Showing results by publisher "BBC Audio" in Literature & Fiction

This is the complete series of Niall Ashdown and Luke Sorba's (strictly non-autobiographical) hilarious sitcom about two men in their forties who really don't know what to do with themselves. The duo attempt (and mostly fail) to make their mark on the world and prove that they really aren’t as pointless as they feel. Embarking on a series of haphazard adventures covering everything from the human condition to sex, food and some surprising things in-between, they are keen to prove to old school friends they have actually achieved in life.

Double Emmy-nominated actor, comedian and writer Nick Mohammed is well known for his portrayal of Nate in Ted Lasso and his stage and screen performances as his critically-acclaimed alter ego Mr Swallow. For radio, he has written and starred in four fantastic comedy series, collected together in this audio anthology and co-starring Anna Crilly (Lead Balloon) and Colin Hoult (After Life).

Newly graduated from university, Alex Fisher returns home depressed and suffering from existential angst. But when his father encourages him to make himself useful by killing the snails in the garden Alex has an epiphany. Instead of murdering them, he will save them – and soon, he has a whole escargatoire of snails, all named after celebrities, crawling over the carpet, climbing the walls and hanging off the lampshades.

Quando, Quando, Quando is Clapham’s premier hairdressing establishment, where brothers Rene, Carlo and Charlie Quando cleverly clip, chop and crimp their lucky clients into shape. With three floors, 200 pairs of scissors and more mirrors than the Palace of Versailles, it’s truly a cut above – but all is not well at this emporium of excellence...

Senior gardener Alec, his assistant Danny and new boy Jack are employed by the council to cut lawns, prune roses, trim hedges and maintain the municipal parks and gardens. What they actually do is spend their days hanging out in the potting shed, drinking tea and dodging the incessant rain and their short-sighted supervisor, Mr MacIntyre.

Opera Sunderland has a tradition of performing a new work every season - "its umbilical cord to civilisation". However, when managing director Dwight Gaggenheim opts for an unconventional piece, the tempers and egos of a plethora of opera types come bubbling to the surface. This series follows the cast of a staging opera as they put on the new season’s production Carmen.

Janitor Ramsay works at Worthing Court, a once-prestigious block of Edwardian flats in Bloomsbury that has seen better days. He takes pride in keeping the place spick and span, but flirty, feisty Elsie is always distracting him from his duties – and getting him into trouble. While he’s a stickler for the rules, she delights in breaking them, and while he respects authority, she refuses to know her place. In these eight episodes, the odd couple join forces to deal with an MP stuck in a lift, and Elsie takes advantage when she’s given a storeroom and borrows a flat.

When Tony Hardstaff breaks the bank playing ‘Snap!’ at the St Petersburg Casino, he is swept up in a maelstrom of romance and adventure. Seduced by the sultry Natassia Fillipovna Karamazov – a woman with curves so perfect they could make a geometry professor spontaneously combust – Tony is caught in flagrante by the Russian mafia, and flees for his life.

Arty free spirit Trisha returns to her native city of Edinburgh after years of living in London. Although she is coping with the loss of her job and a bruised heart, she arrives at Waverley Station enthusiastic and eager for the next chapter of her life to begin. Meanwhile, Trisha's big sister Clare could not be more different. A non-practising qualified accountant, she has been married for years, has two spoiled teenage children and has probably spent too much time on the school PTA. Together, they decide to open a new café in leafy Bruntsfield

Step into the charming and bewildered world of Siadwel: poet, philosopher, as endearing as he is perplexed. With his signature anorak and National Health Service specs, Siadwel has become a cultural icon, offering his unique and often befuddled perspective on the conundrums of everyday life. The beloved Welsh geek has been tickling audiences’ funny bones for decades, having first appeared on television screens as part of the sketch series Naked Video, which ran from 1986 to 1991. 

