Falling Tree is a podcast of audio documentaries drawn from the archives of Falling Tree, an independent UK radio production company. Each episode presents a carefully crafted non-fiction story, often built around close listening, ambient sound and intimate human detail. The show collects documentary work that has aired across various outlets and makes it available as a podcast. It is produced in the UK.
Episodes
Padre Skinner’s War
A Remembrance Sunday feature based on the war diary of Padre Leslie Skinner, Chaplain with the Sherwood Rangers from D-Day to VE-Day. With the memories of the Padre’s comrades – Major John Semken, Lt. David Render and Cpl. Ernie Hawkins – and readings by serving chaplains and Rev. Skinner’s daughter, Annette Conway. First broadcast on... View Article
Olga
A love story for cold British winters. Olga was originally produced by Phil Smith for Short Cuts on BBC Radio 4 The Falling Tree podcast is produced by Alan Hall and Eleanor McDowall. The intro and outro music is composed by Phil Smith.
Hearts, Lungs and Minds
This ‘composed documentary’ explores the experiences of transplant patients, weaving intensely personal narratives, often recorded at the bedside, with the sounds of the hospital environment. Hearts, Lungs and Minds was originally produced by John Wynne for BBC Radio 3’s Between the Ears. It was created after he spent a year as artist-in-residence with photographer Tim... View Article
The Ballad of the Radio Feature
A close listen to the history and evolution of the radio documentary feature, a hybrid form which can sometimes appear closer to music or poetry than to news reporting. The Ballad of the Radio Feature was originally produced by Alan Hall for BBC Radio 4 in 2008 The Falling Tree podcast is produced by Alan... View Article
County Lines
Four people describe their involvement with ‘county lines’ – gangs that exploit children and vulnerable adults to sell drugs around the UK. County Lines was originally produced by Phoebe McIndoe and Redzi Bernard in 2023 for Lights Out on BBC Radio 4 The Falling Tree podcast is produced by Alan Hall and Eleanor McDowall. The... View Article
The Sound of Sport
What do you hear when you watch sport? Dennis Baxter, the sound designer of the 2012 London Olympics, guides you through the sonic worlds of sports broadcasting. The Sound of Sport was originally produced by Peregrine Andrews in 2011 for BBC Radio 4 The Falling Tree podcast is produced by Alan Hall and Eleanor McDowall.... View Article
House of Dreams
Step inside the House of Dreams… a ‘life project’ by the artist Stephen Wright who has spent years transforming every inch of the house he lives in into a work of art reverberating with love, dreams, fantasies and past lives. House of Dreams was originally produced by Eleanor McDowall in 2019 for BBC Radio 4... View Article
Everything, Nothing, Harvey Keitel
In the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world, the city of lights and dreams and distractions, a man sits down and tries to meditate. Learning to meditate is hard. Emptying your mind, focusing entirely on your breath is hard. And it gets even harder when you realise you’re sitting next to... View Article
Introducing: Falling Tree
Welcome to the Falling Tree podcast. Every Wednesday we share a different documentary from our archives. Listen to innovative docs, radio features and artful audio from some of the producers we’ve been lucky enough to work with over the last three decades. Falling Tree is produced by Alan Hall and Eleanor McDowall. The music was... View Article
