Comedy-Drama on 4: BBC Radio Collection
from archive.org
A collection of full-cast BBC Radio comedy dramas.
All My Life I've Wanted to Be Someone - Now Who Was It?
A group of scatty 20-something friends share a flat in London. Juby thinks the man from the lido might be the one, Beena will stop at nothing to advance her career and Ruth wants to take things further with Arnie but there's a problem...
Juby ...... Finn Taylor
Ruth ...... Claire Cox
Beena ...... Natalie Walter
Customer ...... Rachel Atkins
Studio Man ...... Darren Boyd
Arnie ...... Justin Salinger
John ...... Frank McCusker
Written by Finn Taylor
Directed by Stephen McCrum
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 1998
Assisted
A drama which explores our relationships with machines in the near future. Jordan and Connie want their next-generation AI assistant to make their perfect lives just a little bit better. But what happens when the technology starts to take control?
Alivia ..... Tamsin Greig
Connie ..... Emma Wilkinson-Wright
Jordan ..... Jude Owusu
Written by Greg Wilkinson
Directed by Sarah Lawrie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2024
Bayeux
The year is 1067. England is occupied by the Normans. They use any means necessary to suppress English rebels. A group of disparate women fleeing for their lives find themselves imprisoned in Wilton Abbey. They include former Queen of England, Edith of Wessex. She has been allowed to keep her lands and wealth because she has paid tribute to the new King, William. But William's cruel and powerful half-brother Bishop Odo has other ideas. He wants Edith's wealth: she wants to survive. Armed only with a needle, she leads a group of women in a bid to outwit their violent Norman oppressors. Her plan? To save her skin, and in the process to create a masterpiece and a message that will last a thousand years: the Bayeux Tapestry.
Queen Edith...Katy Brand
Bishop Odo...Charlie Anson
Gunnhilda...Katy Sobey
Edeva...Lisa Zahra
Wadard...Jonny Holden
Wulfgyth...Rosie Cavaliero
Mathilde...Tracy Wiles
Written by Abigail Youngman
Directed by Mary Ward-Lowery
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2019
Good Morning, Yvette's Nan
Gwen used to be a DJ on hospital radio. Now she's in Bleak Park retirement home. But she's determined to liven things up a bit - with the help of David Bowie, The Kinks and The Who.
Gwen ..... Siw Hughes
Yvette ..... Gabrielle Creevy
Kelly ..... Alexandria Riley
Seren ..... Lisa Zahra
Miss Bates ..... Claire Cage
Janice ..... Sue Roderick
Bob ..... William Thomas
Charlie ..... Georgia Henshaw
Written by Neil Williams
Directed by Fay Lomas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2023
Life after Life
Uncle Sid's out of prison, on probation. He was serving a life sentence for armed robbery. The only place he has to stay is back in good old Muswell Hill. But the area has changed from his early days. Now he's with his middle-class niece and her nice middle-class family.
Sid .... Warren Mitchell
Val .... Kay Stonham
Ian .... Simon Greenall
Ada .... Avril Elgar
Matthew .... Josh Freedman
Molly .... Mollie Freedman
Governor .... Will Ing
Headmistress .... Annie Hulley
Written by Kay Stonham and Simon Greenall
Directed by Jane Berthoud
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 1998
Master Mason
The master mason is dead; long live the master mason. This comedy takes us back to the golden age of cathedral building and the moment humble stonemason Bill Mason gets the call. When the Bishop asks, you don't say no. But is he the one really calling the shots?
Bill ..... Edward Hogg
Penelope ..... Laura Elphinstone
Eliza ..... Kathryn Drysdale
Bishop ..... Michael Bertenshaw
Messenger ...... Aaron Gelkoff
Tom Farmer ..... John Lightbody
Written by Lizzy Mansfield
Directed by Toby Swift
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2024
Meltdown
A famous actress reaches the end of her patience with selfies and the demands of strangers in this comedy about the tension between fame and privacy.
Emily Sanders ..... Joanna Lumley
Frank ..... Robert Glenister
Tara ..... Claire Rushbrook
Anita ..... Maggie Service
Noah/The Fan ..... Ben Onwukwe
Evan Davis as himself
Written by Tessa Gibbs
Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2020
Middle Men
A comedy drama about the beautiful (and ugly) game, focusing on three decidedly middling referees vying for promotion. And when an unexpected assessor turns up, it threatens to throw them all off their stride. An original and entertaining take on the ways in which masculinity is performed on and off the football field, when trying to keep a bunch of aggressive semi-professional footballers in check.
Gareth ..... James Doherty
Janet ..... Fay Ripley
Joe ..... Luke Newberry
Imran ..... David Mumeni
Kerry ..... Anna Spearpoint
Footballers ..... Olatunji Ayofe and Brandon Grace
Written by Sid Sagar
Directed by Anne Isger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2024
Mr Harris
He is a lazy, arrogant, bullying games teacher, but Mr Harris is getting out.... unless the parents lynch him first.
