Little did I know that the guy who taught me to write scripts is now in one of the producer’s seat at the Beeb, and doing a pretty good job, by the sounds of it.

And if he’s as good a producer as he was as mentor to those taking their masters degree in the fine art of scriptwriting, then the BBC and Radio Four, are on to a good thing.

Gary Brown has a razor sharp mind and was an actor for ten years before getting his big break as a writer on radio in 1992 with Any Blokes, starring Caroline Quentin and Comedy Store Player Jim Sweeney.

After serving his time in radio, he moved into the glittering world of TV soaps and went on to be a storyliner for Coronation Street, followed by four years scriptwriting for Eastenders as well as stints for Brookside and Emmerdale.

Although hard work, Gary tells me producing radio is good fun.

“All the work in radio is done on the scripts and I have a 12-month lead in working with the writers.

“I have to produce 15 hours of radio a year, so its high pressure stuff.”

“And all the skills that I’ve learned over the years are coming into play.”

Gary’s next project to hit the airwaves is The Good Soldier Svejk on Sundays, November 16 and 23, from 3pm-4pm, and repeated on the following Saturdays.

Included in the starry cast is popular sitcom actor from classics such as Allo’ Allo! and Barbara, Sam Kelly, as well as Adrian Lukis, whose appeared in umpteen TV dramas, ranging from Peak Practice and Pride and Prejudice to The Bill, Judge John Deed, Prime Suspect and Spooks.

The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek tells the story of Josef Svejk and his adventures in the army during the First World War.

Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Europe is thrown into the First World War and Svejk, played by Sam, goes along for the ride. He is assigned to be the batman of the army chaplain the Rev Otto Katz, played by James Quinn, a drunk who loses him in a card game to Lieutenant Lukas.

Lukas is a ladies man, and initially enamoured with Svejk. But when Svejk steals a dog for Lukas it lands them both in trouble and subsequently they are sent to the front line. Along the way, Svejk is arrested for having no papers and mistaken for a Russian spy, yet still returns to Lukas in time to assist him with more amorous pursuits.

Based on Jaroslav Hasek novel, the radio play’s penned by Christopher Reason, who, Gary explains, is one of Eastenders’ core writers.

“It’s (Good Soldier) an anti-war satire and one of the most famous Czech novels,” continues Gary, from his producer’s hideaway within the labyrinth of the BBC’s Oxford Road complex in Manchester.

Meanwhile, tune into the Gary-produced legal drama Brief Lives, running on Mondays as Radio 4’s afternoon play at 2.15pm, which just happens to have Emma Atkins, former Emmerdale star in the line-up.

Keep up the good work, Mr Brown.