The System, a dark and unsettling thriller about a group of young radicals and the hunt for their leader marks the launch of Limelight, a new strand of audio drama from Radio 4. With a cast including BAFTA nominee Siena Kelly (Adult Material), Jack Rowan (Noughts + Crosses) and Iain de Caestecker (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), the story considers the dark fringes of masculinity through a nail biting, cultish adventure. The System by Ben Lewis will be available in full as a box set on BBC Sounds from Friday 28 May and broadcast on Radio 4 from Friday 28 May.

The arrival of the Limelight strand and podcast on Radio 4 and BBC Sounds will push ambitions for audio drama, welcoming new and big name writing, acting and production talents. These dramas will showcase fresh approaches to serialised storytelling across a range of styles and genres, but all will hook in audiences with their driving narratives and cliff hangers. The dramas can be enjoyed both on air and on-demand to ‘binge’ in full or as a weekly series; catering for how different audiences choose to listen.

Forthcoming titles in the strand include The House That Vanished - a real life mystery from the West Coast of Ireland, and a Halloween special dubbed Harland where a medieval plague village lies beneath a 1960s new town. Further titles are to be announced in due course.

Radio 4’s Commissioning Editor for Drama and Fiction, Alison Hindell, says: “I want these Friday dramas to be appointment listening, great writing and riveting performances to treat our audience. It’s also hoped they bring new listeners in to the wonderful wider world of Radio 4’s rich audio drama because we know more people are enjoying drama no matter how they’re listening. I hope people delight in them.”

Rhian Roberts, Radio 4 Commissioning Editor for Digital and Podcasts, adds: “The podcasting world is bringing new forms of creative excellence to audio drama and we’re excited to be showcasing that in the Limelight strand too. There is an increasing digital audience out there for unique storytelling and what our feed will provide is a one-stop destination for today and tomorrow’s audio fans to discover more from the BBC.”

Limelight is a co-commission between Radio 4’s Commissioning Editor for Drama and Fiction and Radio 4’s Commissioning Editor for Podcasts. The launch of the strand follows on from popular titles including Tracks, This Thing Of Darkness, Children of the Stones, The Lovecraft Investigations, and also hybrid docu-dramas such as The Battersea Poltergeist. Radio 4 is the biggest commissioner of audio drama and broadcasts a variety of classic dramas and new work across every day of the week. These new commissions are part of Radio 4’s plans to bring ambitious and brilliant storytelling to both existing and new, wider audiences.