Recorded 18 November, 2003.

Roger Gregg: What do you think are the elements of good Radio Theatre ?

Susan Sheridan: Of course first of all it's got to be the writing. It must be good, sparse, clear. Not over-written so that the images are there. But of course after the writing, the most important thing are the actors. I think it's very important that you have a well cast piece of actors who know all their characters, who understand the writing - which wasn't always true of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy!

At the beginning it wasn't. We didn't really understand what we were saying. But we said it with conviction and we didn't fall over the furniture. So we got away with it. But this time, of course we are much more au fait with it and understand much more of what we're saying.

I think that Radio Theatre is one of the great mediums that we have.I think in this country we're very lucky to have good Radio 4 for a start. And I do think that it does matter who directs - it needs a good director and as I say a good writer, and I do think that it is terribly important that it is cast clearly and well. The voices should sound different so you don't get confused as a listener.

Roger Gregg: I know that you teach voice and voice acting

Susan Sheridan: I do. I coach voice confidence and it's really more to do with enhancing people's ordinary speaking voices so that they feel confident when speaking. I do coach actors as well, but more importantly its giving people the confidence to use their voices because I believe voice is a great gift that only human beings have.

No other animal or plant life has such a thing as a really important voice to convey meanings, past, future, present. We convey abstract thoughts through our voices which no other being can do on this planet. I'm a great believer in voice being a vital lifeline for human beings.

Roger Gregg: If an aspiring actor wanted to get into voice work, what do you think they need ?

Susan Sheridan: We have such talent here in this cast. I think that one of the things that we're seeing nowadays are people who really know how to do accents. They've really learned how to change the shape of their mouths to do forward accents.

If you are talking French [SHE DEMONSTRATES HEAVY FRENCH ACCENT] you put your voice in the front of your mouth like this, and Americans you know [SHE DEMONSTRATES WITH AMERICAN ACCENT] you really talk from back there like this. And so you know how to place the voice, and younger actors are learning it these days. They know how to do good accents. This is one of the things that is really important for young actors in voice overs. And not just that, its also knowing how to convey a feeling, an emotion through just the language.

Roger Gregg: Is this something you can learn or is it something that one just has ?

Susan Sheridan: Ha! It can be learned but, obviously if you have an inherited talent or a latent ability and a good ear, you stand a much better chance of being able to do it, than if you don't. But of course you can learn anything but it takes a lot of dedicated work.

When I'm coaching people I always say, you're going to appreciate this, but it's actually you doing the work. It's not me. I'm not a miracle worker. People then realise that they can do it, if they work at it. And I'm not talking about actors, I'm talking about people in business who have to give presentations and never thought they could stand up in public. They are really, really amazed when they next go and do a presentation.

Roger Gregg: Do you listen to many radio plays ?

Susan Sheridan: Oh yes. I love them. I mean there are some very good ones and there are some not-so good ones. I love radio theatre. I began in radio doing the BBC Rep.. I was on the Rep. In the early days that's how I learnt my art. You know I started doing children's voices. That's how I began.

It was through doing kid's voices that I got into doing radio, because I sounded like a little boy. It was quite quirky! [laughs]. I did my audition and I happened to do a bit from - oh god - The Lord of The Flies. And that was it! I never looked back. They said 'You sound like a boy over the microphone'. And so that's when I started doing Jimbo and the Jet Set and The Family Ness, all these cartoons series like Noddy.

Roger Gregg: How would you describe Dirk Maggs's directing style ?

Susan Sheridan: He's 'cool'. He's great! He's very hands-on. You know he's been doing spot fx in the studio for a start! Not many directors do that. He's been working really with us. It's wonderful.

Most radio directors tend to go and hide in the box and stay there and not come through. Some of them do. But most of them don't. But Dirk is very good to work with. I would like to say is how nice it is to be back working on Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. It's a real thrill. To go back and resume the original radio production is very exciting for me. I mean very exciting. Fantastic!

Roger Gregg: Hitchhiker is a perfect example of what Radio does best.

Susan Sheridan: Absolutely!

Click below to visit her website at http://www.susansheridan.com