OOOH Ta will listen.
Current radio comedy Page 96
Here's the show in question: Henning Knows Best
He's always excellent value on The Unbelievable Truth. Great rapport with D. Mitchell.
I really like The News Quiz. I've also enjoyed The Unbelievable Truth, It's Not What You Know and Two Episodes of Mash on R4 recently. My all time favourite is Down the Line. Not sure if they are doing anymore, but I hope it comes back for a fifth series (or sixth if you include Bellamy's People).
I never really enjoy sitcoms on the radio (or dramas). I know you need to use your imagination to make up for the lack of visuals, but they always sound like exactly what they are, people standing still in a studio in front of a microphone with someone occasionally pressing a sound effects button. No atmosphere.
I'm aware this is more of a problem with me than the format. Sitcoms have been doing pretty well on the radio for 60+ years.
The old saying is that the pictures are better on the radio; this is particularly true of drama. I find most radio drama unlistenable, but fantasies such as The Lord of the Rings work well. In comedy some of the most successful shows have also allowed full play to the imagination: I am thinking of The Goons, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Old Harry's Game, but even more conventional comedies such as Hancock's Half-hour or Claire in the Community work the medium, to mislead the listener in the absence of visual information or to create outlandish mental pictures.
Quote: Tursiops @ May 2 2012, 11:19 AM BSTThe old saying is that the pictures are better on the radio; but even more conventional comedies such as Hancock's Half-hour work the medium, to mislead the listener in the absence of visual information or to create outlandish mental pictures.
Sunday Afternoon At Home for one mayhap ?
Bleak Expectations is another example of a sitcom that works on radio. The humour relies on the imagination, especially with a lot of the 'visual' gags it presents. I feel this type of sitcom only works on the radio because of the absurdity of it all.
Have just discovered that BBC Radio 4 will be repeating S3 of Cabin Pressure from 6:30 next Tuesday. 
Listened to Believe It! on Radio 4 today. Found it quite good and I enjoyed Richard Wilson reading it.
Also listened to the radio play Dear Arthur, Love John about the making of Dad's Army on Tuesday. Found it quite interesting, especially with the revelation that the show reached 21 million viewers at one point.
Quote: Claire Hardiker @ May 10 2012, 10:16 AM BSTListened to Believe It! on Radio 4 today. Found it quite good and I enjoyed Richard Wilson reading it.
Also listened to the radio play Dear Arthur, Love John about the making of Dad's Army on Tuesday. Found it quite interesting, especially with the revelation that the show reached 21 million viewers at one point.
Haven't listened to Believe it! yet but for it to only get a 'quite good' in view of the cast (and the cost of assembling such cast!!!!) is a little disheartening.
Enjoyed Dear Arthur immensely and could claim a vicarious and very tenuous mention in the script but will refrain. However, I surprised that there was no real attempt to sound like John (although Anton Lesser as usual was a joy to listen to and the mannerisms were there) when all the other characters were so brilliantly played. Robert Daws was uncannily accurate as Lowe. It was actually broadcast on Monday in the 2.15pm slot on R4 for those hunting through iPlayer.
Series 2 of Bleak Expectations was indeed excellent, especially the last episode with the martian invasion. I like that it contained references to Close Encounters and The War of the Worlds (Jeff Wayne's version).
It's indeed become one of my favourite radio sitcoms.
Is it me, or does Nicholas Parsons sound a bit croaky on tonight's episode of Just a Minute?
Mark Steel's in Town has won this year's Sony Gold Award. Annoyingly I missed out on who won Silver and Bronze.
Quote: Ian Wolf @ May 14 2012, 8:03 PM BSTMark Steel's in Town has won this year's Sony Gold Award. Annoyingly I missed out on who won Silver and Bronze.
Another Case of Milton Jones got Silver and Bronze went to Down the Line
Quote: Ian Wolf @ May 14 2012, 6:47 PM BSTIs it me, or does Nicholas Parsons sound a bit croaky on tonight's episode of Just a Minute?
It also sounded like he had a cold.