Acushla-Tara Kupe Photo: Tabitha Arthur
We’ve been told the era of radio drama is well behind us - those glory days when Orson Welles scared the pants off America with War of the Worlds, when kids would be terrified by late night sci fi, then later amused by sci-fi comedy The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy….
Except, it turns out it’s never been stronger than it is today – even if it’s not called ‘radio drama’ these days – we prefer “podcasts”.
RNZ’s Simon Morris was listening to one of the most popular series in the UK - Sherlock & Co - when he recognised the voice of Dr Watson’s girlfriend and later his good lady wife, Mary Morstan. It was the New Zealand accent that gave her away. The series is only second in popularity in the UK to the long-running Archers.
What’s Kiwi theatre star Acushla-Tara Kupe doing in a nice English show like Sherlock & Co? Listeners may know her from big recent theatre shows like Prima Facie and A Doll’s House.
More importantly, how did Kupe record it? Who are the brains behind the show? And most important, what’s her connection with Paul Waggott, who plays John Watson?
As Simon found when he talked to Acushla-Tara Kupe, once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.