Starring Chris England, Morwenna Banks, Robert Harley, Andy Taylor, Martin Hyder, Roger Blake, Roger Sloman and Valerie Minifie
Written by Chris England
Directed by Phil Clarke
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 1998
Murmuration
Barnaby's a voice hearer. When he meets a friendly neighbour they begin to bond over the birds that visit their block of flats. Charmed by their burgeoning friendship, Barnaby hits crisis point with his voices who want to keep him in all to themselves...
Barnaby... Christopher Eccleston
Nellie ... Christine Entwisle
Scotty... Joseph Arkley
Child...Debbie Korley
Ringmaster ... Dennis Herdman
Written by Christine Entwisle
Directed by Kirsty Williams
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2021
Second Hand Rose
Barnaby is an 80-year-old female impersonator. He is stubbornly trying to keep performing despite his frailty. Then a young care nurse comes into his life and all his preconceptions and certainties are turned upside down.
Barnaby ..... Donald McBride
Jojo ..... Felix Mufti-Wright
Akshay ..... Rajat M Bose
Noreen, Big Thora ..... Susan Twist
Conductor ..... Hamilton Berstock
Written by Philip Meeks
Directed by Gary Brown
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2024
Settlers
Two scientists have been in cryogenic stasis for nine hundred years along with one thousand others. They are underground waiting for a new planet to be born, then they can colonise. Nothing can go wrong, can it?
Sam ..... Laura Aikman
Ian ..... Tom Rosenthal
Michael.... Hamish Rush
System ..... Leah Marks
Written by Adam Usden
Directed by Gary Brown
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2020
The Big Town All Stars
Dentists by day, singers by night. A small-time acapella band have ambitions well beyond wedding gigs. During rehearsals, someone needs to have a word with singer, Laureli...
Starring Stephen Tompkinson, Clive Rowe, Adrian Scarborough, Doon Mackichan, Darren Boyd, Dan Strauss, Henrietta Garden and Matthew Little
Written by Bill Dare
Directed by Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in March 1998
The Goat Doctor
The true story of Doctor John Romulus Brinkley (1885-1941), a poor boy from the Appalachian Mountains who became a quack doctor and one of the richest men in America. His practice took off after he successfully grafted the testicles of a goat onto a farmer to revive his flagging vigour. Brinkley's fame spread and to advertise his services he set up XER, a radio station broadcasting from Mexico to reach as far north as the Canadian Border, which at its height was the most powerful and popular station in the world. Brinkley became a multi-millionaire, with private yachts and planes. He came close to being elected Governor of Kansas, and was talked of as a possible right wing Presidential candidate.
Dr John Romulus Brinkley ...... Ray Porter
Narrator ...... Kerry Shale
Minnie Brinkley ...... Laurence Bouvard
With Tom Alexander, Jennifer Armour, Karen Bartke, Graeme Garden, James Morley, Michael Roberts, William Roberts and Martin T Sherman
Written by Graeme Garden
Directed by Dirk Maggs
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2024
The Invitation
When her eight-year-old daughter is the only one in the class who doesn't get a party invitation, Lizzie challenges the birthday girl's mum, Jo. As their two world views collide, all hell breaks loose. What are the rules here?
Jo - Siwan Morris
Lizzie - Kimberley Nixon
Huw - Tomos Eames
Ritchie Tyne- Nathan Sussex
Mrs Wilson - Zoe Davies
Margaret - Hannah McPake
The Postman - Anthony Corria
Micha - Jos?phine L?pez-Norton
Ellie - Rapha?lle L?pez-Norton
Written by Katherine Chandler
Directed by John Norton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2024
Wholesome
60-something year old Sally Turner is about to retire and has made no plans, telling everyone she just wants some peace and quiet. But when 22 year old Lizzie Fisher, heartbroken and struggling to move out of her ex's flat, interviews for Sally's job, Sally impulsively offers her the spare room.
Sally ...... Olwen May
Lizzie ...... Amber Grappy
Olly/ Keelan ...... Tachia Newall
Ange/ Gwyneth ...... Susan Twist
Steve/ The GP...... Jason Done
Written by Georgia Affonso
Directed by Lorna Newman
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2024
- All My Life (24.9Mb)
- no title (39.9Mb)
- no title (40Mb)
- no title (40.4Mb)
- no title (24.9Mb)
- no title (40.1Mb)
- no title (39.7Mb)
- no title (40.2Mb)
- no title (25.1Mb)
- no title (40.2Mb)
- no title (40.2Mb)
- no title (40.3Mb)
- no title (25Mb)
- The Goat Doctor (52.2Mb)
- no title (40Mb)
- no title (40.3Mb)
MP3 files hosted by archive.org.