Researcher inspires Radio 4 Hollywood rom-com interview

A little-known Hollywood screenwriter who contributed to box office hits Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail discussed her legacy on BBC Radio 4 thanks to film studies expert Dr Sarah Louise Smyth.

Delia Ephron, the sister of acclaimed writer and director Nora Ephron, finally got the limelight she deserved in an interview with Front Row presenter Samira Ahmed.

The item, which also included an interview with Dr Smyth talking about Delia’s contribution to some of Hollywood’s best-loved romantic comedies, was the result of a pitch made by the researcher in her role as a BBC New Generation Thinker.

Dr Smyth was announced as one of six winners of the New Generation Thinkers competition in June. The initiative identifies early career researchers with a passion for sharing ideas and talent for engaging public audiences and gives them the chance to work directly with Radio 4 programme makers.

Speaking about why she pitched Delia as an interviewee, Dr Smyth said: “Nora Ephron is a well-known Hollywood figure, as writer and director of classic romantic comedies. Yet she had a key collaborator that many audiences don’t know about: her sister Delia.

“They wrote You’ve Got Mail together, as well as lesser-known films like This is My Life and Bewitched. They also wrote Sleepless in Seattle together but Delia was uncredited.”

As well as helping to plan Delia’s interview and listen in while it was recorded, Dr Smyth was also interviewed about the screenwriter’s cinematic legacy and the enduring appeal of romantic comedies.

She also contributed questions to Delia’s interview about the influence of her parents, particularly her mother who, unusually for the time, was a successful screenwriter often writing for Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, and her commitment to infusing her writing with humour and sardonic wit.

In her own interview, Dr Smyth also reflected on Delia’s comments that the most successful romantic comedies are written about smart people for smart people, challenging preconceptions that rom-coms aren't for intelligent audiences. 

Working on the programme has meant spending time in the Radio 4 studios at BBC Broadcasting House, where Dr Smyth has seen firsthand how programme makers plan and produce shows and rapidly respond to breaking stories like the recent death of Hollywood legend Robert Redford.

Speaking about the opportunity, she said: “Being a New Generation Thinker helps me refine and clarify my research questions, which, in this case, is about women’s filmmaking.

“Having the opportunity to disseminate my research to a wide audience requires me to communicate my ideas and findings in clear, accessible and coherent ways. This has helped me really hone in on what’s important and valuable about this research for both an academic and general audiences.”

Listen to the Delia Ephron interview and Sr Smyth’s response.