Radio drama penned by top author is set in Northumberland

The story – a BBC Radio 4 exclusive – reflects some of the latest concerns by the scientific community on the rise of antibiotic resistance.

The three-parter, entitled Resistance, examines an extreme scenario of what happens if antibiotics stop working.

Starring Gina McKee, it follows journalist Zoe who is sent out to cover the Northumberland Solstice music festival.

A mystery illness erupts and nobody’s quite sure how it’s travelling. The disease becomes an uncontrollable epidemic, highlighting many of the latest challenges the scientific and medical community is facing in real life.

Val said: “Drama makes the science behind Resistance impossible to ignore because it puts us in the shoes of those who are affected.

“Radio drama in particular is intimate and immediate and nimble – it can react quickly to events because we don’t need to build sets and design costumes.”

The final episode is tomorrow at 2.15pm, but catch the first two here.