Patricia Keiller on Imagination, Audio Drama, and the Power of Storytelling

Patricia, tell everyone a little about yourself. Where are you from?

My father was British and my mother was Italian, but I was born and grew up in Brighton on the south coast of the United Kingdom. Before becoming a writer, I worked as a translator and a teacher of English as a foreign language, (EFL).

What inspired you to work in Audio drama?

I always enjoyed listening to BBC audio dramas, and I found that in terms of writing the medium seems to suit my skill set the best. I also love the freedom of expression I have with audio drama. My stories can take place, anywhere and anywhen. No other medium except novels allow the writer to do this.

What other areas of creativity would you like to try your hand in?

I would like to write a film script one day perhaps. I’ve written a few short scripts, but I’ve found that film making is generally harder to get into than audio drama, and there are many more restrictions in terms of budget, setting and so forth. In fact, this is one of the things I truly love about audio drama, it doesn’t have these kinds of restrictions. The only limit with audio drama is the writer’s imagination! Apart from writing I also enjoy arts and crafts in general. I’ve done a bit of pottery, and I would love to get better at that. I started knitting a couple of years ago and found that I really like it. I would love to learn more types of stitches so that I could maybe knit clothes.

Do you think your environment, where you live, has an effect on type of art you produce?

I think that where I live has affected my writing, in so much as I think that many of my audio dramas are quite British! As I’ve become older, I’ve noticed that more autobiographical elements are slipping into my work, both in terms of setting, the characters’ backgrounds and some of their experiences. 

Which category of your art comes naturally?

I really enjoy writing science fiction/dystopian fiction as well as coming of age stories. I also enjoy writing about the paranormal to a certain extent, but I don’t really like horror, especially if it’s of the blood and gore variety. I’m fascinated by things like reincarnation.

Is it easier for you to create if given an assignment or does it get in the way of your creativity?

I tend to find that I usually produce my best work if I’m inspired. And I think that inspiration can be quite random. A sudden idea or thought will come to me, and from that one singular idea I will gradually build up an entire story. I think working from a brief can be much harder as I might not necessarily feel inspired to write about a given topic.

What long term goals do you have?

I’d like to concentrate on making audio drama. My aim is to get more of my work out there. I’ve also written a couple of books, but unless I find that these suddenly start selling exceedingly well, I don’t have any intention of writing sequels.

What is piece of art are you most proud of?

I think that in terms of audio drama it’s probably, “A Pony for Sean,” which was a coming-of-age story set in Dublin in 1997. It has been recorded by Chronosphere Fiction, and an extract from it was even used in Irish school exam papers.

What was the oddest thing you’ve ever been asked to create in Audio drama or other art?

I don’t think I’ve ever been asked to create anything odd! 

What projects are working on now?

Since the beginning of 2024 I’ve written four audio dramas. I’m currently waiting for my audio drama, ‘The Many Lives of Pimlico Pettigrew,’ to finish being produced, and I’m in the early production stages of another one of my audio dramas, ‘The Caveman Paradox.’ ‘The Many Lives of Pimlico Pettigrew’ is based on one of my books, which I am also trying to promote. Both of my books are available online as well as in a local gift shop. Later on in the year I am also taking part in a pantomime which I helped write. For those who don’t know, a pantomime is a comedic story, usually based on fairy tales, such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Aladdin, which are usually shown in theatres in the U.K. at Christmas time. This particular one is on a local radio station. I’m meant to be playing Aladdin, and this is actually the first bit of voice acting I’ve ever done, and I’m really rather looking forward to it!