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Fourble

The House

BBC Radio political drama from 1989 to 1994
from archive.org

All six series of Christopher Lee's enthralling parliamentary drama, plus a Christmas Special.


Suave, unflappable and ambitious, veteran politician Charles Bannister knows his way around the corridors of power. As chief whip, he's adept at keeping MPs in line and squashing potential scandals--aided by his brother-in-law, MI6 Agent Henry Colvil, who whispers useful titbits of information in his ear. His position seems invincible--but nothing is forever, and when the tides of politics turn, Charles finds himself under threat....


In these six series, we follow his fortunes and those of his close friend Home Secretary Dougal Baxter. Together, the duo rise, fall then rise again, as they fight off plots, counter-plots and conspiracies while struggling to secure their political futures. Promoted to party chairman, Charles finds himself beset by domestic dramas, dogged by rumours of an affair with glamorous Opposition MP Juliet Cameron, and under increasing pressure at Westminster. Will he stick it out and run for the top job--or decide to spend more time with his family? Meanwhile, Dougal makes no secret of his desire to become PM--but will his potentially explosive relationship with his mistress, Kay, put an end to his dreams of advancement?


Written by award-winning author and historian Christopher Lee, this captivating tale of ministerial manoeuvring and machinations was adapted as a best-selling novel and spawned the spin-off mystery series Colvil & Soames. Julian Glover stars as Charles Bannister, with Timothy West as Dougal Baxter and Christopher Benjamin as Henry Colvil.


Production credits:
Written by Christopher Lee.
Produced by Pete Atkin and Neil Cargill.


Cast:
Charles Bannister ... Julian Glover
Dougal Baxter ... Timothy West/Peter Kelly
Mary Bannister ... Sarah Badel/Isla Blair
Henry Colvil ... Christopher Benjamin
Denis Wigton ... David Ryall/Trevor Peacock
Juliet Cameron ... Siobhan Redmond
Rose ... Sheila Reid
Arthur ... James Garbutt
Polly Bannister ... Ruth Gemmell
Gerald Mossman ... David Neville
Merffyn Edwards ... Ray Smith/Douglas Blackwell
Kay Bennett ... Jane Booker
Nick ... Julian Dutton
Eamon ... Shaun Prendergast
Alex ... Caroline Bliss
Sharp ... Norman Bird
With Brian Redhead, Laurie Macmillan, Stuart Organ, Graham Blockey, Rupert Baker, Joan Matheson, Ken Cumberlidge, Danny Schiller, John Fortune, Iain Cuthbertson, Dennis Ramsden, Charles Simpson, Christopher Scott, Michael Kilgarriff, Ian Targett, David Goudge, John Bull, David King, Brian Miller, David McAlister, Terence Edmonds, Brett Usher, John Grieve, Richard Caldicot, Bill Wallis, Stephen Greif.


First broadcast BBC Radio 4:
19th August-7th October 1989 (Series 1),
25th December 1989 (Christmas Special),
17th September-5th November 1991 (Series 2),
16th March-20th April 1992 (Series 3),
28th October-2nd December 1992 (Series 4),
17th June-22nd July 1993 (Series 5),
9th June-14th July 1994 (Series 6).

  1. Fallout (26.8Mb)
  2. Clashes (26.7Mb)
  3. Power of the Pen (26.7Mb)
  4. Old Flame (25Mb)
  5. Polly's Party (22.9Mb)
  6. Time for a Change (26.8Mb)
  7. Tracking a Traitor (27.1Mb)
  8. Grave Secrets (26.9Mb)
  9. Seasons Greetings (22.5Mb)
  10. Will Heads Roll (26Mb)
  11. The Fifth Man (25.7Mb)
  12. A New Recruit (25.6Mb)
  13. The Honours Game (25.5Mb)
  14. A New Nomination (25.3Mb)
  15. The Queen's Speech (25.3Mb)
  16. Jobs for the Boys (25.5Mb)
  17. Curtains (25.5Mb)
  18. S03E01 (24.9Mb)
  19. S03E02 (25.3Mb)
  20. S03E03 (26.2Mb)
  21. S03E04 (23.6Mb)
  22. S03E05 (25.4Mb)
  23. S03E06 (24Mb)
  24. S04E01 (26.4Mb)
  25. S04E02 (27.2Mb)
  26. S04E03 (27.1Mb)
  27. S04E04 (26.7Mb)
  28. S04E05 (26.8Mb)
  29. S04E06 (27.1Mb)
  30. S05E01 (25.2Mb)
  31. S05E02 (24.4Mb)
  32. S05E03 (24.3Mb)
  33. S05E04 (24.4Mb)
  34. S05E05 (20.8Mb)
  35. S05E06 (24.1Mb)
  36. S06E01 (26.9Mb)
  37. S06E02 (26.7Mb)
  38. S06E03 (26.5Mb)
  39. S06E04 (27.3Mb)
  40. S06E05 (26.7Mb)
  41. S06E06 (26.9Mb)

MP3 files hosted by archive.org.