A poem for our times

I first started out at 16 reading poetry for BBC Radio 4. It was really how I started out as a vocal performer. The producer I worked with was Alfred Bradley, a legendary producer who taught me so, so much.

I’ve always loved reading poetry. You can hear more* here…and here… and here.  Oh and here.

This poem hit me in the heart when I first read it. It’s Prayer Before Birth by Louis Macneice and is, I think, a masterpiece. It was written as a response to the brutality of the second world war. It’s a cry against facism. And for me, it resonates with our times.

So I thought I’d record it. The production was put together by the brilliant Iain Job who followed my strange directions to the letter. I wanted it to sound as if it was coming from a place beyond life, where echoes of our world can be heard and felt in a visceral way. Give it a listen.

For more gut-wrenching voice stuff, click here.

• These poems are by me. As you can tell, I’m a right laugh and am such fun to have around.