The Golden Record 

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Kerry Shale

Nancy Crane

Clare Cage

Mathew Gravelle

Chris Jack

Polly Thomas

Duncan Macmillan

Effie Woods

Drama on 4: The Golden Record

The Golden Record

BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, The Golden Record

A love story in science and sound, based on the romance of Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan.

4 Extra Debut. A love story in science and sound based on the real romance of those tasked with sending a mix tape to space. Stars Kerry Shale.

The Golden Record was one of two phonograph records on the Voyager spacecraft, containing sounds and images of Earth's life and culture - a cosmic message in a bottle to outer space.  It was created by a team lead by Carl Sagan, and there is a real love story behind the science.
 
Carl Sagan was an author, astronomer and sceptic who popularised science. In 1977 he was tasked, with his colleague Ann Druyan, writer, activist and academic, with creating a 'golden record', a compilation of sounds and images to be launched into space. This disc would represent life on Earth, a greeting to worlds light-years away.
 
Sagan and Druyan raced against time to perfect 'the ultimate mix-tape', and fell in love. It was not straightforward – Sagan was already married. However, in one phone call, they agreed that whatever lay ahead, they needed to be together.
 
They were together until Sagan's death in 1996. In 2012, the Voyager spacecraft left our solar system forever.
 
Written by Duncan MacMillan and Effie Woods. 
  
Carl Sagan ..... Kerry Shale
Ann Druyan ..... Nancy Crane
Linda Sagan ..... Clare Cage
John Casani ..... Mathew Gravelle
Tim ..... Chris Jack
 
Director ..... Polly Thomas
Sound designer ..... Cathy Robinson

A BBC Cymru/Wales production or BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in October 2014.

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