Dangerous Visions

Synopsis

<p><b>Be disturbed, as you see the present reflected in the glass of an uneasy future…</b></p><p>Enter ten darkly compelling futures in this stunning collection of full-cast radio dramas from some of the UK’s best writers, including Val McDermid, Anita Sullivan and Ed Harris. Starring Meera Syal, Tony Robinson, Gina McKee, Oliver Chris, Harriet Walter and more.</p><p>From AI-controlled healthcare and genetic engineering to immersive virtual realities, ecological collapse, antibiotic resistance and eroding civil liberties, these gripping dramas take decisions being made today and follow them to their thrilling, unsettling conclusions.</p><p>In <b>Welcome to MedPatch</b>, the NHS is history and an AI health app has ushered in a new era of diagnosis and treatment. But how much of ourselves are we willing to hand to the private sector? Written by Kevin Core and starring <b>Meera Syal</b>.</p><p><b>Speak</b> is a dystopian love story set in a future where ‘Globish’ – a reduced form of English – has replaced language as we know it. Lucian has just 1,500 words at his disposal, but Clara wants to teach him the forbidden ones. A gripping exploration of how language can control, confine and liberate. Starring <b>Pippa Haywood</b> and <b>Andrew Gower</b>.</p><p>In Ed Harris’s Your <b>Perfect Summer, On Sale Here</b>, Theo cares for a gamer in an elective coma, immersed in a simulation of his first love affair. But what if it isn’t a simulation? Starring <b>Ben Tavassoli</b>, <b>Oliver Chris</b> and <b>Claudie Blakley</b>.</p><p>Val McDermid’s chilling <b>Resistance</b> begins when festivalgoers fall mysteriously ill. As the death toll rises, it becomes clear the disease is resistant to every antibiotic. <b>Gina McKee</b> stars in this terrifying apocalyptic vision.</p><p>In dark comedy <b>I’m Dying to Help</b>, an ageing population is costing the NHS and Social Services too much. A new Prime Minister has a radical solution – all she needs is a volunteer… Written by Jon Canter and starring <b>Tony Robinson</b>.</p><p>In <b>Freedom</b>, a new law protects the freedom to say anything, however hateful. As intolerance becomes acceptable, Jamie must decide how to live openly as a gay man while his mother confronts what she must do to keep him safe. Written by Gary Owen and starring <b>Suzanne Packer</b> and <b>Connor Allen</b>.</p><p>In <b>Produce</b> by Joseph Wilde, a couple unable to have a healthy baby naturally turn to Zenith Genomics, where they can create a perfect, bespoke child with every gene hand-picked – for a price. But perfection brings problems of its own. Starring <b>Laura dos Santos</b> and <b>Joseph Kloska.</b></p><p><b>Dark Minds</b> by Philip Palmer follows Harry, an obsessive immersive-VR gamer who wakes to find a dead body beside him – and all the evidence says he is the killer. His search for the truth leads into the illicit underbelly of the Internet. Starring <b>Bryan Dick</b>.</p><p>In <b>The Bee Maker</b>, real bees face extinction and robotic replacements pollinate the world's crops. Then people mysteriously start getting lost and society begins to crumble. Deborah must cross an apocalyptic Britain to find home – if she can remember where it is. Written by Anita Sullivan and starring <b>Alice Lowe</b> and <b>Harriet Walter</b>.</p><p>In Ed Harris’s <b>Billions</b>, Mark’s wife lies in a life-threatening coma. Yet when he returns from hospital, she is waiting in the kitchen – or rather, a near-perfect replica supplied by his insurance company. A wickedly twisted tale of love and adjustment starring <b>Blake Ritson</b>.</p><p>For fans of intelligent dystopian drama and <i>Black Mirror</i>-style storytelling, this provocative, star-studded collection is not to be missed.</p><p>©2027 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd</p>