BBC to release 12-part podcast series Ecstasy: The Battle Of Rave
Split between six documentary-style episodes hosted by Chris Warburton, five fictional episodes written by BAFTA-winning screenwriter Danny Brocklehurst and a final roundtable discussion, the series takes a deep dive into the early years of ecstasy use in the UK and how it led to the acid house movement.
With a story spanning 1987 to 1991, the podcast’s non-fiction element includes interviews that detail the rise of the rave scene, dealers and drug manufacturers in Amsterdam and clashes with police, while the dramatic episodes take place in the acid house era’s warehouses, clubs and streets. The series soundtrack, curated by Graeme Park, features “early Chicago and Acid House classics, along with the key tracks of the British scene,” according to the BBC.
“The story of how ecstasy changed crime, policing and youth culture in Britain in the ’80s has been one that I have wanted to tell for a long time,” Brocklehurst says. “It’s an epic battle and speaks about issues larger than a single drug.”
All 12 episodes will be made available via BBC Sounds this Friday, September 11th.
