The Skewer


The Skewer is a topical radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and as a podcast on BBC Sounds. Created and produced by Jon Holmes, the 15 or 30 minute episodes are a sound collage which combine topical soundbites with excerpts from popular culture, historical quotations and songs, often in unsettling or surreal ways.
The programme is created using Avid Pro Tools and is designed to be heard through headphones, making use of binaural techniques. The series has an "open door" writing policy, with ideas and soundscapes being added just a few hours before broadcast.
Following a pilot episode on 4 April 2019 The Skewer has run for fourteen series since 8 January 2020.

Reception

Miranda Sawyer in The Observer describes the programme as "Nightmare, or dream? Funny and strange, like all good things." and compared it to the work of Chris Morris.
"A surreal flow of snippets - news and views, music and memories - melded into a huge orchestral piece of compelling originality. The Skewer is satire at its cleverest, both biting and beautiful. If you could listen to a Francis Bacon painting, this is what it would sound like.” - Radio Academy Awards

Awards