British comedy legend, Norman Wisdom plays small-time crook Norman Hood who’s just been released from prison for burglary. Hoping to make new life as an honest man, he is entrusted to widow Natalie Matthews (Moira Lister), who offers him a job and accommodation. However, she has an ulterior motive…Follow the farcical misadventures of Norman, played out with a huge cast of supporting actors as he tries to stick, but mostly fails, to the straight and narrow! Charming, gentle but ever so funny, Robbing Hood is a joy to listen to.

Bludden-On-Sand better buckle up as there is a new hero in town! Frustrated furniture fitter Nigel Struddock (Timothy Spall), with the help of a sewing machine, creates an alter ego: ‘Greywing’ - a local caped crusader determined to fight evil and bring justice wherever he can. He’s got the mask and the cape, but where’s the crime?! Every superhero needs an arch enemy and soon dastardly ice cream tycoon, Benny Leake (Bernard Hill) appears on the scene to be Greywing’s.

When long-serving council leader Roland Whittaker loses his seat to a Monster Raving Loony Party candidate with the same surname and initials, he is both flabbergasted and furious. Young Robin Whittaker (who conducted his entire campaign dressed in a chicken outfit and a Viking helmet) isn’t happy either – he only stood for election as a student prank. Everyone expects him to resign, but he’s persuaded to stick it out, and it’s not long before he’s being proclaimed Mayor (and appointing a very unconventional Mayoress...)

Starring comedian John Fortune, best known for the satirical TV show Bremner, Bird and Fortune, and screen legend Eleanor Bron, Protesting Too Much is written by Sally Phillips and Kate Brooke. A classic comic caper that will have you in stitches.

Chris Addison – the thinking idiot's pretend anthropologist – takes us on a comic journey through the vast and rich subject of human history in these eight hilarious comedy lectures. Aided by Professor Austin Herring (aka Geoffrey McGivern), Dan Tetsell and Jo Enright, who put their considerable talents to use in sketches illustrating the lectures, he examines how Homo sapiens became Top Species, charts the rise and fall of the Western world and looks at what’s next for the future of mankind.

Graham Carpenter has big dreams of being a serious journalist, but he doesn’t quite have the skills to match. Starting a new job as local cub reporter for the Butterthwaite newspaper is Graham’s big chance. With pad and pencil in hand, he’s willing and ready - what could possibly go wrong? Follow Graham’s (mis)adventures as he tries to land the ultimate scoop. In the first week of the job he gets a lucky break and an unexpected story lead when there’s whispers of royalty coming to town, but can he get the front page?

Sir Ralph Stanza, a hip London poet, is determined to communicate the people's hopes and fears through his verse. Whether they like it or not…These comedy series about a poet with a passion feature a special guest appearance from none other than (actual) poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. A perfect listen for anyone looking for the lighter side of life, culture and laughter.

The late Gregory Patterson was a stalwart of the Roman Catholic Parishioners. With his passing, how will Mrs Patterson cope with her headstrong daughter, Barbara? And can young Robert step into his father’s shoes and face up to new responsibilities? The man with the answers would appear to be football-crazy priest Father Benedict who tries to help the grief stricken family as best he can…

Looking for a sign from God, nun Martina leaves her convent and becomes a temporary chef – only to walk straight into a catering crisis of epic proportions. Valentine’s Viennese Patisserie supplies classy Austrian snacks for corporate events, but now their pastry cook has left, no-one knows how to make any of the delicacies they’re offering. And that’s not their only problem – they’re also being chased by clients, up to their necks in bills and cancellations, and stuck with a clapped-out delivery van that keeps breaking down.

Gentle-mannered, former sweet factory security guard and versatile singer/organist, John Shuttleworth records his fascinatingly mundane life on a tape recorder. With contributions from his foolish next-door neighbour (and sole agent) Ken Worthington, his tight-lipped wife, dinner lady Mary, not to mention her blousy friend, man-eater Joan Chitty. In the hands of John, no idea is too small, no plot too trivial, and no subject unsuitable for a song played on his trusty portable Yamaha keyboard.