which is said to boil whenever a major catastrophic event happens anywhere in the world, to an uneasy evening at a conference for exorcists.Possession Produced by Geoff BirdPsychic Blob Originally made for KCRW's Radio Race Music by The Black Spot Produced by Jeff EntmanLake Stechlin Featuring Jessica J LeeSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in March 2018.

Blue skies, a rainbow of strangers and lipstick shades weave through today's short documentaries about colour. Josie Long explores how it affects the way we experience the world.Blue Featuring Laura BartonLipstick Featuring Davia Nelson Produced by Benjamen WalkerI Know Light Now Featuring Vanessa Potter Produced by Leila HussainRing a Rainbow Produced by Dennis FunkSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in February 2018.

From an island which resists invasion to a beloved city in which you can't be free - Josie Long presents a series of short documentaries where the landscape becomes a character.Ribbon Gums Produced by Sophie TownsendResistance Featuring Lars Christian Kofoed Romer and Viola Produced by Rikke HoudMosul Eye Produced by Andrea RangecroftSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2018.

Love lost and found, a lingering goodbye and the after image of a loved one - Josie Long presents stories of holding on.From the echoes of a partner that linger after their death to an extraordinary tale of love regained after fifty years apart.Her Name Was Jean Featuring Dennis Vinar, Karen Lehmann Vinar and Jean Voxland Produced by Andrea RangecroftThe Awkward Goodbye Produced by Duncan CowlesAfter Image Featuring Dr Jacqueline Hayes Produced by Edward LawrensonSeries Producer: Eleanor McDowallA Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in February 2018.